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Space Zombies, Lost Love, and Secrets

Author: David Wellington

Disillusioned agent Alexandra Petrova and barely sane Doctor Zheng, alongside the sardonic and irascible robot Rapscallion, have survived the deadly Basilisk, but only through a deeply unnerving pact. The Basilisk will finally allow them entry to the forlorn planet of Paradise-1, but they must do something for it in return. They must reveal the secret that the Basilisk has been protecting for millennia – a secret even the otherworldly being with its ruthless agenda doesn’t know.

This dovetails nicely with Firewatch’s mission: get to the planet and find out why it’s gone silent; but nothing about this mission has been simple or truthful. Landing on the planet, Petrova and crew go from the frying pan into the fire as they uncover the desolate secret in another action-packed fight for life.

Paradise-1 and Revenant-X may be copartners in a series, but they have distinctly different auras. While both intertwine aspects of horror with action/adventure, Paradise-1 leans more into the horror/paranoia aspect, focusing on mystery and a trust-no-one motif. Revenant-X has its on version of horror – space zombies for lack of a better descriptor – but it functions more on the survivalist / high action spectrum, creating a break in atmosphere between the two stories. It’s still good – just not as creative or scary.

We still have our triumvirate of beloved characters, with a hard-light version of Parker joining the mix, adding some morse love thoughts and speculations on what it really means to be human. Our characters do have bonding moments, especially Parker and Petrova, who start on a weird relationship that is obviously doomed from the start (he is, more or less, a glitch in the programming, a ghost in the computer), but Revenant is more interested in putting the characters in jeopardy than it is in making further revelations about them. Poor Zheng in particular is mostly just there, and Rapscallion has become so docile that it almost seems as though he cares about humans (nooo, let it not be so!) The Basilisk itself is a character, although its development is distinctly non-linear and defies too much inspection. The Basilisk, so smart and unstoppable before, is more a thing of plot now, seemingly turning on its endless powers when the plot needs the characters (Petrova) to do something really risky and stupid. Otherwise, it hums, harmless but threatening, in the background, making it an ineffectual bad guy and destroying some of its mythos.

What Revenant does have, however, is action. Lots and lots of action, Walking Dead style, with the characters nearly dying at every turn. It does get a bit wash-rinse-repeat at times, but it’s still good and well told, and we’ve already created such a deep connection with the characters that we still care and get upset when they almost die (again and again.) What can I say, once I’m into a story, I’m with it until the end.

Revenant is a weird middle book in the series, and despite the final revelation, not a lot “new” is revealed here. It’s mostly a pause, an interlude between parts one and two, where the author throws some creepy zombies at us and gives the characters a break from their heartache by throwing them into a pure adrenaline rush. It’s not in the same league as the first book, but I’m also being exceptionally picky and a bit brutal. If I’d just read this on its own, I’d be in love. It only pales in comparison to its predecessor. I enjoyed every moment and was once again disappointed to see the pages rustle closed and know that I HAVE TO WAIT ANOTHER YEAR before the next book in the series.

– Frances Carden

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Frances Carden
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