Author Gregory Rizzi’s science fiction adventure follows a colony of human settlers who—hundreds of years after crash-landing on an inhospitable planet named Ares and slowly building a glorious civilization from the ashes—are on the verge of ideological hatred-fueled self-destruction.

Jakob Daedalus is a young lieutenant in the Praetorian Guard, an elite unit that protects the inhabitants of the walled city of Rhea not only from the beasts of the Wilderness (which surrounds the city) but also from Creators, a small segment of humans who are born with supernatural abilities to create, build, and potentially improve humankind’s place in the world. But fear has made the Creators pariahs, exiles sent into the Wilderness to die. Rumors abound that the Creators have built a stronghold in the wilds and are preparing to attack Rhea. Wanting to prove his worth to his mentor/father figure, Jakob aims to find their secret city.

The story offers numerous noteworthy elements. The idea of Continuum—where, every 20 years Ares temporarily shares its atmosphere with its moon Hera, each continually balanced by the other’s orbit—is a fascinating hook. The overall description is rich and a consistent focus throughout, and the character development is impressively deep. Readers will feel like they understand morally ambiguous characters like Jakob; military leader and political candidate Marcus Dyne and his son Lucas; and even Jakob’s robotic protector DEC. Also, the brisk pacing and numerous action sequences create a page-turning read.

The story isn’t flawless, however. While the world is abundantly described, it is far too similar to Earth. There are sequoia trees, motorcycles, guns, and animals that are essentially super-sized bears, lions, etc. The conspicuous lack of imaginative flora and fauna will have science fiction aficionados less than thrilled.

Still, this is an action-packed story that delivers a subtle but powerful message about redemption and offers the welcome possibility of a sequel.

Also available as an ebook.