Set in Earth’s next century, Shokeir’s debut sci fi thriller, the first in a series, features a ragtag, shifting group of teens and eccentrics on a mission to stop the terrorists who slaughtered a military training base called the Bunker, which was full of teenage cadets. When a mysterious superpowered man wearing an unremoveable helmet is dug up alive in the desert, a young heiress named Victoria Zaidi soon appears at the semi-secret military base to confront him, convinced that he’s somehow involved in the death of her father. A group of mercenaries aren’t far behind, slaughtering everyone in their path except for a small group including a mad general and his loyal aide, Victoria and her bodyguard, a couple of lucky cadets, and the helmeted mystery man, who goes by Slate and can’t resist wisecracks like “I’ll go punch the kangaroo turd who’s responsible for this right in the wombats.”

That captures the tone of the adventure that follows. As the group flees through the desert toward Cairo, Shokeir pits them against a host of dangers: terrorists, attack drones, giant robotic spider creatures, and more, in action-heavy encounters. They escape largely through Slate’s lightning-blasting heroics, though not without sustaining casualties, and make their way to Cairo, where they learn that a criminal organization known as Cloak, possibly run by other superpowered beings, may be plotting a massive terrorist attack.

The constantly escalating action and stakes are the main draw of this story, though those stakes are undercut by a tendency to gloss over potentially resonant emotional beats—like the deaths of various members of the party—with one-liners. But readers who relish inventive, playful action and worldbuilding (a trip to a movie theater showing a jingoistic action fantasy memorably sells this future) and also relentless Deadpool-esque quipping will enjoy the ride.

Takeaway: This SF adventure mixes relentless quips with over-the-top action.

Great for fans of: Darius Brasher’s Seraph Rising, Jeremy Eaton’s Preparing for the Future.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-