Lands of In-KO-8: Trilogy

Science fiction will always be a weird animal to get down; no other genre has had quite the same level of diversity, as there are an infinite ways of telling a story. Land of In-KO-8: Trilogy represents a hybrid of different ways.

Inchoate is a planet inside another planet. It is made of dark matter, which doesn’t really interact with normal matter, and yet formed along with the planet in which it resided. There are various humanoid races of various green and blue shades, as well the mysterious and alien Progenitors. Also, the animals are on a sliding scale of sentience, ranging from “just barely” to almost humanoid, such as the jackalopes. The technology is a fun mix of steampunk and futuristic technology.

The majority of the book is about how the planet was moved, how it was moved back, and the issues that the moving causes. It is told in a style reminiscent of a Russian novel, where what is described is as after the fact. Even when action is happening in front of us, it is told in a very detailed fashion that tends to slow things down. It’s an interesting story; it just needs better pacing. There are also some problems in handling exposition. There are some nice appendices and an index in the back if you really get lost.

Nonetheless, the setting is interesting and it is fun to see the various cultures interact. The story is solid; it is just sort of like watching a thoroughbred being held in place by chains. Some of those chains needed to loosened so that the horse can fly down the track.