Spire

LOCAL AUTHOR

Joshua’s no stranger to drugs–he’s tried everything that’s ever been sold in a dark alley or a back room. But from the first hit of the Apple he knows something’s different. Wrong. Now he can see things he shouldn’t, hear things he shouldn’t, and he can do things no one should be able to do.

Sara’s been on the run for so long her instincts have been honed to a razor edge. But when she meets Joshua, she’s suddenly at a loss. One minute he reads fine, the next she can’t even get a scan on him. And for the first time ever, she finds herself making decisions that aren’t necessarily in her best interests–decisions that could get her killed.

Eve’s worked for the Collective for a long time. Long enough to have her own ideas about their latest endeavor and long enough to put her own plans into motion. But she’ll need the help of an old friend to continue thwarting the Collective and to ensure that Joshua survives.

Now Joshua and Sara are on the run, and Eve’s throwing everything she’s got at the Collective in a determined effort to slow them down any way she can. But that shadowy organization is vast, and powerful, and they want what Joshua has. They want the power of his soul.

Safronoff’s novel reads like futuristic zen, with an edgy Blade Runner vibe humming throughout. From the human enhancement technology (GEaRs) to the fuzzy-edged diorama of a career junkie’s latest trip, the author tightens and loosens his prose to shape it to the moment. The down side? Random tense changes that have the tendency to yank you right out of the story and slam you to the mental pavement. But if you can shake it off and keep going, it’s totally worth it.