ONSLAUGHT

A man with special abilities defends a planet under attack in Greenwood’s SF novel and prospective series launch.

In the distant future, a “rogue telepath” has made his way to the blue-and-white planet Felicitas, named after the corporation that owns it. Elsewhere, an elite group, whose members also use telepathy and telekinesis to serve and protect humanity on multiple colonized worlds, sends its agent Langston Wheeler. But as soon as Langston sets foot on Felicitas, he’s almost immediately attacked by the villain he’s hunting. This masked baddie dons the uniform of the Archons, the earliest telepaths who wanted to rule as a “master race,” and seemingly targets Tia Dynn, Felicitas CEO, and her team. Langston, though skilled, is no match for the powerful Archons; he struggles to get Tia to safety. As it turns out, this is the first step in a full-scale strike; other Archons and a horrifying army of people-eating pig-human hybrids assaults Felicitans. Langston and his group of telepaths strive to settle all matters peacefull­y. But to protect innocent lives, he may have to join Tia, who refuses to surrender, in fighting a vicious enemy. Greenwood keeps the story humming while telegraphing possible plot developments in the series. For example, most of the novel unfolds on Felicitas, but other human-populated planets also clearly exist. A romance between Langston and Tia emerges, adding drama without decelerating the action. Langston rescues Tia several times, but she also ­makes her own stand against formidable baddies. Greenwood’s prose is concise and striking, particularly when describing his odious pig people with their “glistening tusks” and “shaggy black hair draping their heads.”

A taut, energetic SF outing with an appealing cast.