COLOSSUS

A ragtag crew searches for the fragments of an ancient wonder in this dystopian novel.

In a future Florida that includes augmented reality and biowarfare and is run by mega-corporations, Nagash “Gash” Jensen is a jaded veteran and ex–private investigator. He’s on the run from WalCo, a mega-corporation he angered after a botched job. He becomes the personal bodyguard of expert hacker Selina Kan, an aspiring archaeologist turning to less than legal means to gain access to the conflict-ridden island of Rhodes, a former Greek territory “with no major corporate interests to keep the peace.” Chasing down her father’s mysterious research into the missing pieces of the Colossus of Rhodes, the ancient statue of the sun god Helios, she believes there is more to the legend than meets the eye. Selina and Gash are joined by her assistant, Frederick Almond, a young man off the streets of Detroit, fresh, tough, and ready for the improbable. Their covert operation is funded by the mysterious, mob boss–like Hemmingway. Meanwhile, Interpol agents Sage and Hiroyuki are investigating a parallel ancient world mystery: that of international crimes and violence involving the Knights Hospitaller and the White Lotus gang—with Rhodes as the site of the action. As Selina faces sinister forces warning her away from the Colossus mystery, she and her group face WalCo on its hunt for Gash and get caught in the crossfire of the Knights Hospitaller and White Lotus. In the process, Selina and her cohorts encounter technological advances beyond their imaginations while the secrets they learn shake their understanding of humanity itself. The book’s prominent themes are found family, identity, and belonging; the dangers of technologically advanced mega-corporations; good versus evil; and humans versus mystical beings. Featuring parallel perspectives and storylines through various character viewpoints, the plot connects different pasts and presents together neatly. The story presents rich worldbuilding details without meandering and is consistently suspenseful. The focus on deliberately inclusive characterizations in the predominantly cis, White, male SF genre is masterful and commendable. Leunig seamlessly creates the voices of a gender-androgynous person (Sage) and a young woman of color (Selina), addressing issues of racism and heteronormativity without preaching or reducing the players to identity politics.

An engaging, SF–enriched tale with striking fantasy elements and diverse characters.