DARK SANITY

From the author of The Vagrant Chronicle (2012) comes a post-apocalyptic Western in which a tortured hero struggles to separate illusion from reality.

Thousands of years in the future, the Earth has been scorched by a hyperactive sun. Australia remains the only habitable continent, where a frontier-style civilization prevails. In the town of Desonas, Flint Cross lives with his wife, Amanda, and their two children. Flint’s harsh existence is made worse by Amanda’s confrontational attitude and the dreams about a woman named Hamarah that plague him. The town marshal asks Flint to hunt down a former ally named Browder, claiming that he’s murdered some aboriginal Australians. But when our hero catches up with Browder, the man warns Flint that life in Desonas is an illusion. To break the spell, he must stop eating the fruit called “bush tucker.” To cope with this startling revelation, Flint enlists the Aborigine Yeramba to guide him through the psychic realm of the dreamtime. There, Flint encounters not just Hamarah, but also a hidden aspect of himself. They offer information about the man Flint once was—a warrior named Ethan—who’s being punished by living in the elaborate lie that is Desonas. Should Flint escape his prison, leaving behind the children he loves? Experienced fantasist Centeno triumphantly celebrates the many pulpy facets of the genre. His broody narrative is ripe with nasty creatures (the lurken), pale kings (the evil Pardashan) and psychological hellscapes. An agile prose conveys it all fantastically: “The creature’s head exploded; then its body burst into a glob of slime that enveloped Flint.” Centeno’s dialogue is just as rich, and our introduction to Pardashan is exceptional; he tells our hero, “[Y]ou will remember my name until you scream and croak as a spit of meat on my dinner table!” A few slow moments occur when Flint explores his psychic trauma; he questions reality so often it starts to feel repetitive. Beyond that, Centeno offers an inventive, emotionally resonant adventure.

A savory treat for sci-fi/fantasy readers.