STARLIGHT, SHADOWS AND TEARS

A young detective seeks to find his place in a futuristic underground colony in Feltman’s SF novel, the second in a series.

Manny Stewart is a young NYPD detective living in the underground Colony of New York in 2364; a powerful hurricane, the product of climate change, destroyed New York City and forced 7,000 survivors to resettle in its subway system. Manny married Naztazya, his high-school sweetheart, and they have a young son, Zack. Manny’s relationship with his late father, Patrick, the former police chief, was complicated: Patrick had been an abusive, hardcore alcoholic. He also ran black-market trade with Philadelphia, making the Stewart family rich. Tragedy strikes Manny when Naztazya and their unborn second child are killed in a fire. His heroic actions taken during the blaze cause his professional career to flourish, both at the New York Police Department and in the political sphere. He starts drinking brandy to dull his pain, both emotional and physical, following a back injury (“He took another generous pull and then placed the flask back in his uniform pocket, so he didn’t forget to take it with him when he left for work”). Manny also makes a potentially catastrophic discovery with profound implications for the Colony. The author deserves kudos for her vivid conception of what a climate change–ravaged world might look like. In her Colony, humanity not only survives but thrives in a situation that feels both familiar and yet very different—life goes on as the populace clings to a willful ignorance concerning ecological devastation (Feltman is subtly preachy on this topic). Manny is an easy character to root for—he received a leg up thanks to his inherited wealth, but he doesn’t lord it over people. His character is also engagingly complex; he should have learned from the bad example of his father, but he still turns to liquor during difficult times. This is an engaging tale that is optimistic about the future despite a past full of avoidable suffering.

A skillful and enjoyable blend of post-apocalyptic drama and soap opera.