Sunday, April 14, 2013

Book Review - The Epiphanist by William Rosencrans

The Epiphanist
William Rosecrans
Trade Paperback
Publisher: Derby Books
Publication Date: May 11, 2012
ISBN-13: 978-0615649962
360 pages
Advance Reader’s Copy

clip_image002

     The Epiphanist, the debut novel by William Rosencrans, centers around Vladimir, a teenage boy brought up on a prison plantation on Haven Island which is anything but a sanctuary. Because of the statistical likelihood he’ll commit an act of violence before coming of age Vladimir is sentence to a life of labor at Assuncao's Manor. In a world where everyone is genetically engineered the rejects are sentenced to Haven to spend their lives in physical servitude. The island is populated by an unsavory collection of genetic experiments gone wrong – aberrations, cripples, mutants, and lunatics. But Vladimir’s record is spotless and he has been nominated for parole by the authorities. A quick exam and a life of quiet comfort in the Holy City awaits him. When war breaks out and destroys his home his plans for independence are crushed and he must now fight his way to freedom through a nightmare world of feudal cruelty and nanotech marvels. With the help of his visions and a strange band of nanite allies; a fly, a satyr, and a female known as Viryx he must navigate the dangers of the jungle and a maze of political scheming to regain his rights.

     File with: China Mieville, Jack Chalker, fantasy, Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake, and genetic engineering.

3 ½ stars out of 5

The Alternative
Southeast Wisconsin

Additional Reading:

The Epiphanist Amazon Page

No comments: