Ecko Rising

As publicist and events manager for England’s legendary Forbidden Planet, debut author Ware has a deep knowledge of science fiction and fantasy, and she hurls it all into this engrossing but sometimes derivative mix of high-tech street fighting and epic quest. In a dystopian future London, the population has been systematically reduced to plugged-in cogs, blissed out on Pilgrim Inc.’s brand of SSRI. Enter Ecko, a wickedly entertaining antihero. He’s a genetically and mechanically modified superhuman sociopath with a host of unusual abilities. On a mission for a vaguely outlined rebellion, Ecko leaps from a building and wakes up in a teleporting tavern in a medieval fantasy realm, where he reluctantly joins forces with Roderick the Bard to do battle with the elementalist Maugrim and prevent the resuscitation of a demon. Is this all a “Virtual Rorschach” test designed by Ecko’s creator to bring him into line? Several scenes in which Ecko is not present hint otherwise. The page-turning narrative leads to a cliffhanger ending that bodes well for planned sequels. (June)