cover image The Hour Before Morning

The Hour Before Morning

Arwen Spicer. Lulu, $17 paper (200p) ISBN 978-1-105-08111-8

Spicer provides a vivid vision of a future%C2%A0racked by interplanetary strife%C2%A0between the oppressors and the oppressed.%C2%A0Imprisoned by the Ash'torian regime, 120-year-old Jenchae and 263-year-old Elek share a cell onboard a prison spaceship bound for the Death Planet. Tension arises as Jenchae, a nonviolent protester, debates the propriety of reading the mind of violent murderer Elek to help him find peace. The situation within the cell%C2%A0provides a tense dramatic situation, but frequent flashbacks introduce a distracting abundance of characters and defuse the tension between Elek and Jenchae. The entry of female prisoner Meravyn%E2%80%94and her ability to see the humanity in those she fought%E2%80%94helps lay the basis for the%C2%A0affirmation of%C2%A0a shared consciousness and the inanity of warfare. The aftermath of the final catastrophe%C2%A0leaves readers to wonder if Elek will resume his warlike ways. Spicer's imaginative%C2%A0narrative will certainly pique the interest of those who enjoy top-notch world building;%C2%A0however, her%C2%A0exuberant use of%C2%A0invented detail may weary some.