Frontier

November 1, 2022

DEBUT Earth has succumbed to lawlessness: those humans who were not fortunate enough to escape the damage they had caused three centuries ago were left to survive in a near-barren land, eschewing technology and turning their suffering into a religious cause. Then a Stranger lands on this long-abandoned world, searching for survivors of her spacecraft, hoping that the woman she loves has survived. Facing off against zealots, fearmongers, and the iron hand of the Sheriff, she travels across the wastelands for the glimmer of hope she carries in her heart. The Stranger's interactions also lead her on a journey of understanding that just because a world is left behind, it does not mean that it is gone. The pacing is almost leisurely, although it speeds up towards the end. Moving between character interactions brings a deeper view into how the world could go in such an anti-technology direction. VERDICT This western-inspired, post-apocalyptic tale is an adventurous science-fiction story, filled with a high-action quest and intimate looks at what people will do to survive.--Kristi Chadwick

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 31, 2022
The far-future Earth of Curtis’s rocky debut is devastated and near abandoned when its first visitor in three centuries falls from an escape pod. There’s an Old West feel to this apocalyptic world, which will draw in readers of weird westerns, but after the strong opening, the plot devolves into an increasingly disjointed series of vignettes, each featuring a different name for the newly arrived “stranger” and a different trial she must overcome in her trek to be reunited with the rest of her ship and the woman she loves. Raising the stakes are the nefarious High Sheriff at New Destiny and his invidious Deputy Seawall, who pose a threat to the stranger’s mission. The style shifts repeatedly and often abruptly as Curtis gradually reveals her heroine’s military backstory and the truth of her arrival on Earth. A moving theme of redemption and an admirable focus on environmentalism are both obscured by the jerky and convoluted structure. There are good ideas here, but the execution falters. Agent: Zoë Plant, Bent Agency.