Rhea E. Rose, editor of Polar Starlight Magazine, and her review of Shatter Dark as published in Issue #19.
Set in a fractured future stitched together with myth, memory, and malfunctioning tech, this novel follows Rudwulf the Smiter—a professional killer with a dry wit, a talking AI in his head, and an unholy appetite for logic-defying bureaucracy.
I was pleasantly surprised by Shatter Dark. It’s a hilariously clever read. It’s a science fiction story full of cynicism, satire, and post-apocalyptic absurdity. Empires crumble, technology rots and mythical memories fade, but the voice, Rudwulf’s inner snarl and Buddy-bod’s snide AI commentary keep the tone biting and brilliant.
Our Rudwolf is a Don Quixote-like character, a broken knight in a fallen empire, searching for meaning as we laugh at the absurdity of it all. His embedded Buddy-bod is Sancho Panza meets HAL 9000. Windmills are now AI gods and plastic pyramids.
Parts of Rudwolf’s journey echo the legend of El Dorado and the quest for the city of gold. The reader finds plenty of mythical power, golden illusions, and doomed quests in this plastic-and-code paradise where grow-vats, religion, politics, and simulation blur.
Rudwulf’s reluctant diplomacy lets us see the last gasps of Gods, governments, and gadgets delivered with deadpan flair. The novel is fiercely intelligent but never afraid to be ridiculous.
And this story asks an existential question. What does it mean to believe in anything when belief itself has been bought, sold, and pixelated?
A consistently sharp narrative voice and a charmingly unrepentant, cerebral and funny relationship between Rudwulf and his “love interest,” Myriad, keep the story gritty.
Rudwulf’s conversations and connection to his Buddy-bod are fun snark, and the technology is reminiscent of M.T. Anderson’s young adult novel, The Feed, a dark dystopian novel, more serious in tone and outcome than Shatter Dark’s exploration of the aftermath of technology. Each time I picked up the manuscript for a read, I found myself smiling and chuckling at the page and subtext. I think readers will recognize this world and laugh out loud.
——
Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo Award-winning author of The Downloaded; Far Seer; Illegal Alien; Hominoids; Red Planet Blues; Quantum Night:
“Shatter Dark is inventive, fresh, and clever, and Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame member R. Graeme Cameron has a wise and witty narrative voice. Bravo!”
——
Colleen Anderson, Rhysling Award and SFPA poetry contest winner:
“Graeme Cameron’s Shatter Dark is a delightful romp of nonstop action through a future plagued with infertility and absent blue skies. When the techgrid collapses, society—now hopelessly dependent on it—spirals into misconceptions and stone age chaos. Rudwulf the Smiter, clearly the world’s most successful opportunist, is swept up in a cascade of disasters, along with his allies: Myriad, and Buddy-Bod, an invisible AI Mate armed with knowledge and snark. As oligarchs and dictators attempt to revive lost civilizations in their bid for control, Rudwulf manages to stay one step ahead. Satire or prediction? Shatter Dark is wildly entertaining—I can’t wait to read the sequel.”
——
Arlene F. Marks, author of The Genius Asylum, The Stragori Deception; The Earthborn:
“Shatter Dark completely captivated me. Love the writing style.”
——
Sally McBride, author of Untethered; The Nightingale’s Tooth; The Fragrance of Orchids:
“I admire the level of detail, the snappy banter, and the references to a near-future technoscape in Shatter Dark. A fun combo of noir and sci-fi.”
——
Lorina Stephens of Five Rivers Publishing, author of And the Angels Sang; Caliban; Dreams of the Moon; From Mountains of Ice; The Rose Guardian; Shadow Song:
“Shatter Dark is interesting. Fascinating concepts. Well done.”
——
Mark David Campbell, author of Eating the Moon; Secrets of Ishtabay.
“Shatter Dark is an episodic adventure that transcends the genres of fantasy, science, and speculative fiction. Humans, endowed with sentient AI, confront Egyptian pharaohs, Maya and Aztec rulers, and fascist dictators, in a deadly game to either dominate or salvage what is left of the post-apocalyptic ecosystem.
Our storytelling styles are very different. Whereas my style is quite traditional, your work is much braver, and possibly even a bit post-modern at times. I was also struck by the number of themes you discuss that are parallel to my own writing, such as issues of civilization, Sentinel AI, and the post-apocalyptic ecosystem. We both enjoy dry irony, side-bars, and the opportunity to pull in as many anachronistic references as we are able.”
——
R. Graeme Cameron: In my latest Amazing Stories (online) Magazine column I review “Shatter Dark: a novel of the post apocalypse” by R. Graeme Cameron.
That’s right. I review my own debut first novel.
Cover reveal is included, with art by M.D. Jackson.
——