Book Review: Arkad’s World by James L. Cambias

This review was first published by Booklist on December 15, 2018.

Arkad is the only human on a world populated by aliens, his past a mystery. When other humans arrive, he seeks them out, determined to find a way off the planet to rejoin his own kind. Cambias (A Darkling Sea, 2014) has achieved a feat of world building: an expansive, believable setting with fascinating aliens, compelling mysteries, and a rich sense of history. The novel is a classic quest story, a well-paced series of encounters with different folk along the way, building momentum toward a final confrontation with Arkad’s past. Though the book is not without flaws, it does boast a rare instance of a deus ex machina that actually works, adding a delicious twist to the end.

This title has been recommended for young adult readers:

YA/Mature Readers: With a young adult protagonist, this will appeal to older teen readers who can handle the explicit references to sexual anatomy.