One of my earliest postings was on Warren Fahy‘s “Fragment,” part of the “techno thriller” genre (though perhaps a better term might be “science thriller” for this work) that I feel is part of the larger New Pulp movement. Now he has a sequel out, “Pandemonium,” and if you liked the first work, check this one out.
The first novel was set on the distant Hender’s Island in the Pacific, which had not been visited in millions of years. The last remnant of a past super-continent, the island was host to a whole ecosystem of dangerous lifeforms somehow descendant from mantis shrimp. Most startling was finding a group of five intelligent creatures, called “hendros.”
The dangerous lifeforms of Hender’s Island were wiped out, but the hendros (properly called “sels”) were rescued. This second novel does two things: It tells the story of the hendros after their rescue, as well as offering a glimpse into the history of their civilization which goes back millions of years. And it has a new adventure in another isolated environment with a wide range of dangerous lifeforms.
It seems that in the Ural Mountains, an isolated cave system has given rise to a range of lifeforms descended from mollusks and amphipods. Some live in an underground sea, others live on the “land” within the cave, and others are able to float in the area. And all are dangerous, with the apex creature being the “ghost octopus.”
We also learn that during the Cold War, Stalin built a huge underground city in the same mountain, and accidentally discovered this environment. Today, a Russian billionaire has purchased the deserted city, with an eye to make it his refuge from the world, with deadly plans if he is threatened. And he feels threatened!
Some of the characters from the first book are pulled into his schemes, and two of the hendros are part of a rescue group. We then discover firsthand the creatures that live in this environment.
Like the first book, a lot of thought has been put into the scientific background of this novel, which can be found on the author’s website. In fact, some of the charts and drawings in the back of the paperback edition can be more easily viewed there.
As I said, if you enjoyed the first book, I think you will want to read this one. I don’t expect to see a further work with these characters, as I can’t see how the author can come up with a scenario to use them again. Which is kind of sad, as they are interesting. Would be great to learn more of their history, as we only get glimpses.
