Shade of Forever by Chris Kluwe:

4 stars

The remnants of humanity collide when a starfly crashes near Sky’s village. She and Wire go out to investigate, only to discover the hard way that existence is much larger than they had realized.

There are two things about Shades of Forever to know right off the bat: first, I enjoyed the book. My technical score comes to 3.8 stars. While the novel has significant strengths, it also faces some challenges, making the specific rating worth mentioning.

Second, the prose demands that the reader quickly learn and digest both a new set of terms and some abstract concepts. It is challenging; what happens and why it happens in action sequences is confusing, especially in the first half of the book. There are a few honorifics, as well, whose structure does not work. It’s possible they were a joke, but if so, I didn’t read anything that would indicate that.

However, the characters are extremely engaging. Wire, Sky, MacWillie, Huckens, and even Violet each have their particular charms. The village and its way of life are thought-provoking. The trees are vivid, and the entities are memorable. The worldbuilding surrounding the villagers is particularly strong. By contrast, Violet's perspective is intentionally limited, and we see relatively little of daily life in the other worlds.

Largely due to the vocabulary and shifts in point of view, the pacing does suffer. The narrative pulled me out of the world repeatedly, especially just before the end. Mr. Kluwe does not do this without reason, though. Patience is rewarded. My concern is how niche that reward is.

Shades of Forever would suit readers who enjoy sci-fi that explores a bit of mysticism, requires engagement, tackles big and obscure ideas, while incorporating moments that are quite grounded and occasionally crude. It will get the wheels turning, but it also requires work.

Thank you to Podium Entertainment for the opportunity to read this novel. I received a complimentary copy via NetGalley, and I am voluntarily writing this review.