Phoenix

Said, S. F. Phoenix. 2016. 496p. ISBN 978-0763688509. Available at FIC SAI on the library shelves.

Lucky has always been uncomfortable in his own body. It’s almost like it doesn’t fit right. His father, a major in the army, is missing somewhere in the galaxy. His mother possesses so many secrets it is impossible to know who she really is. Ever since he was a child, Lucky has been longing to go offworld and travel among the stars. In a dream, he swims towards a star, only to wake up covered with ashes. In his sleep, he incinerated both his clothes and his bedsheets sheets without harming himself. His mother recognizes the danger and they flee, for Shadow Guards, government agents, are now after them.

Lucky and his mother secure passage offworld aboard an Axxa ship, not a small feat given that there is now a complete grounding of the entire space fleet following a terrorist attack. The alien Axxa have cloven hooves and tall horns, and are considered devils. Axxa and humans are at war, and the Axxa who live in human-controlled space are displaced refugees with no rights. Lucky meets Frollix and Bixa, an Axxa brother and sister team ready to escape the planet. As Shadow Guards desperately chase Lucky, he must control his strange fire curse before the fire consumes him, while finding his missing father at the far end of the galaxy to finally get the answers he so deeply crave. With enemies on both sides, can Lucky count on Bixa and Frollix?

Readers of this book will also enjoy Game Slaves about videogame characters who seek to escape their virtual environment.