Review: The Voided Man by Anthony Dean

Synopsis:

There are great deserts in space. Matter is not spread evenly. On average it balances out in all directions, but some regions are not average. For every dense cluster of galaxies in one place, there is a tremendous void somewhere else. There are no galaxies within the voids, no stars, no planets, and no moons. Scientists have theorized that anyone at the center of such an empty space would see only darkness in every direction. Even the brightest objects, they say, would be too far distant to be visible to the naked eye.

I got a chance to test that theory firsthand. I am the most distant exile in human history.

My name is Prisoner Number One. This is my story.

Favorite Lines:

“The thing about purgatory is that it wears on you. About ten years into my exile, my focus shifted from what I had to what I didn’t have, and that sent me into a gradual spiral that touched everything.”

“The far future was weird.”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

When I received the request to review this book, I was intrigued mostly from the fact that the synopsis is so mysterious. I had no clue what to expect other than that this was some sort of science fiction tale and that Prisoner Number One has to be in some sort of void (whatever that could even mean). I was actually very pleasantly surprised.

Prisoner Number One is exiled to the depths of space to spend the rest of eternity with only a chess playing AI and library of books to keep him company.  Somehow this tale manages to spin into a love story between two individuals who spend years apart. I won’t spoil what happens in the story but rest assured, Prisoner Number One doesn’t stay alone in the void forever.

While this story slightly reminded me of the 2016 film Passengers, Dean has crafted a unique sci-fi world that somehow feels both similar to our own reality and vastly different at the same time. As an avid reader and someone who dabbles in writing themselves, I can honestly say that I have not seen nor do I think I could come up with some of the creative concepts that Dean features in this story.

I found the characters to be well written, the plot to be refreshingly unique and well thought out, and Dean’s writing voice to be humorous, warm, and distinct. This book blends romance and sci-fi while posing the question of what it means to be human. As part of a series, I am excited to see where Dean takes us next!

Summary:

Overall, I went into this almost completely blind and was pleasantly surprised with this one. This is a great example of going outside of your comfort zone and managing to find some diamonds in the rough. I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of quirky science fiction stories that feature romance and touch on what it means to be human. Happy reading!

Check out The Voided Man here!