Book Review: ApocalyptiGirl by Andrew MacLean

ApocalyptiGirl: An Aria for the End Times by Andrew MacLean

Aria is an opera singer and cat owner who has been living on an earth-like planet for many years. She's searching in the ruins of civilization for a special relic of amazing power. If she finds the relic, she can return home. Problem is her main searching tool, a massive walking robot, is on the blink. She has to search on foot. That's why it's taking years. Also, the natives (two different, semi-human species) are restless and hostile. Aria makes the best of the situation, even though it is a very bad situation.

The story is fairly simple, allowing the author to be more lyrical. And lyrical he is. Aria sings many passages from operas. The passages are in other languages but do have footnotes, so a diligent reader could look them up. I didn't. Other parts are more poetic than technical, especially the descriptions of the planet's history and the various events that caused the apocalyptic conditions. The narrative takes a back seat to the artistry which mostly works for this book. The ending is fairly thought-provoking, which was a very pleasant surprise.