'The Last Firstborn' by K R Holton

Every time I thought I had a handle on this story, the scale of it grew.

First things first. K very kindly offered me an advance copy of 'The Last Firstborn' for me to devour (I mean, read with acute literary appreciation), I was delighted to accept, and therefore should really flag both that I know the author and did not have to pay for the privilege of reading. This might had been very awkward had I disliked the book.

Knowing K's writing already, I judged there was little risk of that, and I was right. When I read with enthusiasm, I dive in one end of a book and out the other with my head spinning. That is how I spent most of Saturday.

What shall I say, without sprinkling spoilers? The plot of this story coils out like a spring releasing and I really don't want to disrupt the experience of anyone who picks it up. It grows as it rolls out, moving out from a single apartment, to a Tower, to a vibrant yet oppressed city, where water is the currency of power. It moves from the present to the future. It interrogates the past. It is gloriously spiral. And it is, pointedly and ironically, given that its lead character, Levi, is a prophet who can't open his eyes without immediately facing the future coming straight at him, partly about actually seeing what's right in front of your nose.

But I fear I'm in danger of making it sound languidly erudite, when the most important thing about it is that it's a high-speed, well-told, hugely enjoyable story. I have read a lot of dystopian stuff of late, and was feeling a bit fragile so I did check with K whether this was darkly gritty, before I agreed to read and review. They reckoned it about 6 of of 10. I'd actually place it quite a bit lower on the darkness scale than that, but maybe I've just read too much seriously bleak stuff. It's definitely not cosy, but it's far from a journey from darkness into darkness. And Levi is a fantastic protagonist, in what as the tale moves on increasingly becomes a rich ensemble cast. There are some great sudden reveals, and some equally satisfying slow progressions into understanding.

Any gripes? A few. I did feel once or twice that consequences were a little bit less serious than they had been set up to be. Blows that were meant to land glanced aside. But on the whole, K has dealt fantastically with the self-imposed problem of how not to see what's coming next in a story where the protagonist has a direct dial to the future. Talk about choosing to climb Everest! And what a view from the top.

Oh yes, did I mention there's going to be a sequel?

The Last Firstborn will be available from October 13th via Barnes and Noble, in paperback and as an eBook, as well as via all the usual online suspects. If you want to dive in, which I recommend, try to set a day aside to do very little else. It's worth your full attention.