Book Review: An Obliquity
An Obliquity. D. M. Wozniak, Chicago: D. M. Wozniak, July 17, 2017, Trade Paperback and E-book, 539 pages.
Reviewed by Terry Needham.
An Obliquity is a “deviation from moral rectitude and or sound thinking” –Merriam Webster Dictionary. It is also the appropriate title of D. M. Wozniak’s exciting sequel to his highly acclaimed dystopian novel, The Perihelion. The perihelion is the point in an orbit of a celestial body that is nearest the sun, a highly symbolic event that opens this two-book series. It aptly describes the theme that drives these dystopian events.
The Perihelion unfolds as a mystery wherein someone is plotting to kill off all the 99ers, 1% insect/animal hybrids which are considered unstable and must be destroyed. In An Obliquity, Aspen Curie, a wasp-hybrid who seeks freedom in destruction and fulfillment in revenge, drives this central theme.
Her story is spiraled by a constellation of other characters who are desperate, empathetic, pathetic, wounded, vengeful and remorseful; some are seeking love or redemption, some salvation or freedom, and one mournful soul just wants to escape Bluecore 1C to join family in The Redlands. Each character is engaging and brilliantly woven into the paths of other characters as unpredictable and fascinating events unfold. This is a brilliant nail-biter of a story rich in symbolism with sudden twists and turns.
The author’s prose reflects a very high intellect as evident in the symbolic themes, rarified vocabulary, and extraordinary imagination. I relished the challenge, but kept my dictionary handy, just to be certain I kept up. I strongly recommend reading The Perihelion first, then An Obliquity, for continuity, engagement, and reading pleasure. Each book is equally exciting and compelling, but it always makes sense to start a story at the beginning.
These books are over 550 pages long yet are hard to put down. It is a daunting undertaking and the reader will need to be fully engaged to keep up. But, you will be grateful, as I was, and crave yet another sequel. After reading these two books, I am hooked on this series. I just have one question for D. M. Wozniak regarding Aspen Curie, Bluecore 1C, and the Redlands: what happens next?