![Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000448_00034]](https://i0.wp.com/theprairiesbookreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/aethyr-1-2.jpg?resize=250%2C400&ssl=1)
Suspenseful, unsettling, and thoroughly engrossing…
Fans of hard-core science fiction who like their books with a hefty dose of life philosophy will feel right at home in Kelly’s debut, which details the journey of a man who struggles to revive his lost memories after his death. With his body dead and his mind uploaded to a virtual world, it has been three years since Paddy Riordan is stuck in limbo, trying desperately to recuperate his lost memories of the past year. When a mysterious warrior appears with a dire warning, Paddy must sift through his remaining memories in order to save his mind and the woman he still loves. But the path to remembering is filled with difficulties, and Paddy must face an army of assassins loaded with cutting-edge artificial intelligence and aided by the sinister sorceress Rusalka, and there is no guarantee that the truth will set him free. The narrative alternatively shifts between past and present, making the opening tough to follow, but through Paddy’s engaging voice, Kelly deftly provides enough backstory to clarify the happenings without slowing down the action. Kelly renders his characters and their struggles with great sympathy and explores the complicated state of mind that Paddy finds himself in while in limbo and afterward (after learning the truth toward the ending). The book’s pacing is smooth, prose assured, and tension stays high with hefty suspense constantly in the background. With its intriguing blend of high action, hard-core techno details, and life philosophy, this heartfelt tale is sure to charm sci-fi readers.
