Papa Lucy & the Boneman

Starred review from May 10, 2021
Fischer (Quiver) mixes multiple genres in the superbly crafted dark science fantasy that launches his Books of Before & Now series. Immortal sorcerer brothers Papa Lucy, a psychotic mastermind, and the Boneman, a practical and empathetic necromancer, bring the remnants of humanity from the devastated Before world into a nightmare dimension known as Now, composed of encroaching deserts and crumbling cities, where survival means scavenging and brutality. Papa Lucy and the Boneman set themselves up as gods and their followers are fanatical—until Lucy’s arrogance leads to a catastrophic event, forcing the brothers to go into hiding. When they reemerge centuries later, sorcerer’s apprentice and cowboy Lanyard Everett sets out to prevent Papa Lucy from destroying the Now. Armed with a holy shotgun etched with spells, Lanyard crosses the salt flats, outwits murderous water barons, encounters the Taursi—natives of the Now who can turn sand into glass inside their bodies—and loots dangerous dimensional rifts that bleed the Before world into the Now. Fischer expertly weaves the intricate plot, desolate landscapes, and fierce characters into an immersive mythology. This masterful work of imagination delivers adventure and thrills to more than satisfy readers of all fantasy and science fiction genres.