Secrets of the Universe, the third installment of Geobey’s ‘Kiranis’ series, pulls the reader hundreds of years into a future beyond Pawns of the Prophet, a future that seemingly equally defines the past and the future as if time itself has no meaning. This reflects one of the pleasures in reading Geobey’s work, his ability to place layer after layer of nuance into each paragraph.

Threads from Gods of Kiranis and Pawns of the Prophet are teased out and woven into an increasingly intricate plot, where alliances are not quite what they seem, and each character wears more than one mask. The fusion of science fiction and fantasy continues, and is well executed, with Geobey departing from the first installments in two major respects.

Firstly, Secrets of the Universe provides a less tangled narrative structure, with the emphasis on science fiction or fantasy separated to some degree throughout the work. A necessity of the plot, it made Secrets of the Universe more accessible without diminishing it’s hybrid nature.

Of far more importance, Secrets of the Universe is less rushed and more rounded, containing fewer characters that receive a deeper, more intricate portrayal. The end result is a deeper, richer novel where, although the action is never missing, the characters and their motivations take centre stage.

Make no mistake, Secrets of the Universe does, at times, require effort on the reader’s part; but that effort is more than amply repaid.

My thanks to Temple Dark Books, who supplied a copy of Secrets of the Universe for this review.

Highly Recommended.

Rating 5 out of 5

Available June 2023 in eBook, Paperback

Purchase direct from the publisher or via Amazon