Seekers of the Unknown - Book Review

M.A.T. Reeson’s novel titled the Seekers of the Unknown is a science fiction novel with a steampunk flair to it. It chronicles the struggles of 7 individuals, the Seekers, who are charged with the responsibility to explore an uncharted wilderness in the western region of their domain on planet Unum.   The citizens and government of the realm referred to as the Imperium have witnessed changes in their environment. The belief is that these alterations are due to a shifting of the sun’s position in relation to Unum.  The aberrations of the environment are taken as a dire warning that life as they know it is radically changing or even coming to an end. One of their environmental issues is that the realm is witnessing an overheating and they fear that soon it will cause their civilization to suffer immensely.

The existence described on planet Unum bares a similarity to life of the 18 hundreds on planet earth. The residents of Unum use horse-drawn carriages, are armed with rifles and swords and wear clothes similar to what would have been worn in the 19th century. They drink whiskey and wine.  Owls are used for long-distance communication. Gold and silver are mined from the earth.  There are other similarities of their society with that of America’s trek into the western wilderness seeking new land to inhabit.  Unum is populated with people of different colors. Many of the inhabitants have dark skin and are very human-like, some are white skinned and some have carmine color skin.  The hub of their realm is a city called Crepusculum, which is also referred to as the Twilight City. Their civilization is on the verge of dystopia and is ruled by a Princep (emperor) who has hated secret police to maintain law and order in his realm.

Reeson has an affinity for using Latin names for many of the characters and places in the story, such as his name for the secret police, “Carnifex,” which means executioner in Latin, or the Twilight City, Crepusculum, which in Latin translates to “Twilight.”

The Seekers exploration of the unknown region is full of adventure, drama, and lots of danger.  They are trekking into and onto the other side of the Murky Mountain, a wilderness that is difficult to traverse and that is inhabited with ferocious animals like the cave lion. Depleted water supplies, overwhelming climate change, and a host of other disasters all loom large and their mission is critical in finding new resources and land to migrate to. They will encounter the Rubeus a tribe of people who are armed with bows, arrows, and spears.  One danger that was not anticipated was the struggle that the seven would battle between themselves. As jealousies, deceptions, disagreements, dislikes and other issues begin to tear their team apart, the success of their expedition becomes less likely. What can they do when the indigenous people of the region believe one of the Seekers is their God named Wakan? What happens when romance blooms between Seekers and some of the indigenous people?

Will war between the Seekers and the people of the West break out after the Imperium demands that the inhabitants of the explored region agree to give up their jewels, food, and resources to his kingdom?

If you are looking for pure escapism and an exciting read then M.A.T. Reeson’s Seekers of the Unknown will serve you well.