Book Review: Inflection by Gabriel Palmer

Book Blurb

Two childhood friends are accidentally transported to another world. Meanwhile, a grizzled space captain awakens from three millennia of suspended animation…

Series Inflection is the first in a two-book arc and is a suitable entry point to the Aerimus Series.

In spite of being different species, Celus, a boy of the cat-eared Nari, and Rinn, a girl of the winged race of the Aialii, are inseparable friends. One day, they are whisked away by accident from their home to the planet Neftar. A brief encounter with a senescent automaton provides them with a map home, but even after spending their teenage years searching, they are never able to find a starship to take them there.

Just as Rinn and Celus arrive on Neftar, Captain Tevra awakens alone aboard the wreck of a three-thousand-year-old starship, plunged from space into Neftar’s crust in a desperate attempt to fulfil his mission. He awakens others of his kind, also frozen in time, who years later realise that the alien threat they faced millennia ago—the unstoppable Black Maw—is still after them.

The good Tevra’s mission succeeded, for he has brought news of an energy source so powerful that his people can defeat the Maw for good. The bad they have no map to get there—and Tevra’s superior is committed to finding one at any cost…

Inflection stars the grandchildren of Deflection’s protagonists, and expands the mysteries of Aerimus to an interstellar scale. 

Overall Analysis of Inflection

Inflection by Gabriel Palmer is the sequel to Deflection and the second installment in the sci-fi/fantasy Aerimus series. It builds upon the already expansive worldbuilding of its predecessor, further broadening the scope of the series. And while the story takes a turn toward hard science fiction, it never loses sight of its emotional core, ensuring the characters’ internal struggles are as authentic yet unruly as the world unfolding around them.

Inflection follows Celus, a Nari and grandson of Nirav, alongside his nearly inseparable companion Rinn, a member of the winged Aialii race, and Tevra, a Nari starship captain. While Tevra and the cast of characters from his point of view had their moments, it was Celus and Rinn who stole the show. What I appreciated most about Palmer’s characterization is, despite being portrayed as heroic fighters (well, mostly Celus), the characters are never stripped of their youth. Palmer allows them to behave their age, complete with emotional outbursts and moments of immaturity. And the patience with which Palmer allows Celus to navigate his emotions is something to be applauded. Many authors are guilty of sacrificing characters’ emotional instability when higher stakes are introduced, but Palmer is not one of them.

Palmer also manages to weave just about every major category of conflict into the novel. Commodore Lancello provides the classic character-versus-character opposition, while Celus’ internal struggles touch on character versus self. The various ancient AIs and advanced weaponry bring character versus technology into the mix, and the Black Maw… character vs. the supernatural. The seemingly mystical arnene even introduces a bit of nature vs. technology. I could keep going, but you get the idea. Palmer makes effective use of these different narrative conflicts to create a story that feels layered and consistently engaging. The only negative I would say in this regard is the threats in the book are constantly escalating, which sometimes eclipses some of the smaller emotional parts. 

I enjoyed the action in Deflection, but Inflection takes things to another level. The combat sequences and large-scale battles are immersive, giving the reader a vivid sense of their scope and intensity. The conflicts are grander in scale yet more finely tuned, with Palmer demonstrating a knack for building and sustaining tension. He makes a meal of the suspense, chewing and swallowing it just before the flavor runs out.

If I had to nitpick something, I would say, solely during the second half of the story, there were a few (very few) instances of exposition overload. Some conversations would explode into a thesis on genetics and orbital mechanics, and while it remains understandable, I was counting the words until we got back to the meat of the story. The information is interesting and revealing, but I only wish there was a way to break some of it up.

What really kept this book on my mind, though, is the ending. There is a sharp pivot that earns this book its namesake, and I was completely unprepared for it.

Final Thoughts

Inflection by Gabriel Palmer is a deeply layered fantasy adventure / space opera that does not stray far thematically from its predecessor's roots as a coming-of-age story. It’s clear to see that Palmer is enthusiastic about the universe he has built, and it comes across in his writing. The story ups the ante with each passing chapter but does not lose sight of its emotional investments. While the subject matter can be heavy at times, the story has a brilliant sense of levity that makes it the ideal read for those who want to escape the bleakness of the real world.