BITTER SEEDS

This alternate history with distinctly supernatural elements is the first in Tregillis's Milkweed Triptych and will undoubtedly delight fans of the genre. After WWI, Nazi scientists begin transforming orphan children into überkinders, while the British invoke the spirit world, drawing upon helpful demons to combat the seemingly unstoppable German creations. Tregillis's Nazis are more caricature than characters, while his Brits are predictably stuffy. Narrator Kevin Pariseau delivers a juicy assortment of comic book characters who exhibit rational, sinister, or terrifyingly deadly personalities. Pariseau's performance makes invisibility, fire-starting, precognition, and the ability to pass through walls seem credible, and he makes high-stakes action sequences as thrilling as an episode of "X-Men vs Warlocks" can be. Next up in the series: THE COLDEST WAR. S.J.H. [Published: MAY 2013]