The Nomad by Debra J. Tillar

An interstellar odyssey across time and space, The Nomad by Debra J. Tillar is a bold and adventurous vision of humanity’s future history, tapping into elements of sci-fi, philosophy, and pop culture.

Centuries after First Contact with the Wharth, humanity has been given the technological keys to the cosmos, trading isolation in the universe with unprecedented access to roam among the stars. Zara is a cosmic wanderer, and a veteran of exploring new corners of the galaxy, but a violent run-in with an otherworldly beast leaves her grounded and drugged in a hybrid-filled pleasure prison, with no idea when or if her crew will return for her.

Bouncing between troubling recollections of Zara’s nomadic past and the painful mysteries of her imprisoned present, readers are pulled into a well-crafted puzzle of prose. The book is paced and laid out very well, with exposition and revelations slowly released throughout the story, rather than forced in to immerse readers upfront. Compelling characters may drive this novel, but the futuristic worlds Tillar builds are highly inventive.

The editing is occasionally lax, from missing commas and misspelled words to tangential narration and a tendency to interrupt suspense with explanations of characters’ intentions and emotions. That said, Tillar has a sharp and clever pen, so the rough spots in the writing are easily countered by a deeply creative premise, savage plot twists, and a narrative style that playfully bends the boundaries of storytelling.