Artefactum by J.E. Tobal

Tapping into the endless possibility of multiverse theory, author J.E. Tobal mixes up a gritty sci-fi masterpiece of lost love, desperation, and cross-dimensional adventure in his new novel, Artefactum.

A grief-driven antihero with a dimension-leaping talisman and a drinking problem is about as unlikely a protagonist as one could imagine, but Sam is irresistible, oddly charming, and admirable in both his principles and passions. Seeing a character depicted in true love, and then facing devastating loss, is instantly bonding for the reader to follow this character wherever he goes, even beyond the bounds of reality itself. This quixotic quest to undo death takes Sam into mind-bending realms of abstract ideas, infinite voids, and parallel dimensions rarely imagined, or envisioned on the page.

Aside from sheer storytelling panache, Tobal also crafts a memorable menagerie of oddball characters that are surprisingly realistic, despite simultaneously feeling larger than life. With raw descriptive power on display, there are few moments that don’t feel fully realized, and while some of the dialogue can come off as scripted or manicured, there remains an unpredictable wildness in the language and plot progression that flavors the experience with perpetual tension and intrigue.

With so many moving parts, the novel requires some focus and diligence to unpack everything Tobal has to offer, but it is well worth the effort, as this cosmically strange, visionary thriller stands in a class, and genre, of its own.