Review: First Elite by Emmanuel M Arriaga

A vengeance-fueled revelation that will shake the Huzien Empire and its exalted heroes to the core, First Elite by Emmanuel M Arriaga is a stellar third and final installment of the Foundra series.

As Neven Kenk wrestles with the gut-wrenching loss of his wife and unborn child, their murderer continues to ravage the Twin Galaxies and twist the knife in the side of the Founder’s Elites. Despite his unstable state, Neven is determined to find and kill Entradis, the merciless butcher responsible for his mourning, no matter the cost. He launches himself into the hunt with Ellipse and Tashanira, a sentient android life-partner and a seductive crush from his past, respectively.

However, the trio’s first confrontation with Entradis leaves them defeated and stranded on a barren ice world, where their lives are saved only by a mysterious Enesmic being. After being rescued, Neven is removed by the immortal Lanrete from active duty in order to grieve, heal, and recover from yet another attempt on his life, but his future with the Elites – and as an unprepared father – seems unclear.

The character dynamics of long-lived aliens, eternal founders, and painfully mortal Havin species add a rich philosophical element to the plot, with characters making decisions based on entirely different perspectives on reality. The relationship between Neven and Ellipse is a fascinating one, as the AI android’s emotional intelligence and maturity often surpasses those of the afflicted protagonist, but there is also an artificial naivete to her flirtations, like a supercomputer trying to method-act as a human. Neven’s carnal connection to Tashanira is just as complicated and plot-driving, particularly when her life is put in jeopardy by ancient forces from another plane of existence with the power to annihilate entire star systems.

World-building across time and space is a particular skill of the author, giving readers a glimpse into the ancient origins of the Founder’s Elites, which helps bring the whole series into focus and completes an epic and explosive plot arc. Patiently revealing the fate of Uriel and the dark secret at the core of the Empire, Arriaga manages to link plotlines separated by more than 20,000 years, delivering a masterstroke of draftsmanship. The Enesmic and Cihphistic energy remains a wickedly cool magic system, akin to the Force on telepathic and temporal steroids, while the sci-fi details of the premise, from time-dilated pocket worlds and star-splitters to anti-matter bombs and nanite-infused spacewear, keep the prose balanced between wild fantasy and the distant future.

In terms of broadly relatable themes, the prose delves into the toxic nature of anger and the self-destructive desire for revenge, as well as the potential for healing, support, and comfort from partnership. Secondary characters like Lanrete, Kechu, Dera’Liv, and Tashanira must also navigate the unpredictable emotions and desperation of the novel’s wild card hero as he experiences intense grief, and these moments present powerful lessons on empathy, vulnerability, and the occasional need for tough love. Explorations of sexual liberation, female empowerment, gender constructs, patriarchy, and the ethics of ultimate power also feature heavily within the writing, making this book a timely and cautionary read.

There are some head-scratching moments and anachronistic ideas, such as the concept of sex being reserved for married people, but these moments are easy to overlook in this expansive and inventive narrative. Overall, First Elite is an ambitious, gripping, and meticulously crafted conclusion to Arriaga’s visionary series.