ANNASLAND, an adventure novel that combines elements of science fiction and fantasy, follows River as he accepts the task of locating the island on which his loved ones have been stranded for the past twenty years. Taking into account the novel’s gory backstory, Genevieve Morrissey’s writing delivers many humorous and jovial moments. Most of them seem to derive from the character of Captain Alcock, whose poor hygiene and loose tongue feed the comic repartee he enjoys with River. In fact, the entire crew aboard the Muriel, with its eccentricities and various shortcomings during battle, adds a good deal of lightheartedness to an otherwise unsettling tale.

Understandably, the high risks that come with the men’s reconnaissance expedition prompt scenes of remarkable butchery. Morrissey writes them with a skilled hand, though, using enough brevity and sharpness to enhance the emotional heft of each loss. Paired with the reader’s emotional investment in the men’s lives, a feeling of genuine anxiety arises every time the crew is forced to interact with Ants, the clones that once incited a worldwide cataclysm. Similarly, reading about River’s niece, Helen, performing facial reconstruction on one of the crewmen proves to be a memorable experience. Aside from her dexterity, Helen’s character introduces an element of surrealism to ANNASLAND. She’s by far the liveliest, most volatile obstacle River has to overcome before any plan can be set in motion. The reader is left to assume that Helen is meant to complete the lackluster crew with her “feminine magic”, to offer that unique blend of sweet and seductive that will stir emotion in the gathering of crude men. And yet, she often materializes to deliver oddly acerbic, gender-based sentiments that fail to affect the plot in any noticeable way. The words, “when does anything male ever express gratitude or approval” illustrate one of her most memorable observations.

The nomadic quality of the narrative seems reminiscent of Homer’s “Odyssey”. Both depict a long sea voyage interspersed with various adventures. Seasoned with flowing prose and firm intrigue, ANNASLAND certainly succeeds in providing a thrilling adventure. The only element that causes the action to lurch at times appears to be River’s fixation on mending things with his family through a malfunctioning radio. Often, whole pages are dedicated to circuitous conversations that do little to move the story forward. They do provide insight into River’s knotted emotional state, however. Sadly, these talks lose much of their significance in the last chapter, which presents River reconsidering his wants and aspirations with the rationality of a man completely untethered. This frailty of consequence, along with the novel’s meticulous look at life customs and relationships, make for a somewhat anticlimactic ending. Overall, though, the story is both audacious and comedic, and ensures that its advantages outweigh any shortcomings.

In ANNASLAND, Genevieve Morrissey assesses the key components of civilization with wit, a deep reverence for life and fantastic comedic timing.

~Neil Czeszejko for IndieReader