November 7, 2022
Moore (Battle of the Linguist Mages) delivers a gonzo adventure set in a transdimensional skyscraper whose tens of thousands of floors encompass a vast cross-section of alternate realities. Carissa, last survivor of a psychic race massacred by the authoritarian Association that rules much of the Building, has laid low in an elevator for many years. Then one of the shape-shifting Shai-Manak lands atop her home. The Shai-Manak people have been at war with the Association for decades, but this particular shape-shifter (who uses the pronouns ze and zir) is on the run from zir own kind even as ze embarks on a desperate mission of sabotage. Together, the two seek refuge in the Wild Massive chain of amusement parks, which dominate entire floors of the Building. Their subsequent escapades transcend both time and space as political schemes centuries in the making come to fruition. Throughout this sprawling, ambitious romp, Moore draws from numerous perspectives and gleefully embraces the inherent absurdity of both setting and premise, especially as metatextual aspects become increasingly blatant. With a centuries-long intermedia series that both reflects and shapes the history of the Association, unbelievably large theme roller coasters, and semi-sentient elevators, there’s no shortage of wild ideas here. Readers are in for a rollicking trip through the fun house.