This ambitious sci-fi novel incorporates an intricate plot and a cast of thousands, most of whom appear in only a tiny portion of the book.

If I were beta reading this, I'd return it to the author with a heaping ladle full of praise – and a gazillion questions, comments, and critiques. As a first draft, this is a killer premise waiting to be turned into a blockbuster book. But as a finished product that I paid £3.99 for … it falls short.

Also, it needs a content warning for multiple on-page scenes of rape and sexual assault – always told from the perpetrator's perspective.