Daimones, by Massimo Marino

What would you do if you woke up one morning and everyone, except for you and your family, had died, all at once?  That's the scenario that begins Massimo Marino's sci-fi novel Daimones, volume 1 of  his "Daimones Trilogy."  On an otherwise normal morning commute, Dan Amenta discovers that seemingly everyone around him, except his wife and teenaged daughter, has mysteriously died.  A scientist by profession and training, Dan responds rationally and meticulously, provisioning his family and making plans for this new world they find themselves in.

I appreciated the contrast to so much post-apocalyptic fiction.  There are no marauding mobs or tyrannical warlords here.  Dan keeps thinking of the Mad Max movies, and wondering if or when such scenarios would play out.  But Marino's tone is much more level, and his view of human nature is much higher.  For the first half of the book, Dan and his family are virtually alone.  The story is meticulous and a little dull, matching Dan's personality and plans.  The gnawing mystery of the mass die off stays quietly in the background.  When they finally make human contact, and when they finally begin to understand the reasons and reality of what has happened to them and to the human race, the curtain is pulled back and all that leads up to the revelation begins to make much more sense.

Marino has a unique voice in sci-fi, placing human interactions and motivations at the center of the story, while not neglecting the science behind the fiction.  The alien encounter and alternative human history they reveal adds a pretty wild twist to the story; it will be interesting to see where that twists to in the remainder of the trilogy.


Thanks to the author, who provided a complimentary electronic review copy in exchange for an honest review!