Chaotic math, a touch of faith, linguistics, history and geography all combine in Victoria Vass’ Eleven:1, first of her Oxygen series. The story takes readers from Kenya to Chicago to Scotland, presenting a world where communication is surely just as confused as on the Tower of Babel. Misunderstandings, social collapse, and war that’s surely “good for the country… It lit the spark of patriotism, kept the economy going, and…” But war is more than a little messy, and communication is more than mere words. So is faith…

The math of chaos is lowkey enough to keep readers enticed. The faith is debated with enough respect and denial to keep believers and non-believers satisfied. And the mystery of a foreign tongue, foreign promise and foreign hope in a time of chaos is nicely told, drawing readers in through twists and surprises, speculation, deviation, and complex questioning.

Intelligent science fiction, a mystical exploration of what people believe, and a terrifying vision for the future, Eleven:1 stands alone as a fascinating novel and promises more of a truly intriguing series.

Disclosure: I read one of the author’s other books. The math, faith and science aspects of this compelled me to try it. ( )