Part one of three in Spectrum SF 1: February 2000.

It is set in the same post-holocaust world as Keith Robert's classic Kiteworld. Drek Yarman is from the wrong part of town in a dirt poor fishing port called Fishgard. Part of this work is his memoir, recounted while he hides from what looks like a riot/revolution outside. He is partly educated, so his story is rich and earthy, but perceptive. It is contrasted against official reports written by one Argent Helman, Grandmaster of the Church Variant. The Church exists both to protect against 'Demons' left over from the Bad Time and to ensure that it never happens again. Man-carrying Kites, flown from buildings and ships, keep watch for 'Demons'. Helman's reports mention growing antagonism from the Ultras, an extreme Church faction. Both threads dovetail into the end of this part, which has Drek fleeing Fishgard after a vicious fight involving his sister Stel.

Part two of three in Spectrum SF 2: April 2000.

Helman's entries report on his efforts to help the common people and he reveals what happened to Yarman's sister Stel. In Yarman's narrative we learn of his life at sea and how he comes to acquire a ship (and take the name of her real captain). The writing captures perfectly the brutality and coarseness of a sailor's life.

Part three of three in Spectrum SF 3: July 2000.

Everything falls apart. Drek Yarman becomes a First Mate on the biggest Kiteship, gets married and has children. But his life is ruined by his other sister, Sinki. We learn more of the genocidal aims of the insane Ultra faction. The final scene, revealed at the start, has Drek dying getting his Kiteship away from Fishgard which is in flames as the Ultras take over. The two narratives finally end as Helman reveals a secret. A very dark, rich, moving work. A classic in the post-holocaust canon. ( )