The Architect of Sleep

I find myself deeply saddened that this series was never completed, as this is most definitely the first book in a larger story line. The focus here is almost entirely on world building, and what a world has been built! The basic conceit (a parallel universe where racoons have become the dominant intelligent animal) sounds a bit silly, but what Steven Boyett has managed to do is deliver an insightful ‘what if?' to how such a society might evolve with the natural differences in physiology. The central concept here is around communication and language. Having the characters communicate almost entirely by a form of sign language gives a strange depth of nuance to things. The characters themselves are intriguing, and whilst there is some initial character development here there are glimpses towards something much larger which unfortunately is unlikely to be completed (the author explains the situation in the afterword of the edition I have and I can understand revisiting something you wrote early in your career could definitely be a challenge!).

The fascinating potential here is amazing. I do hope the author does feel able to revisit it at some point and complete the series, giving the resolution that it so desperately needs