The Final Wars Begin

Wow, what a ride. In a post-post apocalyptic world, a French orphan from a dank ghetto has grown into an elite military warrior. He stands up against his military society to sacrifice his career and cast off his comforts, then becomes an outlaw and fugitive. This book is a heady blend of Japanese and French cultures, all oh-so-authentic, played out onto the 23rd Century where the moon and Mars are fully colonized and Paris is reduced to a city in the sewers. The characters carry heavy losses and harbor deep dreams, and there's a streak of madness where it can do the story the most good. It's impressive to read Japanese and French alongside striking English, and none of it ever seems to be there to call attention to itself. Along the way we meet a benevolent priest and a relentless robot—the former full of compassion and that best mentor magic like Shepherd Book in Firefly, the latter crafted to be a device whose spirit reminds you of the shiniest parts of Iron Giant and the soulless T-1000 in Terminator 2.

Asthana makes it all work together, using an arch tone that mounts his voice you hear drumming long after you're done reading. The sex isn't salacious and the combat violence feels genuine, the latter told with some reverence for the classic war stories we know and love. There's plenty of sensory detail all around. Good to see this is the first of a series, just to know that the adventures of Bastien and Marie, as well as the Emperor of Japan and the Martian High Council, will continue to take flight. Recommended.