Alexandra Peel pulls us into a really unique sci fi world and the battle of one obsessed artist to save it with Haft! Jago is obsessed with his art while simultaneously trying to recover from the death of his girlfriend, a process only made more difficult as he receives visions of the destruction of the planet Haft. Little does he know, he’s about to become wrapped up in a plot far larger and more intricate than any painting he could craft, and one that will decide the fate of Haft and it’s very unique inhabitants. Peel masterfully captures all the things I love about classic sci fi while also throwing in some really unique concepts! I really loved the world building in this novel as we get to truly feel the grimy colony on Haft, the slow calamity building up around the inhabitants, and the strangeness of what it’d actually be like to live on another world with aliens. Peel really has some fun with these concepts, a few of my faves being the way Jago literally addicts himself to his work as his painting strangely produces narcotics, or some of the denizens of Haft being sentient fungal creatures. If you love classic sci fi with maybe a sprinkling of Cowboy Bebop or Firefly, but also something that takes sci fi in some unique directions, definitely come watch Jago paint himself into a corner with Haft!
