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Airaghardt
The third in the line of novels set in the science-fiction world of Infinity the Game.
One hundred and eighty years in the future, humankind has expanded across the cosmos. On the dangerous frontiers of Dawn, the Atek descendants of the lost colony ship Ariadna struggle to hold on to what little they have, and none are more vicious and backwards than the Caledonian Highlanders.
Lieutenant Wilhelm Gotzinger III gave everything to PanOceania, and in return, he was court-martialed, demoted, and disgraced. Assigned to a diplomatic attaché at a remote outpost on Dawn, he's holding out hope that this terrible assignment is his chance to fade into comfortable obscurity.
Instead, Dawn bares her claws. His transport is shot down. The Caledonians find him. He's taken prisoner.
Stripped of his technology and weaponry, Wil still has his wits, his fists, and skills honed across a lifetime spent in interstellar battlefields and Neoterran back alleys. But amidst his escape, he uncovers an alien conspiracy that places both PanOceanian and Ariadnan lives at risk. The only allies he can turn to—that he must learn to trust—are the Highlanders who took him captive, chief among them enigmatic half-human hybrid Saoirse Clarke.
All he needs to do to return home is overcome decades of animosity, convince the clan chieftain to act, and face down an army of horrors with only an outdated rifle, his old Aquila duster, and a broken multispectral visor.
Time is of the essence. The fate of many rests on a monomolecular edge.
One hundred and eighty years in the future, humankind has expanded across the cosmos. On the dangerous frontiers of Dawn, the Atek descendants of the lost colony ship Ariadna struggle to hold on to what little they have, and none are more vicious and backwards than the Caledonian Highlanders.
Lieutenant Wilhelm Gotzinger III gave everything to PanOceania, and in return, he was court-martialed, demoted, and disgraced. Assigned to a diplomatic attaché at a remote outpost on Dawn, he's holding out hope that this terrible assignment is his chance to fade into comfortable obscurity.
Instead, Dawn bares her claws. His transport is shot down. The Caledonians find him. He's taken prisoner.
Stripped of his technology and weaponry, Wil still has his wits, his fists, and skills honed across a lifetime spent in interstellar battlefields and Neoterran back alleys. But amidst his escape, he uncovers an alien conspiracy that places both PanOceanian and Ariadnan lives at risk. The only allies he can turn to—that he must learn to trust—are the Highlanders who took him captive, chief among them enigmatic half-human hybrid Saoirse Clarke.
All he needs to do to return home is overcome decades of animosity, convince the clan chieftain to act, and face down an army of horrors with only an outdated rifle, his old Aquila duster, and a broken multispectral visor.
Time is of the essence. The fate of many rests on a monomolecular edge.
- GenresScience Fiction
552 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 6, 2024
1 person is currently reading
19 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 13, 2024
Disclaimer: I received an advance reading copy of Airaghardt from the publisher.
I enjoyed Airaghardt a good deal, though as with many works of tie-in faction I would gently caution prospective readers that it helps a great deal to be familiar with the game and universe that it's based on. Check out Infinity and the informative wiki Human Sphere for more information if you need them. Author John Leibee does a good job of reminding the reader of important details, but even so it will be a bit easier to understand if you have that basic framework.
I recommend this because the book is definitely a labour of love by an Infinity fan to a community of Infinity players. If you've played and enjoyed the game, I can easily recommend the book, with very few reservations.
This is a book about an outsider from an extremely high-tech, futuristic society, one with perhaps some cyberpunk elements, who becomes trapped in and needs to find a way to survive in a 'low-tech' (by which I mean 21st century!) environment, heavily inspired by highlander Scottish culture, among enemies, all while a mysterious alien threat looms. Around half the story is about getting to know the small Caledonian community that Wil has landed in, and the other half about he and a band of Caledonian soldiers facing down this threat.
The greatest strength of Airaghardt is in its nuanced depiction of Caledonia itself, and the sense of culture and place. Make no mistake, it is very much a culture built on broad Scottish stereotypes, which have become a kind of symbol of shared identity and solidarity for the forgotten settlers of Dawn, but the story is saved from excessive caricature by Leibee's strong focus on the individual identities and personalities of each character. He does not seem to believe in spear-carriers - every character is an individual, and over the course of the story you'll get to know a dozen or so significant Caledonians, each with their personality, dreams, goals, and interests that go beyond a generic kilts-and-claymores stereotype. Likewise, though the protagonist Wil might seem a bit straightforward to begin with, he definitely has his own hidden depths, and it's easy to become quite fond of him by the end.
Leibee is also a competent writer of action scenes, and this reads as pretty decent military SF. There are some references thrown in for people familiar with the tabletop game the story is based on, but these are for the most part sensible and don't undermine the action. Do be aware, however, that while Infinity as a setting is often touted as having 'manga aesthetics', the aesthetic of Airaghardt is much more bare-knuckled and bloody. Expect to get down in the mud a bit with this story - the heroes have to earn their victories, often at significant cost. Again, those familiar with the wargame will recognise this as very appropriate for the gritty, defiant tone of the Ariadna faction, whereas slick, anime-inspired action is reserved for other factions. I think the aesthetic choice here was the right one to make for this book and setting; but if what you expect from Infinity is graceful cyber-ninja, that's not what you're going to get here.
Still, if you enjoy an immersive depiction of a fictional culture, SF action with some military flavour, and ideally Infinity the wargame, I would recommend Airaghardt to you. I give it a solid four stars out of five - and it only misses the last star because my recommendation is conditional on those things. If you are an Infinity player, however, I think you should definitely give it a try.
If you would like more detail, I have a longer review posted on Reddit.
I enjoyed Airaghardt a good deal, though as with many works of tie-in faction I would gently caution prospective readers that it helps a great deal to be familiar with the game and universe that it's based on. Check out Infinity and the informative wiki Human Sphere for more information if you need them. Author John Leibee does a good job of reminding the reader of important details, but even so it will be a bit easier to understand if you have that basic framework.
I recommend this because the book is definitely a labour of love by an Infinity fan to a community of Infinity players. If you've played and enjoyed the game, I can easily recommend the book, with very few reservations.
This is a book about an outsider from an extremely high-tech, futuristic society, one with perhaps some cyberpunk elements, who becomes trapped in and needs to find a way to survive in a 'low-tech' (by which I mean 21st century!) environment, heavily inspired by highlander Scottish culture, among enemies, all while a mysterious alien threat looms. Around half the story is about getting to know the small Caledonian community that Wil has landed in, and the other half about he and a band of Caledonian soldiers facing down this threat.
The greatest strength of Airaghardt is in its nuanced depiction of Caledonia itself, and the sense of culture and place. Make no mistake, it is very much a culture built on broad Scottish stereotypes, which have become a kind of symbol of shared identity and solidarity for the forgotten settlers of Dawn, but the story is saved from excessive caricature by Leibee's strong focus on the individual identities and personalities of each character. He does not seem to believe in spear-carriers - every character is an individual, and over the course of the story you'll get to know a dozen or so significant Caledonians, each with their personality, dreams, goals, and interests that go beyond a generic kilts-and-claymores stereotype. Likewise, though the protagonist Wil might seem a bit straightforward to begin with, he definitely has his own hidden depths, and it's easy to become quite fond of him by the end.
Leibee is also a competent writer of action scenes, and this reads as pretty decent military SF. There are some references thrown in for people familiar with the tabletop game the story is based on, but these are for the most part sensible and don't undermine the action. Do be aware, however, that while Infinity as a setting is often touted as having 'manga aesthetics', the aesthetic of Airaghardt is much more bare-knuckled and bloody. Expect to get down in the mud a bit with this story - the heroes have to earn their victories, often at significant cost. Again, those familiar with the wargame will recognise this as very appropriate for the gritty, defiant tone of the Ariadna faction, whereas slick, anime-inspired action is reserved for other factions. I think the aesthetic choice here was the right one to make for this book and setting; but if what you expect from Infinity is graceful cyber-ninja, that's not what you're going to get here.
Still, if you enjoy an immersive depiction of a fictional culture, SF action with some military flavour, and ideally Infinity the wargame, I would recommend Airaghardt to you. I give it a solid four stars out of five - and it only misses the last star because my recommendation is conditional on those things. If you are an Infinity player, however, I think you should definitely give it a try.
If you would like more detail, I have a longer review posted on Reddit.
March 14, 2025
I received an advance review copy of Airaghardt. Here are my thoughts.
By any superficial measure, Airaghardt is not a book meant for me. It follows a member of a futuristic military through a science fiction landscape set in the universe of a game I have never played. The skeleton of this book is constructed from things (technology, guns, fighting, more guns, explosions, even more guns) completely outside my alley. If I had not received a copy specifically for review, I likely would have passed Airaghardt over for another high fantasy read instead. I’m glad that did not happen.
I loved Airaghardt. Why: Caged in its foreign skeleton, this book has a strong, recognizable heart. His name is Wilhelm Gotzinger III. We find him at the beginning of what becomes a deeply personal journey (in the literal and figurative sense) and the questions he must answer along the way remain infinitely relatable:
Can I become more than my worst mistake? Do I even deserve to?
Should I trust the status quo to provide for me, or take a chance on the unknown?
Could I take three Dog-Warriors in a bar fight?
Maybe not so much that last one, but the point remains: Wil is a real person. He is billions of real people, with struggles amplified to fit his genre but relatable in their essence. Airaghardt was written in such a way that I felt his shame and regret as my own, just the same as his joy and triumph… and the genre and subject matter in those many horrible and wonderful moments fell by the wayside.
Airaghardt has real and diverse characters, voice for days, neon-vivid description, and a strong message. Page after page I was hit by ridiculously artistic lines that tied these things together in clever ways and left me re-reading to let it all sink in. I’d love to do that thing reviewers do where they sprinkle their favorite quotes in between their well-thought-out eviscerations, but I value highly those moments of surprised laughter and horrified mutterings, and I don’t want to take those away from the next reader by spoiling them now.
Read Airaghardt. It’s not sci-fi. It’s real.
By any superficial measure, Airaghardt is not a book meant for me. It follows a member of a futuristic military through a science fiction landscape set in the universe of a game I have never played. The skeleton of this book is constructed from things (technology, guns, fighting, more guns, explosions, even more guns) completely outside my alley. If I had not received a copy specifically for review, I likely would have passed Airaghardt over for another high fantasy read instead. I’m glad that did not happen.
I loved Airaghardt. Why: Caged in its foreign skeleton, this book has a strong, recognizable heart. His name is Wilhelm Gotzinger III. We find him at the beginning of what becomes a deeply personal journey (in the literal and figurative sense) and the questions he must answer along the way remain infinitely relatable:
Can I become more than my worst mistake? Do I even deserve to?
Should I trust the status quo to provide for me, or take a chance on the unknown?
Could I take three Dog-Warriors in a bar fight?
Maybe not so much that last one, but the point remains: Wil is a real person. He is billions of real people, with struggles amplified to fit his genre but relatable in their essence. Airaghardt was written in such a way that I felt his shame and regret as my own, just the same as his joy and triumph… and the genre and subject matter in those many horrible and wonderful moments fell by the wayside.
Airaghardt has real and diverse characters, voice for days, neon-vivid description, and a strong message. Page after page I was hit by ridiculously artistic lines that tied these things together in clever ways and left me re-reading to let it all sink in. I’d love to do that thing reviewers do where they sprinkle their favorite quotes in between their well-thought-out eviscerations, but I value highly those moments of surprised laughter and horrified mutterings, and I don’t want to take those away from the next reader by spoiling them now.
Read Airaghardt. It’s not sci-fi. It’s real.
May 13, 2024
Easily the best addition to the Infinity book series to date. Plenty of fan service without being overblown. Great characters that you really get to know and love. Action, tragedy and love.
It’s like a cheesey action movie that end up being greater than the sum of its parts. Thoroughly enjoyable for any Infinity fan. Might even tickle some sci-fi fans.
I especially loved how Leibee managed to make the Sasvastii aliens human.
My criticism would be that I had a hard time following some of the twists and turns between the different Shasvastii factions and human traitors. And Joan felt a little bit forced…
It’s like a cheesey action movie that end up being greater than the sum of its parts. Thoroughly enjoyable for any Infinity fan. Might even tickle some sci-fi fans.
I especially loved how Leibee managed to make the Sasvastii aliens human.
My criticism would be that I had a hard time following some of the twists and turns between the different Shasvastii factions and human traitors. And Joan felt a little bit forced…
May 17, 2024
This is exactly what I wanted from a novel in the infinity setting, the world feels real and lived in, and embraces the little (and sometimes silly) things that make infinity so fun, that this was the first work by the author is truly impressive
March 19, 2024
This is a book for a licensed property (Infinity the Game) that I have never followed, never been into. But as a standalone story, it stands alone incredibly well. Leibee weaves a tight sci-fi thriller on a sufficiently alien world but with a shockingly human core. The main character is well-realized and the reader will root for him for the entire journey. The flashbacks, something I usually hate in a novel, work incredibly well to give him a strong backstory, and the action scenes are a thrill ride every time they appear. It's an excellent novel and one that I'd recommend for fans of sci-fi, regardless if they're familiar with Infinity the Game or not.
April 9, 2024
It has been a long time since I have read a book that has had my attention from page 1 to 336. I could not put this book down and that was due to the fact that author does an amazing job of creating interesting and believable characters that you can’t stop rooting for. The author also does an excellent job of giving background information on the setting without being too much or taking away from the pace of the plot. I can’t recommend this book enough and it’s a heart pounding adventure from start to finish.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews