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Blend: An epic saga of science fiction and fantasy
All legends begin somewhere.
Blue-skinned Arliss Dubai returns to planet Teton with mechanical enhancements and fury burning in his silver veins after wrongfully serving time in lunar prison. Stepping off the transport into the mile-high megacity Vandress, he faces a world that disregards enhanced humans like him, engineered to save a dying planet. Now, these Blends are lower-class citizens, marked for expulsion by zealots in a post-Collapse society forced to survive indoors.
Twelve-year-old Kip Dubai doesn't recognize the stranger claiming to be his father. A rare hybrid known as a Patchie who bears the traits of two peoples, Kip found family elsewhere during his father's In a gang of misfits who steal to survive in the steam-filled hidden spaces of the Servo District.
When Enforcement Q officers ambush Arliss in a dark alley, death seems certain - until mysterious, otherworldly figures intervene, leaving bodies and questions in their wake. These ethereal "friends" suggest cosmic forces are stirring within Vandress's towering spires, and ancient powers are awakening.
A fractured family stands at the crossroads of revolution. Arliss must reconnect with his son before Vandress tears itself apart, or before whatever lurks in the shadows comes for them all.
If you're into broken cities, fantastical mysteries, and characters who've been screwed over but refuse to stay down, BLEND hits different. The first book in The Rogues of Teton series smashes together gritty sci-fi action with fantastical "wait, did that just happen?" moments.
"A riveting opening series installment that introduces spirited characters and an unforgettable dystopian world." - Kirkus Reviews
Twelve-year-old Kip Dubai doesn't recognize the stranger claiming to be his father. A rare hybrid known as a Patchie who bears the traits of two peoples, Kip found family elsewhere during his father's In a gang of misfits who steal to survive in the steam-filled hidden spaces of the Servo District.
When Enforcement Q officers ambush Arliss in a dark alley, death seems certain - until mysterious, otherworldly figures intervene, leaving bodies and questions in their wake. These ethereal "friends" suggest cosmic forces are stirring within Vandress's towering spires, and ancient powers are awakening.
A fractured family stands at the crossroads of revolution. Arliss must reconnect with his son before Vandress tears itself apart, or before whatever lurks in the shadows comes for them all.
If you're into broken cities, fantastical mysteries, and characters who've been screwed over but refuse to stay down, BLEND hits different. The first book in The Rogues of Teton series smashes together gritty sci-fi action with fantastical "wait, did that just happen?" moments.
"A riveting opening series installment that introduces spirited characters and an unforgettable dystopian world." - Kirkus Reviews
- GenresAmazon
480 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 10, 2026
About the author
Frank Kennedy
31 books6 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 10, 2025
I received a copy of this book from the author. This is my honest review.
Wow what a great beginning to a new series by such an inventive and imaginative author.
This story even has its own Blend-cant, that is to say that the children have their own language as teenagers on modern day Earth do.
The story is told from the perspective of several characters that you get to know very quickly.
The story begins with Arliss, a Blend, being released from Rogue 19, an off planet prison, after serving a five year sentence for a crime that he was wrongly convicted of. Sounds straightforward, but as with all of this author’s work nothing is so simple.
I am really looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
Wow what a great beginning to a new series by such an inventive and imaginative author.
This story even has its own Blend-cant, that is to say that the children have their own language as teenagers on modern day Earth do.
The story is told from the perspective of several characters that you get to know very quickly.
The story begins with Arliss, a Blend, being released from Rogue 19, an off planet prison, after serving a five year sentence for a crime that he was wrongly convicted of. Sounds straightforward, but as with all of this author’s work nothing is so simple.
I am really looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
January 31, 2026
A world where the dominant white population exploit, fear and distrust those of a different colour while those of mixed race are not accepted by either. A white group proposing a system of apartheid are gradually gaining control of the government. Sounds familiar?
The difference in this case is that these were all of one race settling from another planet. Eventually, they had polluted this new world rendering it uninhabitable. A group volunteered to save the planet by accepting physical and genetic modifications that turned their skin blue and enabled them to work in the poisonous conditions, building and maintaining safe living accommodation reaching 150 floors into the sky. Several generations later the white population are living in the unpolluted upper levels while the Blends live in lower levels maintaining the buildings.
The central characters in the story are a blend, about to be released from unjust imprisonment on a prison satellite, a white mother and their 'patchwork' son, who has been running wild with other other youngsters. The characters on both sides are well developed and believable, the story well told. Although there are lead-ins for further books in the series, the story reaches a satisfactory conclusion.
The difference in this case is that these were all of one race settling from another planet. Eventually, they had polluted this new world rendering it uninhabitable. A group volunteered to save the planet by accepting physical and genetic modifications that turned their skin blue and enabled them to work in the poisonous conditions, building and maintaining safe living accommodation reaching 150 floors into the sky. Several generations later the white population are living in the unpolluted upper levels while the Blends live in lower levels maintaining the buildings.
The central characters in the story are a blend, about to be released from unjust imprisonment on a prison satellite, a white mother and their 'patchwork' son, who has been running wild with other other youngsters. The characters on both sides are well developed and believable, the story well told. Although there are lead-ins for further books in the series, the story reaches a satisfactory conclusion.
Review of advance copy
The world of Teton is an environmental disaster. The climate was devastated and people fled to mega-cities to survive. Conditions were so terrible some humans were biologically and mechanically engineered to maintain the fragile system under which they lived. Society became ruled by a religion based around the ecology.
But despite the aid of the scientifically-engineered "Blends", support is growing for segregation. A movement, the “Pure Breathers” see the engineered Blends as a problem to solve (and much of the reason why the world has not healed itself), rather than a key part of their ongoing survival.
And it gets really crazy from there.
Arliss, a Blend, and his mixed blood son Kip are looking to survive this increasingly dangerous society.
Great characters, so many interesting subplots, and a complex key plot with many twists. The mix of religion, politics, and their effects on culture is well-woven, and thought-provoking.
I enjoy the author’s work – this series is next level.
But despite the aid of the scientifically-engineered "Blends", support is growing for segregation. A movement, the “Pure Breathers” see the engineered Blends as a problem to solve (and much of the reason why the world has not healed itself), rather than a key part of their ongoing survival.
And it gets really crazy from there.
Arliss, a Blend, and his mixed blood son Kip are looking to survive this increasingly dangerous society.
Great characters, so many interesting subplots, and a complex key plot with many twists. The mix of religion, politics, and their effects on culture is well-woven, and thought-provoking.
I enjoy the author’s work – this series is next level.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I received an ARC, and this is my voluntary review.
Wow! This is a substantial book that took a while to read. It has an interesting cast of characters in an unusual world. There are a lot of different strands woven together, the primary one being the Dubai family of three, coming back together after Arliss has spent 5 years in a labour camp/prison, and all the challenges that come with a reunion after that much time apart. But there is also a distasteful religion, changing the society, not for the better! Politics, power struggles, rebellion, family dynamics it's all there, and a few mysteries that I'm looking forward to seeing resolved in the future books.
Wow! This is a substantial book that took a while to read. It has an interesting cast of characters in an unusual world. There are a lot of different strands woven together, the primary one being the Dubai family of three, coming back together after Arliss has spent 5 years in a labour camp/prison, and all the challenges that come with a reunion after that much time apart. But there is also a distasteful religion, changing the society, not for the better! Politics, power struggles, rebellion, family dynamics it's all there, and a few mysteries that I'm looking forward to seeing resolved in the future books.
February 28, 2026
I love the way this story merges different character viewpoints. Just when you think a chapter is kind of burned out and winding down, a new character's POV takes over, and it gets really exciting again. This is a future-political and future-religious plot, but both are relatable and easy to understand.
I really enjoyed all the characters, even the 'bad' guys. There are some very pulse-pounding moments that had me holding my breath. There were also some parts that had me thinking, 'oh geez, these people are kind of crazy.' Plus, the kids just make some seemingly bad decisions (as kids are wont to do).
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and look forward to the next one!
I really enjoyed all the characters, even the 'bad' guys. There are some very pulse-pounding moments that had me holding my breath. There were also some parts that had me thinking, 'oh geez, these people are kind of crazy.' Plus, the kids just make some seemingly bad decisions (as kids are wont to do).
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and look forward to the next one!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews