Kerick Riley has served over 15 years in a prison where he is slated to be executed. A prison that no one has ever escaped from before. But Kerick and fellow Death Row inmates Elijah and Xavier do escape and vow to finish their mission to assassinate those in the Hierarchy for their crimes against humanity.

Nellie Kan is a bio-engineered female scientist in a world where women are for pleasure and few are privileged enough to be allowed a career. Her life's work is perfecting a serum that will keep those humans infected from turning into sub-humans. This serum was began by Margaret Riley, Kerick's mother who succumbed to the infection herself.

Now Nellie faces danger from all directions. Many would kill for the serum yet Nellie must continue her work on it. She is abducted by Kerick who wants her for a mate and will stop at nothing to master her and claim her as his own. She must convince Kerick for the greater good of humanity that it is imperative she be allowed to finish the serum. Faced with no choice Nellie escapes Kerick and must journey to the Underworld as Margaret Riley's journal leads her to either salvation or doom.

I am not a big fan of serials that do not tie the ends up in each volume and require the reader to wait for subsequent volumes to find out the answers. But Jaid Black has written the exception. This dark, satirical tale has subtle humor and fast-paced action in every chapter. The world of the future is male dominated and highly sexual with good versus evil blurring the lines and the consequences of man manipulating nature will hold readers in its grip till they read the sequels.

Overall rating:
Sensuality rating: Explicit

Reviewer: Torie West
September 1, 2003