Into any long running SF series will come certain plots, like the evil double, or alien possession, or in the case of “Sorrow Space” – the alternative universe. This book thrusts Kane, Brigid and Grant into an Earth where the future has turned out not just differently, but rather worse as far as the human race is concerned.  I don’t want to give away too much as to the reasons, but when the explanation comes I thought it was an ingenious take on the established Outlanders set-up.

Before we get to the alternative timeline, there’s an excellent James Bond-esque prelude where the team go undercover as arm dealers but inevitably turns into a spectacular fire-fight.  The author is a dab hand at describing action on the page and this battle around an armament factory is one of his best. It also leads into an intriguing flashback to Kane’s pre-rebellion days as a Magistrate which appeals to relative latecomers as myself. This past sequence reminded me somewhat of Judge Dredd from the UK comic 2000AD and that connection is also echoed in the hideous Magistrates of the alternative Earth, which reminded me tangentally of Judge Death and his cohorts.

There’s some creepy horror business with this army of undead Magistrates, kept alive by bionic life support suits. The way they communicate with animal-like squawks is good concept. An equally chilling concept is the ‘sorrow space’ weapon itself which drives its targets to suicide, leading to some interesting insights into the psyches of the lead trio.  In fact this novel pretty much focuses on the main trio, with Cerberus largely used to bookend the story. I thought it was a very entertaining standalone read that has something in it for newcomers and regular readers.