Broken Numbers, by Dean Lappi

Broken Numbers is the long awaited third book in Dean Frank Lappi’s Aleph Null series. I can't tell you how much I was looking forward to this book, and I was NOT disappointed!

But first, The Blurb:

Trith, Circle, Zranh, Raith, Death

With those enigmatic words from the Black Manuscript, Sid begins his journey to the Trith Nation where he hopes to find clues to help him regain his power of Numbers. He is joined by Crowdal, who agrees to take Sid and his friends back to his home, a place he does not want to go. But to get there they must travel through the dangerous and unexplored lands of the north where there are things that are better left undisturbed.

A half a continent away, Melinda must learn to control the time-shifting powers of the Zranh that flow through her and come to terms with her destiny before she can reunite with Sid, Crowdal and her other friends.

A young Fahrin Druin named Drax is chosen by an ancient master of Numbers and is given unimaginable powers to do one thing – search for and destroy the Aleph Null.

And Tris, the supremely powerful Black Robe of the Oblate, has had the Black Numbers inside him since he ripped them from Sid in the Srithian Wood, but he cannot control them. So he uses the unlimited resources of the Oblate to recruit armies from three of the most powerful kingdoms in the land to hunt and capture Sid so he can finish tearing his old friend’s mind apart for the secret to the Black Numbers.

Can Sid figure out the meaning behind the strange words inside the Black Manuscript and regain his power of Numbers before it is too late?
Join Sid and his friends on another non-stop adventure into the unknown.

My Review:

Violent and graphic, this series combines elements of horror, with a magic system based on mathematics and sexual energy. After a brief prologue bringing us up to speed on the Korpor (one of the most frightening creatures in fantasy) Lappi opens the story with our protagonist, Sid, considering the death of his mother and loss of his magic.

Sid, the Aleph Null, is a deep character, a man whose life has been seriously altered by events beyond his control. He has been traumatized by incidents that occurred in his early childhood, yet he remains kind and caring of others. He is desperate to get his numbers back, but knows it won’t be easy.

On the run from Tris and the Oblate, Sid and Crowdal, Agnes, Writhgarth, Tulman, and Nik have survived an epic battle and are on their way to Crowdal’s homeland, the Trith Nation. Crowdal has unfinished business in his country that he would prefer to avoid, but it’s a measure of his love for Sid that he agrees to lead him there. Sid’s former childhood friend and now leader of the Oblate, Tris, has managed to rip away the Black Numbers from Sid, a partial victory, but he won’t rest until Sid is dead.

The plot is hard-hitting, filled with twists and turns. Nothing is simple, and every step forward brings another step back. Despite the setbacks, Crowdal and the others remain strong in their support of the Sid, both as Aleph Null and as their companion.

I like Lappi’s magic system. It is based on mathematics which are referenced obliquely, the mystery of which makes the system highly believable for me. This makes it seem both mystical and realistic.

Lappi’s villains are truly evil. Tris is consumed with his own glory, a power-mad despot verging on insane. Volatile and deliberately cruel, his loyal followers know their lifespan is measured by their ability to satisfy his requirements, and he requires a great deal. He is obsessively focused on destroying Sid.

The Korpor is equally horrifying, but easier to understand because it is simply acting on its nature—it’s doing what it was created to do.

What I love about this series overall is the way Lappi portrays the camaraderie and friendships of Sid and his core group and sets them in places and situations that are almost familiar yet foreign, and unimaginably dangerous. The two previous books in this series are Black Numbers, and Blood Numbers, and both are gripping.  If you are a fan of dark fantasy and haven’t yet read this series, I highly recommend it. Broken Numbers is a fitting installment in the saga.

Black Numbers, Dean Frank Lappi

One of my all-time favorite books by indie author Dean Frank Lappi, is his first one, a little thing called Black Numbers. 

But first the blurb:

In a land where true magic is based on the rare ability to use advanced mathematics to affect the physical world, those who can control such powers are part of a secret organization known as the Oblate. Over the millennia, they have directed the Korpor, a violent and sexual creature, to roam the land and search for the Aleph Null, the one prophesied to control the mysterious Black Numbers, a power beyond anything ever seen in the land.

Sid’s awakening sexuality and genius-level mastery of mathematics puts him on a collision course with the Korpor and the Oblate, and he soon finds himself on the run from powerful and mysterious forces intent on controlling him and his powers. His journey propels him to the center of an ancient struggle that he cannot understand and wants no part of.

But he is not alone, for the friendships that he forges along the way help him to navigate the dark and chaotic road he must travel.
Can Sid overcome the seductive darkness known as Black Numbers?

MY REVIEW:

This book is in many ways a traditional fantasy, but Lappi crosses the line into horror without losing the qualities that I love in an epic fantasy. We have a true Good vs Evil plot, a completely believable system of magic, incredibly frightening creatures and a plot that would make Clive Barker proud.

In Black Numbers, Lappi has created a character-driven plot with all the elements of the Hero's Journey that true fantasy incorporates, along with the atmosphere of fear that great horror evokes.

Magic is expressed both sexually and through mathematics. The central protagonist, Sid (Sidoro) is a young boy growing up with a hard, uncaring father. Sid's father teaches him how to use mathematics, believing with all his heart that Sid is the Aleph Null - a prophesied wielder of the Black Numbers who will rule The Oblate. However, the dreadful creature called the Korpor must test him, and sexually awaken his numbers.

This is not a story for the weak of heart. Sid's violent and frightening encounters with the Korpor are the stuff of nightmares. Many people want to see Sid dead, because of what he is. Fortunately for Sid, he attracts friends who are willing to protect him, one of whom is Crowdal, a giant of a man who is a member of a race called the Trith.

Lappi has created a tale that makes you both afraid to turn the page, and terrified not to. You want to see what will happen to Sid and Crowdal, and at the end, you are left wanting to read more: Lappi set it up beautifully for the sequel, Blood Numbers. I loved this book!

Blood Numbers, Dean Frank Lappi

This week I read Blood Numbers, book II in the Aleph Null Chronicles, written by indie author Dean Frank Lappi. The Aleph Null Chronicles has to be the most unique fantasy series ever written. The first book is the reissued novel, Black Numbers.

THE BLURB

Sid is the Aleph Null, his power of Black Numbers awakened, but he cannot yet manipulate those numbers. He journeys with his friends Crowdal, Melinda, Mrs. Wessmank, Maelon and Writhgarth to a faraway land that may hold the key to his powers. Along the way he meets a powerful woman who awakens his first feelings of true love, but who may also be the one destined to destroy him.

Sid is pursued by evil forces from all directions. His former childhood friend, Tris, now rules the Oblate and commands a power of numbers equal to, if not greater than his own. He also controls the seductive yet violent Korpor, and together they are weaving a plot to capture Sid and take control of his Black Numbers.

Sid is also hunted by a sadistic and violent warlord and his death squad who has his own plans for Sid. But worst of all, a forgotten and ancient evil has been unintentionally freed from its millennia-long prison, a nightmarish being that has one purpose...

To destroy the wielder of Black Numbers

MY REVIEW

I read Black Numbers when it was first published and I was gobsmacked. The writing is beautiful, the plot is devious and seductive, the characters are deep and fully formed. Blood Numbers follows and delivers the same raw emotions with a punch just as elegantly delivered.

These books are in many ways a traditional fantasy, in that they are peopled by both humans and non-humans, magic is involved, and setting is a beautifully detailed place that could never exist.  But Lappi crosses the line into horror without losing the any of the qualities that I love in an epic fantasy.  We have a true Good versus Evil plot, a completely believable system of magic, incredibly frightening creatures and a plot that doesn’t stop.

I want to say at the outset that in this series, magic is expressed both sexually and through mathematics. This is a series where sexuality is central to the expression of the magic, and it is at times explicit. This tale is not always nice, at times it is brutal. This is not erotica; this is a tale with uncomfortable plot twists, but plot twists a true fan of horror will not be able turn away from. These books are not for the faint of heart, or for those who shy away from explicit and at times, violent sex. Yet the sex is not for prurient purposes. Lappi’s magic is created by melding high mathematics (the sort that explain the universe) and that most powerful of human drives, sex.

The central protagonist, Sid (Sidoro) grew up with a hard, uncaring father.  Sid's father taught him how to use mathematics, believing with all his heart that Sid was the Aleph Null—a prophesied wielder of the Black Numbers who will rule The Oblate. It is central to the plot that for the Oblate to control Sid, they would have to control his sexuality and the Korpor is central to the Oblate. Sid's violent and frightening encounters with the Korpor are the stuff of nightmares.  To top that off, many people want to see Sid dead, because of what he is, and how he threatens their position and power.

Tris, the man Sid always thought was his friend rules the Oblate and controls the Korpor, and is now pursuing him, intent on killing him. Fortunately for Sid, he attracts friends who are willing to risk their lives to protect him. Sid inspires great loyalty in his friends. Crowdal, Mrs. Wessmank, Writhgarth, Crowdal and Maelon are each uniquely individual and have their own stories. All the characters are wonderful in this series, but Crowdal is bold, witty and, dare I say it? Sexy in his own right. Indeed, all of Lappi's characters are clearly visualized and compelling.

It is a dark series, and there are some very disturbing moments, but it is also an amazing journey into those most basic of human emotions--friendship, love, loyalty, lust for power, and boundless ambition. For Sid, there is danger in falling in love. For me as reader, this was an unparalleled adventure.

  

The author has said in an editorial disclaimer, “The mathematics in this series were intentionally described without going into any mathematical depth. I wrote it this way because I wanted the math to be conceptual as a way to explain magic, for it to be more visually spectacular than mathematically precise.”  I have to say that this makes it MUCH more enjoyable for me, as I am most decidedly NOT a mathematician.

As with the first book in the series, Lappi has created another tale that makes you both afraid to turn the page, and terrified not to.  You want to see what will happen next. When I reached the final page, I couldn't get this book out of my mind.  I could never have predicted this ending—and now I must have the next book!