As the story reaches its conclusion I was again shocked with the final turn of events, Realm was more than I expected and Lydia’s fate was not what I thought it would be.

Every time I thought I had the direction of the story figured out it takes a new turn, with more of the complexity of Matt Spire’s mind. Caligatha is like a trip through Inception but more complex and with some excellent twists. There’s more going on in the pages of Caligatha than first meets your eye, the twists and turns come unannounced and I was taken by surprise to learn what Realm really is and the connection it has to Jericho. The complexity of the story is quite impressive, it’s multi layered and even hard to wrap your mind around. I would have loved to see more of one story line before the jump to the other but I quickly got my footing and caught up with Matt as he sets the story in motion. The only part of the book I found difficult was the first few chapters, it felt like an abrupt start and quickly flipped to the parallel story. They are only left to wonder where, how and why it all went wrong and to understand what Realm really was and what Jericho was really trying to do. The world has moved on in Eric, Crane and Mae’s timeline.

Jericho struggles to deal with his pill addiction and Lydia struggles to deal with her fathers increasing need for the same drugs. Their internal dialogues are where we learn the deep dark angst they feel as we really get to know them. Matt Spire has a great way of creating characters and interactions that gives your skin a tingling sensation, the dialog between Lydia and Jericho is short and says so much at the same time. Our characters all seem to feel real enough but there is something just off about them. The story has an eerie feel that I can only compare to Blade Runner, there is the feeling of a story being told and formed just below the surface. Caligatha tells two stories simultaneously with flashes from one time to the other, the stories blur and melt back and forth. A mysterious project Realm was a project created by Jericho in a different time, maybe a parallel time. Eric, Crane and Mae are working to uncover the mystery of a high-tech project to eliminate all disease and also make the human body a machine without physical flaws. This is only the beginning of the multiple connections here in Caligatha. Reuben and Lydia, co-workers in her family’s wine shop the Eden’s Vineyard. Jericho run’s a local hotel, the Blue Coral Inn, Reuben his ex-bartender. Jericho and Reuben, friends of sorts but more as a convenience to Jericho as a source for his drug habit. Lydia and Jericho, an unlikely pairing meet and fast become a couple. Review copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review

Caligatha by Matt Spire