In the distant future, Verloc Nim wakes up suffering from complete amnesia, remembering nothing of his former life. But when Churchill, a robot-monkey, hands him his diary, Verloc revisits his past and quickly realizes his life has been a miserable one. He lost his business, his family, and his friends because he refused to accept the technological advancements of society. Without the eye implants and other genetic modifications, Verloc is astray in a society he deeply resents. That is, until his brother, Conrad, takes him to another planet to retrieve a mysterious biorobotic experiment called aama.

Frederik Peeters with aama: The Smell of Warm Dust has created a fully realized, and intriguing, future in this award-winning science fiction series. The story has action, mystery, adventure…. actually lots of mystery. But overall, it’s a fascinating look at technology and society, all wrapped in an enigma.

The mystery of the series is what really sucked me in. Peeters goes the fascinating route of having the story unfold through flashbacks that are learned through Nim’s journal. We know something major has happened, but we don’t know what. As Nim learns the truth, so do we. As that all is revealed, we also learn that Num is a bit of a screw-up in his personal life, which makes us the reader wonder if it’s his mistake that has lead to whatever event this is all leading up to.

The worst thing about the book is that it’s a first volume. I got to the end, and wanted to read more. The mystery is built up so much, like a good story is, and so little revealed, I left a bit frustrated. But wanting more is a good thing right?

Overall, this sci-fi mystery is an entertaining read, with solid art. Do yourself a favor a grab a copy, you won’t be disappointed.

Story and Art: Frederik Peeters
Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8 Recommendation: Buy

Self Made Hero provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review