Glass shards dance about excitedly, as bullets blaze passed Karol Shults shoulder. Lying perfectly still on the floor more terrified of the phone ringing in her pocket than the murderous thugs shooting indiscriminately from outside the window, Karol takes the call only to find out shes not being paid for this job. What was supposed to be a quick hit and an easy payday turns out to be a thankless skirmish no matter, Karol always finishes the job. Money, however, is not something from which the young assassin can so easily walk away. Shult, Karols family of assassins, tracks down Hituuri, Karols dead beat client, in a small town less than four hours from their estate. Overly eager to pay him a visit, Karol comes to town only to find Hituuri buying shots at a bar. With no way to answer for his bounced check, Karol squeezes the trigger taking Hituuris life as payment. Thinking her day is over; Karol takes ease, until a big ass Siddian mothership pulls across the sky blocking out the sun brandishing a weapon capable of destroying the city. Completely caught off guard, Karol begs Erika, her master and confidant to get her out of the city. When Erika reveals the payday this new threat presents, however, Karols cowardice turns to bravery. With dollar signs flashing in her eyes, Karol summons the indomitable strength to do whatever it takes to bring the alien menace to its knees. With action scenes that pay homage to R. A. Salvatore, a story as massive as World of Warcraft, and characters as memorable as Die Hards John McClane, Rapture of Worlds is a sci-fi epic intended for a mature audience but intriguing to readers of all ages.

本作の真髄は、暗殺者カロルが見せる「俗っぽさ」と、壮大なＳＦ設定が織りなす強烈なギャップにあります。彼女を突き動かすのは崇高な正義ではなく、剥き出しの金銭欲。その極めて人間臭い動機が、絶望的な恐怖を不敵な勇気へと変質させるプロットは実に見事です。ドライな筆致が、従来の英雄譚とは一線を画す、血の通ったアンチヒーロー像を鮮烈に描き出しています。 緻密な戦闘描写と圧倒的なスケール感も白眉です。一介の殺し屋の物語が突如として惑星規模の脅威へと飛躍するダイナミズムは、日常の裏側にある非日常への没入感を極限まで高めます。死線すらも報酬に変える主人公の不屈の魂に触れるとき、読者の鼓動は最高潮に達し、未知なる異星の戦場へと引きずり込まれることでしょう。