Xzardak: When The World Ends is a 2023 science fiction novel by Scott Cato. It was independently published by the author and released in April 2023. It was the author's debut novel.
In the final hours of the dying Earth planet, a convoy of Alien cruisers is dispatched to the doomed world to be set down amid the chaos and burning wreckage. Their to collect and preserve the last remaining members of the human race. On the verge of extinction, they are loaded onto cargo ships and transported to a brand new planet referred to as 'Earth 2'. There, they will live out their remaining days in peace and harmony. Disoriented and confused, the Earthlings wake up in a bad mood. Their gullible Alien guardian discovers just how troublesome and ungrateful these underdeveloped lifeforms really are. Hauled up in front of the greatest thinkers in the universe, they are forced to explain the actions which have brought about the end of their world. Meanwhile, a shadowy entity hatches a plot to jeopardize their future existence and wreak havoc across the cosmos.
The plot of this novel is straightforward. The remnants of humanity are taken from a dying Earth to a far-off planet and the alien in charge of their care struggles to interact with humanity and help them come to terms with what's happened to their home. At the same time, the humans struggle to accept the truth of Earth's fate, while an unseen manipulator seeks to use them for their own ends. Some humans struggle more than others to accept reality, and believe something important is being hidden from them. The story is easy to follow, and it has a great concept, though the execution was only partially successful. There are some chapters and scenes that didn't feel entirely necessary. The story dragged at points. While the revelation of who was manipulating events made sense, I wish it had been foreshadowed a bit better, with some red herrings or misdirection to keep it from feeling obvious. The climax of the story, while exciting, ended rather abruptly, which robbed the reader of a rewarding conclusion. I also felt that the main antagonist's motivation was a bit flimsy, as I hoped for more nuance or substance behind the plot they had been executing.
The novel gets its name from the name of the protagonist, Robert Xzardak, the alien responsible for caring for the remainder of humanity. He was a unique character to follow, because he was observing humanity with fresh eyes, and only rumors about humans to guide him beyond that. He was naive, yes, but his arc centered around him learning to accept humanity as it was, and try to help them be better, but not by changing everything about them. There were times his naivety was a bit grating, but it made me sympathize with him, rather than feel annoyed at him. Tesk, the main human character and Xzardak's biggest problem in Earth 2, was also a compelling character. He wasn't very likable, starting with his first appearance, but he was complex and intriguing. As the story unfolded, his behavior was revealed to be less hostile and more understandable, as he struggled to accept the reality he woke up in. There was a nuance to him that I hadn't expected. The other human characters were less fleshed out, because the story isn't very long and didn't have the time to delve into them as much. They weren't one-dimensional, but they did lack complexity for the most part.
The science fiction elements, while intrinsic to the plot, did not overshadow the story. Aspects of the universe and the technology were explained if they needed to be, and left to be inferred in other cases. The author chose not to go too in-depth with how interstellar travel worked or the bureaucracy of the alien government, which was a benefit in this instance, as doing so would've derailed the story. Enough of the world-building exists to follow the story, and there is no info-dumping.
I enjoyed the writing in this book. It had a humorous tone when it fit what was happening, but a more serious one when the story called for it. It was easy to become immersed in the story and follow what was happening. It was unique to read a story, mostly about humanity, from an outside perspective and I think the author did a great job of capturing both the strangeness of humanity, and the little idiosyncrasies about people. The story did have some pacing issues, but overall it was a fun adventure.
Xzardak was a fun read and a novel an interesting idea. The plot was easy to follow and exciting, though the execution of some of the ideas fell flat and there were some issues with pacing. The characters were complex, even if they weren't all likeable. The author overall had a lot of interesting ideas for this book, and it was a fun sci-fi adventure, though it wasn't all fun and games as the story unfolded. It's a great read for someone looking for a change of pace, or a book reminiscent of older sci-fi stories.
Rating: 3.5 Stars
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