What if a man’s drowning breath was not an ending, but a doorway to another type of existence? This is the electrifying premise of Cracks, Houston-based writer L.A. Prendergast’s ambitious debut novel, a fantasy novel that largely trades sword-and-sorcery spectacle for something a bit more philosophical. The result is a tale at once intimate and cosmic, meditative yet gripping, blowing your mind while simultaneously making you reach for the next page.
The story follows Travis, a disillusioned 22-year-old whose violent death on a city bridge becomes his passage into the Sphere, a vast crystalline cavern world inhabited by beings called Fragments. His resurrection comes through Marrow, an ancient consciousness now fused to his body, violet light glowing in his veins. This fusion both unsettles and awes the Fragments, whose rigid society wavers between reverence and fear of the human interloper. To them, Travis is at once a miracle, a weapon, and a threat to the fragile order they cling to.
As you might have guessed from the premise, Prendergast’s greatest strength lies in their imagination. The interplay between Travis and Marrow, their contrasting voices, drives much of the plot. Travis speaks with the relatable awkwardness of a young man out of his depth. Upon finding himself naked, he says, “Think of this being the most vulnerable state I can possibly be in, would you want me going up to anybody like that?” Marrow, by contrast, speaks with near-biblical gravity, “I am inside of you and without, I am one with your spirit.” Their dialogues form a kind of Socratic exchange, probing questions of identity but also not taking itself too seriously, a little in the vein of Everything Everywhere All at Once.
The descriptive prose mirrors the dialogue’s philosophical themes, conjuring the Sphere as both setting and metaphor: “A colossal structure of stars and empty space tethered together into a winding shape. It undulates amongst itself, turning inward and outward, forward and backwards, and in all manner of impossible movements.” Prendergast deliberately resists the fast pace of much contemporary fantasy. Scenes linger, inviting the reader to dwell in strangeness rather than rush toward resolution. Even moments of catastrophe or tension—such as the looming presence of the reality-devouring Wyrm—are rendered with the same lyrical density as quiet exchanges between Travis and Marrow. This meditative tempo may challenge readers expecting relentless action, but it mirrors Travis’s own halting adjustment to his new reality, immersing us in his disorientation and wonder.
Rather than aligning itself with epic fantasy’s sprawling battles or intricate magic systems, Cracks sits closer to Ursula K. Le Guin’s contemplative science fiction—fiction of ideas. Still, make no mistake: there are gripping scenes throughout, from tunnels collapsing in thunderous cascades of stone to the chilling emergence of the Wyrm. Prendergast balances these jolts of spectacle with moments of quiet dread and thought-provoking dialogue. The result is a novel that is not afraid to tackle deep subjects, and try to make them accessible to a wider audience.
My main criticisms would be that at times the book feels like it bites off more than it can chew, and doesn’t explain everything well enough (I’m still not entirely sure I understand what a Fragment is). It’s also incredibly long for a book one, at over 200,000 words, and perhaps a shorter version would have been more readabale. Regardless, one has to admire Prendergast’s ambition in writing such an epic work.
Readers who enjoy fantasy writers with ideas like Neal Stephenson will find Cracks both luminous and rewarding. As the opening volume of the Saga of the Spheres, it’s a long book, yet a page-turning one with a lot to say, and the questions and ideas it raises echo long after the last page is turned. Fans of Kurt Vonnegut’s science fiction or Gene Wolfe’s immersive fantasy prose will feel especially at home here.
You can get your copy of “Cracks: Book One in the Saga of the Spheres” or read for free on Kindle Unlimited here!
