Travel Documents 48: The Psions of Spire Series
Bright Spark (Psions of SPIRE Book 1)
Keen Sense (Psions of SPIRE Book 2)
Quick Fire (Psions of SPIRE Book 3)
Clear Sight (Psions of SPIRE Book 4)
Genre: dystopian, LGBT, alt-history, spec-fic
The Dust Cover Copy
Book 1: Bright Spark
Sometimes growing up means giving up your preconceptions.
Aaron Anderson and Jake Moretti were childhood sweethearts until Aaron developed psionic abilities that turned both of their worlds upside down and tore them apart.
Six years later they reconnect when Aaron returns home to work with a youth summer camp affiliated with SPIRE. Jake is at the same camp, along with his current partners, to protest the organization funding it. Sparks fly when the couple reunites and Aaron discovers hidden abilities that bring him to the attention of SPIRE.
Aaron and Jake have every intention of seizing their second chance at love. But once more, forces outside their control are at play. And the organization Aaron believes in is at the center of events targeting vulnerable youth.
This M/M urban fantasy contains an open M/M/M relationship as well as an M/M relationship.
Book 2: Keen Sense
In the blink of an eye, everything can change.
That’s what happened to Andrew James. One minute he was just an average IT guy, working for a large company. The next he was waking up in a hospital bed as a powerful psion. Learning to navigate the unfamiliar world of psions as an adult is a daunting prospect. And as Andrew’s carefully constructed life falls apart around him, the only one helping him hold the pieces together is Oscar Watkins. The anchor from Mount Hope Hospital who saved his life.
Oscar has worked at Mount Hope for almost a decade. And not once has he experienced the deep connection to a patient he feels toward Andrew. While he finds his work rewarding, it’s also demanding and emotionally exhausting. When Andrew arrives in a psionic crisis, it sets off a chain of events that changes everything for Oscar.
While Oscar struggles to find a balance between work and a personal life, Andrew struggles to rebuild his life. Andrew turns to SPIRE. But his new senses soon reveal that everything is not as it appears, leading him to wonder what SPIRE is hiding.
This M/M romance contains themes including a verbally abusive ex, a workaholic, and a homophobic family of origin.
Book 3: Quick Fire
When you love your work, you never work a day—when you love your work partner, life gets complicated.
Finn Cooper is content to use their pyrokinesis fighting infernal forces on behalf of SPIRE. Their only problem is their lack of a psionic link to replace their little brother. And not having a dedicated anchor is taking a toll. Their struggle to control their abilities is impacting their job performance. And if they lose their job, that means they could lose custody of their little brother, Tim. Failure is not an option.
Oliver Hawkins wants to join SPIRE. Working with other psions appeals to him. He wants a job where his trans identity won’t hold him back from his career goals. His plans hit a speed bump when he learns his psionic abilities are too weak to qualify him for fieldwork.
When a chance encounter brings the two of them together, Oliver’s aura draws Finn to him. They devise a plan to solve each other’s problems by forming a link bond. As Finn’s link, Oliver can join SPIRE and in return he will stabilize Finn’s volatile aura. That way Finn can regain control of their pyrokinesis and their life.
At first their solution seems perfect, but then work drama intrudes on the situation. Oliver suspects all is not as it seems with his new team and their mission. And when your work has fangs, claws, and venom, the drama can get intense. Throw in guardianship of a teenage math whiz and Finn’s life is about to get hectic.
This is a queer (M/NB) sci-fi/paranormal romance featuring a trans man and an asexual non-binary person who is raising their teenage brother after they lost their parents.
Book 4: Clear Sight
When the slightest touch triggers visions of horror, you learn not to let anyone close.
After more than a decade hiding from society, Seth Albright is sheltered. His visions make it a necessary evil. After a precocious emergence as a seer when he was eight, his mother took him to live in the woods. To protect him.
When he can’t take another day of isolation, Seth turns to SPIRE. There, he gets partnered with Roy Merchant as his anchor. Enough inexperienced psions have burned Roy by using him as a stepping stone to last a lifetime.
Roy has seen scandals come and go in his time with SPIRE. Seth has seen atrocities most people couldn’t imagine. But neither of them has seen anything like what’s coming for them next.
This is MM urban fantasy containing some mild BDSM elements and an age gap.
The Scene
Worldbuilding
In the tradition of all good alt-history worlds, Silver has done a lovely job of putting in just enough strangeness to make us question our daily existence. ‘Because that’s the way it is’ suddenly doesn’t seem like a good enough answer when you see systemic oppression through the eyes of young people trying so hard to survive under it. ‘Let the system work’ sounds good, until you’re allowed to see the world through the eyes of those it’s worked on.
But hey, don’t let my preaching get you down. Though a strong social message does run through this series, at its heart this is the story of young people finding themselves, healing their wounds, and helping one another come into their own. It’s a braided narrative of hope and resilience, love in its many forms, and the quiet bravery of living your truth in spite of a world that would like to force you into submission. I love the series because it’s not a sweeping drama of street battles and all out war. It’s not that easy. This is the story of the hard work each person has to put in to come into their own in the world that we didn’t build, and we have to quietly work to reshape in every way we can. Some people do that by taking jobs at SPIRE, the governmental agency that oversees psions, and pushing for change from within. They blow whistles. They risk futures. And they protect people.
Others choose the rocky road of activists. They’re picketing. They’re organizing. They’re hustling. And they’re keeping the rights of their fellow citizens secure.
And then there are the stories of people just trying to make rent. Get jobs. Get through the day. Readers feel that these could be our stories.
The Crowd
Characterization
Silver has a talent for writing intertwined lives, connected to one another by platonic or romantic love of all sorts. The personalities (and the identities! 😀 ) vary widely, from the nearly feral and catlike Marc, gentle and brittle Elliot, to stalwart Em and goofy, carefree Jake. Each of these characters has their own reactions, their own journeys, their own joys and their own weaknesses to overcome.
Early in the series many of the characters are high-schoolers, and Silver was true to the age group, showcasing just how utterly foolish we could all be at that age. As a reader, you sometimes found yourself facepalming on account of it. Not because the writing was bad, mind you. Because it was accurate, and teenagers are dense. But that early frustration made the chance to watch the characters mature and come into their own all the more rewarding.
This series showcases a number of LGBT identities and relationships. It could have felt tokenizing, if the author hadn’t worked so hard to showcase the intricacies of each relationship. Each book is full of small relational details, little compromises, and small ways people help their partners cope with their issues. Layered on real-world emotional issues are the particular needs of psions: the psychological need for touch, the strong reactions to EM fields (auras) and the physical need for others who are compatible on a purely autonomic level. These layers needs and the ways they’re coped with made these people real on the page.
I’ve particularly appreciated the tapestry of relationships Silver has woven between the characters as they age. The newest book showcases a character who originally was shown as a vulnerable teen in need of protection from older members of the cast. Watching a character like that come into their own makes you feel like a proud older mentor, and it’s delightful. Other characters have healed through their romances, through their friendships, and through their ties to their community. All of it feels tangible.
Writing Style
With the occasional little hiccup of indie editing (generally negligible), this series moves at the steady clip of good interpersonal stories. Making several of the characters workers in some form of mentorship was a great technique, as it has allowed exposition necessary to this kind of alt-history environment to be framed as lessons in the classroom, which is very effective.
Once in a while, I would have liked to get a little more showing and a little less telling, but the story style is narrative first-person, so the occasional stated event isn’t too much of a problem.
Oh, and by the way. There are sweet sex scenes of several varieties waiting for you like the prizes in a box of cracker jacks. Yum…
The Moves
Plot
Very interpersonal in style, these stories are nearly literary in their tone. That works well for me; if it’s up your alley, you’ll definitely enjoy these works. There’s a general arc towards improvement through each book, and if each ending isn’t perfectly happy, it is definitely looking towards a brighter day ahead.
Overall Rating
A wonderfully diverse, beautifully conflicted and powerfully connected series. It’s now one of my comfort reads.