Charcoal and Smoke

Matthew Sugiyama now knows where to begin to look for his birth family: over 3,000 miles away on a hard journey into the west. Fortunately, he doesn’t have to make the journey alone. Along with his daughter, Akiko, he is rejoined by friends in search of their own destinies. Their arrival at Vegas Depot is not the reunion that Matthew had hoped for—not only is the elitist Avalon Society in residence, but his cousin Talbot goes missing, his sister blames Matthew, and his burgeoning relationship with Earl keeps getting blocked. As Matthew and his friends search for Talbot, they soon realize that the enemies they escaped in the east have arrived and may destroy everyone’s plans. Fairleigh’s take on a rebuilt postapocalyptic United States is wonderfully detailed. While there are some action scenes, it is the relationships between characters that move the story along.