Refraction

Hinz (Liege Killer) returns with a quirky, near-future story about deeply unhelpful superpowers. Aiden Manchester has been unintentionally creating “chunkies,” clumps of brown goo reminiscent of human waste that materialize in midair, in his sleep since he was a kid. Aiden doesn’t have much control of the frequency or location of these manifestations, and considers the ability a curse with no silver lining. But then he discovers a hidden message from his father revealing that Aiden was adopted from a secret government agency that had to shut down its unusual experiments on infants nearly 30 years ago. As Aiden investigates his past and his ability, he draws the attention of Red, another victim of the government experimentation, whose own search for answers has had fatal consequences. Hinz packs this twisty story with action and mystery while striking a fascinating balance between modern reality and science fictional innovations. Readers will be hooked. Agent: Mark Gottlieb, Trident Media. (Nov.)