Tremontaine

The collected edition of Serial Box’s multiauthor serial foray into Kushner’s Riverside world is generally strong and charming, but also occasionally serves to underline the weakness of the serial format in a compilation. Micah, a mathematical genius who sells turnips, meets a student named Rafe, who in turn eventually starts an affair with a university governor, who is married to Dianne, Duchess Tremontaine. Meanwhile, Ixkaab Balam, a trader and spy from the Kinwiinik Empire, fails to stay under the radar when she falls for a woman, to the point of getting drawn into a duel. Kushner is joined by six peers, and the talented authors do a great job of juggling a large cast. Series fans will welcome the addition of racial diversity to a series that was already notable for its spotlighting of queer people and women. The end product is (as intended) more comparable to a TV season than an exquisite corpse, and though the seams do occasionally distract, the overall tale is excellent. (May)