The Sacrificers

Remender (the Uncanny X-Force series) and Fiumara (the Amazing Spider-Man series) unite for a thrilling fantasy set in a kingdom whose prosperity relies on its terrible secret: every year, one child from each common family is taken from their parents and sacrificed. This ritual follows a religious law rigorously enforced by flame-headed King Rokos, though there’s something even more sinister at the heart of the tradition. Remender skillfully divides the narrative between those chosen to be sacrificed (including the blue-feathered bird-being Pigeon and pious, placid Noom) and the high court, including Rokos’s rebellious daughter Soluna. Moments of profound sadness are mixed with weird beauty thanks to Fiumara’s phantasmagorical characters, who are both frightening and whimsical. The conceit will put readers in mind of The Hunger Games, Ursula K. Le Guin’s “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas,” and The Wizard of Oz, but Remender’s keen attention to pacing and worldbuilding polishes it into a shining example of a familiar trope. Genre fans will eagerly anticipate future installments. (Apr.)