Antony Johnston and Christopher Mitten’s post-apocalyptic sci-fi western returns for a third installment.

The story opens as an army of Sand-Eaters gathers for an attack on the city of Newbegin. Meanwhile, the city is undergoing its own internal turmoil as Lord Founder Marcus grapples with an unstable council and Golden Voice leads the enslaved Sunners in rebellion.

This excellent, complex series takes place in a world of infinite story possibilities. However, in this installment, the absence of the two main characters, the mysterious wanderer Michael and the healer Abi having set out on a quest, leaves the narrative lacking a core.

The story gets lost in scattered subplots, while the pacing is bogged down by pages of overindulgent Sand-Eater dialect. I love this series, but this installment feels like jumbled filler. Hopefully, Michael and Abi will once again take center stage in the next volume.

Grade: B-

Wasteland Book 3 is currently available.