After an accident, a lapsed artist finds himself plagued by seizures and increasingly alarming hallucinations. Koja's early work has a distinct vibe, abrupt & fragmented sentences, dirty settings & dirtbag characters. It's an acquired taste but weirdly hypnotic. And a good thing, too, because this has a slow start. It's to some extent necessary, as grappling with a chronic condition is as important, early on, as the burgeoning speculative element; but it's a lot of time spent meandering aimlessly with unlikeable characters. The climax is comparatively hectic, and leans hard into tortured artist tropes--another Koja staple, but better handled elsewhere (namely Skin) where the artists are more motivated & the tropes are therefore more at home. So this is probably my least favorite of this era of Koja, and I'd recommend The Cipher or Skin in its place; but I still liked it fine--mostly by dint of: wanted more Koja, sure did read more Koja.