Kundo Wakes Up

Set in the post–climate disaster world of Djinn, Hossain’s (Cyber Mage) quest story follows Kundo, who has lost his wife, his friends, and his purpose—either to murderers or to a game that takes players to a mythical paradise. With one last spark of energy, Kundo searches his dying city for a clue as to where everyone went or where it all went wrong. With the help of a has-been criminal mastermind, a drug-addicted coder, and an abandoned woman and her charming baby, he games the system and learns that paradise is not all it’s cracked up to be. This may sound like a downer of a story, but it surprisingly is not. It pokes consumerism and commercialism in the eye, while making it clear that what people really need is purpose and connection to others, while still telling an action-packed story of living the real dream.