Moonbound was engineered in a lab specifically to boggle my mind. It opens with a 12-year-old boy named Ariel de la Sauvage, who stumbles upon a grave and who lives in a post-apocalyptic, dragon-wrecked Earth where animals talk, wizards run the show, and nothing is as it seems.

The story has a truly unique narrator: a sentient, symbiotic fungus known as the “chronicler,” designed to archive human memories. After lying dormant for 10,000 years in the remains of a long-dead warrior, the chronicler bonds with already mentioned Ariel.

Chronicler’s perspective gives the personal feel of first-person, the suspense of limited third-person, and the big-picture view of omniscient third-person, all in one. Not bad. And yes, it’s weird. But somehow, Sloan makes it work. The story itself is a classic coming-of-age quest. Ariel, fleeing the wrath of the Wizard Malory, travels across the planet, gains allies (a talking elk with a symbiotic beehive or a very chill hive-mind robot) and learns about himself and the world.

What’s the vibe of the story? Mainly whimsical and occasionally bewildering. Also, it feels fresh when it puts Arthurian legend, far-future sci-fi, and a healthy dose of talking beavers to the mix. Ariel’s rebellion against the sinister Wizard Malory is almost accidental, and it sets the stage for a game of seek & hide.

Sloan’s worldbuilding is wildly inventive. The Earth Ariel inhabits is a place where animals talk, robots roam, and wizards hold power - an anachronistic blend of medieval fantasy tropes and high-tech relics. At the center of this world’s history are the “dragons,” AI creations turned apocalyptic overlords that destroyed humanity’s aspirations for the stars. These dragons remain an omnipresent threat and shape the course of the novel as Ariel sets out on an epic journey.

What sets Moonbound apart is its playful approach to genres and ideas. It’s as much about environmental stewardship and the ethics of artificial intelligence as it is about heroism and destiny. The chronicler’s voice is sometimes detached and sometimes deeply empathetic, and it provides a great commentary on the layers of civilization Ariel’s world has built—and lost.

If there’s a downside, it’s that the ending feels a little rushed, and some questions are left unanswered. This is a small tradeoff - Moonbound is entertaining and not afraid to ask BIG questions. If you like speculative fiction that challenges conventions, Moonbound should appeal to you.