Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite

Black Power: The Book of Akhet by Dean Baxter follows seventeen-year-old Scipio Harelson, who trains in martial arts under Adrian Lake while preparing for a tournament and a black belt exam. On his way to practice, police violently detain him until Adrian verifies his identity. At the tournament, Scipio fights several matches, suffers injuries, and begins developing telepathy. He befriends Ian and meets Saphronia, who trains him in controlling his abilities. Scipio learns his parents were targeted by the SOTIR Group, a secret organization hunting Enhanced Powered Beings (EPBs). While training with Adrian, Ian, and Saphronia, he masters flight, kinetic manipulation, and telepathy. When armed intruders attack his home, Scipio and Saphronia use their powers to evacuate everyone, but when tragedy strikes, everything changes, and Scipio must push ahead.

Black Power: The Book of Akhet by Dean Baxter is a really unique novel with a series of teen protagonists, led by Scipio, that are each fully fleshed out. Baxter alternates between both first and third person, and with some time hops, which takes a minute to get used to. Once down, we get a true sense of the balances between immediate dangers, like police incidents, tournament injuries, and violent intruders, with ongoing threats from manipulative organizations. I love the contrast between Cross’s calculating detachment and Scipio’s empathy, along with the loyalty and support of his allies, which makes the characters easy to root for. Baxter’s attention to sensory detail is exceptional, moving us from the busy paths of Central Park to the windswept terrain of Mount Hombori in Mali. With authentic dialogue and an immersive narrative style, this is a solid entry into the series, and I'm excited to see what comes next.