Will Stewart, the high-flying Wisconsite hero of the Divisible Man series, cringes when anyone identifies out loud what he seems to be facing in this eleventh adventure: a werewolf. Will dismisses the theory as “drive-in movie” junk, despite gruesome killings and evidence including wolf fur—and his own experiences with the incredible, including his powers to turn invisible and, aided by his BLASTER device, fly. Even true believer Pidge, the best pilot in Will’s home of Essex County, is reluctant to say the word, usually adding a spirited profanity before it. But for all the cast’s amusing qualms, captured in dialogue attentive to the rhythms and comic understatement of the upper Midwest, readers with experience with Seaborne will be rewarded for trusting that, yes, this vital series about a man who has achieved freedom from gravity still remains grounded.

Instead, Seaborne again deftly blends the procedural, the superheroic, and the aviation-minded tech thriller with charming local color, some intriguing ongoing developments, and a realistic depiction of how powers like Will’s would change lives—and the world at large. To that winning mix The Eleventh Hourglass adds an agreeable splash of creature-feature horror as the apparent beast ravages the northern Minnesota woods, tearing into flesh, BMWs, and maybe series regulars Pidge and Earl. Will and company’s monster hunt boasts suspense and satisfying revelations that fit the Divisible Man tone.

This entry’s most urgent material, however, concerns the continuing storyline of Will’s uneasy relationship with billionaire Spiro Lewko, who sees Will’s powers—and their mysterious curative properties—as a potential game-changing breakthrough. Seaborne thoughtfully explores the consequences of having powers, from the hardship of communicating with gestures while invisible—“If I could have seen my watch, I would have pointedly looked at it,” Will says in narration—to the protests, political division, and legal troubles that would come if the public beheld evidence of them. Newcomers should start with the first book, though Seaborne takes pains to make everything clear.

Takeaway: Gripping tech-thriller pitting a man with powers against a reputed werewolf.

Comparable Titles: Sam Hughes’s Fine Structure, Mike Chen’s We Could Be Heroes.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A