Red Demon: Dune Meets Avatar

ARC Review of Sill Bihagia's Debut Novel

Red Demon, by Sill Bihagia

Dune meets Avatar— a bold claim, I know. Full disclosure: I haven’t read a ton of fantasy, so I don’t have much to compare it to. Sci-fi is my usual genre of choice and, lucky for me, Red Demon is a satisfying blend of the two genres. I shall explain the comps, but first, a brief synopsis:

Red Demon, by Sill Bihagia, is written from the first person perspective of Jesse, a member of the Chaeten race living on the planet Nara Mnaet. The Chaeten are one of two human races inhabiting the planet, along with their rivals, the Asri peoples. The story begins when Jesse’s entire village is wiped out, leaving the teenage boy to fend for himself alone in the woods. With impressive survival skills and a lust for revenge, Jesse begins his search for other Chaeten survivors, as well as the immortal superhuman who murdered his family: the Red Demon. 

Epic swordfight between the Red Demon and Jesse

So how is this similar to Dune? First, Jesse reminds me of Paul Atreides in that he trains hard to become an exceptional fighter, and, without spoiling too much, there is a special quality to him that is similar to the prophesized “chosen one” trope prevalent in Dune. Second (and this is a minor spoiler), Jesse winds up living among the Asri people and assimilating to their culture, much like how Paul Atreides assimilates with the Fremen in Dune. The Asri are similar to the Fremen in that they have a sacred connection to the natural lifeforms of the planet, but rather than giant sandworms, those lifeforms are fungal in nature. 

It was this interconnectedness with the natural world that also reminded me of Avatar. Although they do not literally connect their braids to plants like the Na’vi in Avatar, the Asri people do communicate with their ancestors through an underground network of mycelia (which, for those non-biologist folks out there, are fungi’s equivalent to roots). Side note: it was not lost on me that “Chaeten” is very similar to the word “chitin,” a structural component of the fungal cell wall (I assume this was intentional). 

Mycelia: a network of underground fungul filaments, similar to plant roots.

Author Sill Bihagia’s writing feels effortlessly fluid, which makes for an easy, fast read. Bihagia follows the number one rule of good writing, “show, don’t tell,” in order to build a world that is both intricate and enchanting, melding advanced technology with magic, mycology, and swordfighting. One unique aspect is that the setting feels very rural and almost Medieval in that the people live in small villages dispersed throughout a vast wooded landscape, and fight via sword and hand-to-hand combat. However, at the same time, they have advanced technology that allows them to “mod” their genetics and create invisible walls that block magic, for example. I found the juxtaposition between futuristic and antiquated endearing. I also appreciated how the main characters are likeable, but imperfect, and they bond over similar past traumas. I love a good “found family” trope. 

Pro Tip: there is a glossary at the back of the book (complete with a pronunciation guide) that is helpful to keep track of character and place names, as well as other invented terminology. I wish I had noticed this before I finished reading the book. There is also a map at the beginning, which I didn’t notice because I started reading the e-book and then switched to the paperback part way through. 

If you enjoy well-paced science fantasy, intricate world building, epic fight scenes, and a touch of spice, then I highly recommend Red Demon, by Sill Bihagia. Oh, and a word of warning: you may develop a crush on one more of the characters. 

Grown-up Jesse is such a stud!

Red Demon is set to be released on September 16th, 2025. Preorders are open now! You can find all the order links and the author's social media here:

Red Demon Links