On the surface, Masque appears to be a straightforward formulaic tale of terror.

Some episodes resemble scenes from the latest Hollywood car chase or a particularly vicious evening with the X-Files. But with thoughtful reading, a number of more subtle elements of story surface.

Wilson and Costello call upon various literary archetypes to give substance and color to their work. Tristan is a shape shifter, a master of transformation who sets out on both a literal journey and a search for self.

The circular literary device of the hero who leaves home only to return, takes a different twist when Tristan finds he has been betrayed and leaves Kaze Glom to join his brothers in the freezone. It is here that he finds his "family" and the understanding of what selfhood means begins to dawn.

The title, Masque, becomes a metaphor for the life Tristan sees...