THE PHOTONIC EFFECT by Mike Chen

5 stars

Fast forward to the 24^th century in this sci-fi space thriller and the intense drama of humans who have both integrated intelligent aliens into our society as well as have two human factions in an all-out galactic war with each other. Some things just never change for our species: power struggles, the creation of outsiders and insiders, and a devolution into warfare as a fight over control rages.

Demora Kim, head of a purely research ship named Horizon, had been out in space exploration when her ship and crew got stranded in a partial collapse of space. Other ships and species had been sucked in as well, and Kim as the captain of the biggest ship worked to build relationships to ensure survival. This included Kim befriending a species that humanity had yet to encounter as they primarily dwell in quantum light space. Called the Lumersians, they mostly appear as planes of pinkish light, but they can create temporary physical form when a part of their photonic energy separates into a unique part named only a number. This has been designed as a way to interact with other species and is meant only to be used for a short time before the energy gets reabsorbed into their collective species.

Thanks to Chuck, her nickname for the individuated Lumersian she befriends and ultimately loves, Kim finds a way to escape the vortex. She returns to human occupied space only to find war has broken out in the ten years since she’s been gone and she’s smack dab in the middle of it. Thanks to the Lumersians, Kim’s crew have been working on an innovative engine running on photonic energy with Chuck’s help while in the vortex, and both sides want it to help them win the war. There also seems to be other potential nefarious reasons the Fleet wants control of the Horizon ship.

As Kim works to fend off the Horizon being taken over, the crew members struggle with divided loyalties in the human civil war, the aliens share their puzzled thoughts and observations of humanity as a species, and the Lumersians send out to the Horizon a distress call – you find yourself captivated as to where all this will lead.

The thoughtful build-up of individual crew member characters, as well as individual aliens, makes this book stand out.

Thanks to Saga Press, S&S, and NetGalley for an advance reader’s copy.

Stacy DeBroff

Stacy DeBroff, founder and CEO of Mom Central.com and social and digital consultancy, Influence Central, is a social media strategist, attorney, and best-selling parenting author. A sought-after expert for national media, she trend-spots regularly with national brands and speaks frequently to national and international audiences on a wide range of subjects, including influencer marketing, social media, entrepreneurship, and consumer trends. A passionate cook, gardener, reader, and tennis player, she adores this new chapter of post-college-age parenting.