The Photonic Effect

by Mike Chen

A starship captain and her crew face conspiracies and betrayals as they clash with various factions of a galactic civil war in a thrilling space adventure by New York Times bestselling author Mike Chen.

The starship Horizon’s crew spent ten years trapped across the expanse of space. Now they’re finally home—only it’s not the home they knew. The Cluster, once a peaceful coalition of planets, has fractured in the wake of civil war.

Captain Demora Kim wants nothing more than to protect her surviving crew. It’s what she owes them after years of instability and terror. But in times of war, no one is allowed neutrality.

After an attack on a mining station leaves thousands dead, Demi’s efforts become almost impossible. Every ship is needed on the frontline. Thrust deeper into a conflict she barely understands, Demi considers a bold choice—one that might keep her promises but tip the galaxy further into chaos.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Space Opera, Space, Adult, Science Fiction Fantasy, Audiobook

448 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 21, 2026

About the author

Mike Chen is the New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Brotherhood, Here and Now and Then, Light Years From Home, and other novels, in addition to Star Trek comics. He has covered geek culture for sites such as Nerdist, Tor.com, and StarTrek.com, and in a different life, covered the NHL. A member of SFWA, Mike lives in the Bay Area with his wife, daughter, and many rescue animals. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram: @mikechenwriter

Reviews

[Mara · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75⭐️ I enjoyed this more than I thought I would!! The sci-fi concept was wonderful, and so was the multi POV. I love a being able to see myself in Demi Kim, and loved all of the minor plot twists! The world was a little bit hard to see as it was a little contained for a this vast world that is space travel!! I wish this was part of a series😭

[Denise Ruttan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy Mike Chen's books for the most part although he can have hits and misses for me, so I was curious about his first try at space opera. I was surprised this was his first time writing space opera because he's such a huge sci fi nerd in real life. (I follow him on social media and he posts about his love of Star Trek, I don't actually know him personally!) This one was a winner and his passion for the genre shone through, despite some of the story's flaws.

This wasn't a cozy space opera but it had cozy elements, including my favorite part of the book, the captain's rescue greyhound. Just like Captain Archer in Enterprise! The book had other cute moments like the captain's photonic boyfriend, but this wasn't a cute book. It was very Star Trek though. I also found it similar to Gareth Powell's writing, so if you like his books you'll probably enjoy this.

The story follows a ragtag crew held together by the captain, Demi Kim, who was a very Captain Kirk like character in many ways aside from the sleeping around. It alternates points of view between several of the crew members, including Neera, an alien crew member whose character I loved. I could see many Star Trek mirrors for him. I wouldn't call this Firefly though even though it had a rebel crew and found family. I liked Neera's concept of pack as well.

The ship is run by an experimental photonic engine that can travel between universes in theory. I didn't really understand how photonic energy works exactly. But war breaks out and the ship is caught in the middle. Demi has a charming romantic entanglement with a photonic being visiting them, who calls himself Chuck. Chuck's universe is in trouble and Demi steals the ship to rescue his home.

The prose in this could read a little formal and stilted, in some parts reading like a user manual, so that was the main flaw for me because the lack of flow and some info dumping made it difficult to stay emotionally invested. But I loved all these characters and they kept me coming back for more. And I loved this quiet, philosophical take on the genre.

So I don't think this book will be for everyone. But as someone who pretty much scoops up any sci fi that I can get my hands on since it's so hard to find these days, I enjoyed this book.

I did have a minor quibble though. All that technology and these people are still using paper maps? There was a running joke about the difficulty of folding them but their continued existence was a head scratcher for me. Don't these guys have GPS? Heh. Very minor pet peeve though.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Steffany .O (coffee over apples)]

DNF at 23%. Thank you to Saga Press for a copy in exchange for an honest review. I love space operas but this just didn't work for me. In the beginning we got a list of important dates and events but what I really needed was a catalog of aliens/ what they look like/ how we made contact or what is humanities relationship with them. I didn't like how we slowly found out about these things around the main plot which has enough going on.

The conflict was obvious to me and the main characters befuddlement just befuddled me cause girl you work for the military, why are you suprised and feeling left in the dark by any of this? You Weren't on vacation booboo.

The flash backs were taking too long to tell me why I should care. So I don't, which is unfortunate.

[Wendy Heard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such great characters! I love what Mike does with relational dynamics. And the world building was excellent.

[toloveabook · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4 stars) I received a free book from the publisher. Thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

Hear me out… before this book begins, a ship filled with researchers and explorers (think Star Trek) gets trapped in a photonic gravity well. They have to set aside their differences (think found family), collaborate with other species stuck in the same well, and finally, after years of being trapped, they manage a harrowing escape back home… where they are met with hostile ships and realize they are in the middle of a war (think The Expanse).

When the book begins, this found family is realizing that they have different opinions about the war, different goals for their lives, and that the government is never going to let them stay in their peaceful research bubble - not when every ship is needed for the war effort. This is written from multiple perspectives but focuses mostly on the captain’s efforts to keep her crew safe and away from the battlefront.

Look, I still can’t tell you what a photonic engine is or how exactly you enter photonic gravity wells. But I don’t care. I’m here for this scrappy crew and their captain who will do anything to protect them.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It was such a fun space story - it’s serious enough that the stakes are very high, but there is also a sense of wonder and joy that often comes with books about space exploration. If any of this sounds like fun to you, I encourage you to pick it up!

[Reactor Magazine]

Some science fiction novels are full of explosions, flashy spaceship battles, and races across interstellar space. Mike Chen's The Photonic Effect holds onto the high stakes but focuses on the quieter parts in between. Read Sasha Bonkowsky's review at Reactor!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took me a while to finish this, pretty complex story line but very interesting and loved the diverse characters. Would make a great film!

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25

[Courtney {The Official DNF Queen} · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Saga Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

DNF @ 10%

The beginning of this story is so bizarrely done I couldn't get into it at all. The first several pages before chapter 1 are like a bullet list of information and events with no context and I felt like the author had vomited them into my lap. Then chapter 1 begins seemingly in the middle of the story, again with no context. Astoundingly, more context to the story is given in the synopsis of the book on Goodreads than what's actually provided in the book.

Right out the gate references are made left and right to a character that has already died (this is mentioned in one sentence of the bullet points) an ongoing war that just resulted in a terrorist attack (with whom? Why? I have no idea) and references are made over and over to multiverses and a "photonic light well" but again all of this has already happened and there is little context.

This book badly needs a prologue. But with the way the story is presented currently I couldn't wrap my head around it and wasn't interested in continuing to try. I also didn't love how the very second chapter has a character having to leave the space station/ship to repair something on the outside and nearly getting lost in space. That must be the biggest space scifi trope ever invented and seeing it deployed immediately was so boring.

Best wishes to Mike Chen and their future publications

[Aimee (Book It Forward)]

Mike Chen is an author I usually adore, which is what makes this such a difficult review to write. The truth is that my inability to finish this book has nothing to do with his talent and everything to do with my own reading preferences. I simply do not enjoy the space opera genre, and even the name tends to put me off. Because of that, I should not have requested this title for review in the first place.

From what I did read, the setup held all the elements that fans of sweeping galactic adventure will likely enjoy—an experienced captain returning home after a decade only to find a world on the brink of civil war, political intrigue, and the looming threat of a return to the very pocket of space that once trapped the Horizon crew. It is clearly well imagined, and Chen’s writing remains solid, but the chapters I managed to get through never quite captured my interest enough to keep going.

Since this is entirely a mismatch between my tastes and the genre rather than a reflection of the book’s quality, I will leave this unrated.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve previously really enjoyed Chen’s non-Star Wars novels and have loved the character relationships and the sheer amount of heart in his stories. The Photonic Effect felt like it was trying out something new, taking hard science fiction and inserting the same kind of heart and relationships into it. The story felt very much in line with his previous novels, and the science fiction added another layer. But, as much as I enjoyed the story, I found myself getting really hung up on the science.

Over ten years before, the Horizon, with Captain Demora “Demi” Kim at the helm, departed Cluster space and ended up stuck in a gravity well for a decade, along with countless other ships. As disaster struck ship after ship and the Horizon somehow survived, they took on refugees, some of whom remained on the Horizon’s crew afterwards. With the help of the photonic beings that made the well something of a home, especially one Demi affectionately named Chuck, the Horizon was able to escape, only to return to a war. While they were stuck, the Withdrawal Movement began, pitting rebels against the Cluster officials. Stuck existing in a war they didn’t want, Demi and her crew have little choice but to make the photonic engine they used to escape the gravity well work again. But not everyone is willing to give them all the time they need, even as the gravity well reopens and poses a serious risk to all known space.

I have to admit I was kind of at sea (or is that lost in space?) for a good chunk of the book. It wasn’t just the beginning, either; it was throughout the book. The science absolutely flew over my head. I could not make heads or tails of it no matter how much I tried. In the end, I gave up and hoped for the best. Whether it actually makes sense, I have no clue. I could not puzzle it out, so found myself floundering when understanding the story depended a bit more on understanding the science. It was a little frustrating, and I’m afraid it took me longer than I expected to read The Photonic Effect.

But Chen did bring his signature heart and character relationships, and that made the book more bearable and even enjoyable at times. When I could forget the high stakes existing outside of the ship, I really loved this book. Demi isn’t an easy captain to love. She has to make so many hard choices, and never seems to get it right. There’s not outright mutiny, but it sometimes felt a little too close for comfort. But her relationships with Neera and Tanav, the other two perspectives we get, were wonderful. They helped smooth things over, one focusing more on the science and the other on crew relationships. They balanced her really well, making me sympathize with her even when I preferred to side with her crew. She clearly loves her ship and her people, but the war is definitely a serious stressor on her.

What I would have really enjoyed, though, was to see more of Commander Jonathan Matthews. I loved his character from the beginning, even if he and Demi seemed to rub each other the wrong way. There was just something about the way his character was written; he just really, really felt like one of the good guys. Unfortunately, I don’t think The Photonic Effect utilized him as fully as it could have. He felt like an important character, but was instead relegated to secondary status. Fortunately, Neera and Tanav together helped balance that, putting the focus right where it should be: on the crew of the Horizon and their dual purpose of saving the photonic beings and serving the Cluster.

I did end up enjoying the story, even if it sometimes felt a little convoluted. The stakes were really high, with not just the Cluster but much of space and other galaxies being at risk. And yet the story narrows down onto the Horizon, where everything is playing out. I loved the idea of Demi and her crew being caught in all of it when that was the last thing they wanted. It was fun to see the relationships that formed and splintered along the way. At the same time, The Photonic Effect read like everything was being thrown at them. There’s the war between the Cluster and the Withdrawal Movement, the photonic beings needing Chuck’s remains to be returned, a shrouded society called Oversight maneuvering in the not-so-background, and a traitor on board. Everything felt important, and I did like how they played well together, but it was sometimes hard to tell where my attention should go.

The Photonic Effect might not be my favorite Mike Chen novel, but I did have fun seeing the little nods to Star Trek, even if it eventually became a little too distracting. The science went far over my head, but I was here for the heart and the relationships, and I definitely got those in spades. It often felt a bit like a mismatch, but I think Chen was mostly successful.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Elaina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mr. Chen’s writing style has an easy flow - well-written, non-redundant, and genuinely enjoyable. I really like the way he writes. However, in the beginning, there was some confusion that pulled me out of the story. Casual mentions of dead or past-tense characters just appeared, and I was left trying to piece together who was who. That, coupled with having no real grasp on what was happening or how to envision the world, was distracting.

Terms like “gravity well” and “the cluster” were hard to visualize in order to build up the environment in my mind. So trying to muddle through that while also figuring out who “Grant” and “Chuck” were? Discombobulating to say the least.

I love dystopian and fantasy-like books, so I’m not new to complex worlds. But this one was harder to get into initially - not just because of the unfamiliar terminology, but because there wasn’t a map or a key to help orient the reader. I was never a Star Trek fan (and never really allowed myself to get into that universe), so having a subtle visual aid or terminology guide would’ve helped me put the pieces together without “dumbing it down” for seasoned sci-fi readers. I actually appreciate when authors don’t over-explain and allow the mystery to unfold naturally; I enjoy that discovery process. But here, it felt like questions were stacking up faster than answers were coming, and that made it difficult to fully invest early on.

That said, I really enjoyed the characters - particularly Neera and Tanav. Even though this genre isn’t typically in my wheelhouse, I genuinely enjoyed Mike Chen’s writing. I don’t believe I’ve read any of his previous works, but I would absolutely read more from him.

I did catch quite a few typos and name switch-ups, which is a big irk for me. Those moments pulled me out of the story because I’d have to pause and reread to make sure I hadn’t misunderstood something. That likely falls more on editing than the author himself, but it did impact my reading experience.

There were also moments when a character would reflect on the crew’s experiences in the well from seven months prior, and the narrative would shift into those memories. I think those transitions could have been delineated more clearly - maybe with italics, page breaks, or some other formatting distinction between present and past. It wasn’t impossible to follow, but smoothing that out would’ve made the reading experience cleaner and more fluid.

Similarly, some of the logs and event archives that appeared throughout chapters felt a bit disjointed and randomly placed. I skimmed the prologue cause it leaned heavily into that log-style jargon, and I just wanted to get into the story. Even after finishing the book, I wasn’t particularly compelled to go back and reread it, even though I had a better understanding of the syntax and verbiage by then.

Now, the acknowledgments? I loved them. I’m so glad Mr. Chen kept them concise and to the point. And I absolutely loved his breakdown of which real-life influences shaped each character. If I were an author, I would need a map of the environment and visuals of each character too, just to write them authentically. It was so cool that he shared that with readers so we could compare our own mental images. Mine of Tanav and Lynn were actually pretty close.

He mentioned Singh in the acknowledgments, and for the life of me, I cannot recall who Singh was. I love the actor he referenced as inspiration, but I genuinely don’t remember that character. It made me wonder whether there was a name switch somewhere along the way, or maybe I just missed something.

All in all, because of the early confusion, editing errors, and the fact that it didn’t quite become a page-turner for me, I’m at a solid 3 stars. But I would absolutely pick up another Mike Chen book. His writing itself? Strong. I just needed a bit more grounding to fully sink in.

[Jeimy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Space opera is not a genre I visit often, but Mike Chen made this one easy to sink into. While the novel contains all the ingredients one might expect—galactic conflict, experimental technology, espionage, and political intrigue—its greatest strength lies in its characters and the difficult choices they are forced to make.

After spending a decade stranded across the galaxy, Captain Demora Kim and the crew of the Horizon return home expecting relief, only to discover that the peaceful cooperative they left behind has fractured into a civil war. Chen wisely avoids presenting the conflict in simplistic terms. There are no easy villains here and no faction that emerges as unquestionably right. Instead, the story is populated by individuals acting according to their own loyalties, fears, hopes, and convictions. Even when characters work at cross purposes, their motivations remain understandable.

Demora anchors the novel. Having sacrificed so much to bring her crew home, she finds herself confronted with impossible choices in a conflict she barely understands. Grief, love, guilt, and responsibility all shape her decisions, but what I appreciated most is that Chen never reduces her actions to any single motivation. As the story unfolds, her choices lead not only to consequences for the galaxy but also to a greater understanding of herself and her role as a leader. One of the novel's most interesting threads examines the tension created when Demi begins reasserting her authority as captain after years of the Horizon operating more like a family than a military vessel.

The ensemble cast is equally impressive. There are spies, engineers, refugees, idealists, musicians, and opportunists, all pulling the narrative in different directions. In lesser hands, so many competing storylines might have felt overwhelming, but Chen manages to make each thread feel necessary. Every character's perspective contributes to the larger conversation about loyalty, responsibility, and the unintended consequences of technological advancement.

The novel's exploration of the photonic engine is riveting. What begins as a miraculous breakthrough quickly becomes a reminder that every revolutionary technology can be weaponized. Chen uses this development not simply to raise the stakes but to ask thoughtful questions about scientific progress, military power, and who ultimately controls innovation.

Perhaps most surprisingly, this is also a book infused with music. Fans of Jenny Lewis or Rilo Kiley will find their work woven throughout the story in organic ways. In fact, by the time I reached the final pages, I found myself wanting to revisit their music all over again.

Engaging, thoughtful, and surprisingly character-driven, this is a space opera that succeeds not because of its scale, but because of the humanity at its center. The conclusion brings the many threads together in a satisfying way and left me feeling that I had been on quite a journey alongside the crew of the Horizon.

[Nadine in NY Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at page 106.  I was just so bored and I did not care about anything in this book.  I'm very sad about this.

The thing that always makes Mike Chen's novels special for me is that he excels at writing interesting and relatable people in interesting and outlandish situations (abducted by aliens, stuck in a time loop, gifted with superpowers, living as a vampire, etc). That's the hook, it's watching these people navigate their situations.  Photonic Effect is told in three POVs:  Demi, the starship captain, Neera, the crew member from another species, and Tanav, the guy from an alternate reality.   And none of  them are interesting, they have all the personality of a sheet of newsprint without the print.  

Chen is one of the few men who does an excellent job of writing women, but Demi is a flop.  She's a seasoned starship captain, she kept her crew together for years while trapped in a gravity well (whatever THAT is), she met alien species and even rescued other ships from other galaxies and other alternate universes while they were trapped there, and then she found a way to safely return home.  She SHOULD be badass.  But she dithers, she's unsure, she spends all her time missing two crew members who died, she seems to feel completely incapable of DOING anything.  When she's not missing her dead crew members, she's spending a lot of time being shocked just shocked that the military - of which she is a member - wants to do military-type things with "her" ship.   I thought she was going to be the main character - she's the captain and all - but she's kind of just a blob.  The most interesting thing about Demi is that she's got a pet greyhound on board with her.

Neera, the ship's engineer (maybe?) is some other species, he likes to solve problems and run experiments, but the big difference between his species and humans seems to be that he's got two thumbs on each hand.  His POV doesn't feel any different than a human's POV.

Tanav is a rock star (maybe?) in his reality, but somehow he got trapped in that gravity well, too, and was rescued by Demi's ship, and now he functions as an unofficial crew member.  He's very intuitive and empathetic and he functions as sort of the Deanna Troi of the ship.  I suspect he's Chen's favorite character, maybe even a self-insert.

I don't understand what went wrong here.  I think Chen is a huge Star Trek fan, and I guess he wanted to write a Star Trek type of story, a big universe-spanning space opera, but it just didn't come naturally to him.  If I had nothing better to do, I could have kept reading this. It's not BAD.  It just wasn't interesting to me. I never figured out what the "photonic effect" is, and I finally decided I don't care.

[Trevor Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclosure Statement: I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher. My thoughts and opinions of it are entirely my own and have not been influenced by either the author or publisher in any way.

I love a good space opera, but the space opera "classics" have often let me down in the critical area of character. All too often, space operas are predicated around a central technological novum, and not necessarily around character-driven storytelling. I think the craft of character has gotten better in the last couple decades, with more and more writers coming into the field with a stronger concept of how to write compelling, character-driven novels, but it's still a little too few to keep me embedded in the genre day in and day out.

The Photonic Effect is the space opera I have been craving. It has a cast of characters who are messy and believably complex, capable of making mistakes, but also capable of learning from them quickly. Even the book's villain, who is decidedly an ass and maybe a little too competent in comparison to the book's other characters, holds a lot of nuanced belief and acts believably according to that nuance. Every character has a flaw, but every character also has a strength they employ to help them navigate their decisions throughout the book.

And I haven't loved a crew so much since my first playthrough of Mass Effect. I'm not too proud to admit that the conclusion of the book had me in tears. It's so rare that a writer manages to hook me so completely that I feel emotional resonance and attachment to characters, but the crew of the Horizon hit every mark. Demi, Tanav, Neera, and Chuck are fantastic, beautiful, complicated characters, and I feel deeply invested in their well-being, frustrated at their losses and their missteps, and elated at their victories.

Aside from stellar characters, the book provides marvelous world-building, with a setting I'd come back to over and over again if ever Chen wanted to write another in this setting. The setting of Cluster space feels familiar to fans of franchises like Star Trek, yet distinct enough to have its own identity worthy of pursuing. I loved every new revelation, doled out not as mere exposition but as intrinsic culture to the perspective of the characters living in it. It's masterfully done, both in style and pacing.

I don't know what more to say: I love this book. The Photonic Effect has joined my library as a new staple of the space opera genre.

[Stacy DeBroff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast forward to the 24th 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.

[Shannon Miz · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*

I have adored Mike Chen's books, and I adore space opera, so this was bound to be a win, yeah? It started off a little slow for me, I must be honest. But as I got to know the characters, I became much more invested. Now, I'll say this- I think this book could have been a little shorter, maybe. At times, it felt like some of the inner thoughts of the characters were a bit repetitive, and maybe it could have been... tighter, let's say. Especially since we didn't know much about their (or the world's) background.  While the book is very readable without that background knowledge, I think it would have made it that much better. So scratch that- I don't wish it was shorter, I wish it was the same length just with less pondering and more backstory.

I adored the characters. Even though we didn't get to know them very deeply outside of their roles on the ship , I still had a very good sense of who they were at their cores. They all had to make a ton of morally gray "no good choices" choices, and that is my jam.  It was certainly compelling and high stakes, as Demi and the crew are literally trying to save an entire species, and dealing with a civil war of their own back at home. I was definitely invested in the outcome of both the characters and the plot, and despite my minor complaints, quite enjoyed this one.

Bottom Line: Clarke Griffin would appreciate the hell out of these impossible choices, just saying.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Five years ago I read Mike Chen’s A Beginning at the End and found it to be an interesting and well written book. When an author I read mentioned Chen’s The Photonic Effect I figured I would give it a go.

I enjoyed how he starts the book with an official report of the main protagonist’s retirement file. Demora Kim served as the captain of a military spaceship, the Starship Horizon, who managed to escape from a photonic gravity well. I’ll save you the trouble of heading to Google; a Photonic Gravity Well is a sci fi concept that is based on a variety of actual scientific concepts. AI tells me that it is a “localized region where the intense energy of light (photons) or laser emission is warped to create or simulate a gravitational field.” Like the gravity well of our planet, escaping takes a great deal of energy.

The story has a number of interesting characters from different races and planets, some deceptions, some warfare, some romance, and a lot of intrigue. Unfortunately, I found myself putting off picking up the book to finish it. The FTL (faster than light) ships and them even FFTL (faster, faster than light) ships definitely left me hungering for some actual science.

So if you like space opera and do not mind imaginary science you will probably enjoy this book. As for me I will look elsewhere to find my Sci Fi with more hard science.

[Penny lurkykitty · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Photonic Effect follows the crew of the exploration and science ship Horizon which ended up stuck in a gravity well for ten years, along with other ships. Many other ships in the well did not survive and the Horizon took on refugees from other universes, some of whom joined the Horizon's crew. Through heroic effort and sacrifice, the Horizon made it back into Cluster space and found that a civil war had broken out during the time that it was gone. The story starts several months after their return to Cluster space and is told through the perspective of Demora "Demi" Kim, the captain, Neera, an alien engineer from another universe, Tanav, a human pop star from yet another universe and Chuck, a photonic being who has a romantic relationship with Demi. I particularly liked Neera. The crew are laboring to get their unique photonic engine working again, but the military wants them to join the war effort.
The characters and the relationships between them are the main strength of this book. They are complex, flawed and well-developed. Even the book's villain isn't purely cookie-cutter evil. The world building and the high-stakes plot give Star Trek vibes which I loved. It would be great to see more stories set in this universe, or should I say, multiverse.
Thank you to Saga Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, for the free copy for review.

[David Cohen · Rating 5 out of 5]

My third Mike Chen book, and another great read! You can feel the love for Star Wars and Star Trek types of "space opera" (I don't love that term, but I get it) world building. The pacing of the action builds pretty steadily so if you find it slow at all in the early going, don't worry, it's all put to good use later. Like his other books that I've read, this one is character and relationship-driven, but the sci-fi elements and action are all well-done too. Perhaps the biggest "stretch" in characters and relationships in this book would be Captain Demora "Demi" Kim's relationship with Chuck - a being that exists as light and energy in its natural state, and inhabits a robotic body for purposes of interacting with the humans, especially Demi. I was skeptical about that element myself at first, hearing about it before I read the book, but in the end it worked for me. I'm also appreciating the commonalities among Chen's books that I've read so far. The love of music, food, and dogs finds its way into various characters, and as a reader who loves all three, I'm drawn in further.

[Haritha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rounding up from 3.5 stars. This book is wild. Highly political, filled with different species, universes, governments, and factions. Without any tedious explanations of how the universe (and multiverse) works, it took me a while to wrap my head around the story. Then all hell started breaking loose and I couldn't just let everyone maybe-die without me.

Demora (Demi) Kim captains a motley crew of refugees from a natural disaster in space on the spaceship Horizon. Trapped in a gravity well for 10 years, the only way they survived and escaped is by working together. But when they get home to Demi's universe, they find themselves directly in the center of a civil war. Everyone on the Horizon has to decide what side they're on and what they're willing to do to achieve their goals, especially Demi.

As always, Mike Chen's character building is what holds this story together. Even the characters who died before the story begins are real people, and their service continues to influence the living characters. Despite the war and fighting and death, this book still manages to be cozy and idealistic. Highly creative and ambitious. Hopefully the first of many space operas for Chen.

[Rachel | fullybookedtbr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Characters: 3.75⭐️
Setting: 4.00⭐️
Plot: 3.50⭐️
Themes: 4.00⭐️
Personal enjoyment: 3.50⭐️
Emotional Impact: 3.50⭐️
Overall rating: 3.75⭐️

The crew of a ship called the Horizon is pulled into a civil war they wanted nothing to do with. The crew was trapped in space, escaping with limiteless energy that trapped the Horizon crew, but they need to head back. Political intrigue, a crazy cast of characters and philosophical questions are asked in the Photonic Effect.

For a standalone science fiction space opera Mike Chen is able to capture a unique and interesting world that felt parts iRobot and Star Trek and The Abyss? (Those are the first movies that come to mind when thinking about this book.) Demi is a head strong captain who wants to do right by her crew, but also not put herself in danger. I really enjoyed this book and the dynamic between the characters. The pacing was steady throughout and it was entertaining.

Would I recommend this book? Yes.

Thank you to Saga Press for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Dana K · Rating 3 out of 5]

{3.5 stars}

Thanks to Simon and Schuster and Saga Press for gifted access via Netgalley. All opinions below are my own.

A space crew in possession of a unique technology finds themselves at the center of a civil war pitting crew members who were friends against one another as they try to find a way to survive.

I struggled getting into this one. It drops you in without a lot of context and it's pretty sink or swim. The characters are likable and interesting, so I stuck with it. Plus, space... I'm usually super into those stories. It took a long time for me to feel settled in the world though, and really even to the end wanted more science and less politics. It reminded me a bit of Foundation from a political standpoint, lots of struggles for control of resources and power with all of these likable, challenged characters in the middle. By the end, the technology is better explained and I really loved the last quarter. But you gotta be willing to push through the confusion to get there.

[Jennifer Wurges byrnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Saga Press for the ARC ebook for review. All opinions are my own.

I love Mike Chen books because they make me think, but this one made me think too hard. The book starts with a list of dates and events and then gets into the story, and I found that confusing because I didn't have a reference point to know what the dates/events were referring to. This made it that much harder to get into the story.

It took me a few tries before I was able to catch the drift of the storyline. When I did, though, I was hooked. Chen writes beautiful characters that are relatable and well-developed - that's definitely a strength of his. I wasn't always sure what was going on in the story because of the way it was written - in the points of view of several characters and the annoying list of events/dates - but overall I thought the storyline was strong and enjoyable.

3.75 stars

[Drew Rosiles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Saga Press and Netgalley for this advanced readers copy of The Photonic Effect. I love Mike Chen's writing. Especially how he writes his characters. Each character is rich with human emotion and relatable. The characters were my favorite part of this book. Like others have said, the beginning was confusing. Once the story started going it became a little clearer what was going on and who these people were. The story is grand in scope for a space opera and Chen does a great job at world building. This book is described as a "love letter to Star Trek" which if I had read that sooner I might not have given this a chance, but I am glad I did. This is not my typical sci-fi that I enjoy but it had me wanting to know what would happen next. The emotional stakes were high with Demora, the captain doing everything she could to protect her crew. Photonic Effect was exciting, mysterious and heartwarming. Def read it if you are a scifi fan especially of Space Operas.

[Jaynelle Dessirae · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my second book by Mike Chen, and it is very much out of my typical comfort zone when it comes to books... I think it is my first space opera, but I love Found Family as a trope.

This book made you feel all the things, joyous, stress, irritation, excitment, and so many other things. I really enjoyed the three main characters and how their differences made them unique. I didn't really know how the story was going to end, and I think everything was tied up nicely at the end.

There were times I was quite stressed out and I didn't want to stop reading. The entire concept of beings that are not made of matter was really interesting from a science perspective.

I truly loved Neera and how the character evolved throughout the story even through the flashbacks. The relationship between the captain and Chuck was interesting and I really came to respect Matthews by the end of the book.

Overall a very enjoyable read.

[sarai · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was a good ride but didn't quite feel all there yet. i get what the author is trying to do (as he says in the authors notes) but it does feel a bit too startlingly in media res without really doing any of the work to get us to care about the characters or context beforehand. we don't have enough information to form opinions on the civil war, we aren't emotionally attached to any of the dead characters, and we have no context for the gravity well that the ship just escaped from. it was to the point where i spent some time trying to figure out if this was an installment in the middle of a series.

that being said, once we got into the story those issues felt a lot less glaring and i could focus on the story. which also was admittedly kind of predictable but not bad

thanks to goodreads giveaways for the e-arc!

[Candice · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ Star Wars & Star Trek fans must check out this original space opera! There is SO MUCH to enjoy about Mike Chen’s writing — it’s fast paced, cinematic, and concise. I really enjoyed how this story was written and how each character was developed despite only being able to see them in one very confined setting. The main thing that kept this one for being a higher rating for me was that the world building and context needed in order to form an emotional connection to the plot points were just missing for me. There wasn’t nearly enough depth to the galactic civil war story and I didn’t know enough about the Lumersians to have a huge stake in their plight.

All that being said, I will absolutely be looking out for more from Mike Chen because the writing is fantastic!

Thank you to Saga Press for the early physical ARC in exchange for my review.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

this started out very slow for me - in fact, I wondered if it was the second book in a two book series because the back story was so complicated and it felt like readers would know it before starting this book. I even look him up to see if this was book 2 - but no.

Eventually it became clearer and the story picked up -like all of Chen's book this is a story of made family - who survived something horrific only to find themselves in another horrific situation that results in the family breaking into 'sects' ---

all the parties who have control or who are responsible for what's going on lie - and our group is trying to figure out what's going on and hopefully survive...not all do.

Another good story by Mike Chen.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Photonic Effect is clearly a love letter to Star Trek. That being said, it was very enjoyable, even as someone with only limited familiarity with Star Trek. This book was nominally about adventure in space, but it was really about people. These characters came from different universes, and watching them react to stressful situations and use their own cultures to care for each other was the heart of this book. Overall, if you enjoy reading a little bit about science and a lot about people doing their best to protect those they love and uphold their ethics while doing so, I'd strongly recommend this book.
Thanks to Saga and Mike Chen via Netgalley for this ARC.