Entropy Refraction

Against the Glare of Darkness #2

by Mark Laporta

A society in chains. Space-time in peril. And a smoldering evil on the brink of victory.

The mutant, murderous Quishiks are on the rise.

In ways seen and unseen, the Quishiks have shaped the course of history for ten millennia. Now they threaten an all-out assault on sentient life throughout the universe, and their deadly scourge is soon to ravage an interstellar civilization bound by rigid ideologies and petty taboos.

As this epic drama continues, it falls once again to the retired diplomat, Ungent Draaf, to reset the balance of power. As he continues his galaxy-spanning quest to find the Ootray, whose failed genetic experiments created the Quishiks, the secrets around their disappearance grow more and more convoluted. For the survivors of this ancient species prefer to hide behind an arcane ethical code, and, for humans and symbiotes to defeat the Quishiks, they must first overcome the evil in themselves.

As the eleventh hour approaches and the twilight of interstellar civilization begins, who will find the moral courage to avert soul-crushing destruction?

259 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2021

About the author

The stories that move me are about people shaped by moral dilemmas, love, and the sheer absurdity of everyday life. I'm intrigued by people smart enough to know how stupid they are—but unable to stop themselves from obeying their compulsions. That is, until a critical event shakes their foundations and opens a fissure in their rock-solid view of reality.

How do these people think, what's driving their emotions, as they hurtle toward the trouble lurking just around the corner?

Sometimes success starts with a patch of bad luck. And sometimes what looks like a windfall turns out to be a rampaging hurricane, lifting them up and out of everything they believe in. At both extremes are situations absurd enough to look tragic and grave enough to look ridiculous—if only we slap on the right pair of lenses.

Yet within this skewed matrix we like to call "The Way Things Are," every random occurrence opens a world of possibility to people with vision. My favorite characters lie just within that range. Heroes? No. Just people driven by nature to poke around in destiny’s darkest shadows.

Reviews

[Will · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free, pre-publication copy of this book from the publisher. It was an engrossing, fun read that kept me up too late some nights because I wasn't ready to put it down. I'd happily recommend it to Science Fiction fans, particular fans of Star Trek who enjoy the mix of exploration, politics, and action that mark the best installments in the series.

In the first book of this series, Probability Shadow, Mark Laporta introduced a foreign world and universe with multiple species cooperating and coming into conflict. The hard work of establishing the setting and political intrigue of the first installment pays off in this story. From the start, the pace of this book is consistently quicker than the first as our protagonists continue the quest they were left with after the mystery of the first book is resolved.

Without giving too much away, this installment is clearly the 'Empire Strikes Back' of the saga - I'm looking forward to seeing how the story is resolved in the third book!

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read the first book in the series, so I likely enjoyed this less than if I'd started there. Nonetheless, this is has a good basis for a well written story, with a pretty fast moving plot and good characters. This author has a good amount of experience and knows how to create a likeable story. I'll have to circle back to the first book now.

Thanks very much for the ARC for review!!

[Raymond A · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not rabid about sci-fi, but a good story is a good story. This one has tension and pathos and intrigue laced all throughout. It also encouraged me to stop and think deeply at times, a quality I love in a book. The characters are clearly drawn and engaging, and I always wanted to discover more about them. This is a good summertime read, so grab it before summer's over.

[Anthony Philosophos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laporta's book is well worth the read. It's a fast paced book that keeps the reader engaged until the last page. I found it well written and look forward to Laporta's next novel.