3.5
The Photonic Effect
ByPublisher Description
“What space opera is meant to be. A brilliantly complex novel about love, loss, and war.” —K.B. Wagers
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.
“Mike Chen has done it again. The Photonic Effect is bursting with unexpected twists and wild rides, but most of all, it's full of heart.” —Annalee Newitz
“One of the strongest space operas I’ve read in recent years. A thrilling, emotionally grounded story about survival, leadership, and the true cost of command.” —Karen Osborne
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.
“Mike Chen has done it again. The Photonic Effect is bursting with unexpected twists and wild rides, but most of all, it's full of heart.” —Annalee Newitz
“One of the strongest space operas I’ve read in recent years. A thrilling, emotionally grounded story about survival, leadership, and the true cost of command.” —Karen Osborne
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesThe Photonic Effect Reviews
3.5
“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.”
About Mike Chen
Mike Chen is the New York Times bestselling author of The Photonic Effect, Star Wars: Brotherhood, Here and Now and Then, A Quantum Love Story, and other novels, as well as Star Trek: Deep Space Nine comics. He has covered geek culture for sites such as Nerdist and The Mary Sue, and in a different life, he's covered the NHL. A member of SFWA, Mike lives in the Bay Area with his wife, daughter, and many rescue animals.
Other books by Mike Chen
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