Into the light

Weber (with coauthor Kennedy) returns to a story that began in Out of the Dark (2010). This blend of military action and political intrigue begins with the story of how humanity picked up the pieces after losing three quarters of its population. They did so by utilizing leftover space shuttles and records of all the alien technology left by the Shongair, whom they had chased away. Humanity gradually builds a planetary government, knowing that the Hegemony that sponsored the attack on Earth will likely return in the next century to finish the job. In the second part of the book, it's 26 years later and a planet in the Cygni 61 system has a well-developed civilization with its own political intrigues. The "Earthians" arrive with a space force well beyond what the Shongair left them. They come in peace, however, hoping to make allies. Then there are the vampires that helped save humanity and continue to play a role in taking the battle to the Shongair. Fans who have waited over 10 years to see what happens next will not be disappointed.

Weber and Kennedy (The Progenitors' War series) offer an intelligent and unconventional variation on the familiar setup of humanity repelling an alien invasion in this well-crafted sequel to Weber's Out of the Dark. Earth has been devastated by the assault of the Shongairi, whose kinetic weapons have wiped out many major cities and destroyed vital infrastructure. Now Lewis Freymark, who lost a son in an attack on his Minnesota community, struggles to keep the rest of his family alive without adequate shelter or the medical supplies needed to treat his daughter's pneumonia. The authors effectively pull back from Lewis's intimate tragedy to give a wider perspective, as enclaves around the U.S. try to reconstruct some form of effective government against regional opposition. Weber and Kennedy so effectively ground their science fiction in real-world political and logistical issues that the introduction of a plotline about humanity's vampiric allies against the invaders goes down easy. Even readers unfamiliar with the prior book will be gripped by the combination of well-developed characters and unexpected plot twists. (Jan.)