Dark Light

In Ken MacLeod's compelling science fiction sequel, "Dark Light," humanity's place in a complex galaxy is sharply questioned. Two hundred years after a small cadre of 21st-century humans unexpectedly arrived in the "Second Sphere"—a collection of star systems where intelligent beings, including humans, have been forcibly resettled by enigmatic galactic powers—Gregor Cairns, a descendant of these pioneering "Cosmonauts," has rediscovered faster-than-light travel. He and his associates journey to a neighboring star system, driven by a quest for answers. Their goal: to locate the original, mysteriously long-lived Cosmonauts and to interrogate the "gods"—the powerful, ancient intelligences that rule the universe. These cosmic entities hold vastly differing opinions on how to interact with surface life-forms like humans. As Cairns delves deeper, he uncovers profound truths about intelligence itself, which flourishes not just on planetary surfaces, but in the Oort clouds and magma furnaces, challenging all preconceived notions of life and power in the cosmos.