This second installment in Scott A. Young’s action-packed Manifold saga—and sequel to 2024’s Selfies—revolves around a couple’s attempt to help advance a colonization project on another planet.
The adventure science fiction narrative concerns Wallas “Trapp” Trapmore, mission commander of the Eos, and his wife Bretta Gray, the ship’s ops and tech commander. Their mission is to attend to a colonization project on planet Rhea, 40,000 lightyears from Terra.
With 200 Replicants (replicated humans)—and future colonists—in deep stasis on the ship, Trapmore and Gray are awakened from sleep to find themselves, and their mission, in jeopardy. Not only has communication been lost with the colony on Rhea, when Trapmore and crew land dirtside and investigate the settlement, they find that the majority of inhabitants— mechanical human analogs called Fabricants—have been butchered and systematically dismembered.
The remaining Fabricants, which they call Rogues, have seemingly gone insane. With public opinion regarding the exorbitantly expensive colonist project increasingly negative back on Terra, Trapmore must find a way to defeat the Rogues and save the colony, all while trying to figure out why the Fabricants turned homicidal in the first place.
The fast pace and sheer amount of action in the story is impressive, particularly for a 500-plus page novel. Also noteworthy are the numerous pop culture references to science fiction heavyweights throughout—Blade Runner, Terminator, Star Wars, Dune, etc.—which, coupled with the narrative’s sarcastic sense of humor, makes for an entertaining read.
One note: some readers might feel a bit overwhelmed by the depth of the scientific speculation at novel’s end regarding temporal vortexes, wormholes, multiple universes, quantum entanglement, etc. —although most dedicated science fiction aficionados aren’t likely to be troubled by this.
Ultimately, themes examining what it means to be human, the definition of sentience, and the power of love propel this engaging storyline forward. It will be particularly appealing to fans of hard science fiction.