As Alex and Caleb continue to search the Metigen portals of pocket universes, human governments turn against the artificial hybrids while one preys on unprotected worlds.

Breathtaking in both expanse of its vision and the way it kept so many characters intrinsic to the story. The author does a great job at mingling politics and action, exploration and espionage. While the stories themselves were once again segregated, I truly enjoyed both this time. Alex and Caleb’s exploration of the portals was intriguing, and I loved that they encountered nothing in some, and unexplainable phenomena in others. It was a refreshing change from Star Trek-type aliens. They also gained a lot more information in this book compared with the previous ones combined. The revelations were stunning. In our universe, the discontent unveiled in the previous book is coming to a head. The interesting part is how it comes together and how people react to it. The characters’ voices were integral to making this feel natural, and it certainly does, even when Artificials are involved. Truly engaging, and keeps me coming back.

There’s politics and there’s exploration, and then there’s a villain who inspires nations to come together and join forces. This book has all of it, and it’s wonderfully woven together into a developing story. This is the middle book of the Rebellion trilogy, but it feels like book 5 of who knows how long this will go on? It’s like a TV series that packs a punch and isn’t afraid to create new storylines while concluding others.

I really enjoy this author’s style and how she brings things together. While the sections separate Alex and Caleb from the Alliance and Federation storyline, I was happy with both this time.

I especially enjoyed how Alex and Caleb found empty space in one of the portal universes, no matter how far they scan. In another, they find exploding stars, as the Metigens are altering physics to give smaller stars the capability to go supernova. The galaxy is an exact replica of our own in many ways, but time has been accelerated. They visit Seneca, bringing back good memories from when Caleb was younger. They visit Earth, but the sun destroyed it in its death throes, to Alex’s ultimate disappointment.

Alex is going through an addiction, connecting to Valkyrie too often, becoming part of the ship that the sentient occupies, through to its last atom. She’s addicted to the feeling of space, the ability to detect things as if sensors were her real senses, leaving Caleb behind to worry about her health. And her health goes down as the book progresses, in little bits that by themselves wouldn’t be troubling, but together add up to depression and addiction.

When they find a planet full of life, though cold, they can’t help but land. I love their excitement at discovery, even though they don’t know if they’ll find intelligent life. It turns out that yes, the people of this planet live underground, and are protected by a shield that prohibits detection. The disconnection from Valkyrie leave Alex in a panicked state.

They are introduced to a humanoid species by their leader, the Taenarin Jaisc. Their lives are simple as they farm and survive, play and love. It’s nothing we haven’t seen before, but Alex and Caleb want their stories, because like the Khokteh from the last book, they worship a god that turns out to be a Metigen. This Metigen also spoke with Valkyrie, assuring her Alex was safe, so that the sentient didn’t go tearing up the planet searching for her.

Alex is so distraught that night that she has nightmares, and the only way to ease the panic inside her is to urge Caleb to make love to her. The scene is one of the more erotic of the intimate scenes in these stories, and leaves enough details unsaid that it doesn’t delve into erotica. It’s fun to see the range of this author, though, in being able to do something like this inside a more serious novel.

Jaisc brings them on a day-long trek to see their wise woman, who carries the ability to absorb memories and replay them. I have to pause to point out how close the memory orbs are to my own stories' memory globes, and the telepathic interface that’s used, while different from mine, shares many attributes. I guess no idea is truly unique.

Knowing about the Metigens, Alex and Caleb are shown the exodus from the old Taenarin home. It turns out the Metigens transplanted them into this universe from their own because an aggressive species wants to destroy their planet for its resources. I laughed at Caleb’s horribly misplaced “for a galactic super-highway”, referencing the Hitch-hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. The transplant puts the Metigens in a new light, moving species from their home universe, called Amaranthe, to portal spaces so they will be safe. Where in Transcendence they were the aggressors, here it’s shown that they have a compassionate side.

Worse, it’s later revealed that the hyper-aggressive Anaden whom the Metigens are rescuing species from are actually humans as they evolved in the Amaranthe universe. Relentless, they have enslaved all species they deem worthy, and destroy planets without concern for more primitive aliens who might live there. The Metigens created the portal network to watch the Anaden evolution –by creating the primitive version on Earth in a pocket universe. When humans became too aggressive, they intended to wipe them out before they could do more damage. When Mesme defied the orders to destroy humans, or even shut down their portal, it was because he saw something different in humans compared with the Anaden –the ability to compromise and show compassion. Alex’s line, which ends the book, is appropriate.

The Metigens are not united in the way to achieve their purpose. They are willing to allow the Khokteh to destroy themselves with larger and larger weapons, then reset the universe as if they never existed. This finally makes Alex lose it, and she travels back to their world to find Pinchu one of the last survivors of a decimated world. She urges peace, and though it goes against their nature, they achieve it, for a while at least. Alex refuses to allow the Metigens to reset them, as if they were video games, and offers to help defeat the Anaden in exchange.

In between these explorations and untimatums, Alex continues to become part of her ship more than she’s in her real body. She even traverses the portals as the ship, feeling the pain and glory of the transition as if was her skin. When she tries to go through the Amaranthe portal, though, it doesn’t let them in, and the ship rebounds, knocking Valkyrie offline and Alex with it. Caleb is understandably furious that he has no control as Metigen ships fire on them, knocking them around. No matter that the hull is made from adiamene, the insides are not, and while they call it indestructible, that theory has never been tested.

Mesme rescues them, and they learn about Amaranthe and the Anaden, but Alex has trouble concentrating, still in shock from the transition. Caleb is understandably upset and Alex acknowledges that she was wrong, but can’t promise she won’t slip back into that fugue of addiction.

They are drawn back into their universe by a message from home, one of the Prevos telling her that her mother has been branded a traitor and is about to be arrested.

While Alex and Caleb are out exploring other universes, a crisis is brewing at home. The Order of True Sentients is bombing places where people with advanced tech hang out, the new Prime Minister Winslow takes office and passes a law outlawing Prevos and semi-prevos, and Olivia Montegreu is attacking worlds as a new Prevo, making the threat seem real.

Miriam is prejudiced, but in a way that reinforces her morality in treating all humans the same, Prevo or not. Sure, her daughter is a Prevo, but one underlining value of democracy is giving everyone due process and only arresting them if they have committed a crime, not for who they are or what their background is. So Miriam secretly starts the ball rolling to remove the military headquarters and its military network off Earth. Her departure at the end of the book is what prompts the call for her arrest, though according to the balance of power, she also needs to have due process. Showing her loyalties, she has an artificial, Thomas, helping her.

Kennedy, having been disowned by her family in Sidespace and under warrant for her arrest, sets up shop on Romane, taking Adiamene with her, and helps the Independent systems start a defense force. The fledgling IDCC gets lots of support from the Prevos (Mia used to live on Romane), especially Morgan, whose Artifical has gone strangely silent since she defected from the Senecan Federation.

The IDCC became necessary because, after what happened in Sidespace, Olivia Montegreu, criminal mastermind, has become a Prevo, and she’s using her amoral philosophy to take advantage of the Independent systems, systematically killing their leaders and installing a sympathetic puppet government instead.

The Prevos give any side they agree with tremendous power. Olivia shows how dangerous they could be, which is why people think they should be eliminated –especially those in power, because they know they don’t stand a chance. Fortunately, most Prevos are programmed with Alex’s morality, which makes them less likely to rise up. It’s their human sides that always want more.

Olivia is no match, though, for all the other Prevos working together. When she attacks an Adiamene factory and tries to tow it to her new base, the Prevos intervene, sending the IDCC to defend it. Kennedy and Noah are there, and they are beaten up badly, Noah eventually losing an arm, replacing it with a mechanical one (this seems to lead into Exin Ex Machina’s later storyline).

Malcolm, Alliance military who has been given the sole mission to track down Olivia, is brought in by the Prevos (I think he’s starting to like Mia), and leads a raid on her station. He’s helped by Morgan and Mia, who can travel through sidespace to verify where she is, and how many guards she has. In the end, Malcolm assassinates her. I think, though, given her paranoia, she’s probably made a backup, and is ready to download somewhere. We’ll see...

I loved the way both stories played out. The author does a great job balancing Alex and Caleb with the others. I loved the exploration, as well as the political machinations. I wasn’t planning to move onto the next book so quickly, but given the way this one ends, that’s exactly what I’m going to do.