When Clarissa “Riss” Kragen’s asteroid hunter ship, the Artemis, comes across a large asteroid that originated outside the solar system, her crew is initially excited, hoping to find rare—or even novel—substances in it. When all it offers is water and some common minerals, the crew makes the best of things by replenishing their own water supply. The rock attracts the attention of another hunter ship, the Sagittarius, which rescued Riss as an orphan floating in an escape pod in space. The Sagittarius was once captained by the legendary Sergey Bardish, the man who discovered ditrium, the secret to planetary terraforming. It’s now captained by Riss’s former crewmate Gennaji. Gennaji blames Riss for the death of another of their crewmates, Lena, when Riss was temporarily in command of the Sagittarius. Gennaji plots revenge against Riss, leading to a larger political game.

The Earth is dominated by several multinational conglomerates that struggle for resources and supremacy. In the solar system, the Ceres Mining Consortium, the Lunar Base, and the Mars Colonies (administered by Overseer Martin Velasquez) coexist uneasily as humanity struggles to maintain a toehold outside its home planet. As Riss and her crew return to the solar system, they find themselves affected by something in the asteroid’s water—something undetectable that grants them incredible abilities, including the power to literally re-arrange substances on a molecular level. As the political situation becomes more complex and inches towards outright conflict, Riss and her crew begin to see new, heretofore unimaginable possibilities.

In BRINGER OF LIGHT, M. Thomas Apple crafts a satisfyingly complex future where mankind has moved off Earth but must fight and struggle against the harsh realities of physics—and each other—in order to survive. He has a deft touch with his characters, quickly developing them into distinct personalities with resonant pasts that intersect in ways that drive the story. The combination results in a fictional universe that feels sturdy and unique, one that will appeal strongly to fans of realistic science fiction and political intrigue with strong speculative elements.

The core premise is terrific. Riss and her crew slowly coming to terms with what’s happened to them, and the possibilities it offers, are explored with skill; and the way this unexpected element impacts the status quo in the solar system is exciting. However, some parts of the story feel a bit rushed; Riss and crew go from confused and frightened by what’s happening to them to laying down (and executing) grand plans extremely quickly, and the moves they make snowball instantly. A little more patience would make their transformation more believable and compelling. Also, Apple keeps some elements of the complex chess games a bit too buried. The purpose and extent of a group of secretive clones feels a bit undercooked by the end of the story, for example. Though there are clear indications that Apple will develop them more fully in the sequels, a bit more light shed in this book would make their role in this novel more satisfying.

In BRINGER OF LIGHT, author M. Thomas Apple crafts a believably complex interplanetary future complete with twisting politics, well-drawn characters, and resource management woes.

~Jeff Somers for IndieReader