Fedorak’s immersive sequel to Children of Alpheios delves deeper into creepy medical malfeasance in a colony on the planet Eamine. Previously, Alina escaped with her infant son, Mandin, who was born with a DNA anomaly, from the city of Alpheios, where biotech corporation Genodyne conducts unethical medical experiments. Now it’s three years later, and Alina is living with her telepathic son and her lover Kiean in the underground town of Evesborough, due to Eamine’s harsh environment. She receives word that her estranged mother, Linette, in Alpheios is suffering from an untested Genodyne rejuvenation serum called Revive that causes disfigurement and a rash that has metastasized to her internal organs. If Alina returns to Alpheios to visit her mother, she could get arrested. As a precaution, she risks contacting Chance Graylin, Mandin’s father and son of Alpheios’s ruthless Chancellor Jade Graylin, a Genodyne board member.

Fedorak ratchets up the tension with an in-depth dive into Genodyne’s experiments on new life forms, the kronosapiens, harvesting their stem cells to create a cure for Revive patients. Their heinous experiments gain the attention of violent protesters who demand that the cure be available to all for free. As Linette’s health worsens, Alina asks Chance to enroll her mother in a clinical trial. He agrees on the condition that it remains a secret. While he offers Alina and Mandin safe passage through Genodyne, she doesn’t realize just how far Chance is willing to go to rekindle their romance and remove Kiean from her life.

Merging lively action and intrepid, engaging characters, Fedorak deftly teases and reveals political, social, and medical conspiracies that have far-reaching consequences for the entire planet. With some twists and turns, she creates an authentic world of near-future science and thought-provoking issues related to designer babies, corporate accountability, and familial commitment. A provocative page-turner.

Takeaway: Stellar SF novel of unethical medical experiments on a distant planet.

Comparable Titles: Sue Burke’s Semiosis, Madeline Ashby’s Company Town.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A