Robison Wells’ new novel Dark Energy is a thrilling and entertaining adventure that all sci-fi fans will want to get their hands on.

About ‘Dark Energy’

Nothing is ever going to be the same. Only five years ago, a gigantic, cylindrical alien ship crash-landed in Minnesota, leaving miles and miles of devastation in its wake. Nobody knows why the ship crashed nor do they know what the ship’s inhabitants’ intentions are, but what the U.S. does know is that a lot of good people died as a result of the crash. And the number of casualties could rise once the doors of the ship open.

Alice is forced to relocate from her home in sunny Florida to the brisk midwest when her dad, who’s NASA’s director of special projects, is called in to study and help deal with the arrival of the alien ship. Between updates from her dad and solemn newscasts from the crash site, everything that Alice and her new boarding school classmates know gets turned upside down. When the aliens finally emerge from the ship and questions arise regarding their intentions, Alice and her friends will have to figure out how to live in this new world where everything has changed.

‘Dark Energy’ book review

Dark Energy is an engrossing sci-fi novel that keeps the reader hooked until the very last page. This book perfectly blends a mysterious UFO crash with boarding school shenanigans without being too silly or ridiculous. In fact, Dark Energy is quite the opposite.

While it isn’t super dark in tone, it doesn’t make light of the tragic crash or of the fact that people now have to figure out what to do now that they know that aliens exist. Though the book mainly takes place in a sort of microcosm (the boarding school), Wells expertly weaves in the reactions of the general public to the aliens through TV broadcasts and news media. As a result, the book feels very personal and yet very large at the same time.

One of the best aspects of Dark Energy, aside from its intriguing premise and central mystery (which is “What do the aliens want?”), is definitely the narrative voice. Alice, the main character and narrator, is hilariously sassy. Her wit elevates the narrative from being just another suspense novel. It’s honestly impossible to keep from laughing out loud at some parts just because her personality is just so large.

Even with all of the twists and turns that surround the aliens and the UFO crash, the way in which Dark Energy explores the aliens as beings instead of just intruders is really refreshing. It’s not a spoiler to say that this novel really humanizes the aliens, giving them a background and a culture so that the reader can fully understand them. They’re not just “the other,” like so many other sci-fi novels make alien visitors out to be.

In that same vein, the thing that really makes this novel work is the way in which the characters are prioritized over the events. Yes, the UFO crash landing is important to the novel, but the way in which that crash effects the characters is so much moreso. The novel highlights and digs into their experiences, making the large sci-fi events take a back seat. In other words, it’s not the major events that matter but the way in which they effect all of the characters’ lives. Dark Energy is a story about humanity first.

The only disappointment in Dark Energy is the pace of the climax. Up until that point, the novel does a great job with the slow build and the raising of the stakes. However, once it reaches the climax, events unfold so quickly that it’s hard to feel fully satisfied. In fact, it almost feels like a second shoe is going to drop (even though there isn’t one). But, if anything, that’s a testament to how well Robison Wells constructs the world of the narrative and how much he makes the reader really care about his characters.

Dark Energy is a really enjoyable read, even for those who don’t read a lot of sci-fi. While the UFO crash landing is what will entice readers to open the book, it’s the characters that will keep people reading.

Dark Energy by Robison Wells is available now from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and your local independent bookstore. Also, don’t forget to add it to your Goodreads “to read” list!