ORIGINS PROGENY

On a human-colonized planet, a rebel settler finds her loyalties tested by her ex, her new pilot/lover, and her small son who has unique DNA qualities.

Fedorak’s sequel to her SF debut, Children of Alpheios (2023), unfolds three years later. Hero Alina DeHerte is a rebel colonist on the distant planet Eamine, peopled by genetically modified humans, where the climate is harsh and native wildlife sometimes dangerous. But another threat is an authoritarian system under Chancellor Jade Graylin, leader of the settlement city Alpheios. Her regime’s economic partner, the genetic-engineering corporation Genodyne, is exploiting a generation of children (“Origins”) born on the planet, fated to develop astounding powers—and one of them is Alina’s epileptic son, Mandin. Defying the exploitation of their offspring, Alina and other dissidents fled to establish their own haven, Evesborough. The strife led to the end of Alina’s relationship with Alpheios’ law-and-order security chief Chance—who is Graylin’s son— even though he enabled her escape with Mandin. Now, Alina is engaged to an Evesborough man and Mandin’s seizures are controlled with medication. But Evesborough still struggles for supplies. In Alpheios, a civilian uprising brews after a reckless Genodyne rollout of an anti-aging drug unleashes a disease, and one of the victims is Alina’s mother. Alina’s DNA makeup points to a cure, and Chance wants a reunion with his son. Reluctantly, Alina agrees to a temporary visit to the city in a gene-science exchange deal. Amid the intrigue, Chance sees an opportunity to rekindle his ex’s ardor. Fedorak must keep a lot of balls in the air and plates (or petri dishes) spinning, and newcomers to the saga may be somewhat confused by the ensemble cast and the machinations. In the foliage are such compelling creations as “kronosapiens,” Genodyne’s mistreated, artificially evolved humanoids, both beastly and disturbingly advanced, and a hint of something even darker, “an ancient and foul entity lurking somewhere down tunnel four,” kept offstage this time. But, at least until a literally explosive final act, the double-helix intricacies of relationships and emotions have a priority over action and weaponry. Though the novel leaves many narrative threads unresolved, this is quality SF from an exciting, fresh voice in the genre.

Cellular-DNA science and aching hearts intertwine in a compelling SF sequel.