Wick Welker’s delightful pocket of the universe is further explored in Dark Kingdom, which is book 1.5 of the Dark Law series. This book is the story of Ria and Haldane, who are both enslaved by an artificial intelligence, and who must seek dark matter for her. They travel to the hidden Fifth Kingdom where they find oppression and tyranny, and must obey their directive but also answer to their own desire for justice and freedom for the people of the Fifth Kingdom.

Welker’s books have both wonderful characters and amazing concepts, and he’s a wonderful world-builder. SFF is prone to imbalance in these things, but Welker is not: everything in the story serves the story, and nothing is wasted. This is also just a really fun read. If you haven’t read the first book, Dark Theory, I would start there: although Dark Kingdom starts with a catch-up, it’s worth reading the first book first, as it lays out the rules of this world. I’m completely sold, and can’t wait to read the next one.

Thanks to Demodocus Publishing and NetGalley for early access.

Definitely a side story to the main book of dark theory is the grape parallel story I mean, parallel dimension story you have a whole cut through space to be able to get through it. This is where the dark matter is mined forgive any more for information I’ll be giving away the whole book. The book isn’t very long. It’s a novella. I do give it 3.5 stars.

This was a great in-between for the Dark Law series, I enjoyed that this was a story being told in between the main story. The characters felt like they were supposed to and enjoyed that they felt like they were belonging in this world. Wick Welker always does a great job in writing this book and left me wanting more.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this Novella. It was the first book I've read from Wick and I will definitely be on the lookout for new releases in this series.

What I liked:
Although the novella is a very quick read, I felt that the plot events were fully-fleshed out, being the main drivers for the plot progression as opposed to characterization. That being said, the limited dialogue that we do get from one of the main characters Haldane is very meaningful / impactful to his and Ria's character development, so this wasn't lacking in any way. As well, I thought that Ria's internal monologue, specifically concerning her thoughts about what it means for her and others to be 'slaves' and their desire for freedom was very well written, being the key theme developed throughout the book.

What could have been improved:
I thought that the story up until they reached the Fifth Kingdom was quite confusing as a first time reader of this series, even though I read the catch-up chapter at the beginning. I do think that after having finished the book, it would have been best to read Dark Theory first. As well, I thought that some of the final chapters (specifically regarding the end of the characters' journey in The Fifth Kingdom) read a bit cliche or dull in terms of both the dialogue and the way that the plot moved. That being said, the last chapter really redeems the novella as I thought it to be a very well-written and imaginative ending to Ria and Haldane's development, while also doing a good job to set up the events for the next book.

What I'm looking forward to:
I am interested to see what Wick will do in the next addition to these series, specifically if the next addition were to be full length novel. I was intrigued to learn that Dark Theory is an 800+ page book, given how much Wick was able to achieve in a novella. If he were to release something between 70k - 100k words for instance - long enough to provide some solidly paced characterization, but not as overbearing as a mountain to read, I would be very interested to see what he does with a bit more breathing room.

I don’t even know where to begin. I loved the story from the start. The characters come to life on the pages and their journey together, though short, was the adventure I didn’t realize I needed. I was hooked into Ria’s life almost instantly. Her character is captivating and robust. Honestly I need so much more of her tale. I was pleasantly surprised to find so much character building in such a short story. Haldane’s love for the ghost of the person that he knew. Earth spiraling to its doom. A dystopian world filled with a touch of hope. I couldn’t tell you whether it was possible for the earth to spiral closer to the sun after Saturn was removed from orbit. I also have no idea how a parallel universe would function but I can tell you that Wick Weller made me think it was possible and I love it. The settings were immersive and tangible. I found myself watching Ria passing through the streets of the Fifth Kingdom. I easily felt so much for the people she interacted with and I hope to meet Ria on the next part of her journey. This was a story worth reading.

3.5/5 stars!

I enjoyed this novella. The two main characters Haldane and Ria, are amazing. The fact that they develop so much as characters through such a short period shows that the writer knows his characters and how to write them.

Haldane starts as cold and standoffish, you know nothing about him but as the adventure begins you learn more about him and finally realise why he is like this, you get a good amount of backstory to help see his development. Ria starts as a rule follower and throughout the journey learns about herself and how to trust in her thoughts and beliefs.
“I am a mind slave” “All are enslaved. But you’re more fortunate than most.” “And why is that?” “Because you know you are a slave.”

The author intertwines the two characters’ lives together effortlessly. The ending was perfect but also left me wanting more, which is exactly how I want to feel after reading a book. At a few points in the story, the reveals had my jaw dropping.
“I am not her, You… love a ghost.” “We’re all ghosts.”

The only thing I was confused by was the world, I felt like it was missing some key world-building as I struggled to picture the work and I also struggled a bit with the battle scenes as they were dense but in the wrong ways.

I would recommend this book to sci-fi readers.

The next book in Wick Welker's Dark Law series, Dark Kingdom is a must read for anyone who is interested in sci-fi/fantasy books. Dark Kingdom follows Ria, a cyborg slave who is controlled by a governor chip in her head. Travelling with Haldane, a warrior from a parallel dimension, to the mysterious Fifth Kingdom in search for dark matter a much needed resource on a dying Earth.

However they find a city that oppresses its citizens like prisoners and themselves at the mercy to its ruler. To get what they came for Ria and Haldane have to fight the Fifth Kingdoms Ruler and also free it's citizens from the rulers tyranny. To get the dark matter they have to win the keys to the kingdom, but can they do so while still following their masters commands.

This sci-fi/fantasy was a enjoyable read with great world building, character development is steady throughout and I started to enjoy the characters more and more as I read. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves sci-fi/fantasy books, especially ones that enjoy new and interesting worlds as Wick Welker does an excellent job creating them with great detail.

Excellent little novella to whet the appetite before the next book! Welker has a great imagination and Ria is a really cool character.

Dark Theory is real. The universe is expanding without Earth, dooming it to wander the void alone. Resources are dwindling and war festers across the blighted planet. Ria, a cyborg slave, is commanded by an implanted governor chip to track down dark matter, which may hold the key to restoring Earth's place in the cosmos. Ria travels with Haldane, a hardened warrior from a parallel dimension. Together, they traverse the horrors of the wastelands, finally reaching the fabled Fifth Kingdom. There they find a nightmarish prison state of dark matter mines ruled by an iron-fisted despot. To achieve their goal, Ria and Haldane must fight to not only win the key to the dark matter mines, but the hearts of an enslaved people. The fate of the universe, and Ria’s freedom, rests on who wins the Fifth Kingdom—and what they do with it.

A cool scifi story with a fun and unique plot. Some of the characters were more likeable than others, but I think the world building is where this book really shines. Any long term fans of science fiction will have plenty of typical tropes to enjoy here and I will definitely be on the lookout for more books by this author!