The Photonic Effect

“Mike Chen has done it again. He's turned theoretical physics inside-out to make you fall in love with a band of misfits from across the multiverse. The Photonic Effect is a delightful adventure bursting with unexpected twists and wild rides, but, most of all, it's full of heart.” -- Annalee Newitz, bestselling author of Automatic Noodle and The Terraformers
“A superb sci-fi story about 21st-century issues set in a futuristic space environment, featuring flawed but lovable characters doing their best with whatever challenges the galaxy presents.”  * Library Journal (starred) *
"What space opera is meant to be.The Photonic Effect is a brilliantly complex novel about love, loss, and war that's populated by characters so alive you can feel their hearts in each beat of your own."
  -- K.B. Wagers, author of A Pale Light in the Black 
"Mike Chen expertly combines the challenges of a First Contact story with creditable alien-y aliens, problem-solving under extreme pressure, and a romance. It’s brilliant!"
  -- Stina Leicht, author Persephone Station
“I loved this book! One of the strongest space operas I’ve read in recent years, full of tasty political intrigue, impossible choices, and richly realized characters. Chen never loses sight of the real people caught in the crossfire of this galactic-scale war, delivering a thrilling, emotionally-grounded story about survival, leadership, and the true cost of command.”  -- Karen Osborne, author of Architects of Memory
“Found family goes multiverse and science is better than war in this rousing sci-fi adventure! Watching Chen's cast slam into the pointless cruelty of wartime bureaucracy, and fight for a better way, feels way too relatable in our times. Perfect for fans of Essa Hansen and Ren Hutchings.”  -- Bethany Jacobs, author of These Burning Stars
PRAISE FOR MIKE CHEN 

A Beginning at the End offers an intimate, surprisingly gentle vision of post-disaster humanity, less concerned with how we might survive than with why—and for whom." —Alix E. Harrow, New York Times Bestselling author 

Chen has a true gift for making the biggest of worlds center around the most complex workings of hearts, and his newest is compelling, realistic, and impossible to put down.” —Booklist, starred review on A Beginning at the End

"Chen does what the very best sci-fi writers do--he takes a fascinating concept and elevates it with brilliant execution and deeply heartfelt plot twists that make this story less about the (fun) conventions of the genre and more about the profound experience of being human."—Michael Moreci (Black Star Renegades, Star Wars) on Here and Now and Then

"Chen’s strength in writing poignant character arcs, especially within family dynamics, shines here, as does his ability to craft intriguing blends of literary and speculative fiction with compelling, character-driven plots.” –Library Journal on Light Years from Home