I just couldn’t get into this book. It’s not the author’s fault, sometimes something a reader thinks will be interesting just turns out not to be. I fully intend to give the book a second try later.

absolutely terrible. I finished the book out of spite. This book was poorly written. I would never recommend this books as queer sci-fi to anyone.

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC!

I was super excited going into this book. Excited to the point where I feel guilty that I just could not finish it. I just couldn't get into the story and I never got attached to any of the characters. The pacing just wasn't my cup of tea, and I have almost no recollection of what happened because I was so miserable the whole time. I am giving this more than one star though because if the characters were different, I would have been able to enjoy the storyline.
(1.5 stars)

I will say that the cover is gorgeous.

Thanks, Netgalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review!
It's unique story that feels so expandable in terms of world-building, narrative and character development. Sometimes I welcomed that a lot, but sometimes I wished for less stalling and getting straighter to what is more important and essential. There are some plot fillers that could be omitted.The story still offered a lot of interesting surprises. The main characters are very intriguing and diverse group. The mix between sci-fi and fantasy feels perfectly blended. Very enjoyable read!

Wow, this was an epic sci-fi adventure! I was a little nervous going into it because it was so long, but needed not to worry because I didn’t even notice the length I was invested in the story so much. I think the author weaved some pretty interesting elements into the book. I love sci-fi but I struggle with a lot of the material because of how lengthy the books are, but turns out, I was just reading the wrong kinds of books.

This had everything — fast pace, believable and well-developed characters, a rich and detailed world, and the story to go with it. I will look forward to new books from the author and will check out their previous words! Brilliant.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author, for a chance to read and review this book.

This is an ambitious, sprawling story that lives in an enormous world. The world-building is great, spanning not just continents but also time and space in exciting ways. There is a group of primary characters that are all well-fleshed out and diverse, each with their own motivations and experiences of the world. In addition, the story is engaging and fulfilling, keeping the characters just one step ahead of the audience. Some of the twists and turns were easy to anticipate, but instead of relying on entirely expected tropes the story kept journeying just outside of where you might expect, and it was a fun journey to take.

With that said, some of the writing could also be described as sprawling. It did not feel over-stuffed narratively, but it did feel to just go more than it needed to, and maybe would benefit from some of the fat being trimmed. There is a lot of story stuffed in here, and balancing all of that story but keeping a forward momentum is a difficult task. Since there is that much story in there, the feeling of sometimes meandering is more forgivable, but if you’re looking for a tight narrative then you will be frustrated. Additionally, there do seem to be some story and character developments that feel a little clunky and somewhat unearned. Taking a step back everything fits well, and feels appropriate for the story/world/characters, but as some things are experienced or explained they feel a little rushed and, well, convenient. Again, this may come from there being so much story in one book, maybe some of the fat that *was* trimmed was allowing a slower development to the same ends.

Overall, I enjoyed the book a lot. The story is good, and plays with science and pseudo-science and futuristic science in ways that balance sounding smart with realizing how foolish that kind of “smart language sounds.” It was creative and complicated but never hard to follow, inhabiting a well-built world that only promises to grow as the series continues. The characters, whether they had convenient character developments or not, were still relatable and fun and all characters I enjoyed spending time with and would like to spend more time with. It could have maybe have been split into two books that were then both beefed up a little, but if you are looking for a fun sci-fi romp that is willing to take its time but tells a whole lot of story, you wont be disappointed here.

I want to thank NetGalley and Independent Book Publishers Association, who provided a complimentary eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an arc of Dark Theory by Wick Welker!

My overall rating for this book is 4 stars. I'm not usually a fan of sci-fi novels but there was a lot about this one that I really enjoyed!
The cast of characters was definitely my favourite part because I'm a sucker for a great group of characters. Sometimes it felt like they melded together and I had some trouble telling characters apart but overall I really enjoyed all of them.
I was initially intimidated by the sheer size of this book but I found myself tearing this book apart to get it done because I was so invested in it. I felt like I was transported into the world of the book and I never wanted to leave.
Again I'm not usually a huge fan of sci fi but I'm excited to see where the series goes from here and I will for sure be checking it out!

Despite forewarnings from earlier reviewers, I was woefully unprepared for the scale of this book. It’s massive and filled with just about every plot point that I, a lowly reviewer, could conceive of. I appreciate Welker’s commitment to putting so many words together in one place. That means there’s a lot to keep track of, and I admittedly lost my way through the plot a few times. Dark Theory has shades of Peter F. Hamilton and a less light-hearted Terry Pratchett. A committed reader who’s looking for a melding of far-future, post-apocalyptic sci-fi with a sprinkling of fantasy settings, aliens, and time travel thrown in will really appreciate a book like this one.

Nowadays readers and “professional” reviewers bandy words like Epic! World Building and character driven around like they have just discovered a lexicon for the first time and want to use them all in case they disappear, as such when I review a book I keep it short and simple, this book is Epic!
😉

Epic doesn’t seem like a big enough word for Dark Theory. This book has EVERYTHING. And I mean EVERYTHING. And now I’ve said it, I’m concerned that ‘everything’ might be an understatement. To put it simply, Dark Theory is the most perfect blend of sci-fi and fantasy I’ve experienced.

Reading this book felt like I’d entered a universe where Marvel Studios had hired Tolkien and Asimov to co-write their next big-budget all-star action-comedy romp. This is Stephen Hawking’s ‘Narnia.’ It’s Einstein’s ‘Game of Thrones. ‘ It’s the ‘Fellowship Of The Ring’ on steroids, except, in place of the ring, you’ve got a self-aware existentially-challenged thermal-energy-shooting robot. Instead of sorcerers, there are astrophysicists. Forget hobbits, here we have beggar children who can somehow disappear and reappear as if they’re superpowered. And cast in the role of orcs, you’ll find Borg-like, mind-controlled drones with super-advanced weapons to contend with.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Seriously. I haven’t even mentioned time travel, clones, or an interdimensional super-race of beings.

If you’re thinking that this all sounds like a lot for just one book, then you’re right. It is. So how does it all fit together? In a word: Brilliantly. If you like sci-fi or fantasy, there’s something here for you. It’s a book that’s written for the nerds, and it feels refreshing to see so much of what makes the genre soar all together in one place. It’s a glorious mixtape of your favourite hits, but somehow manages to feel new and exciting.

The book staggers multiple points of view. If there’s a protagonist in all this, it’s Beetro, a robot with his memory wiped, who wakes up in a junkyard and begins searching for his identity. Where other robocentric books of recent times have opted to explore similar themes on a small scale, such as Simon Stephenson’s ‘Set My Heart To Five’ or Kazuo Ishiguro’s ‘Klara And The Sun,’ Wick Welker has taken the opposite approach. In Dark Theory, bigger is better. And I’m not just talking about page length. From the characters’ journeys, to the ideas it juggles, to the sheer scale of imagination on display, it all amounts to something that’s in equal parts mind-boggling, thrilling, and absurd. It makes the scope of something like Star Trek seem reserved.

The intrigue and tone captured in the first few pages are sustained through the entirety of the book. Skip a page at your peril, because this moves at such a pace that missing a paragraph could easily leave you scratching your head. But all the plotting and the story pays off in a serious way when it comes to the climax, and, crucially, the book never leaves the characters behind. They’re unique, flawed, hilarious, and wonderful, despite the hellish torments they face as they traverse the dying world of a distant-future-Earth.

As the title suggests, the book leans into science in a big way, but the technical details on display never feel inaccessible. At its heart, Dark Theory is a touching character study of what makes us human, spanning the role of friendship and the price of redemption. And did I mention it has a crazy amount of action? Some of the scenes are not for the faint-hearted, but they’re all necessary as characters struggle towards their goals.

Am I allowed to say that it’s kind of a masterpiece? Because I’m sure that masterpieces aren’t supposed to be this funny.

If you want a book that will suck you into a universe you can truly get lost in, it’s this one. Dark Theory justifies its scope by stretching into a bold start to a new science-fantasy series, but also digs deep into some heady and important themes. And it’s fun. Oh so very much fun. It’s the perfect escape for any fan of sci-fi or fantasy, and absolute iron-clad proof that these genres don’t have to exist in isolation, but can blend together beautifully to form something fresh and delicious.

Dark Theory isn’t satisfied with just being epic. It’s epic squared. And it’s all the better for it.

It's been a minute since I've read a hard sci-fi book that was THIS hard sci-fi, and I'd almost forgotten what I loved about this extreme of the genera.

The world building is insane, the way you're welcomed into the universe and given information about it at a non-breakneck pace is beautiful. The downside to that is that the book does start off slightly slow, but it's a sacrifice I'm willing to take so that I'm eased into an unfamiliar world without feeling like a rug has been ripped out from under me.

The world is so expertly pained I can perfectly imagine it, like I'm watching my favorite movie or TV show. The characters are so fully formed and fleshed out, there wasn't a single one that I felt fell into a genera trap or stereotype. Beetro is fantastic and I would die for him.

The ending left me wanting more and I'm anxiously awaiting the eventual sequel.

I guess you could say this is a 3.5 star book rounded up to four. This book was not only epic but totally wild there was a ton of times where even me with my multiple advanced science degrees (although not in astrophysics) really worried if I was smart enough to read this book. I think the author was a little bit repetitive in with some of the dialogue. It did help explain certain concepts when it was spoon fed multiple times like that I guess and some of it did lead to amusing anecdotes. The cast of characters in the story are so interesting and really up until they all converged I had no idea how everything was going to come together.

I loved the queer representation in this book in the form of both sapphic and achillean relationships (or at least the the character’s desire for one).

The torture in this book that is directly on page is pretty graphic and should be taken seriously before starting as a trigger warning.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC!!

I thought it was a great book.
A big one.
Perhaps too big.

I appreciate it, I love scifi and stories involving robots, dystopian societies and so on but when in a book I read about too much things I lose the interest to follow the story.

This book is very pretentious; well written for what it may concern the book but too demanding for me.

Surely it might better appeal to lovers of hard scifi, fantasy and epic stories.

Dark Theory (Dark Law, #1)
by Wick Welker

Wow and fantastic are the two words that come to my mind when I think of this book! There are layers upon layers to uncover in here. It deals with a small robot that is found by two women that savage scraps at a junkyard to trade for food. One wants to help the robot and the other wants to dismantle it for parts. The kind woman wins and they get the robot water and it starts up. This starts an amazing adventure!

There are many civilizations on this world too. Very interesting worlds in themselves. One lives underground and all males. Another came from another world and stay hidden from current mankind. There is a religion that catches robots and people and makes them half and half. Also controlling them with chips in their brains.

There are robots that are sentient and those that are not. It's a fascinating world! Most of the world is so radioactive that standing water is undrinkable.

The plot is based around several key characters. Mostly around the robot, Beetro, from the junkyard. He can't remember anything before his reboot. He just has a drive to find his creator. Along the way the robot meets a wonderful cast including a little girl that can teleport short distances. There is also a General that is taking over the world and is cruel and heartless. He too is after the team.

The story is unpredictable, suspenseful at times, violent at key moments, funny at times, but always intriguing and stretches my mind with time, space, dark matter, and theories! I loved everything about this book! I wouldn't change a thing! It was a long book but it flew by. I read it all in one day. I just couldn't stop myself! I can't wait for the next book! If you read one science fiction book this year, make it this one!

I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for letting me have a chance to read this awesome novel! The opinions are all my own!

This novel is everything sci-fi should be. It is bombastic and finely written with a perfectly crafted setting. This book manages to do what not many accomplish, it sinks the reader in gently. No grand info-dumping that discourages the soul, instead the waters wade one in a well-thought out manner.

The characters are so dimensional, so well-rounded, that when they achieve their great arcs, you feel it all the more. The main twist towards the end of the book is perfectly crafted. Although a few of the revelations made on the final chapter don't feel rewarding or particularly well-earned, it is easy to overlook this and appreciate this book as what it is - incredible.

Wow! This book truly transported me to another world! If you are a reader who loves powerful and unique worldbuilding, this is the book for you! This captivating, sometimes brutal, adventure through a universe in crisis blurs the lines between fantasy and science fiction. It is a bit of a chunky read, but the pages fly by.

The book begins with Beetro, a self-aware robot, waking in a junkyard after being discovered by two avengers. With his memory erased, Beetro has no idea how he got there or why. Unfortunately, there are no answers for him in the remote village of Korthe. Plagued by famine, drought, and disease, everyone is out for themselves. Teaming up with the scavengers who discovered him, Lucindi and Miree, Beetro soon finds himself falling into the patterns of everyday life. However, when a warlord seizes the town and kills Lucindi, Miree and Beetro set out on a journey of revenge that quickly turns into an adventure with implications far greater than they could have imagined.

The story takes place in a world that feels simultaneously feudal and futuristic. It instantly stoked my curiosity and made me want to learn more. How did humans get to this planet? What brought them here? Why do they refer to all of the modern and futuristic technology as “old”? The reader is thrown right into the middle of it all and is left to piece it all together themselves. Even as some questions were answered, more would bloom in their place as this universe and its history slowly unfolded. The journey of discovery was just as, if not more intriguing than the story itself.

Admittedly, the story itself was a little slow to get started. Much of it is told from Beetro’s perspective, which took some getting used to. Though a robot, Beetro’s voice is very human but will have sudden reminders of his robotic nature peppered in. It takes a while for both his and Miree’s stories to start coming together both individually and as a partnership. A lot of this makes sense in the context of the story and soon evolves into a fast paced read that is hard to put down.

Overall, I think this book would delight any sci-fi fan who wants to lose themselves in a story. This looks like it is intended to be the first in a series and I cannot wait to see where it goes from here!

Not what I expected but in a great way! Very grim world with exciting characters and story. Highly recommend!!

Unfortunately I DNFed this book just under 100 pages in. However I think others might get enjoyment out of this where I didn't.

Here are my thoughts

Characters: there were some characters i had a hard time trying apart. The main two females were supposed to have different personalities, but in both dialogue and non-dialogue sections I had a few times where I thought the wrong one was talking. I also wasn't a huge fan of reading from the robot's perspective. He felt strange somehow.

Relationships: this also felt a bit off to me. I didn't get the sense that anyone liked each other and I didn't feel the camaraderie that they were stated to have — between the two women and also the child (?) third woman (?) who threatens the robot.

Atmosphere/World: the atmosphere and world were both really good. I was able to picture this fiefdom/scrapyard/futuristic world pretty well. This was good.

Writing/Plot: these two go together because I felt that the writing could use some work and as such the plot suffered. It felt very much like an early draft, The dialogue was unnatural and the description was a bit clunky. Both contributed to that "early draft" feeling.

Overall this is not to my taste and given the length, I will not continue it. However others may enjoy it, and it will likely be in a better state when it's officially released!

A somewhat brutal, but excellent, tale.
A grim end of the universe, a dog eat dog human existence, a madman with the power to make the decision to change it.

Dark Theory is a broad, winding adventure tale that weaves together many fan-favorite tropes of hard sci-fi and fantasy into an epic saga.

This is a story full of contradictions. Welker meshed a setting reminiscent of hard sci-fi with dystopian and fantasy plot tropes as the basis for Dark Theory. It felt like Welker included a little of everything in this book at times. There’s a lot there to pay attention to. So much so that it’s hard to follow at times. And, despite the book’s impressive page count, I found myself coming away from it with many unanswered questions. The book’s conclusion sets the story up for a sequel, where those answers might live. But I wished that Welker had set aside some of that page real estate for more context.

Welker did a fine job with the story’s ample, diverse set of primary and secondary characters. The blend of sci-fi and fantasy elements made for some intriguing scenarios. And I enjoyed the illustrations that Welker included with the story.

Fans of long, sprawling, fantasy narratives will likely enjoy Dark Theory and the books to follow.