Time Travel, Apocalypses, and a Hero Who’s Already Dead: The Aurora’s Pale Light Is a Must-Read Sci-Fi Thriller

When I first dove into A Dent in the Universe by E.W. Doc Parris, I was blown away by its chaotic mix of technology, murder, and time-bending mayhem. So naturally, I couldn’t wait to see where the story would go in its sequel, The Aurora's Pale Light. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t just meet expectations—it shatters them.

This time around, we follow John Banks, a war hero who’s somehow alive despite history—and his death certificate—insisting otherwise. Armed with the same time-bending tech from the first book, John faces an even more impossible task: preparing humanity for the looming apocalypse. The catch? He can’t stop it. Time travel doesn’t allow for do-overs or miracle saves, and the rules are as unforgiving as they are flexible (with a copious amount of creativity).

Parris cranks up the intensity in this sequel. The stakes aren’t just personal—they’re apocalyptic. As John races against the clock to prep the world for its inevitable collapse, the story dives deep into ethical dilemmas, exploring whether knowing the future is a blessing or a curse. Can one person truly make a difference without rewriting history? And if they could, should they?

The pacing is relentless, the action is chaotic (in the best way), and the world-building is impressively detailed yet disturbingly plausible. Parris excels at blending realistic dystopian elements with a sci-fi edge that feels both thrilling and unsettling. The "rules" of time travel, while complex, are fascinating—and they create just enough tension to keep you guessing how John will pull off the impossible.

Paris also does an excellent job with character development. John Banks is no superhero; he’s flawed, resourceful, and burdened by the weight of what he knows. His struggle to balance personal survival with the responsibility of saving others feels raw and genuine.

That said, it’s been a while since I read the first book, and I wish it had been fresher in my mind. While The Aurora's Pale Light provides plenty of backstory, there’s something to be said for diving in with all the details still sharp. If you haven't read A Dent in the Universe--start there.

If you loved the blend of science fiction, mystery, and chaos in A Dent in the Universe, you’re going to enjoy this sequel. It’s darker, more intense, and even more mind-bending. The themes are thought-provoking, the action is pulse-pounding. I am almost to a place where I could describe the action as "Pure Parris".

Thanks to E.W. Doc Parris for the advanced copy. I’ll be impatiently waiting to see where this series goes next.

EDIT:
Okay, I read it. This was such a perfect follow up to THE DENT IN THE UNIVERSE. Every bit as mind-blowing, every bit as gripping, every bit as thrilling. I'm shocked that this hasn't gotten more attention, because this series wholly deserves it.

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Full disclosure, I missed that this was a second in a series when I requested it. Luckily, that's mentioned in the front matter of the book. The entire concept of both this (and the first) sounds so fun, but I don't have time to grab the first right now. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this digital copy. I'll update reviews once I've read the first and am able to dive in!

A great sequel to The Dent in the Universe by the same author. Follows a different arc and different characters. Mostly different characters. I don't want to say who you'll see again.

Just how does one save the future? Especially when that future can you tell you what happened and cautions you not to prevent it? Yikes! But that's mission given to John Banks. Wait. Didn't John die in the first book? Wasn't that a main plot point in the first book? Well… Yes. All will be explained.

This is a trip thru both Paradise and Hell. Unfortunately for John most of his work takes place in Hell. After all, the future has chosen him to be The Hero. But John knows he's no hero. He's already failed to save the most important person in his life. And that failure haunts him some thirty years later. But cities are burning, demons are on the rampage, and only John has a direct line to the future. Not that he can tell the future much about what he's doing. Not that the future can tell him much about what's going on. So, yeah, life's a bitch. John can accept that.

Sometimes all it takes is a good horse…

Full disclosure: Doc and I worked briefly for the same company so I know him a bit. Luckily for us both that affected his excellent writing skills not one wit. Also, NetGalley <www.netgalley.com> provided me with a free ARC and that's the edition I reviewed. NetGalley's worth looking into if you read ebook editions.

The Aurora's Pale Light is book two in the Epic WalrusTech Universe series by E.W. Doc Parris.
This book was so well written. I immensely enjoyed this book from front to end.
The writing was captivating and well done.

Wow! I am sorry I missed the first book in this series. The author provided a very helpful summary of it and I am going to go ack and read it even though I know the basics. Think of The Walking Dead with time travel. Time travel with understood parameters and rules. There were a lot of characters to get to know, but I think the author did a great job in making them well rounded and easy to differentiate pretty early on. I’ll be buying myself the first book in the series this week.

Thanks to E.W. Doc Paris, Magic Genius Books, and NetGalley for access to the Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book in The WalrusTech Universe and although the author does a great job so that it could be read independently of the first book, my recommendation is that you start with the first book for this series.

This story uses time travel to help avoid and then mitigate a zombie apocalypse. A team of soldiers and scientists, aided by the future, seek to rescue as many people as they can from the zombies. However, they must follow the time machine rules – not following, even accidentally, leads to severe and unwanted consequences.

This book is original in its ideas, has interesting characters, and is well written. It is a good follow up to the first, which I also enjoyed. Recommended.

I didn't think it was possible but this one was better than the first. Action packed with all the elements of hard science fiction, horror, AI, and futurism. Beautifully written. Can't wait for the next one.

This was a strong sequel in the WalrusTech Universe series, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed the overall story going on. The characters had that element that I wanted, they felt like they belonged in this universes and was glad I read this. E.W. Doc Parris has a great writing style and can’t wait for more.

Fellow travelers on the path to None-Of-It; Gather round for a tale of heroes and demons, wonder and terror, laughter and heartache!

A masterfully plotted follow-up to the thrilling time-travel mashup Dent in the Universe, The Aurora's Pale Light is a story of outrageous thrills and compelling characters in the spirit of its predecessor. Reading a Walrustech book is like opening a door to another dimension: the more you understand, the more beautiful it becomes. Parris handles complex themes of grief and forgiveness with a deft hand, delving into existential philosophy and complex sociopolitical issues with genuine insight. Witty and well-balanced between thrills and comic relief, the story flows along furiously with references to everything sacred to nerds from Star Trek to James Bond to the Princess Bride, John Wick, The Matrix and Stephen King.

The second book in the series, even more than the first, is filled with the action-packed chaos of McCammon's post-apocalyptic epic, Swan Song.
In Aurora, John Banks further embraces the role of the conflicted hero, expertly cutting down hordes of demons while grappling with personal struggles. Some of the most eloquent, elegant, and exciting science fiction writing in existence, there hasn't been a more cinematic literary series since The Hunger Games.

As this installment expands the scope of the story's time travel tech, the epic scale of the Universe becomes clearer, bringing the Walrustech phenomenon closer to the status of the Bene Gesseritt in Herbert's Dune series in terms of possibilities for future (and past) adventures. This wild ride has something for everyone, from a winter march across frigid plains complete with Conestoga wagons, to the ultra-convenience of futuristic terraforming technology. The Aurora's Pale Light is fantastic fun no reader should miss.

An Epic thank you to NetGalley, Magic Aurora Books and the author for this highly anticipated and thoroughly enjoyed ARC.

So I had read the first in this series and it was a little weird multiple plot points, chaos and the story started great snd ended lackluster.

I loved the orginal idea though so I wanted tj give the second book a chance.

I feel the same on this one, the idea is amazing but the story itself is going in to many directions and that's someone that dosent mind Alot of characters and plot points to keep up with usually.

I think this could work with some very heavy editing and a maybe narrowing down the story.