★ ★ ★
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.