Tachyon Tunnel 2: The Daklin Empire

Tachyon Tunnel 2: The Daklin Empire is a sequel to Michael Gorton's first book, Tachyon Tunnel, that not only elevates science fiction adventure to new heights but also touches the reader's heart with emotional depth. This novel, a story of time travel, humanity's destiny, and personal sacrifice, will keep you hooked from the first page to the last.

The story begins with Paula Campbell returning to Earth, standing in the New Mexico desert, where her car is about to collide with a tanker truck just a few miles away—the very collision that would kill her. Through tachyon tunneling, a time-travel technology, she survives the accident. The scene is so vivid and tense that you feel yourself standing with Paula in that desert night, where the stars and the flames of the explosion combine to dramatize the beginning of the story. Paula's fall in the desert, her discovery by John Prinz, and John's subsequent death in another car accident immediately send the story on an emotional rollercoaster. Paula's memory loss deepens the mystery as she tries to understand who she is and what her true path is.

Meanwhile, Alex Durant and his team—including Alexander Bell, Lyra, and the AI Emily—are busy traveling through time and space. They return to the planet EtaKatz, where Paula and Alex's ancestors founded a new civilization. The descriptions of EtaKatz are so vivid that you can feel the low gravity, blue skies, and strange familiarity. Lyra's emotional attachment to her birthplace and Paula's mysterious connection to the planet give the story a philosophical dimension, raising questions about how much of our memories and identities are our own versus those of our ancestors.

Michael Gorton's writing style is the novel's greatest strength. He explains complex scientific concepts like tachyon tunneling and time travel so simply that even a general reader can easily understand them. From the calm yet mysterious atmosphere of the desert to the vibrant world of EtaKatz, his descriptions are so vivid that you feel present in every scene. Quotes at the beginning of each chapter—such as John Lennon’s “There’s nowhere you can be that isn’t where you’re meant to be” or Dr. Seuss’s “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened”—deepen the story’s themes. Though the complex mix of timelines can be confusing at times, the author manages to untangle everything by the end.

Tachyon Tunnel 2: The Daklin Empire is a book that blends intense science fiction adventure with deep human emotions. It is a story that will make you laugh, cry, and think. If you are a fan of stories like Interstellar or The Time Traveler’s Wife, this book will be a remarkable experience. Read it after the first book, Tachyon Tunnel, to enjoy this complex and beautiful story fully. This novel is not only for science fiction enthusiasts but for anyone seeking a tale that touches both the heart and the mind.