The whole world had been swallowed by complete darkness, but only for a few seconds. This was nothing like anyone had seen before. Then it happened again. What followed was a frenzy of speculation that bordered on panic. Reverend Jonah Stamm in the US saw this as an opportunity to propel his career to another level. He scheduled an interview with True North News’ reporter Edward Benton to share what he claimed to be an explanation for the unprecedented blackouts. But unknown to Jonah, Edward had a copy of a handwritten letter Jonah had written to Congressman Carlton Justice. Carlton and Jonah were part of a powerful but secret group that had sinister motives. How would this evolve? Elsewhere, Adam Faraday and Fran Porter of Aura/Sonos, a biotechnology research company, were on the brink of discovering the cause of the unusual blackouts. What will they uncover? Find out more in Bruce Meisterman’s The Light Inerrant.

Lovers of apocalyptic slow-burn sci-fi novels with a blend of conspiracy and drama will find it hard to put down Bruce Meisterman’s The Light Inerrant. The author bases the storyline on a tale of deceit, betrayal, blackmail, loyalty, religion, politics, conspiracies, science, greed, and secrets. His choice of words gives the book a sharp intellectual tone. The conversations were stimulating and engrossing. The vast number of role players includes hypocritical preachers, cunning politicians, ambitious scientists, information-thirsty reporters, and publicity-seeking bureaucrats. Bruce contrasts the complex personalities involved while maintaining a grip on reality. This made it easy for me to connect with them and follow the plot. Adam Faraday is a super-intelligent scientist with an intriguing perspective of the world. Together with Fran Porter, they form a hungry team that will stop at nothing in their hunt for answers.

It is difficult to categorize The Light Inerrant as it blends science fiction, thriller, political suspense, and disaster. Bruce Meisterman creates a contemporary political intrigue and global dysfunction novel in which all light suddenly disappears. This isn’t an electrical fault, but all light, natural and manmade, stops, and the world is plunged into darkness. The pause is seconds but raises an alarm with the U.S. authorities. The Aura/Sonos team, under the leadership of Adam Faraday, investigates the phenomenon. Religious leaders, politicians, and the military offer explanations for the chaos, but the truth may not be what they like. Many try to gain an advantage through the ensuing panic, and the most notable is the Reverend Jonah Stamm, a televangelist.

Bruce Meisterman’s The Light Inerrant is complex. It raises religious, metaphysical, and moral questions about humanity and wraps it up in a fascinating thriller. The characters are introduced in short bursts, much like the pauses in the light, and it takes a while to learn their interconnectedness. He deals with the political world's underlying corruption and humanity's fundamental goodness. There are similarities to current global politics, and Meisterman captures the cynicism of many of the power elite. The concept is clever, and I wondered how it would resolve itself, but I wasn’t disappointed. The key players are very believable and reflect recent history. Can the lack of light allow us to see what they are? Is there hope for humanity?