Dark Light (MacLeod novel)

Dark Light is a science fiction novel by Scottish writer Ken MacLeod, published in 2001.
It is the second book in the Engines of Light Trilogy and a 2002 nominee for the Campbell Award.
The novel continues the plot from "Cosmonaut Keep", but this time is set on the "Second Sphere", a number of clustered solar systems artificially seeded with intelligent life forms by a mysterious and transcendent alien species. Within this system, the main character, Matt Cairns, develops a form of interstellar travel and sets out to discover the motivation of the aliens.
Literary significance and reception.
"Publishers Weekly" had a mixed review for the novel saying: