An evil genius is trying to clone humanoid lizard predators on a planet at the edge of the galaxy, and use them as his personal army in the thrilling novella, The Outworlds: Resurgence by Daniel P. Douglas. As a young boy, Second Lieutenant Jerod Eastaway was accustomed to abuse from his violent father and bullying half-brothers. His mother was his only protection from their damage. That small fringe of safety was dissolved the night he witnessed his mother's rape and murder. To escape his painful present and horrifying history, Jerod joined the military as soon as he legally reached adult status. However, fate seemed to have other plans for Jerod and placed him on the path of the most malevolent force in the known universe and the past he is trying to avoid. Still green and learning the ropes, Jerod is placed in charge of a reconnaissance mission. Once Jerod and his team reach the planet, they find themselves at the mercy of an unknown enemy with invisible and unknown weapons. With no one to help them, how will they survive?

This fascinating science fiction novella, Resurgence, is the sequel to War Torrent and is the second installment of the Outworlds series by Daniel P. Douglas. The story is introduced during pre-history and commences in the twenty-fourth century. The characters are unique and interesting, ranging from human to reptilian, up to and including humanoid. I found them to be reminiscent of alien conspiracies that are currently prevalent in our society, and feel like they fit into the story very well. The intriguing plot is set in outer space on a planet in another galaxy, reminding me of a Star Trek film. For those who love alien conspiracies and stories set in the future in faraway galaxies as well as our own, this short story will be an entertaining read and time well spent, sure to delight readers of sci-fi. This is not a standalone story but is part of a series. To get the most out of this story, you should read all of the installments.

The Outworlds: Resurgence, a novella by Daniel Douglas, is the second book in the Outworlds series following War Torrent. The story opens in the past, about 1,500 B.C., with red-breasted reptilian lizard hunters chasing down and disabling humans with invisible pulses from a black-tentacled apparatus harnessed onto a hunter's back. The humans are savaged, hybrid offspring result, and some are taken away on alien sky ships. The story shifts to September, 2312, where information is received by the Combine that on the Outworld planet Oeskone, Abraham Harel, a former criminal and expert in genetic manipulation, has discovered relics and ancient remains from a race called the Angorgal. Alien telekinetic weaponry, alien ship tech, and a mineral called "God's Dust" that boosts armor and weapon capabilities have been found. A meeting of the Republican Expeditionary Force on a platform above Saturn's moon, Titan, is convened and a mission is quickly authorized to investigate before the Chinese Conglomerate can get there first.

I have not read too many novellas, and wasn't sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised by how well the author, Daniel Douglas, wove everything together. Given the short length of this story, there wasn't much character development, except for Jerod Eastaway. Douglas weaves the events of Eastaway's past into the story, and by him recognizing the killers of his mother as being on the planet, this gives him the impetus of revenge to carry on through impossible circumstances and hardships to survive. The narrative was fast paced with plenty of future technology introduced, and the ending leaves you looking forward to the next installment of the series called Resurgence II.