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An Uncomfortable Truth
That Dark Edge follows an exoethnologist as she investigates the culture of an alien species and faces rising tensions that result from linguistic and social differences. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I’ve always been interested in anthropology, curious and fascinated by the interactions between the sophisticated cultures with those defined as less so. Two dear friends, both anthropologists, who joined the Peace Corps told me a true story that happened when such scholars were not allowed to interfere with the society they observed. The anthropologists watched as parents in a very poor community walled up a daughter so she would starve because she kept asking for food. The horror of this still makes my heart stop. The sharp difference in perspective burned an uncomfortable truth inside me, between those from abundant certainty and those living with unavoidable grim survival. I think I just wanted to “fix” this even if I couldn’t change the reality of it.
The science inserted in the fiction, I felt, was well-balanced. How did you manage to keep it grounded while still providing the fantastic edge science fiction stories usually provide?
We take our own everyday things like indoor plumbing, electricity, flying planes, etc. for granted without considering how they work (unless they break down). The humans, especially those who have gone off-planet, accept their technological advantages as part of the world they know. I also try very hard to make any advanced tech plausible from what we know or what we can extrapolate from science–I want it to be feasible rather than too fantastic, even if fantastic is more fun.
What experience in your life has had the biggest impact on your writing?
I was always telling stories. I made little people out of paper, pipe cleaners, and ice cream sticks from as early as six years old. My mom, who was often the audience for my “stories” told me one day: “You have quite an imagination. Why don’t you write that down?” I was eleven. And that was it. Whatever else I dreamed of being, I knew from that day I wanted to be a writer. Everything I experience, bad and good, is fuel for that creative fire.
Can we look forward to a follow-up to That Dark Edge? What are you currently working on?
Yes. I’m currently working diligently on the sequel to That Dark Edge, called Unbound We Arrive. We follow Hedda Tocq and her companions through world-shaking reactions and consequences, some painful, some wondrous, some unfolding in ways we can only imagine.
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Maybe more than one.
Hedda Tocq is the manifest princess of a genetically-enhanced class on Mars, heir to the Bastet Company’s vast riches and biotechnological resources. But she rejects her legacy, especially after the perimeter planet Vyss is discovered to be inhabited by sentient humanoids. With diligent examination of every detail reported by those on the ground on Vyss, she becomes the expert on the Vyssae and wants to go to Vyss in person to study them but the Company continuously refuses permission. The civil authorities of the Unified Terran Alliance, who maintain jurisdiction over Vyss and are impressed by her scientific work, grant her official approval backed by the full power of the Office of Space Development and Xenology. After she arrives, the primary questions she has about Vyssaen reality becomes less important than learning everything about these extraordinary people and their culture. But she doesn’t know that there is more than one enemy trying to manipulate her existence and that of the Vyssae, enemies willing to do the unspeakable to accomplish their objectives.
The more she learns, the more she repudiates her inheritance to take a stand for Vyss and its people, whatever the cost.
That Dark Edge
That Dark Edge is a cerebral and vividly textured science fiction novel set in the Unified Terran Alliance universe. The story follows Hedda Tocq, a genetically enhanced Bastet and exoethnologist, as she investigates the enigmatic culture of the Vyssae—an alien species with a unique social and linguistic structure—on the planet Vyss. As tensions rise due to a fatal misunderstanding between humans and the Vyssae, Hedda is forced to navigate layers of political tension, cultural mistrust, and personal trauma. The narrative switches between action, introspective memory loops, and philosophical questions about humanity’s evolution and morality, all wrapped in the richly imagined backdrop of interstellar colonization.
I found McGarry’s writing to be both ambitious and meditative. Her prose is poetic in places, dense with meaning, but never self-indulgent. The integration of science fiction tropes such as genetic engineering, interplanetary politics, and AI technology is handled with confidence, but what really resonated with me was the emotional depth beneath the tech-heavy surface. Hedda’s memory loops, especially the ones surrounding the loss of her family, broke my heart in quiet, aching beats. McGarry doesn’t just world-build, she soul-builds. The dialogue can be cryptic at times, laced with allusions and codes, but I grew to enjoy its rhythm. The characters feel like old friends that keep you coming back.
I occasionally found myself needing to slow down and reread, especially during early chapters packed with new terminology and cultural cues. The glossary helps, but I wish some of that worldbuilding had been woven more naturally into the dialogue or action. Also, the constant memory recalls, though meaningful, can get heavy. Still, there’s a lyrical quality to how McGarry treats memory and grief. And there’s a quiet feminist thread I admired. Hedda isn’t just strong, she’s complex, vulnerable, and unapologetically driven.
This book is not your average space opera. It’s smart, layered, and patient. If you’re into character-driven sci-fi with moral gray zones, deep cultural clashes, and sharp emotional undercurrents, this one’s for you. Fans of Ursula K. Le Guin or Octavia Butler will find echoes here. It’s not for folks looking for fast-paced adventure or explosions every ten pages, but if you’ve got a taste for nuance and depth, That Dark Edge will reward you.
Pages: 288 | ASIN : B0D364RKGP
LITERARY TITAN 