Dark Matter

Dark matter, the invisible substance that constitutes the bulk of all matter in the universe, remains one of science's greatest mysteries. But what if it actually is nothing more than ordinary matter purposely hidden from our view? What if we are only allowed to see a small fraction of the stars in our galaxy, because the vast majority of star systems are teeming with aliens who wish to remain unseen? Marc Zemin, a brilliant student of astrophysics, is the first human to ever stumble upon this startling secret, when his experiments with wormhole travel cause aliens to land on Earth and whisk him away into space. To his astonishment, the aliens want his help in fighting a colossal galactic war that is rapidly spiraling out of control. But as he struggles to survive from battle to battle across the farthest reaches of the galaxy, he begins to uncover a horrifying conspiracy at play, striving to keep the warring civilizations in continuous conflict with each other. A desperate race against time ensues, as he and a handful of newfound alien friends try to stop the war and confront this mysterious, powerful force bent on destroying all life in the galaxy. But any hope of their success surprisingly appears to hinge on just one thing - whether or not Marc has the strength to overcome his own demons and face the shattering truth about who he really is.

**NOTE: Dark Matter is a classic style space opera combined with elements of fantasy. It is not a pure or hard science fiction book. **You can always preview it first to see if it's the kind of story or writing style you'll like. On Google Books, nearly a third of the book can be previewed for free.

### Review

"More than a simple adventure story, **Ahmed has managed to create a unique first novel**." --W Thomas Payne, Associated Content (Top Ten Best Selling Science Fiction Books of 2008)

"What if we could travel travel faster than the speed of light? Ahmed explores this question in his first novel... with alien abductions, the theory of dark matter and galactic warfare." --SalientGate, **Best Science Fiction Books of 2008**

"While clearly in the 50's pulp-sf tradition with Arabian Nights sensibilities, this is **a fun debut with a very diverse cast**." --Fantasy Book Critic

**"A sci-fi debut that shows great potential."** --Kirkus Discoveries

### From the Author

My goal was not to write another typical contemporary science fiction novel or one that restricted itself completely to the boundaries of current scientific knowledge. Rather, it was to write a fascinating, exciting adventure story that blended science fiction and fantasy in such a way that it would stretch the imagination of most readers to their limits. I hope you enjoy reading it as I much as I did writing it.