« The Engines of Dawn » Paul Harlin Cook

For hundreds of years, humans have used the great Engines of the alien Enamorati to propel their biggest starships, enabling millions to travel — and live — among the stars. As part of this alliance, the Enamorati jealously guard the secrets of their Engines’ power. And a complacent humanity becomes dependent on their alien benefactors for survival.

But when an Engine fails on a university ship — stranding it in space — physics lecturer Ben Bennet and a small group of students and professors rise up to fight the status quo. Theirs is first shot in a growing rebellion against the aliens. Their probes into the inner reaches of the Enamorati culture and mind will uncover the shocking secret of the aliens’ technology — and set the stage for revolution