by Ann Aguirre
Part of Sirantha Jax
First published 2008
Sirantha Jax has a rare genetic trait that lets her navigate faster-than-light ships through grimspace. For years she worked that talent for the Farwan Corporation. Now the Corp is finished, exposed for deliberately destroying a passenger vessel, and Jax is out of a job and legally dead on paper, which means her bank account is empty too. When the Conglomerate government comes looking for someone to lead a diplomatic mission to the planet Ithiss-Tor, she says yes. The pay is good, the alternative is nothing. Getting there is the problem. Between her and Ithiss-Tor sit Syndicate criminals, predatory aliens, and a pilot she has complicated feelings about. Grimspace takes a physical toll every time she jumps, and her body is already running low. The mission itself is no sure thing either. Convincing the Ithtorians to join the Conglomerate will require more than showing up alive. Jax is stubborn, resourceful, and used to operating at the edge of what her body can handle. Whether that is enough is a different question entirely.
Genres: science-fiction, romance, adventure, space-opera, action
Vibes: character-driven, fast-paced, gritty, high-stakes, suspenseful
Tropes: complicated-feelings, forced-proximity, found-family, resourceful-protagonist
Setting: Ithiss-Tor, Grimspace, Conglomerate
312 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Ace
Content warnings: death, violence