Embers of War — Gareth L. Powell

THE FIRST IN A SCI-FI TRILOGY: This “smart, funny, tragic” space opera puts a fresh spin on genre tropes with Firefly vibes, “gosh-wow ideation, and thriller-style action” (Locus).

“Fast-paced and fun and full of adventure.” -- Ann Leckie, Hugo Award-winning author of Ancillary Justice

The sentient warship Trouble Dog was built for violence, yet following a brutal war, she is disgusted by her role in a genocide. Stripped of her weaponry and seeking to atone, she joins the House of Reclamation, an organization dedicated to rescuing ships in distress. When a civilian ship goes missing in a disputed system, Trouble Dog and her new crew of loners, captained by Sal Konstanz, are sent on a rescue mission.

Meanwhile, light years away, intelligence officer Ashton Childe is tasked with locating the poet, Ona Sudak, who was aboard the missing spaceship. What Childe doesn't know is that Sudak is not the person she appears to be. A straightforward rescue turns into something far more dangerous, as Trouble Dog, Konstanz and Childe find themselves at the center of a conflict that could engulf the entire galaxy. If she is to save her crew, Trouble Dog is going to have to remember how to fight . . .