Tale of the Thunderbolt — E.E. Knight

WELCOME TO THE YEAR 2070.
EARTH IS UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT.

Possessed of an unnatural and legendary hunger, the Reapers have come to Earth to establish a New Order built on the harvesting of enslaved human souls. They rule the planet. They thrive on the scent of fear. And if it is night, as sure as darkness, they will come.

It's the forty-eighth year of the Kurian Order. The alien, vampiric Kur and their avatars, the Reapers, control most of Earth--their new feeding ground. Humanity is scattered and survives only at their new masters' whims.

But the Resistance is attempting to reclaim Earth. David Valentine, member of the elite Cat spy force, is in enemy uniform aboard the aging gunboat Thunderbolt. Whispers have reached him of the discovery of a long-lost weapon in the Caribbean--the first glimmer of hope for humanity to finally defeat the Reapers. Control of the ship lies in the hands of a tyrannical captain, and nothing short of full-scale mutiny can win 'it back. With only a few loyal sailors at his side, Valentine embarks on a terrifying journey through the deadly waters of the Gulf, searching for the weapon that will guarantee that this year--the forty-eighth year of the Kurian Order's domination of Earth--will be the Kurians' last....