At the frozen edge of the solar system lies a hidden treasure which could spell their fortune or their destruction—but only if they survive each other first.
Marcus Warnoc has a little problem. His asteroid mining ship—his inheritance, his livelihood, and his home—has been hijacked by a pint-sized corporate heiress with enough blackmail material to sink him for good, a secret mission she won’t tell him about, and enough courage to get them both killed. She may have him dead to rights, but if he doesn’t turn the tables on this spoiled Martian snob, he’ll be dead, period. He’s not giving up without a fight.
He has a plan.
Miranda Foxgrove has the opportunity of a lifetime almost within her grasp if she can reach it. Her stolen spacecraft came with a stubborn, resourceful captain who refuses to cooperate—but he’s one of the few men alive who can snatch an unimaginable treasure from beneath the muzzles of countless railguns. And if this foulmouthed Belter thug doesn’t want to cooperate, she’ll find a way to force him. She’s come too far to give up now.
She has a plan.
They’re about to find out that a plan is a list of things that won’t happen.
Marcus Warnoc has a little problem. His asteroid mining ship—his inheritance, his livelihood, and his home—has been hijacked by a pint-sized corporate heiress with enough blackmail material to sink him for good, a secret mission she won’t tell him about, and enough courage to get them both killed. She may have him dead to rights, but if he doesn’t turn the tables on this spoiled Martian snob, he’ll be dead, period. He’s not giving up without a fight.
He has a plan.
Miranda Foxgrove has the opportunity of a lifetime almost within her grasp if she can reach it. Her stolen spacecraft came with a stubborn, resourceful captain who refuses to cooperate—but he’s one of the few men alive who can snatch an unimaginable treasure from beneath the muzzles of countless railguns. And if this foulmouthed Belter thug doesn’t want to cooperate, she’ll find a way to force him. She’s come too far to give up now.
She has a plan.
They’re about to find out that a plan is a list of things that won’t happen.
REVIEWS:
Independent publishing has sparked a new Golden Age of science fiction, reviving a genre which seemed increasingly moribund under the dead hand of legacy publishers and recycled plots. These new authors are sparking a sense of wonder and portraying a hopeful and optimistic future and inspiring readers to go out and make that future happen. The discerning reader of science fiction today can choose from a collection of talented, imaginative, and prolific authors to such an extent that it’s like reading Heinlein, Bradbury, Clarke, Asimov, Pohl, and Doc Smith all in their prime, but with ideas and plots as new as today and tomorrow.
With his first novel, Theft of Fire, Devon Eriksen has jumped in at the top of the game, crafting a tale of “hard” science fiction (grounded in plausible science and technology, not magic swords and dragons wrapped in technobabble) with complex, believable characters who interact and grow throughout the tale, and an artificial intelligence who strikes me as far more likely to be what we’ll encounter in our own future than the cartoon tales of mindless monsters or transcendent deities sketched by self-styled “experts” in machine intelligence.
And, there’s plenty of action: space battles among fusion powered torch ships, rail gun duels, and a grand chase through the far reaches of the solar system at one percent of the speed of light. The stakes couldn’t be higher: a technology which could change everything and disrupt an entrenched corporate oligarchy or entrench their power forever, with the outcome in the hands of a space pirate (through lack of alternatives), a gene twisted and ruthless blackmailer already rich beyond dreams of avarice, and an artificial intelligence just coming to terms with her circumstances and power.
This is a glorious adventure and a delight to read. The conclusion isn’t a cliffhanger, but leaves the reader wanting to know where these characters go from here, for which we’ll have to await the promised sequel.
--Jon Walker, co-founder of Autodesk, Inc
Independent publishing has sparked a new Golden Age of science fiction, reviving a genre which seemed increasingly moribund under the dead hand of legacy publishers and recycled plots. These new authors are sparking a sense of wonder and portraying a hopeful and optimistic future and inspiring readers to go out and make that future happen. The discerning reader of science fiction today can choose from a collection of talented, imaginative, and prolific authors to such an extent that it’s like reading Heinlein, Bradbury, Clarke, Asimov, Pohl, and Doc Smith all in their prime, but with ideas and plots as new as today and tomorrow.
With his first novel, Theft of Fire, Devon Eriksen has jumped in at the top of the game, crafting a tale of “hard” science fiction (grounded in plausible science and technology, not magic swords and dragons wrapped in technobabble) with complex, believable characters who interact and grow throughout the tale, and an artificial intelligence who strikes me as far more likely to be what we’ll encounter in our own future than the cartoon tales of mindless monsters or transcendent deities sketched by self-styled “experts” in machine intelligence.
And, there’s plenty of action: space battles among fusion powered torch ships, rail gun duels, and a grand chase through the far reaches of the solar system at one percent of the speed of light. The stakes couldn’t be higher: a technology which could change everything and disrupt an entrenched corporate oligarchy or entrench their power forever, with the outcome in the hands of a space pirate (through lack of alternatives), a gene twisted and ruthless blackmailer already rich beyond dreams of avarice, and an artificial intelligence just coming to terms with her circumstances and power.
This is a glorious adventure and a delight to read. The conclusion isn’t a cliffhanger, but leaves the reader wanting to know where these characters go from here, for which we’ll have to await the promised sequel.
--Jon Walker, co-founder of Autodesk, Inc
Chattanooga author Devon Eriksen is a life-long reader, with a particular fondness for classics from the golden age of science fiction, such as "A Mote in God's Eye" and "Ringworld." While he was dissuaded from becoming a writer in his childhood, retirement from a career in engineering and the unwavering support of his loved ones presented an opportunity to pursue his childhood dream. Eriksen began writing stories with a single overarching goal: to give the reader something to love.
And he hasn't looked back since.
Author Website: http://www.DevonEriksen.com
And he hasn't looked back since.
Author Website: http://www.DevonEriksen.com