Out Past the Stars

Hail Bristol used to run guns. Now she is Star of Indrana, the ruler of her people, and she has spent two earlier books trying to broker peace between the Farians and the Shen. That peace is still out of reach when the book opens.

When Hail confronts the gods the Farians worship, she learns their true identity: they are the Hiervet, an alien race from deep in the past that once carried war across the galaxy. They have returned to take revenge on others of their kind who got away. Shen, Farian and Indranan alike are in their path, and the Hiervet do not care who is caught in the middle.

Hail has little room to maneuver. Political plots are closing in on her at home, and an old enemy is hunting her. With the help of loyal and resourceful friends, she has to make one last gamble to turn the chaos into peace.

This is space opera that mixes action, humour and political scheming. It is the third and final volume of The Farian War, published by Orbit in 2021. Readers should start with There Before the Chaos and Down Among the Dead, which come first.