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Pub date March 12, 2021

ISBN 9781913567484

Price $14.69 (USD) Paperback, $5.35 Kindle edition

Author interview

Powerful and consuming, Graham-Leigh’s latest takes the reader on a fascinating journey into the far-future. When the higher-ups at Chilme, the major power in the galaxy, decide to send Quila, a rising figure in the Chilme diplomatic service, to the poor and violent ex-Terran colony of Benan Ty to sort out a peace deal between the rebel group ViaVera and the local government, she sees it as an opportunity to advance her career, unaware her life is going to change forever. With her keen psychological insights and scientific-know-how, Graham-Leigh develops her characters with the same careful details as she does her vast futuristic world. Watching the members of ViaVera fighting their inner demons as they train for the ongoing battle, and their interpersonal interactions, is both intriguing and amazing. The characters’ inner struggles form a major part of the plot, providing more opportunity for conflict in the story. Quila as a liberal diplomat questioning her own choices, Terise, with her apprehensions, an understated and yet moving examination of the bond of friendship, and the exploration of themes of imperialism, resistance, and liberation—all these things contribute to the success of the story. This intriguing world of a morally corrupt futuristic society will leave readers hungry for more of the author’s work.