Full brass fanfare for Kelly Jennings, whose riveting space opera In the Deep lifts off today!
In the Deep is a direct sequel to Fault Lines, now an evolving series titled Escape Velocity. These tense tales of adventure and conflict will be irresistible to readers of Melissa Scott, Aliette de Bodard and C. J. Cherryh. Exploring the issues of genetic engineering as they play into interstellar power politics, rife with complex and shifting alliances and with flawed, vivid protagonists for whom the reader comes to care deeply, Fault Lines and In the Deep are Firefly meets GATTACA with a soupçon of Hunger Games. Those who read The Other Half of the Sky may recall meeting the protagonists of this universe in “Velocity’s Ghost”. The premise of In the Deep:
Velocity Wrachant and the crew of the Susan Calvin have been working in Pirian Space for three years, doing adjunct work for the Pirian fleet. When they are offered a mission in Republic Space, they know this is their chance to be taken in as full members of the fleet. And the job looks safe enough: they are to rescue some Pirian fleet members out of contract labor, while also learning what they can about local insurgencies.
The planet they are sent to, Durbin, is in Republic-held space. But it’s at the fringes of that space, in the seldom patrolled area known as The Deep. Velocity takes the mission, hoping to get in and out without attracting the attention of the powerful, and hostile, Combines. Once they reach the planet, however, they learn that the political situation there is far more complicated—and dangerous—than they expected.
Raised in New Orleans, Kelly Jennings is a member and co-founder of the Boston Mountain Writers Group. Her short fiction has appeared in many venues, including The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction and The Other Half of The Sky. She has published two novels, Broken Slate (2011) and Fault Lines (2018); and she co-edited the anthology Menial: Skilled Labor in SF (2012). The dynamic, eloquent cover is by Melissa Capriglione.
Fault Lines received enthusiastic endorsements from SF legend Gwyneth Jones and Hugo finalist Paul Weimer. It has also nabbed a spot at Scalzi’s Big Idea this coming Wednesday. Excerpts:
…as gritty and complex as the first novel-length adventure… // Strongly reminiscent of C.J Cherryh at her best. — Gwyneth Jones, author of the Aleutian trilogy, winner of the World Fantasy, Clarke, Dick, and Tiptree awards
In the Deep evoked for me // space opera at its best: C.J. Cherryh, Lois M Bujold, Arkady Martine, and Frank Herbert’s Dune. Jennings offers character development and worldbuilding in spades to make a fractally complicated universe that feels real and lived in. — Paul Weimer, book reviewer and Hugo finalist
In the Deep is available on Amazon, B&N, Kobo – and of course on our website, where buying the lovingly prepared trade paperback also brings along the full digital bundle (PDF, Epub and Mobi) . All C&G ebooks are DRM-free. The ongoing US Post Office upheaval has necessitated use of UPS for shipping, which in turn has unfortunately forced us to raise shipping fees.
Come explore In the Deep with us; sail the perilous skies of the Pirian/Combine ‘verse with genetic outlaws and hierarchy subverters!
