Merbeth’s ( Raid, 2017, etc.) latest - the first installment of an SF adventure trilogy - follows a family of smugglers as they unknowingly become entangled in a grand-scale conspiracy that could ignite an interstellar war and kill millions. Here’s an excerpt from that Kirkus review. Kirkus praised the opening volume Fortuna, saying “”The narrative is powered by a cast of deeply developed characters… The nonstop action and varying levels of tension make this an unarguable page-turner.” I’m looking forward to finally having all three volumes of this popular series in my hot little hands… and some vacation time to enjoy them. This week I’m especially excited about the third novel in Kristyn Merbeth’s Nova Vita Protocol trilogy, Discordia, arriving from Orbit next month. But I can still daydream about it, in between sales meetings and hitting my weekly pitch deadlines. I don’t get much much time to read when I’m faced with this kind of deadline pressure. They’re always sorta busy, but this month has taken it to a new level. Things are really busy at Chateau O’Neill. Covers by Shutterstock and Lisa Marie Pompilio Fortuna, Memoria and Discordia (Orbit Books, 2019-21).

Total annihilation intro