In the Black

September 1, 2020
Tomlinson (Gate Crashers, 2018) is back with another crowd-pleasing, snarky, thought-provoking, character-driven tale. This new series melds military science fiction with space opera featuring a 70-year cold war on the brink of turning hot between humans and the Xre, an insect-crab hybrid species, on a far off frontier planet, and a giant corporation funding it all. The plot is not why readers will be drawn to this novel. Instead, it is the three engaging protagonists, Captain Susan Kamala, human commander of the Ansari; Derstu Thuk, commander of a Xre ship; and Tyson Abington, CEO of Agless Corp, and their overlapping points of view that allow the reader to see the conflict from three completely different perspectives. It is through their development, the stellar worldbuilding, and Tomlinson's ability to subtly, but seriously, examine the current moment using a speculative lens while still injecting humor and bounce into an old-standby subgenre that this series opener is such a compelling read. An easy suggestion for fans of John Scalzi, Catherine Asaro, or Yoon Ha Lee.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)