cover image Perdition: 
The Dred Chronicles, Book 1

Perdition: The Dred Chronicles, Book 1

Ann Aguirre. Ace, $7.99 mass market (352p) ISBN 978-0-425-25811-8

Penitentiary ship Perdition orbits endlessly, filled with the criminal refuse of the Conglomerate. It is a prison of no return whose abandoned inhabitants are left to create whatever brutal societies they may. Dresdemona “Dred” Devos rules over one of the six regions within Perdition, her often-harsh commands leavened by unusual concern for her subordinates. Escape seems an impossible dream until the arrival of nigh-indestructible Jael, previously seen in Aguirre’s Sirantha Jax series. Jael gives Dred and her faction the hope of survival and perhaps even freedom—but Jael has betrayed his closest allies before and may deliver only doom. Prolific science fiction, fantasy, romance, and YA author Aguirre revisits the classic idea of survival within an anarchic, violent society, offering protagonists whose moral gray contrasts with the stygian dark of those around them. Sirantha Jax fans may be intrigued to see what befell Jael after his ill-considered actions there, and new lead Dred is a strong linchpin for a promising new series. Agent: Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary Agency. (Sept.)