Windswept

Rakunas delivers a wildly fun science fiction debut set on a backwater planet struggling to stay relevant to the galactic economy. Santee is known (and often exploited) for its cane sugar and whisky. Padma Mehta wants nothing more than to retire and run a rum distillery, but first she must fill a recruiting quota and collect her bounty. Her potential recruits are indentured laborers who have breached their contracts and fled to Santee, only to find menial and often dangerous jobs await them. Meanwhile, Padma's current workers are restless, having been promised that new recruits will take over their jobs and free them to move on to better things. And something, or someone, is causing large batches of rum to go bad, which doesn't bode well for Padma's future. She must use her wits and her fists to unravel a conspiracy of corruption while dodging corporate goons and navigating surprisingly complex politics. This twisty David-and-Goliath tale is clever, fast-paced, and frequently funny, taking plenty of well-deserved potshots at corporate greed. (Sept.)