Apocalypse How? (Dakota Adams #1)

An archaeological quest turns into a time-traveling fight for survival in Surlak-Ramsey’s witty and thrilling debut. On a distant planet, Dakota Adams hopes that she’ll hit the jackpot and find something the Progenitors left behind—or the Vela, a legendary spaceship that’s been missing for 500 years. What she finds is the Vela’s colony ship, its flight data recorder, a mysterious cube, and a whole lot of trouble. Hoping to unlock the data recorder, Dakota heads to a shady club owner and antiques collector named Pizlow. After a double-cross by Pizlow, Dakota escapes with her friend Tolby, a pilot, and the chase begins to find the Vela and its secrets. Once Dakota is on board the Vela and learns that the cube she possesses is an artifact that transports the user through time and space, she leaps forward and back attempting to save herself and Tolby from the ship’s imminent destruction. Surlak-Ramsey sets a frenetic pace, weaves in a couple intriguing subplots, and handles time-travel paradoxes well. Some of the comedic scenes feel familiar, but the edge-of-your-seat action keeps readers engaged. This is a strong debut that launches a promising series. (Sept.)