Potential Energy

This heartfelt sci-fi romance from Fielding (Teddy Spencer Isn’t Looking for Love) follows Haz Taylor, smuggler and erstwhile Coalition navy pilot, as he fights his way out of a political trap in a queernorm far future. Haz is desperate to fly again, so when a former superior from the Coalition hires him to transport an artifact to a distant world, he doesn’t ask questions. But when his “cargo” turns out to be Mot, a naive young man being treated as a holy relic, and the routine job is revealed to be a setup to cement Coalition power, he and his crew—navigator Njeri and engineer Jaya—find themselves in over their heads. As Haz and Mot grow closer and Haz experiences emotions he thought himself incapable of, he is faced with a choice: defy the Coalition and join the fight for the greater good, or do what he’s always done and put himself first. While the sci-fi adventure follows predictable beats, Fielding populates her world with endearing characters, and the romance plot is satisfying. This will please fans of diverse space opera and queer romance alike. (Apr.)