A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe (Salvagers Series #1)

by Alex White

Overview

A crew of outcasts tries to find a legendary ship before it falls into the hands of those who would use it as a weapon in this science fiction adventure series for fans of The Expanse and Firefly.

A washed-up treasure hunter, a hotshot racer, and a deadly secret society.

They're all on a race against time to hunt down the greatest warship ever built. Some think the ship is lost forever, some think it's been destroyed, and some think it's only a legend, but one thing's for certain: whoever finds it will hold the fate of the universe in their hands. And treasure that valuable can never stay hidden for long. . .

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316412063
Publisher:	Orbit
Publication date:	06/26/2018
Series:	Salvagers Series , #1
Pages:	480
Sales rank:	123,332
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.10(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Alex White was born and raised in the American South. They take photos, write music, and spend hours on YouTube watching other people blacksmith. They value challenging and subversive writing, but they'll settle for a good time.

Alex lives in the shadow of Huntsville, Alabama's rockets with their spouse, son, two dogs and a cat named Grim. Favored pastimes include Legos and racecars. They take their whiskey neat and their espresso black.

Editorial Reviews

06/11/2018
White’s assured debut is an entertaining throwback with some fun worldbuilding and two great lead characters. In the distant future, well after space has been colonized, almost all humans have magic powers, conveniently divided into RPG-like classes (machinists are great with tech, fatalists are perfect shots, etc.). One of the few who doesn’t is Boots, a former space rebel and reality TV star who makes a living producing fake salvage maps for desperate space captains, including her former captain, Cordell. While trying to avoid his retribution for her fraud, she runs across star race car driver Nilah, who has just survived an attack by a mysterious mage and a group of murderous mercenaries. Cordell captures them and brings them onto his ship, where they immediately meet the crew and help fight off an attack. As the adventure continues, plenty of White’s action doesn’t hold up to serious scrutiny, and some expository dialogue is painful (“Malik has sleep magic. Keeps them young,” one person explains to Boots, who presumably already knows how sleep magic works). But this space adventure is calling back to an era when such flaws were woven into the genre, and readers looking for a modern take on it, complete with many female and nonwhite characters, will be pleased. Agent: Connor Goldsmith, Fuse Literary. (July)

Publishers Weekly

"A clever fusion of magic and sci-fi makes this book a total blast. I was hooked from page one."—V. E. Schwab, author of the Shades of Magic series

"A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe is perfectly paced, full of intense, inventive action and refreshingly honest characters. It's the seamless hybrid of fantasy and sci-fi that you didn't know you always needed. Do you miss Firefly? Do you want it back? Well, sorry, not gonna happen. But this book is damn close."—Nicholas Eames, author of Kings of the Wyld

"[T]his ambitious start...combines magic and space opera to create a fast-paced adventure with charismatic characters and formidable enemies in a realized universe of greed and power."—Booklist

"To call this book fast-paced or action-packed is underselling it. Buckle up, readers: this is a ride you won't want to get off until the end."—B&N Sci-fi & Fantasy Blog

"Racing! Treasure and smuggling! A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe is a gripping quest for justice among salvage and magic—I really loved it."
—Mur Lafferty, author of Six Wakes

"White's assured debut is an entertaining throwback with some fun worldbuilding and two great lead characters."—Publishers Weekly

"A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe is a raucous genre-buster that careens through a series of hear-stopping curves and roars to a podium finish. Bratty, brilliant racer Nilah and hard-boiled cynic Boots are as winning a pair of strong female characters as I've met in years. A pacy plot, a diverse supporting cast, and a vivid set of worlds round out this highly entertaining series opener. Alex White is going to be leading the pack for years to come."
—Claire Humphrey, author of Spells of Blood and Kin

"A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe is a rollicking fun ride. I enjoyed it a lot, and I'm looking forward to the sequel, A Bad Deal for the Whole Galaxy."—Locus

"A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe starts in high gear and never lets up. Boasting action, intrigue and deadly fusions of technology and magic, you have to remember to put the book down now and then to take a breath!"
—Mike Brooks, author of Dark Run

"An exciting, fast-paced, magic-fueled treasure hunt across the galaxy."
—Corey J. White, author of the Voidwitch series

"A crazy blend of SF and fantasy concepts, with exciting characters and a brilliant universe - highly recommend!"—Jamie Sawyer, author of The Lazarus Wars series

"This universe's thrilling combination of technology and magic traps two tough women in a fight for their lives, and although Nilah has a better life to fight for, Boots is marvelously stubborn. Guaranteed to make you wonder what kind of sigil you'd draw in their world."—R. E. Stearns, author of Barbary Station

From the Publisher