Sounding Dark

by Jo Graham

Overview

Sounding Dark is a legend, a ghost ship missing two hundred years. Now it may be the only hope for the pirate republic of Eresh to stand against the mighty Calpurnian Navy. In the wake of a terrible defeat, Adelita Massacre, the Steel Captain, knows that their days are numbered without a miracle.

Bister is the only survivor of the defeat, a Tainted smuggler and fixer from the interdicted world of Inanna. Found alive, adrift in a spacesuit hours after its air supply should have run out, her survival is a literal miracle. Has the Lady of the Void herself chosen Bister to free her from imprisonment?

Now Adelita, Bister, Bister's lover Griffin, and the mysterious Navigator must find Sounding Dark and her ancient weaponry if they hope to protect Eresh from the Calpurnian attack. But Sounding Dark will not give up her secrets easily....

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781952456053
Publisher:	Candlemark & Gleam
Publication date:	12/13/2021
Series:	The Calpurnian Wars , #1
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.55(d)

About the Author

Jo Graham is the author of twenty-five books and two online games. Best known for her historical fantasy novels Black Ships and Stealing Fire, and her tie-in novels for MGM's popular Stargate: Atlantis and Stargate: SG-1 series, she has been a Locus Award finalist, an Amazon Top Choice, a Spectrum Award finalist, a Romantic Times Top Pick in historical fiction and a Lambda Literary Award and Rainbow Award nominee for bisexual fiction. With Melissa Scott, she is the author of five books in the Order of the Air series, a historical fantasy series set in the 1920s and 30s. She is also the author of two pagan spirituality books. She lives in North Carolina with her partner and is the mother of two daughters.

Editorial Reviews

09/20/2021

Faith, luck, and grit propel this ambitious space opera from Graham (Black Ships). The moon Eresh was once a penal colony for the warmongering planet Calpurnia. Three generations ago, the inmates rebelled and set up their own government. Now their fierce descendants proudly carry the names of their ancestors’ infractions. As the Calpurnians prepare to retake Eresh, hard-nosed ship captain Adelita Massacre and practical Tal Robber hatch a plan to give Eresh a fighting chance against the superior Calpurnian navy. Meanwhile, Bister of planet Inanna is discovered miraculously alive in a spacesuit after the Calpurnians attack her ship. The enigmatic Navigator, Eresh’s religious leader, believes that Bister was blessed by the deity the Lady of the Void. When the Calpurnian fleet attacks, Tal stays on Eresh to distract and stall their ships while Adelita escapes with Bister; Bister’s lover, Griff; and the Navigator to find the long-lost ship Sounding Dark, which served as a temple to the Lady and could provide the edge the Ereshians need to win the war. Graham amps up the action, constructs a rich mythology of gods, cultures, and societies, and develops evocative characters that will make readers cheer. This pure sci-fi escape proves a fresh experience for fans who are tired of clichés. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly

Faith, luck, and grit propel this ambitious space opera from Graham (Black Ships). Graham amps up the action, constructs a rich mythology of gods, cultures, and societies, and develops evocative characters that will make readers cheer. This pure sci-fi escape proves a fresh experience for fans who are tired of clichés. - Publishers Weekly

Jo Graham's space opera is a richly imagined narrative which uses its spectrum of relatable heroes who face overwhelming odds with drive, determination, grit, and most powerfully of all, hope. Sounding Dark uses these heroes to buttress a story on multiple levels: a fight against an interstellar tyranny, a search for the meaning of an unexpected survival against all reason, and the story of a lost, ancient connection to a Mystery reforged. With its inventive use of Sumerian motifs in its intriguing worldbuilding, Sounding Dark soars to reach a liminal place on the boundaries of science fiction and myth. - Paul Weimer, SFF book reviewer and Hugo finalist

Jo Graham specializes in writing gloriously epic yet deeply personal science fantasy, and Sounding Dark is the beginning of just my kind of saga: generational, political, magical. - E.K. Johnston, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author

Sounding Dark is tremendously exciting space opera. It's the sort of book you stay up far too late finishing, and then go back to re-read so that you can savor the details. The thing that's hard to express how well Sounding Dark blends solid technical SF with deep myths. Jo Graham makes both aspects utterly believable and equally crucial to the story. ...you can feel the depth of history without it being overdone. - Melissa Scott, legendary pioneering SFF author of more than thirty novels

Sounding Dark is a hope-filled space opera with a classic feel. It has space battles, politics, and vividly-imagined worlds in conflict. Enduring friendships and the deeply-held beliefs of the characters make it a story with heart, as well. I'll definitely be looking forward to further books exploring this universe. - K.V. Johansen, author of the Gods of the Caravan Road

From the Publisher