The Expanse meets the Battle Room in Ender's Game as K. B. Wagers brings us the rollicking first entry in a unique science fiction series that introduces the Near-Earth Orbital Guard—NeoG—a military force patrolling and protecting space inspired by the real-life mission of the U.S. Coast Guard.
For the past year, their close loss in the annual Boarding Games has haunted Interceptor Team: Zuma's Ghost. With this year's competition looming, they're looking forward to some payback—until an unexpected personnel change leaves them reeling. Their best swordsman has been transferred, and a new lieutenant has been assigned in his place.
Maxine Carmichael is trying to carve a place in the world on her own—away from the pressure and influence of her powerful family. The last thing she wants is to cause trouble at her command on Jupiter Station. With her new team in turmoil, Max must overcome her self-doubt and win their trust if she's going to succeed. Failing is not an option—and would only prove her parents right.
But Max and the team must learn to work together quickly. A routine mission to retrieve a missing ship has suddenly turned dangerous, and now their lives are on the line. Someone is targeting members of Zuma's Ghost, a mysterious opponent willing to kill to safeguard a secret that could shake society to its core . . . a secret that could lead to their deaths and kill thousands more unless Max and her new team stop them.
Rescue those in danger, find the bad guys, win the Games. It's all in a day's work at the NeoG.
Industry Reviews
"Wagers kicks off the NeoG series with this fun, feel-good space opera. This effortlessly entertaining novel is sure to have readers coming back for the next installment." -- Publishers Weekly
"If Wagers didn't serve, they certainly got the skinny from somebody who lived it and it shows. They spin a captivating sea-story in space. As an ex-Coast Guardsman, I appreciate that what the crew lacks in gear, they make up for in heart. Semper Paratus." -- Nathan Lowell, creator of the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper
"Wagers delivers a space adventure that's a found family story that's an interstellar conspiracy story that's... it just keeps going! Fierce, rollicking, kind, intimate and vast. If A Long Way to A Small, Angry Planet had more kickboxing matches and death-defying space rescues, this would be the book. Go Neo-G!" -- Max Gladstone, author of Empress of Forever
"Great characters and white knuckle tension. Recommended." -- Gareth L. Powell, author of Embers of War
"Perfect for fans of Becky Chambers, A Pale Light in the Black is an energetic, unique military sci-fi with a found family heart." -- Emily Skrutskie, author of Bonds of Brass
"Wagers builds a complex and compelling mystery against a military sci-fi backdrop in a book full of diverse characters you're going to laugh and cry with. It all adds up to the sort of book that is impossible to put down and I never wanted to." -- Bryan Young, writer
"Every character is someone readers will enjoy spending time with, and exploring the characters' relationships is the heart of the tale. [...] Wagers' first book in the NeoG series is an unexpected and refreshing twist on military science fiction." -- Library Journal
