In a recent review I made mention of how cozy fantasy novels have been a soothing mental escape in recent months (years?). Totally true. Also true is that I am finding mental solace in darker fare as well. The common thread for both of these forms of reading relaxation are places and stories that can transport me and protagonists with a strong sense of self and their own code of honor. Not perfect protagonists, not even always those that operate legally, but ones who fight the good fight against all odds. And thus I bring you Ten Low by Stark Holborn. It's billed by it's publisher as "Firefly meets Dune" - to which I'd agree to the Firefly comparison for sure, Dune? Being honest? Not so much.
The titular Ten Low is an ex-army medic, ex-convict, eking out an existence on a barren desert moon at the edge of the known universe. She lives by a few codes, but chief among them is that she atone for her own past sins where and when she can. Ten's given a chance to put a check mark in the positive column when she happens upon a crashed spaceship and finds a teenage girl, Gabriella Ortiz, in the wreckage. But what at first seems like an obvious good thing may not be so as the girl is much more than she seems and is perhaps Ten's worst enemy. Complicating matters considerably, it appears the spaceship was brought down deliberately and someone still seems determined to kill Gabriella. If Ten is to make her good deed last, she needs to get Gabriella off the planet, while fending off military hit squads, thieves, bandits and road gangs.
This one is fast-paced, non-stop action, no joke. And I loved every minute of it. In an interview the author makes mention of working on a new novel set in Ten's universe and I cannot wait!