Watch the skies! The 26th novel in the Liaden Universe®, and 100th collaboration between authors Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, comes to us on July 4th, 2023. The publisher’s blurb:

A door never closes, but a window opens . . .

With origins in the Old Universe, the malevolent, acquisitive intelligence of Tinsori Light sought to infect others with itself, and send those agents out into the wide new universe to infect even more.

For centuries, two heroes stood between Tinsori Light and the vulnerable universe—Light Keepers Jen Sin yos’Phelium and Lorith of the Sanderat.

Just when it seemed that they—merely human—must fail, Tinsori Light, enfeebled by aged systems, succumbed to the stress of a unique spatial event . . . and died, leaving the station a shell.

Luckily, the light keepers have back-up. A mismatched team of arcane specialists are on-station, working non-stop to preserve the Light, build trustworthy systems, and open the refurbished station for business.

In fact, ships are already incoming, and it becomes a matter of urgency to sort friend from foe. In particular, the Lyre Institute wishes to acquire Tinsori Light, and will do anything, spend anyone, to achieve that goal.

Lee & Miller do not disappoint. The prose is rich, the characters compelling, and the universe fully-realized—a masterful expression of the art of Space Opera. Salvage Right lands as a satisfying entry in a now-26-book series, touching on a number of plot threads across the sprawling universe in which it is set, and tying up some in a satisfying manner. Expect a number of familiar and less familiar faces, though I was disappointed that not everyone managed to make it to the party. That unfortunate company included my personal favorite character, who might just be supplanted by Jen Sin yos’Phelium, should we be so fortunate as to see more of him. Jen Sin has certainly joined the ranks of my favorites, no matter what rank he eventually holds in my regard.

So! Expect, of course, new friends and old enemies, shared joys and, since this is Clan Korval we’re talking about, a body count.** Expect tension. I spent the entire second half of the book fearing the worst, although what the worst is, you will have to read the novel to find out. Suffice to say that Lee & Miller are masters of keeping the reader guessing. Whether you guess wrongly or rightly, you will greet the conclusion wishing to read more.

If you are familiar with Lee & Miller, buy it. If you are new to the Liaden Universe®, buy it anyway, to support the authors so they can continue to bring us more stories, and to either puzzle through it or leave it in your TBR pile while you read the rest of the series, beginning with Agent of Change, which is FREE (there is also a 30th Anniversary edition available, which is NOT free—take your choice). However, I believe Salvage Right can make itself understood to first-time readers, even if the details sometimes make good their escape.

Note that while Salvage Right does not release until July 4th, it is still possible at the time of this writing to purchase an eARC from the publisher, Baen. This is a limited time offer, so if you cannot wait to get your hands on this new offering by veteran writers Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, buy it sooner rather than later.

Buy it. Buy it now. Really.

**The Universe would probably be safer without Clan Korval. At least at first.