Conquest

Connolly (The Creeps) teams up with newcomer Ridyard to deliver a fast-paced, intricately-woven tale of continuing human resistance to an alien occupying force, first in a series. Sixteen-year-old Syl Hellais is the daughter of the Illyri governor of Europe, the first of her race born on Earth, secretly sympathetic to the natives who refuse to give up. When she helps free human rebels Paul and Steven Kerr from prison, she's ultimately forced to flee with them, struggling to reach the resistance in the Scottish Highlands. Meanwhile, factions within the Illyri jockey for position and dominance, even as a deadly secret threatens to destroy the status quo once and for all. Political intrigue meshes with science fiction action with a hint of romance, in what might be taken as an allegory for any unwanted occupation. Though the authors pack a lot into the complicated storyline, it's a solid start to a promising series. Agent: Clare Wallace, Darley Anderson Agency. (Feb.)