An Ancient Peace

Fans of Gunnery Sergeant Torin Kerr and the many races of Huff's Confederation series will be thrilled to see this spin-off, which follows Kerr's post-war, post-Marines career. Kerr joins a highly trained team of ex-Corps humans, Krai, and di'Taykan functioning as independent contractors and "dealing with messes the Justice Department couldn't%E2%80%94or wouldn't%E2%80%94clean up." Politically unable to follow up directly on intelligence showing that grave robbers from the Younger Races could be close to discovering 2,000-year-old H'san weapons, Justice sends Kerr's team to find the robbers and shut them down. Huff's ability to communicate complex personal dynamics and deep trust through what feels like casual banter establishes the character of the team well for the reader, and solid stretches of reconnaissance and well-tuned moments of violence show Huff's military SF skills still on point. Her detailed exposition and tense interactions support the elaborate world-building that establishes the setting for the new series, and the mystery plot holds its own. Agent: Joshua Bilmes, JABberwocky Literary Agency. (Oct.)