Hold Fast Through the Fire

Wagers’s second NeoG novel (following A Pale Light in the Black) serves up buffet-size portions of everything their fans have come to expect: dug-in friendships, action, impossible odds, and clever dialogue that always hits home. The Near-Earth Orbital Guard, a space-based Coast Guard equivalent, is gearing up for the annual Boarding Games, and the crew of Zuma’s Ghost worries they won’t be able to maintain their winning streak following a personnel shake-up. But once they’re back out in the black, that concern is put on the back burner as the crew confronts a massive conspiracy that could spell war between the military and the separatists on Mars. Contending with dangerous secrets and mounting mistrust, the crew is almost torn apart—but what the bad guys don’t understand is that the more you attack the Zuma’s Ghost team, the more they’ll draw together and fight back. Wagers’s characterization plumbs incredible depths, particularly with street rat–turned–engineering chief Jenks, a brain with vicious fists. Wagers’s fans should snap up this fun, thrilling latest. [em]Agent: Andy Zack, the Zack Company. (July) [/em]