Fault Tolerance

Capt. Eva Innocente returns in Valdes’s quirky, high-stakes third Chilling Effect space opera (after Prime Deceptions). Eva and her crew were hoping for a holiday, but they’re thrown right back into the thick of things when mysterious monoliths appear across the universe demanding the surrender of all occupied systems. Skillful characterization of humans and aliens alike and offbeat worldbuilding details paint a vivid picture of this near-future society as its bureaucrats scramble to make sense of the monoliths’ threat. Eva receives a strange message offering to meet and exchange information and a weapon that could defeat whatever’s behind the monoliths. On arriving, Eva is reunited with a onetime ally and finds herself facing off against her former boss, mercenary Tito Santiago, in a race to secure a trio of ancient mechs that should be able to stop the coming invasion. Valdes seamlessly incorporates backstory throughout, making this installment friendly to newcomers looking for an adventure reminiscent of Transformers and Voltron. Returning readers will be delighted to reunite with the crew as Eva, her psychic cats, and her found family are pushed to confront ever-greater dangers in the lead-up to a thrilling climax. It’s as unconventional, tongue-in-cheek, and rip-roaring as fans expect. Agent: Quressa Robinson, Folio Literary Management. (Aug.)