Revenger

This space adventure from lauded SF author Reynolds is an expert mix of the fantastical and horrific. The time is the very far future, and humankind has spread through a vastly wonderful but daunting universe. Arafura Ness, on the cusp of adulthood, is lured by her older sister, Adrana, into joining the crew of a spaceship seeking intermittently accessible caches of alien treasures. Humans have adapted to many strange circumstances; for example, the Ness sisters are valued because they have the talent to become bone readers, capable of mentally linking space travelers by probing the skulls of long-dead aliens. After an agreeable opening that reads like an SF version of Treasure Island, an attack by horrifyingly sadistic pirate Bosa Sennen shatters the comfortable role Arafura has been settling into and sets her off on the ruthless pursuit of revenge. Her success—or downfall, depending on how a reader views what she makes of herself—is convincing, satisfying, and scary. This is a remarkably creative, resonant space opera. (Mar.)