Every Sky a Grave

Book excerpt: "The first novel in an exciting new series, Every Sky a Grave is a thrilling space epic following a powerful woman who can destroy planets with a single word and who is suddenly faced with an adversary that threatens the entire known universe. Mankind has conquered the galaxy. Since decoding the language of the universe 8,000 years ago, they have reached the very edges of their known galaxy and built a near-utopia across thousands of worlds, united by a common language and a powerful organization known as the Ascendance. The peaceful stability of their society relies solely on this Language. As the Ascendance prepares for the next stage of human evolution-making the leap from one galaxy to the next-they send Elyth, a female agent trained in the art of a math-encoded language that allows humans to travel to the edges of the galaxy, on a clandestine mission to suppress an uprising before it begins. While doing reconnaissance, she follows the trail of a unique speech pattern thought to be extinguished long ago and comes face-to-face with a man who should no longer exist-Varen Fedic, the First Speaker and one of the Ascendance's most dangerous adversaries. Varen's understanding of the deep Language is thorough, so much so that Elyth soon learns that the disciples whom she mistook for followers are actually his captors. Forcing Varen to teach them his ways, they plan to use his powers against an unknown force that is stopping humanity from leaving the galaxy. And now Elyth and Varen face something truly alien-an unknown species for which the Language has no name. Every Sky a Grave is the beginning of an expansive and ambitious space opera about the power of words and identity from the author of "thrilling, action-packed science fiction that grabs and doesn't let go" (Jason M. Hough, New York Times bestselling author)"--