But Zan’s new family is not the only one desperate to gain control of the prized ship. She is told she is their salvation, the only person capable of boarding the Mokshi, a world-ship with the power to leave the Legion. Zan wakes with no memory, prisoner of a people who say there are her family. Here in the darkness, a war for control of the Legion has been waged for generations, with no clear resolution. Somewhere on the outer rim of the universe, a mass of decaying world-ships known as the Legion is traveling in the seams between the stars.

Set within a system of decaying world-ships travelling through deep space, this breakout novel of epic science fiction follows a pair of sisters who must wrest control of their war-torn legion of worlds-and may have to destroy everything they know in order to survive. “One of the most unusual and powerfully disturbing space operas we’re likely to see this year.” - Chicago Tribune (Feb.“ thought-provoking space opera.” - Kirkus Reviews This gripping book is both hard to read and easy to appreciate. She excels at keeping the reader involved and supportive of Zan and Jayd when they seem most lost, and even when they are most opposed to each other. Hurley places herself squarely on the side of love and trust over hate and fear, even as she details how trust can be abused and love can be manipulated. As they encounter the surprising practices (including blood sacrifice, experimentation on live subjects, and hunting of genetic mutants) among the different layers of the world-ships, the reader shares their astonishment and anxiety. Hugo-winner Hurley (Empire Ascendant) gives the reader little, with both protagonists unable or unwilling to explain much. Don’t be led astray by the gendered titles this universe is populated entirely by women. Both are removed from their positions when the Katazyrna are ambushed by rivals, with Zan dropped down a recycler and Jayd taken as consort by the rival lord. Jayd, daughter and aide to the Lord Katazyrna, keeps her own secrets, including one that could turn Zan against her. Zan works to regain her memory of being the only survivor from a raid on a mystery ship, while stuck in a royal-court setting where she trusts no one but Jayd, her adoptive sister. In a universe where the word for spaceship is the same as for world, two women struggle to escape a perpetual war in this dystopic yet hopeful space opera.

The stars are legion by kameron hurley