SHADOW RUN

SHADOW RUN, AdriAnne Strickland and Michael Miller’s space opera about a backworld fishing captain and a royal heir who form an unlikely team as they try to forge a new path in an unstable galaxy. Firefly meets Dune as this close-knit, found family of a crew navigates a galaxy of political intrigue and resource-driven power games.

Time is running out for Qole. As the captain of the Kaitan, a starship that uses magnetic nets to “fish” for Shadow, she comes into constant contact with the volatile cosmic energy. Everybody knows Shadow is dangerous: it’s incredibly powerful, but too much exposure causes madness, followed by death. Even those who are willing to take the risk are barely able to scratch out a living. Still, fishing is about the only option on the remote, frozen planet of Alaxak, and Qole is the best. The Shadow that flows through her veins quickens her reflexes and allows her to sense its presence, and she’s determined to use that “affinity” to protect her small but loyal crew. Which is why she’s so suspicious of offworlder Nev, her startlingly handsome new crew member.

What Qole doesn’t know is that Nev is actually Prince Nevarian Dracorte, heir to his family’s throne. He’s convinced that Shadow is the key to preserving the royal Dracorte legacy, and that Qole is the key to harnessing its power. When her cooperation proves difficult, Nev resolves to get her back to his home planet by any means necessary, but he’s not the only one. A rival royal family is also after Shadow affinity, and unlike Nev, they’re more interested in gaining Qole’s abilities than keeping her alive. His mission to exploit her becomes one to save her, and to survive, she’ll have to trust her would-be kidnapper. The Kaitan’s crew goes from fishermen to prey as they make a death-defying run across the galaxy, and Qole and Nev are forced to revise their ideas of family and loyalty, with the fate of their worlds hanging in the balance.

Firefly meets Dune as this close-knit, found family of a crew navigates a galaxy of political intrigue and resource-driven power games.


ADRIANNE STRICKLAND AND MICHAEL MILLER met in their hometown of Palmer, Alaska, where they agreed on books 99% of the time, and thus decided to write together. Michael grew up off the grid in a homestead in Alaska and ironically now works very much on the grid in IT and Web development. AdriAnne grew up in Nevada and now spends her summers as a commercial fisherwoman in Bristol Bay, Alaska, and the rest of her year writing. This is their first book together.