A new standalone sci-fi novel from Edward Ashton, author of Mickey7 (the inspiration for the major motion picture Mickey 17).
Dalton Greaves is a hero. Heâs one of humankindâs first representatives to Unity, a pan-species confederation working to bring all sentient life into a single benevolent brotherhood.
Thatâs what they told him, anyway. The only actual members of Unity that heâs ever met are Boreau, a giant snail who seems more interested in plunder than spreading love and harmony, and Boreauâs human sidekick, Neera, who Dalton strongly suspects roped him into this gig so that she wouldnât become the next one of Boreauâs crew to get eaten by locals while prospecting.
Funny thing, thoughâturns out there actually is a benevolent confederation out there, working for the good of all life. They call themselves the Assembly, and they really donât like Unity. More to the point, they really, really donât like Unityâs new human minions.
When an encounter between Boreauâs scout ship and an Assembly cruiser over a newly discovered world ends badly for both parties, Dalton finds himself marooned, caught between a stickman, one of the Assemblyâs nightmarish shock troops, the planetâs natives, who arenât winning any congeniality prizes themselves, and Neera, who might actually be the most dangerous of the three. To survive, heâll need to navigate palace intrigue, alien morality, and a proposal that he literally cannot refuse, all while making sure Neera doesnât come to the conclusion that heâs worth more to her dead than alive.
Part first contact story, part dark comedy, and part bizarre love triangle, The Fourth Consort asks an important question: how far would you go to survive? And more importantly, how many drinks would you need to go there?
A new standalone sci-fi novel from Edward Ashton, author of Mickey7 (the inspiration for the major motion picture Mickey 17).
Dalton Greaves is a hero. Heâs one of humankindâs first representatives to Unity, a pan-species confederation working to bring all sentient life into a single benevolent brotherhood.
Thatâs what they told him, anyway. The only actual members of Unity that heâs ever met are Boreau, a giant snail who seems more interested in plunder than spreading love and harmony, and Boreauâs human sidekick, Neera, who Dalton strongly suspects roped him into this gig so that she wouldnât become the next one of Boreauâs crew to get eaten by locals while prospecting.
Funny thing, thoughâturns out there actually is a benevolent confederation out there, working for the good of all life. They call themselves the Assembly, and they really donât like Unity. More to the point, they really, really donât like Unityâs new human minions.
When an encounter between Boreauâs scout ship and an Assembly cruiser over a newly discovered world ends badly for both parties, Dalton finds himself marooned, caught between a stickman, one of the Assemblyâs nightmarish shock troops, the planetâs natives, who arenât winning any congeniality prizes themselves, and Neera, who might actually be the most dangerous of the three. To survive, heâll need to navigate palace intrigue, alien morality, and a proposal that he literally cannot refuse, all while making sure Neera doesnât come to the conclusion that heâs worth more to her dead than alive.
Part first contact story, part dark comedy, and part bizarre love triangle, The Fourth Consort asks an important question: how far would you go to survive? And more importantly, how many drinks would you need to go there?