Longstar (Australian edition)

Jan January, bound in servitude to the Olid Ring Guild, finds himself aboard a freighter shuttling mysterious cargos to remote worlds. His mundane shipboard existence is upended by the arrival of Tash Velotta, a secretive teen clutching a mysteriously squirming bundle. Tash is being sought by the most powerful factions of the Known Arc, who will do anything–anything at all–to keep her from falling into their enemy’s hands.

When a surprise attack separates Jan from all but one of his shipmates–a dreadful female xeno from the planet Ghast–they are trapped with Tash on a ship they barely know how to operate.

Pursued by agents of the Cataclyst Church and the terrifying cult of the Mucktu Bloodline, they must race to decipher the mystery Tash’s origins. If they fail, not only will their lives be forfeit, but the secret she carries will unleash an ageless fury not seen in the Known Arc since the days of the long-vanished Avatars.
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LONGSTAR is a groundbreaking new novel from the author of GRONE, an award-winning cross-genre mix of hard-SF, LitRPG, and space opera that the Seattle Book Review calls “AN ABSOLUTE MASTERPIECE OF SCIENCE FICTION.” Inspired by the thick-and-thoughtful cyberpunk and space opera epics from Adrian Tchaikovsky, Neal Stephenson and Dan Simmons, LONGSTAR is sweeping, fast-paced science fiction set in a world where hope for the future lies in relics from the grand past—and the courage of unlikely heroes.

Immerse yourself in the far-reaching adventure of LONGSTAR and see why critics call Patrick Cumby “A MASTER STORYTELLER.”

Patrick Cumby is the author of the Legends of the Known Arc stories and books. He’s a part-time nomad who, along with his frighteningly adventurous wife, loves to explore the world’s little-known corners and meet the extraordinary people who call them home. He’s been a bookseller, a dad, a business school professor, a dungeonmaster, an aerospace executive, and the hushpuppy cook at a sketchy seafood joint. He is considered by all who know him to be a very bad dancer.