On September 6, 2021, Candlemark & Gleam will release Kelly Jennings’s riveting space opera In the Deep, the sequel to her equally absorbing Fault Lines (2018). This tense tale of adventure and conflict explores the issues of genetic engineering as they play into interstellar power politics; it’s rife with complex and shifting alliances, and flawed, vivid protagonists for whom the reader comes to care deeply. In the Deep is Firefly meets GATTACA; and the two novels (now an evolving series, Escape Velocity) cry out to follow Altered Carbon or The Expanse on TV.

Raised in New Orleans, Kelly Jennings now lives in the Boston Mountains, where she writes science fiction when she is not catering to cats. Her short fiction has appeared in many venues, including The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, The Other Half of The Sky and Retellings of the Inland Seas. She has published two novels, Broken Slate (2011) and Fault Lines (2018); and she co-edited the anthology Menial: Skilled Labor in SF (2012).

In the Deep received words of high praise from genre legend Gwyneth Jones and Hugo nominee Paul Weimer (both noted that the gritty, complex, vivid novel evokes C.J. Cherryh, Lois M Bujold and Frank Herbert at their best) and boasts a remarkably eloquent cover by Melissa Capriglione. The book, both print and digital, will be available for pre-order at Amazon, B&N and Kobo by the end of this week. Here’s its synopsis to whet appetites:

Velocity Wrachant and the crew of the Susan Calvin have been working in Pirian Space for three years, doing adjunct work for the Pirian fleet. When they are offered a mission in Republic Space, they know this is their chance to be taken in as full members of the fleet. And the job looks safe enough: they are to rescue some Pirian fleet members out of contract labor, while also learning what they can about local insurgencies.

The planet they are sent to, Durbin, is in Republic-held space. But it’s at the fringes of that space, in the seldom patrolled area known as The Deep. Velocity takes the mission, hoping to get in and out without attracting the attention of the powerful, and hostile, Combines. Once they reach the planet, however, they learn that the political situation there is far more complicated—and dangerous—than they expected.

Because GoodReads giveaways are no longer free and our coffers are of the usual size for indie micro-presses, we will be doing a direct giveaway for In the Deep. You can enter it by leaving a comment to this post or by sending an email (with subject line “In the Deep Giveaway”) to our website address. Please rest assured that your email will only be visible to the site admin.

The giveaway will run from August 9 to September 5, and random winners will be picked to receive copies of the novel. For up to 50 requests, there will be one award copy. For up to 100 requests, two copies; and beyond that, three copies. Because the pandemic and the USPS slowdown have caused significant shipping problems, the giveaway will only award digital copies (it will include the PDF that contains all the print flourishes).

We can hardly wait to share this remarkable work with the world. Check your genetic charts and keep frequencies open!

Note added on September 6: the giveaway is now closed.  We’ll pick winners and contact them within a week.