Cascade Failure

"Narrator Torian Brackett contrasts a tranquil delivery of narrative with Jal's wariness, Eoan's mix of coyness and kindness, Saint's façade of crankiness, and Nash's quirky practicality. They're a prickly and heartwarming found family amid the whizbang of outer space."—AudioFile

L. M. Sagas's debut, Cascade Failure, is a high-octane, sci-fi adventure blending J. S. Dewes's Divide series with Firefly. It features a fierce, messy, chaotic space family, vibrant worlds, and an exploration of the many ways to be—and not to be—human.
Most Anticipated Books of 2024—Goodreads, Polygon, The Nerd Daily
There are only three real powers in the Spiral: the corporate power of the Trust versus the Union's labor's leverage. Between them the Guild tries to keep everyone's hands above the table. It ain't easy.
Branded a Guild deserter, Jal "accidentally" lands a ride on a Guild ship. Helmed by an AI, with a ship's engineer/medic who doesn't see much of a difference between the two jobs, and a "don't make me shoot you" XO, the Guild crew of the Ambit is a little . . . different.
They're also in over their heads. Responding to a distress call from an abandoned planet, they find a mass grave, and a live programmer who knows how it happened. The Trust has plans. This isn't the first dead planet, and it's not going to be the last.
Unless the crew of the Ambit can stop it.
Ambit's Run series
Cascade Failure
A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books.