Flight of the Siren

"Her starship could save the world from itself-- but the world has to want to be saved."

A scientist discovers an alien artifact with a faster-than-light engine. She launches a search for its creators: a search which reveals a disturbing truth about her own world. High-concept hard SF in the tradition of Star Trek, Isaac Asimov's Foundation, and James S.A. Corey's The Expanse. More

Lorelei Verlassen took the first job she could get after finishing her PhD: installing comm relays in the ice belt. There she found a crashed alien space probe, containing blueprints for a faster-than-light engine. Without knowing if the probe’s creators still exist, she and her crewmates persuade The Conference of Nations to build a starship, to launch a new era of space exploration for all humanity. But various factions conspire to subvert the project for themselves. To protect her ship, Lorelei must navigate a political whirlwind of ambition and deceit, without losing her moral integrity. But the clash of corporations, military juntas, and fanatical religious groups could destroy her world before her ship is ready to fly.

“The events in the story are paced brilliantly. There's not a lot of downtime, and I found myself reading at a very good clip. The world-build is rich and well-constructed. Lorelei is brave and persistent and easy to identify with. I understand what she wants and why she wants it. I want her to have it. The ending is satisfying and touching; hopeful and grief-filled all at once.”

— Meg Elison, winner of the Philip K. Dick award.

“Brendan Myers is a philosopher using hard-SF to ask deep questions about humanity and our place in the universe. With the increased dumbing-down of Big 5 publishing, Kickstarter is often the only way really innovative titles can find an audience.”

—Jordan Stratford, author of Wollstonecraft and Winter By Winter.

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