Velocity Weapon by Megan O'Keefe

The last thing Sanda remembers is her gunship blowing up around her. She wakes up on board an enemy ship 230 years in the future. The ship is called the Light of Berosus -- Bero for short -- and she appears to be the only living person on the ship. Further, she discovers that both planets involved in the war have been destroyed and that all the people she knew are likely dead. But that may not be the whole story.

This is how Velocity Weapon by Megan O'Keefe starts off. The story is split between Sanda’s time on Bero and 230 years in the past where Sanda's brother Biran is a newly-installed keeper, one of the ruling class in the protectorate that is gifted with the knowledge of how to construct stargates that make travel between systems possible.

Biran’s home planet is the technologically superior Belai which has been holding the upstart Icarion people at bay for quite some time. The Icarions have been a thorn in the side of Belai but are not considered a serious threat until the attack which destroyed several Belai ships, including Sanda’s. The attack that left Sanda crippled represented a shift in power that threatens the existence of both planets. Biran works to lead his people in the aftermath of the attack and discover what happened to his sister. Sanda meanwhile is working to unravel events and determine if the lonely ship she is on is her friend or has gone insane during its long isolation. In both timelines, nothing is exactly as it seems. There is a third storyline involving a petty criminal named Jules. Her connection to the other two storylines slowly becomes apparent over the course of the novel.

Velocity Weapon works as both a space thriller and a mystery. The characters are sharply drawn and the trying circumstances into which they are placed both test their mettle and define their characters. Secondary characters with complicated and often hidden agendas are also well-drawn and lend conflict to the story. None more so than the Artificial Intelligence Bero.

The two storylines feed off each other, moving the plot along rapidly. There is plenty of action and even more intrigue. O'Keefe does a great job of anchoring your interest in the mystery that keeps the pages turning to find out what actually happened as well as what's going to happen next. This is an exciting start to a new series and one that I look forward to continuing.

Highly recommended.

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher.

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