A Group of Misfits Face the Consequences of Stealing a Spaceship In This Excerpt From Star Bringer

Is there anything better than a new book written by a favorite author? What about a new book written by two of your favorite authors? Fans of  #1 New York Times bestselling author Tracy Wolff and bestselling author Nina Croft are in for just such a treat this summer, with the arrival of the powerhouse duo’s buzzy new fantasy Star Bringer. 

The latest title from Entangled Publishing’s new imprint Red Tower Books, which aims to focus on  “feminist and empowered perspectives” in romantic fantasy and science fiction, the story is described as Firefly meets The Breakfast Club. It features a crew of misfits forced to go on the run together in order to save the universe from a dying star, even as they try to keep their own potentially deadly secrets from one another. Throw in some snarky romance and enemies that include everyone from the royal family to the church to the folks they originally stole their current spaceship from, and you have the recipe for an epic space adventure. 

Here’s how the publisher describes the story. 

​​The sun is dying…and it’s happening way too damn fast.

With the clock ticking, the Nine Planets’ only hope of survival rests on a fancy space station and the alien artifact it’s carrying. Which is why it really sucks when some jackass doesn’t want the universe saved and blows that station up—while you’re still on it.

So if your only choices are flaming death or stealing a flying hunk of space junk—you pick that busted-ass spaceship. Even if it leaves seven strangers with deadly secrets trapped together: a princess, a prisoner, a con artist, a warrior, a priestess, a mercenary, and an asshole in charge of us all.

Now every faction in the galaxy is hunting this ship—from the Sisterhood to the Corporation, and the rebellion’s joining in on the fun, too. We just need to stop drinking, fighting, and screwing long enough to evade them all and save the freaking universe…somehow.

Because apparently the only thing standing between a dying sun and ultimate salvation is seven unlikely misfits…ahem, heroes.

Star Bringer officially hits shelves on July 11, 2023, but we’re excited to offer you a sneak peek of the story right now. 

We’re about to land on Askkandia. I just need to find a way to contact the palace without involving the others. Maybe ask Gage to teach me a few techy things, and I can try to get the comms going? Then the others can just go about their business and I can go home.

Which is what I want. 

Isn’t it?

We’ve slowed down, and the ship is sort of vibrating, like it’s not happy.

“You do know how to land this thing, don’t you?” Ian asks.

Beckett twirls in the pilot’s seat. “Not a clue.”

Fan-fucking-tastic.

The planet is approaching really fast now, and we don’t seem to be slowing down. I suspect Beckett has a death wish. Or maybe not an actual death wish but definitely an I-don’t-care wish. So, I slide into the nearest chair and strap in. It’s hard to believe that only two days ago I was nearly puking as we approached the Caelestis. Look at me now.

 

I grin to myself, then glance up to find Ian watching me. He looks away.

At the last moment, the ship almost screeches to a halt. I brace myself and hold on tight, somehow managing to keep my eyes open. Seconds later, the ship lowers gently to the landing slot.

“Good job,” Ian tells her as he peels himself from the captain’s chair and starts brushing himself off.

“Not sure what you consider a bad job,” Gage mutters as he, too, climbs to his feet.

“Dying,” Max answers from his spot on the ground. Strapping into a seat was definitely the right call. Maybe I do have some spaceflight instincts in me.

“It wasn’t me,” Beckett tells him. “The ship gets all the credit.”

“You mean she switched herself to autopilot and landed on her own?” I ask. “Can ships do that?” 

“Obviously, or we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” she sneers back.

I don’t even bother coming up with a retort. Not when we’ve finally landed on Askkandia.

I don’t know how it is that I can be back on my home planet and still be as far from home as ever. It feels like the worst kind of failure. But also strangely freeing. I glance down at my grimy, too-long white robe, bare toes peeking out, and a giggle escapes me. Definitely not how I planned on returning from my first official off-planet royal duty.

Ian casts me a weird look, as though he’s worried something’s wrong with me, which makes me giggle again. I’ll go back to worrying about what he thinks of me—what they all think of me—soon. But for right now, I’m just going to stand here and enjoy the sight of Askkandia’s bright blue dirt. 

And wait for whatever clusterfuck comes next.

CREDIT: Excerpted from STAR BRINGER by Tracy Wolff and Nina Croft, published by Red Tower Books, an imprint of Entangled Publishing.

Star Bringer will be released on July 11, but you can preorder it right now.

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Lacy Baugher Milas is the Books Editor at Paste Magazine, but loves nerding out about all sorts of pop culture. You can find her on Twitter @LacyMB.