Perdition

Author Essay

Dear Readers,

I’m so excited to return to Jax’s universe. Though her story is told, the world I built remains vital and dynamic. There are so many stories yet to share, so many planets and cultures to explore. Since I didn’t specify the number of galaxies connected via beacon, or create a definitive guide to planets, the possibilities are literally unlimited.

Therefore, it’s somewhat ironic that I decided to tell a microcosm story for my next foray into this vast playground. However, since there was so much variety of setting in the Jax books, I wanted to try something different. One could argue that in Jax, grimspace was a character in its own right, so I decided it would be intriguing (and challenging) to tell a story where I was constrained in both space and resources; this series certainly taxes my creativity. I’m also changing up the style. This is a bigger series than Jax with multiple points of view and more than one protagonist. I’m trying to make the stories feel epic while simultaneously shrinking the scope of the world.

In that vein, I chose to write about morally gray protagonists, thrown away by society for various reasons, but make no mistake—there are no innocents in Perdition. If book one of the Jax series was calledGrimspace, then Perdition could’ve been titled Grimdark with reference to tone and theme without steering readers wrong. This story is gritty, dark, and violent, and some people may be startled to root for those who have committed such horrific crimes. But that’s part of the magic—making readers care about people deemed too wicked for redemption. In this series, I explore certain Machiavellian themes, such as whether the ends justify the means. Is it ever all right to do evil in order to fight evil?

The quick and dirty rundown: There are no guards; everything on Perdition is automated but rundown and ramshackle. The place was old, even before they retrofitted it, a former deep space mining and refinery station. It’s enormous, slow, and the jump drive has been removed. Its orbit is fixed around a large, unpopulated asteroid with no other civilization in the system. On board, the inmates run the asylum, and this is where they lock up the worst of the worst, then throw away the key. Now imagine finding heroes in there. Excited? I hope so.

Basically, if you’re looking for dark science fiction with plenty of action, sex, relationships, and romance, this is for you. I hope you’ll take another ride with me.

All the best,

Ann Aguirre

PS — Since Jael is the male lead, you’ll want to discover if I can redeem him. Y’all know how much I love antiheroes.