Ancient as the Stars

Darjani’s Broken Union series debut is an assured space opera with a fascinating, time-bending premise. It opens in the 24th century, with discontented flight officer Ren Yilmaz of the Earth Spaceship Hawking, being dressed down by a commanding officer, who happens to be her ex-husband. Ren considers herself the “classic star that flamed out too early, who gave up on her career, who used words and scowls as armor,” but she remains determined to be “somebody, one day.” When the ESS Hawking unexpectedly jumps 62 years into the future, she gets to see just who she turns out to be, coming face to face with her future self: the confident, happily married, and mysteriously immortal Earth Union Fleet Capt. Karenna Yilmaz. Ren and Karenna clash, but find common cause in fighting Badal, a terrorist group contesting Earth’s control of human colonies. While the military plot is fun, Darjani’s true strength lies in characterization, making both Yilmazes sympathetic but flawed in different ways and mining impressive psychological depth out of their differences and similarities. It’s a promising start. (Self-published)