Ascension

Koyanagi's Ascension was a fun, quick read introducing sky surgeon Alana Quick and the strange crew of the Tangled Axon. Alana Quick is a sky surgeon (read ship's engineer) to her bones, grounded in a city too far off the beaten path. She can barely pay the bills, suffers from chronic disease, runs into her ex-wife a little too often, and is basically desperate. When the Axon comes to her shipyard looking for her sister, Nova, Alana takes advantage, stowing away in the hold. In turn, the crew decide to use her as leverage in tracking down Nova. But they are all only part of a larger, more dangerous plan. These are fascinating and fresh characters--"a wolf-like engineer, a pilot who fades a bit at a time, and the highly attractive Captain Tev--"it's fast-paced sci-fi with a touch of romance and lots of adventure. I really hope the series continues.