The Outer Edge is in the very final stages of publication, the last outstanding task on the countdown list is the final cover design, now in hand. At the publisher's suggestion we have an artist's sketch of the hero of the story, Harry Heron himself, as a frontispiece, and the final layout has been turned into a PDF ready to go to press as soon as the cover is finalised and agreed.
So, here as a taster, the cover blurb ...
Sent to the outer edges of the expanding human sphere of explored and colonised space in this section of the galaxy, the NECS Beagle carries a team of scientists on a voyage of discovery, but when the ship becomes the target of the Niburu, an ancient predator, the stage is set for a new threat to the survival of humankind. The consequences are dire, and the encounter could result in a war to the death with no quarter given and none expected. At the helm once again is Lieutenant ‘Harry’ Nelson-Heron of the North European Interstellar Fleet 2211. He has the unique ability to communicate with the ship’s artificial intelligence, which makes him the best man to command one of the new smaller corvette class ships in the Fleet‘s mission to destabilise the Niburu, but it also makes him a prime target for their deadly intentions.
The Fleet must prevent the enemy from over-running the human colonies and reaching Earth itself. Along with their alien allies, Harry and his shipmates cope with a merciless enemy even as they battle the onslaught of misinformation about their mission propagated by politicians and news journalists who believe that humanity is the cause of the conflict. Meanwhile, the mysterious Sidhiche, enigmatic, often cryptic, and very alien, give guidance and assistance, but nothing is ever straightforward with them, and it quickly becomes apparent that they have their own agenda.
The book will launch on Kindle within the next fourteen days, and in print about a week later.