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Beasts of the Wild Black
(2026)(The first book in the Beasts of the Wild Black series)
A collection of stories by RJ Barker
The Wild Black wants to kill you: That’s the reality in this wildly imaginative sci-fi novella from the award-winning author of the Tide Child trilogy.
Years ago, Deep Strike cadet Min Law was left behind during what was meant to be a routine operation. Though he survived, the resulting trauma almost ended his career. Now, as captain of the DST Thunberg, he is preparing to take his crew on a similar journey to a seemingly quiet world following a garbled distress signal. The mission is simple on paper: find the source of the call, offer aid, return home.
But nothing is simple in the Wild Black at the edges of the unexplored universe. As the crew of the Thunberg searches for the signal’s source, they find strange ships and corpses that shouldn’t be there. The mysteries begin to pile up. What happened out here? And why does some of the technology look horribly familiar?
Fortunately, Min’s team of animal counterparts is prepared for anything. The bear, Sitka Pete, is eight hundred pounds of loyal muscle. The rooks are quick and coordinated, perfect for reconnaissance. And the cats, Oz and Hinder, well, they''re just cats. But together they’re more than up for whatever the Wild Black can throw at them—even if this region isn’t quite so unexplored after all . . .
‘A real adventure, equally joyous and thought-provoking.’ —Adrian Tchaikovsky, Arthur C. Clarke Award–winning author of Children of Time
‘Tense, immersive, and fearlessly creative. Highly recommended.’ —Gareth L. Powell, British Science Fiction Association Award–winning author of Embers of War
‘The Wild Black is a scary place, but thankfully Barker sends us in with a delightful cast of uplifted creatures at the helm. Breakneck, brutal, and wonderfully warm-hearted.’ —Caspar Geon, Phillip K. Dick Award–nominated author of The Immeasurable Heaven
‘Brimming with ideas, adventure, cats, bears, and rooks (and a pesky human or two), this is a fantastically fresh and hopeful space opera.’ —Stewart Hotston, author of Project Hanuman
Genre: Science Fiction
Years ago, Deep Strike cadet Min Law was left behind during what was meant to be a routine operation. Though he survived, the resulting trauma almost ended his career. Now, as captain of the DST Thunberg, he is preparing to take his crew on a similar journey to a seemingly quiet world following a garbled distress signal. The mission is simple on paper: find the source of the call, offer aid, return home.
But nothing is simple in the Wild Black at the edges of the unexplored universe. As the crew of the Thunberg searches for the signal’s source, they find strange ships and corpses that shouldn’t be there. The mysteries begin to pile up. What happened out here? And why does some of the technology look horribly familiar?
Fortunately, Min’s team of animal counterparts is prepared for anything. The bear, Sitka Pete, is eight hundred pounds of loyal muscle. The rooks are quick and coordinated, perfect for reconnaissance. And the cats, Oz and Hinder, well, they''re just cats. But together they’re more than up for whatever the Wild Black can throw at them—even if this region isn’t quite so unexplored after all . . .
‘A real adventure, equally joyous and thought-provoking.’ —Adrian Tchaikovsky, Arthur C. Clarke Award–winning author of Children of Time
‘Tense, immersive, and fearlessly creative. Highly recommended.’ —Gareth L. Powell, British Science Fiction Association Award–winning author of Embers of War
‘The Wild Black is a scary place, but thankfully Barker sends us in with a delightful cast of uplifted creatures at the helm. Breakneck, brutal, and wonderfully warm-hearted.’ —Caspar Geon, Phillip K. Dick Award–nominated author of The Immeasurable Heaven
‘Brimming with ideas, adventure, cats, bears, and rooks (and a pesky human or two), this is a fantastically fresh and hopeful space opera.’ —Stewart Hotston, author of Project Hanuman
Genre: Science Fiction
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