From the author of the Revelation Space series comes an interstellar adventure of war, identity, betrayal, and the preservation of civilization itself.

A vast conflict, one that has encompassed hundreds of worlds and solar systems, appears to be finally at an end. A conscripted soldier is beginning to consider her life after the war and the family she has left behind. But for Scur - and for humanity - peace is not to be.

On the brink of the ceasefire, Scur is captured by a renegade war criminal, and left for dead in the ruins of a bunker. She revives aboard a prisoner transport vessel. Something has gone terribly wrong with the ship.

Passengers - combatants from both sides of the war - are waking up from hibernation far too soon. Their memories, embedded in bullets, are the only links to a world which is no longer recognizable. And Scur will be reacquainted with her old enemy, but with much higher stakes than just her own life.

"A Rousing drama of revenge." - GUARDIAN

"A splendid novella from one of the world's top science fiction writers." - The SUN

"A compelling adventure story about people trying to make something worthwhile, after lives spent only on destruction." - MORNING STAR

"Characteristic razor-sharp dialogue, attention to scientific detail and a plot that rattles along with nary a chance to draw a breath." - STARBURST

"Once again, Alastair Reynolds has produced a fascinating work of fiction that grips the imagination." - THE BOOK BEARD

"Impressive" - The Book Bag