In a desolate system on the outer edge of Pan Galactum, the skin of the universe has ruptured, tearing open a portal to an alternate reality. Witnessed only by the sentient science vessel N'Dea, a massive, battered ship falls through, housing a community of refugees fleeing an enemy that has pursued them across the cold reaches of space for decades.

But have they come alone?

Summoned by N'Dea while en route from a reunion with dear friends on the Galactum's capital, the mystery is a lure that fellow Artificial Sentience, the Maverick Heart, cannot resist. It's now up to Vrick, along with humans Keene, Lexa-Blue and Ember, and allies old and new, to come to the aid of this ship of lost souls. Together they must find a way to seal the breach for good, before a ravening hunger can spill through and rip the Galactum apart.

Stephen Graham King (He/They) is a disabled survivor of metastatic synovial sarcoma, a story chronicled in the memoir, Just Breathe: My Journey Through Cancer and Back. Since then, he has concentrated on writing speculative fiction, in particular, queer-themed space opera, and his short fiction has appeared in the anthologies North of Infinity II, Desolate Places, Ruins Metropolis,and the Aurora Award winning Nothing Without Us Too. His first novel, Chasing Cold, was released in 2012, followed by the books in the Maverick Heart Cycle: Soul's Blood (2016), Gatecrasher (2017), A Congress of Ships (2019) and in 2022 Ghost Light Burn. He has been a frequent guest on podcasts and panels, passionately advocating for lived experience queer and disability narratives in stories of the future. They are also an avid black and white photographer, with two of their photos appearing in an installation at the Art Gallery of Ontario. They are also working on a book compiling their intimate and immediate photos captured on the streets of Toronto, where they currently reside.

Stephen Graham King's profile page

"Stephen Graham King's Maverick Heart Cycle is the queer Firefly-meets-Killjoys series I always wanted, with the added bonus of his seemingly effortless world-building, clever plots, and themes of chosen family and "no one left behind" that bring me back every time. Trust me: go get squishy." -Nathan Burgoine, author of Light and Exit Plans for Teenage Freaks

"Stephen Graham King is a master builder of worlds, from the organic to the technical, and he fills them with wonderfully complex characters who just have that cool factor. The entire series is a must-read." -Cait Gordon, author of Life in the 'Cosm and The Stealth Lovers.