Flotsam (Book One of the Peridot Shift) by R J Theodore

Chipped Cup

A scrappy group of outsiders take a job to salvage some old ring from Peridot’s gravity-caught garbage layer, and land squarely in the middle of a plot to take over (and possibly destroy) what’s left of the already tormented planet. Captain Talis just wants to keep her airship crew from starving, and maybe scrape up enough cash for some badly needed repairs. When an anonymous client offers a small fortune to root through a pile of atmospheric wreckage, it seems like an easy payday. The job yields an ancient ring, a forbidden secret, and a host of deadly enemies. Now on the run from cultists with powerful allies, Talis needs to unload the ring as quickly as possible. Her desperate search for a buyer and the fallout from her discovery leads to a planetary battle between a secret society, alien forces, and even the gods themselves. Talis and her crew have just one desperate chance to make things right before their potential big score destroys them all. Praise for Flotsam: “Combining the best elements of steampunk and space opera, placed in a lavishly detailed and imagined world, Flotsam will hold you firmly till the final page.” — Cat Rambo “Flotsam sucked me in and wouldn’t let me go. R J Theodore is a fresh voice who will soon be on your must-read list!” — Jennifer Foehner Wells “I can’t stop thinking about the world of Flotsam. Science-fiction, alchemy, and airships. It’s magic.” — Mary Robinette Kowal “Take a pinch of Jim Butcher’s Aeronaut’s Windlass, add a dash of Treasure Planet, some vivid imagery from Avatar, a generous helping of banter from Firefly, and you might have an idea of the feeling this story left me with. Rich language and imagery blend with a complex world, a story told with humor and heart, that left me breathless and wrung out. I want to know what’s in store next for this crew and their already shattered world.” — Ronda “Peridot is a fascinating, fractured world that truly comes to life on the page; it’s remarkable that Theodore manages to establish the world and its cultures and races so well straight off the bat. And as if that isn’t enough, she introduces an alien race and culture into the mix, juggling them all with aplomb.” — Alan Brenik “The worldbuilding is incredibly epic for a newly minted author and hints at uncovering even more as this series evolves.” — Koeur

Adult • Fantasy/Epic and High • Fantasy/Steampunk, Gaslamp, and Flintlock