Tobias Buckell's third entry in his Xenowealth series is arguably the tightest and most accessible of them all, and might even be a better starting point for new readers than Crystal Rain/Ragamuffin. From the intense nail-biter of a opening scene to its very satisfying conclusion, Buckell puts one of his best characters, Pepper, in a thrilling, high stakes situation that includes floating cities, political intrigue, intergalactic war, and zombies. Yes, zombies! Two kinds, actually; both subtly imaginative spins on the concept that work.

In the midst of an exciting story filled with engaging characters, Buckell also flexes his impressive world-building muscles to further flesh out the fascinating Xenowealth setting, and of the three books, this one offers the best foundation for a movie that would expose Avatar for the shallow, hamfisted hackery it was. Recommended.