Ascendancy

Emily Hamilton's Ascendancy i****s an epic space opera following a butch anarchist pilot and a sword-wielding femme on opposing sides of a war whose blazing forbidden romance may unite humanity - or strike its killing blow . . . Per sapentiam et vigilam, vitam aeternam. Through wisdom and vigilance, eternal life. One thousand years after Earth's collapse, a surveillance state called the Ascendancy rules the remains of humanity on the moons of Jupiter . . . Trained to defend the last children of Earth from another apocalypse like the one that destroyed the homeworld, Apprentice Neev Alpha-Cilix has learned never to question the Ascendancy or the chip they put in her head. Raised by the militant leader of the New Rhodes Reformation, Ida Arkimidias believes that the Ascendancy's cruel reign will only end when humanity abandons its bodily form and embraces omniscience. But when a chance encounter sparks a gravity-upending romance, both women's faith begins to waver. Their bond shatters when Ida vanishes without a trace, breaking Neev's heart. A decade later, Ida leads the Reformation toward a final strike against the Ascendancy, only to be confronted by the ghosts of her past - and the Apprentice-turned-rebel-pilot whose familiar smile still sets her soul aflame. As lies are revealed, tyrannies fall, and war becomes an inevitability, their love may not be enough to stop them from ending up on opposite sides of the battlefield . . . Perfect for fans of Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir and A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine, Ascendancy is the start of an epic, riveting, queer cyberpunk trilogy about fanaticism and family, anarchy and authoritarianism, and an all-consuming love fierce enough to set the entire universe ablaze.