A NEW SERIES IN THE UNIVERSE OF THE DABARE SNAKE LAUNCHER!
PODKAYNE OF MARS AT SATURN'S RINGS—HARD SF WITH A HUMAN FACE
It is a time of humanity’s exuberant expansion throughout the Solar System. We have colonies on the Moon, Mars, as far as Saturn’s rings. And we’re heading out even further.
But it does mean that we’re stretched thin, and that every person who is part of the great experiment must do their part. To include the least likely scion of a famous explorer family: the Sadous.
The Sadous were in space exploration from the start of the space elevators in Africa, and they remain powerful to this day. But power draws envy, and for 12-year-old Calypso, life ain’t so easy. Especially when her mother, father, and two prodigy brothers—no pressure—head out, leaving her alone on Saturn’s ring station with her grandparents in charge.
She becomes the focus of a lot of strife, political maneuvering, and simple jealousy. As her grandparents are aging, she's going to have to grow up fast to protect them and her own hopes for a productive future. It’ll take everything she’s got to prove worthy—to her family, to her colony, and most of all, to herself.
Praise for The Dabare Snake Launcher: “Joelle Presby’s novel is a fascinating fictional look behind the scenes of the construction of the world’s first space elevator in a near-future version of Africa that has enough grounded elements to be thoroughly believable . . . The story maintains a keen eye on the largely larger-than-life characters and respect for the business processes, customs, and beliefs of the people on the ground making things happen.” —Wole Talabi, multiple-award finalist author and editor of Africanfuturism: An Anthology
“You guys should all be on the lookout for Joelle Presby’s solo Baen novel THE DABARE SNAKE LAUNCHER. It is . . . remarkable. Just truly, truly remarkable.” —David Weber, NYT best-selling author of the Honorverse series
“The Dabare Snake Launcher is a very believable depiction of when this species decides to do something amazing: backstabbing, plotting, and inflamed passions galore. Presby has created a future that I could easily imagine reading on the news in a few decades, and the novel is all the better for it.” —Warped Factor
“The Dabare Snake Launcher takes you on a journey of possibilities, an Africa foremost in groundbreaking technology and not focused on deprivation and poverty. Joelle’s writing is nuanced . . . There’s family drama . . . romance . . . and laugh-out-loud humour. Writing is vivid and the characters fascinating.” —Hannah Onoguwe, author and poet
“Set in Cameroon, where the author lived for many years, and full of lovely detail about the local cultures, clashes between traditional and modern, and differing expectations.” —Jane Lindskold, author of the Star Kingdom series and Over Where series.
Praise for Joelle Presby: “Joelle Presby has a knack for engaging characters and plots that skillfully walk the line between science and storytelling.” —Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, Nebula Award-winning and Hugo Award-nominated author and editor of The Year’s Best African Speculative Fiction
“Presby’s prose is efficient and shows intricate knowledge of both engineering and engineering management considerations. This infuses the story with the sensibility of a techno-thriller without the usual breakneck action pace that can sometimes sacrifice character development . . . I am eager to see what Presby writes next.” —Wole Talabi, Locus Award-nominated author and editor of Africanfuturism: An Anthology
