Hachette UK The Bastard Legion book English Paperback 336 pages

Book 1
The Suicide Squad for lovers of Aliens, a thrilling new down-and-dirty military SF series set in a world of mercenary actions and covert operations

'High octane SF adventure with Smith's trademark twist' Jamie Sawyer'An exceptional talent' Peter F HamiltonFour hundred years in the future, the most dangerous criminals are kept in suspended animation aboard prison ships and "rehabilitated" in a shared virtual reality environment. But Miska Corbin, a thief and hacker with a background in black ops, has stolen one of these ships, the Hangman's Daughter, and made it her own. Controlled by explosive collars and trained in virtual reality by the electronic ghost of a dead marine sergeant, the thieves, gangsters, murderers, and worse are transformed into Miska's own private indentured army: the Bastard Legion. Are the mercenaries just for fun and profit, or does Miska have a hidden purpose connected to her covert past?'Gloriously action-packed and often brutal military SF adventure . . . This series launch will keep readers turning pages, eager to see what bloody adventure awaits and how the legion develops into a force to be reckoned with' Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW