Velocity Weapon

Sanda Greeve wakes up on an enemy ship 230 years after her last memory, with only an AI system for company. As a sergeant in the space military, she must piece together what happened to her civilization while trying to determine if she can trust the AI's version of events. The story alternates between Sanda's situation aboard the ship and earlier events on her home planet of Icarion. Her brother Biran rises through the political ranks of their society while searching for answers about his sister's disappearance and navigating complex alliances. The novel combines elements of space opera, military science fiction, and political intrigue. Plot threads involving artificial intelligence, space warfare, and family loyalty intersect as characters confront questions about power and truth. This first book in The Protectorate series explores themes of isolation and the relationship between humans and machines. The narrative challenges assumptions about reality while examining how personal connections persist across vast distances of time and space.

Readers highlight the book's pacing, plot twists, and character development, particularly the complex sibling relationship between Sanda and Biran. Many note the compelling AI character and the immersive space opera setting. Liked: - Unpredictable narrative shifts and reveals - Strong female protagonist - Balance of action and character moments - Detailed world-building without info-dumps Disliked: - Some found the dual timelines confusing - Middle section pacing slows - Political subplots feel underdeveloped - Several readers wanted more detail about the technology Ratings: Goodreads: 3.9/5 (2,800+ ratings) Amazon: 4.2/5 (230+ ratings) Reader quotes: "The twist halfway through changed everything I thought I knew" - Goodreads reviewer "Great character work but the politics lost me" - Amazon reviewer "Refreshing take on AI that avoids common tropes" - LibraryThing review "Started strong but dragged in the middle" - StoryGraph user

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🚀 K.B. Wagers wrote Velocity Weapon while working as a paint store clerk, often jotting down ideas between helping customers. 🌌 The book's complex AI systems were partly inspired by the author's background in computer programming and their fascination with artificial consciousness. 💫 The novel's original working title was "The Last Watch" before becoming Velocity Weapon, the first book in The Protectorate series. 🛸 The author drew inspiration for the book's space combat scenes from classic naval warfare tactics and submarine warfare strategies. 👩‍🚀 The main character Sanda Greeve's experiences with artificial gravity were based on extensive research into astronaut accounts of space adaptation syndrome and its effects on the human body.