Empty Between the Stars

It is the far future. The artificial intelligences created by humanity are now gods, and mankind mere ants who scrabble in their shadows across a million worlds. The Lords of the Great Houses on the ever-night Moon of Hexator are suspected of the murder of one of their own. And merchant William Roxley, once a magistrate-priest, is unwillingly coopted to uncover the truth behind the killings. With only the help of his naive young assistant and a brutish robot bodyguard, the man they call 'Sweet William' digs into the Moon's eerie existence. A collapsing society where many strange, terrible things are happening under night's unsettling cover. Hexator is a place where nothing is what it seems, perhaps not even William Roxley himself! ABOUT THE AUTHOR Stephen Hunt is the creator of the much-loved 'Far-called' series (Gollancz/Hachette), as well as the 'Jackelian' series, published across the world via HarperCollins alongside their other science fiction authors, Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Philip K. Dick and Ray Bradbury. REVIEWS Praise for Stephen Hunt's novels: ‘Mr. Hunt takes off at racing speed.’ — THE WALL STREET JOURNAL ‘Hunt's imagination is probably visible from space. He scatters concepts that other writers would mine for a trilogy like chocolate-bar wrappers.’ - TOM HOLT ‘All manner of bizarre and fantastical extravagance.’ - DAILY MAIL ‘Compulsive reading for all ages.’ - GUARDIAN ‘An inventive, ambitious work, full of wonders and marvels.’ - THE TIMES ‘Studded with invention.’ -THE INDEPENDENT ‘To say this book is action packed is almost an understatement… a wonderful escapist yarn!’ - INTERZONE ‘Hunt has packed the story full of intriguing gimmicks… affecting and original.’ - PUBLISHERS WEEKLY ‘A rip-roaring Indiana Jones-style adventure.’ —RT BOOK REVIEWS ‘A curious part-future blend.’ - KIRKUS REVIEWS ‘Hunt knows what his audience like and gives it to them with a sardonic wit and carefully developed tension.’ - TIME OUT ‘A ripping yarn … the story pounds along… constant inventiveness keeps the reader hooked… the finale is a cracking succession of cliffhangers and surprise comebacks. Great fun.’ - SFX MAGAZINE