Summer's End

Dave Walkers is a recent college graduate with a Ship Engineer 3rd-Class certificate looking for a berth on a corporate ship. His stepfather, an Earth Senator, wants him dead, so he takes the first berth he can find on the Iowa Hill, an old tramp freighter. He learns that there are a lot of things he still needs to learn, but one hard lesson he learned long ago is how to be ruthless.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 400 pages
Publication date: 06 December 2022
Publisher: Baen Books

Fresh out of college with his Ship Engineer 3rd-Class certificate, Dave Walker's only thought is to try to find a berth on a corporate ship plying the trade routes between the many habs, orbitals, and moons in the Solar System. The problem for Dave, however, isn't his straight C average; it's that his stepfather, a powerful Earth Senator he's never met, now wants him dead. Forced to take the first berth he can find, Dave ends up on the Iowa Hill, an old tramp freighter running with a minimal crew and nearing the end of its useful life, plying the routes that the corporations ignore and visiting the kinds of places that the folks on Earth pretend don't exist. Between the assassins, criminals, and pirates he needs to deal with, Dave is discovering that there are a lot of things out there that he still needs to learn. But there's one hard lesson he learned long ago that he's being forced to remember: how to be ruthless.

Dave Walker, a recent college graduate, holds a Ship Engineer 3rd-Class certificate. His immediate goal is to secure a position on a corporate ship navigating the trade routes within the vast expanse of the Solar System. However, his path is not without obstacles. The primary challenge lies not in his academic performance, which boasts a commendable C average, but in the fact that his stepfather, a powerful Earth Senator, harbors a deep-seated desire for his demise. Driven by circumstances, Dave accepts the first berth that comes his way, landing him on the Iowa Hill, an aging tramp freighter with a skeletal crew and a nearing expiration date. Operating in the shadows of the corporate world, the Iowa Hill frequents routes that are overlooked by the major corporations and ventures into regions that Earth's inhabitants would prefer to ignore. As Dave navigates the treacherous waters of assassins, criminals, and pirates, he realizes the vastness of the unknown and the immense knowledge he still needs to acquire. However, one lesson he has learned from his past remains etched in his mind: the art of ruthlessness. It is a lesson that he is compelled to relearn as he confronts the myriad dangers that lurk in the depths of space.

Weight: 395g
Dimension: 229 x 152 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781982192297