Humanity has made it to the stars, but only by hitching a ride with the fish-like Shoal aliens, who have a monopoloy on faster-than-light travel. The first book was filled with ancient mysteries, post-human monstrocities, and a touch of FTL battles. The second dealt with the theft of an FTL starship and the efforts to capture it. The third involves the consequences of a “nova war” between alien species who are detonating suns in “scorched space”-style galactic conflict. This book is part of my Summer 2014 Reading List.