Seven Surrenders: Book 2 of Terra Ignota

The second book in the Terra Ignota series, Seven Surrenders is set in a future of near-instantaneous global travel and abundant resources, where no living person remembers an actual war. This long era of stability now threatens to collapse. Unknown to most, the leaders of the great Hives—nations without fixed locations—have secretly conspired to maintain world stability through carefully planned, mathematically calculated murders. This balance is beginning to fail. Mycroft Canner, a convict sentenced to wander the globe in service to all, knows more about this conspiracy than he can reveal. Carlyle Foster, a counselor and sensayer, carries equally heavy secrets. Both are privy to the greatest secret of all: Bridger, a child who can bring inanimate objects to life. The novel weaves together themes of love, murder, politics, theology, and parenthood as it continues Palmer's science fiction epic.