Sunward: A Novel

A 2026 Philip K. Dick Award Finalist, this debut science fiction novel follows Captain Tova Lir, a planetary courier who chose her profession over involvement in her family's political business. Set in humanity's far future, Tova begins mentoring baby bots—juvenile AI in their developmental teens—training them to interact within society and becoming their foster mother. Her latest charge, Agatha Panza von Sparkles, names herself during their first courier run from Luna to Phoebe station. On their return, they encounter a derelict spaceship and an assassin, triggering a chase across the solar system. When Agatha's mind becomes vulnerable following their actions, Tova relies on her former AI pupils for help. As Tova gathers her scattered family around her, she is pursued by forces seeking her capture and her family's erasure. The novel explores found family, the evolution of AI, and the distrust arising from centuries of bias against the backdrop of interplanetary conflict following a devastating explosion on Earth's moon.