The Cleaner, the Cat, and the Space Station (The Shantivira Book 1)

Description

A heart-warming, multi-protagonist adventure featuring a diverse cast and some shape-shifting space demons.

Since leaving Ethiopia, Hanna Abebe has survived in London by working illegally as a cleaner. When tragedy strikes, help arrives in a surprising form and Hanna is welcomed into an unusual new family: a school for human recruits to the Shantivira, the secret space station which protects the Earth from extra-terrestrial invasion. But Hanna discovers a spy in their midst, reporting to an organisation unconvinced by the Shantivira’s friendly image . . .

Lucy Cooper is horse-riding on Dartmoor when a mysterious being appears out of the mist and offers her the chance to train as a pilot on the Shantivira. Unnerved, Lucy’s instinct is to refuse. But then she’s approached by an organisation claiming the Shantivira’s motives are more sinister, and they persuade her to become their spy . . .

Joe Llewellyn is bored. Being the captain of the Shantivira isn’t the challenge he’d hoped. And although he believes his fellow humans ought to be informed about the existence of aliens, he can’t see how to do this without causing global mayhem. Then a stray asteroid hits the International Space Station and takes the decision out of his hands . . .

Hanna, Lucy, and Joe must examine their loyalties and make the right choices to protect the Earth.

This imaginative blend of fantasy and science fiction is a must-read for fans of Tolkien, Ursula Le Guin, Doctor Who, Douglas Adams, and Becky Chambers.