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The Sixth Nik

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The Sixth Nik

By: Daniel Kraus
Narrated by: Kimberly Woods
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Summary
 Perfectly aligned for readers of Iain M. Banks’s The Culture series and Ursula K. Le Guin’s “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”, The Sixth Nik is a galaxy spanning adventure from the New York Times bestselling and Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Angel Down and Whalefall.

Deep into space, far past the triworld outposts, beyond range of the lethal trollbot internet, soars The Sickness: a ship woven from biomatter and capable of reacting to every need of its human crew. Sisilla, a nine-year-old cultist with a brain enhanced by arcane tech known as “niks,” has boarded to investigate the enigma of Fém—a plague-riddled planet that has abruptly gone rogue.

The mysterious crew includes a faceless assassin, a beautiful engineer jigsawed by plastic surgery, a peyote-addicted medic, and—most lethal of all—a rugged, NonModded captain with a score to settle with Sisilla. Other dangers abound. A hacked robot begins to believe Sisilla is its daughter. The Sickness itself is mutating, possibly even pregnant. And the secret of Fém is more horrific than anyone could have imagined. To survive, Sisilla will need to forsake her predetermined fate and embrace the unknown. Genetic Engineering Science Fiction Space Opera

Critic Reviews

"A captivating, if skin-crawling, performance."
— Winner of an Earphones Award, Kirkus Reviews
"Kimberly Woods narrates an unsettling cosmic horror adventure. Sisilla is a young girl enhanced with implants travelling aboard a living ship. Her mission is to discover why a planet besieged by an implacable plague suddenly cuts off contact after a cure is found. Woods imbues 9-year-old Sisilla with youthful vitality. Her soft cadence clashes wonderfully with the vivid, disturbing body horror and violence. Woods keeps the story engaging even as it veers in unpredictable ways, and the horror aspects feel not only believable but vibrant. At times the narrative touches on surprising and uncomfortable social commentary, which Woods handles with gentleness."
— Winner of an Earphones Award, Kirkus Reviews
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