The Factus Sequence - Ten Low

Ten Low is an ex-army medic, one of many convicts eking out a living at the universe's edge. She's desperate to escape her memories of the interstellar war, and the crimes she committed, but trouble seems to follow wherever she goes.

One night, attempting to atone for her sins, she pulls a teenage girl - the sole survivor - from the wreck of a spaceship. But Gabriella Ortiz is no ordinary girl. The result of a military genetics programme, she is a decorated Army General, from the opposing side of the war to Ten. Worse, Ten realises the crash was an assassination attempt, and that someone wants the Ortiz dead...

The pair bury their hatreds and strike an uneasy deal to smuggle the General off-world. Their road won't be easy: they must cross the moon's lawless wastes, facing military hit squads, bandits and the one-eyed leader of an all-female road gang, in a frantic race to get the General to safety.

But something else waits in the darkness at the universe's edge. Something that threatens to reveal Ten's worst nightmare: the truth of who she really is and what she is running from.

“PRAISE FOR TEN LOW "With plenty of action and vivid worldbuilding, this tense adventure will have readers hooked." - Publishers Weekly "A good story, with lots of action" - Booklist I loved Ten Low . Combining the taut characterisation and clever wit of Stark Holborn's spectacular Westerns with some splendidly inclusive and innovative sci-fi, this is a wonderful fusion of Firefly and Joanna Russ, with a Ennio Morricone soundtrack. - Joanne Harris, best-selling author of Chocolat, The Gospel of Loki and many more Mad Max meets Firefly - and that's awesome - Claire North, award-winning author of The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August A fantastic, punchy SF action story, full of blood and grit and bitter pasts - Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of Children of Time, Dogs of War and many more. Stark Holborn's writing is clever, original and thrilling - R. J. Barker, author of The Bone Ships and Age of Assassins A gritty space western that fans of The Mandalorian should lap up. As always, Stark Holborn makes us feel immediately for the characters to the point where we'll follow them through hell. And we do. - Paul Cornell, author of the Shadow Police and Witches of Lychford series Stark Holborn continues to impress. Great characters and a blistering pace - Gareth Powell, award-winning author of the Embers of War series The future of space westerns, TEN LOW showed me the most vibrant desert world since DUNE . A stunning blend of pulp and literary exploration leaves the old guard masters in the dust. - Alex White, author of the Salvagers trilogy An action-packed SF adventure with an intriguing majority female cast? OH, HELL YES! - Stina Leicht, author of Persephone Station I loved this from beginning to end. There are furious fight-scenes, down-and-dirty characters and incredible world-building. Stark Holborn grabs you by the throat on page one and never lets you go! - Cavan Scott, bestselling and award-winning author”

"I loved Ten Low. Combining the taut characterisation and clever wit of Stark Holborn's spectacular Westerns with some splendidly inclusive and innovative sci-fi, this is a wonderful fusion of Firefly and Joanna Russ, with a Ennio Morricone soundtrack." - Joanne Harris, best-selling author of Chocolat, The Gospel of Loki and many more"Mad Max meets Firefly - and that's awesome" - Claire North, award-winning author of The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August"A fantastic, punchy SF action story, full of blood and grit and bitter pasts" - Adrian Tchaikovsky, award-winning author of Children of Time, Dogs of War and many more."Stark Holborn continues to impress. Great characters and a blistering pace" - Gareth Powell, award-winning author of the Embers of War series"The future of space westerns, TEN LOW showed me the most vibrant desert world since Dune. A stunning blend of pulp and literary exploration leaves the old guard masters in the dust." - Alex White, author of the Salvagers trilogy"Stark Holborn's writing is clever, original and thrilling" - R. J. Barker, author of The Bone Ships and Age of Assassins"An action-packed SF adventure with an intriguing majority female cast? OH, HELL YES!" - Stina Leicht, author of Persephone Station"I loved this from beginning to end. There are furious fight-scenes, down-and-dirty characters and incredible world-building. Stark Holborn grabs you by the throat on page one and never lets you go!" - Cavan Scott, bestselling and award-winning author"A gritty space western that fans of The Mandalorian should lap up. As always, Stark Holborn makes us feel immediately for the characters to the point where we'll follow them through hell. And we do." - Paul Cornell, author of the Shadow Police and Witches of Lychford series"Holborn delivers a crisply written space western brimming with hard living, villainy, and the search for redemption....With plenty of action and vivid worldbuilding, this tense adventure will have readers hooked." - Publishers Weekly"A good story, with lots of action" -Booklist"Holborn shows what a rich imagination she has" - The Times"Packed with wildly memorable female characters and the pacey prose keeps things whip-cracking along." - SFX"There is a great deal to admire and enjoy in this well-crafted story, with its terse present tense first protagonist." - Fantasy Hive"[A] hit, full force, with a lot of enjoyment. Top marks." - Swords and Spectres"Classic SF and yet fresh at the same time - a wonderful and heady mix" - Peter Sutton Review"Ten Low is exactly the kind of story I hope to get when someone mentions Mad Max: Fury Road. A desert type of setting but with its unique touch, super rad gunfights / fighting scenes, non-stop action and amazing, morally-gray (queer) characters. I highly recommend reading this one." - Crini Review"Ten Low is the kind of book that has a lot more depth and character focus than you'd first think from the description, one that goes deep into some heavy themes, all whilst delivering an engaging and action packed character driven narrative." - Set the Tape"Recommended for fans of Mad Max, perhaps a bit of Stephen King's Dark Tower but sci-fi, and yes of course Firefly." - Little Frog Scribbles"It was stunning; from the opening chapter to the final page. Gritty, intriguing sci-fi/ Western brilliance." - The Book Beard"If you want a pacey and punchy sci-fi, full of great friendships and a twisting story that will keep you guessing, I really recommend Ten Low!" - Paperbacks and Pinot"The world is gritty and dry, and the action is plenty." - Susanna Reads

Stark Holborn is a novelist, games writer, film reviewer, and the author of Nunslinger and Triggernometry. Stark lives in the South West UK.

Ten Low is an ex-army medic, one of many convicts eking out a living at the universe's edge. She's desperate to escape her memories of the interstellar war, and the crimes she committed, but trouble seems to follow wherever she goes. One night, attempting to atone for her sins, she pulls a teenage girl - the sole survivor -- from the wreck of a spaceship. But Gabriella Ortiz is no ordinary girl. The result of a military genetics programme, she is a decorated Army General, from the opposing side of the war to Ten. Worse, Ten realises the crash was an assassination attempt, and that someone wants the Ortiz dead... The pair bury their hatreds and strike an uneasy deal to smuggle the General off-world. Their road won't be easy: they must cross the moon's lawless wastes, facing military hit squads, bandits and the one-eyed leader of an all-female road gang, in a frantic race to get the General to safety. But something else waits in the darkness at the universe's edge. Something that threatens to reveal Ten's worst nightmare: the truth of who she really is and what she is running from.

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