WHERE PEACE IS LOST

When a powerful empire threatens the denizens of a remote planet, a mysterious refugee comes out of hiding to fight back.

Kel Garda keeps to herself. As far as citizens of the planet Loth know, she’s yet another refugee of the Prixori Anocracy’s violent war of expansion. Technically that war ended five years ago, but when an abandoned battle machine—a “demolisher”—whirs to life in the lush jungles of Loth, the peaceful people have no way of stopping it from destroying everything in its path. And when they call their distant Prixori overlords for help, the Pale, as they're known, can’t be bothered to send aid. The people of Loth place great value on protecting the natural life on the planet, avoiding building more than the bare minimum of invasive infrastructure, and as such they have few resources to defend themselves against the Pale’s military tech. Though Kel feels a responsibility toward the kindhearted people of Loth who took her in after the war, she has her reasons to stay off the Pale’s radar and doesn’t intend to do more than attend meetings discussing what to do. When two mysterious offworlders show up to those meetings claiming to be able to shut down the demolisher, Kel finds their timing suspicious. But when her young, adventurous friend Lunna enthusiastically volunteers to guide the offworlders through the wilderness, Kel is forced to join them and find out for herself if the offworlders really do want to help Loth and if she’ll be able to continue hiding her true identity. Valdes is a delightful storyteller. Her characters are lively and detailed, and her worldbuilding is immersive without being confusing. The restorative justice culture of Loth is effectively contrasted with the violence of the Pale empire, and Valdes explores the complicated question of whether it’s possible to retain your values and ideals while fighting back against injustice and cruelty.

A solid SF adventure story.