C. S Friedman: This Alien Shore [2000] paperback

Epic science fiction peopled with unique and compelling characters from one of the most exciting new talents of the decade.

Jamisia, a young girl protected by biological brain-ware and troubled by multiple voices in her head, flees her comfortable life on a satellite when corporate raiders destroy the entire colony. To her horror, she learns that they were looking for her.

Launched into the intrigues of the mysterious Gueran guild, mutant star-pilots who have a stranglehold on galactic commerce, Jamisia is desperate to avoid capture, and must form uncertain alliances with exotic strangers. Yet, as a rogue computer virus wreaks havoc across the galaxies it seems that humanity’s future rests in her hands: but first she must unlock the deadly secret hidden inside her head.

Against the rich and compelling backdrop of this epic story the author has succeeded in creating a truly unique character in Jamisia and placed her in a novel of fantastic diversity, and breathtaking possibility.