[Atlantia Series 05] • Defiance

The Atlantia is all that remains of humanity: a former fleet frigate turned prison-ship now hunted by a terrifying force and crewed by an alliance of murderous convicts, exhausted soldiers and terrified civilians determined to confront the technological horror that has consumed mankind.

Ambushed in orbit around a lonely planet far from the Core Systems, the crew of Atlantia realize that the spread of the Legion across the galaxy is occurring far quicker than any of them could have believed possible. Unable to stem the flow, they are forced to flee and approach the Galactic Council for assistance in defeating the Legion. But the Legion is already aboard Atlantia and threatens to undermine their position, the frigate a plague ship.

The ultimate democracy, the Oassians who rule the council are renowned for their diplomacy and aversion to conflict, and their sector of the galaxy has not seen a fleet action for hundreds of years. Now Captain Idris Sansin and his crew throw themselves at their mercy, their ships infected, their crews conflicted and the Legion closing in on them.

But the council is hiding something, and before Idris and his crew can react they find themselves in the midst of an Oassian plot to build a different kind of alliance – one with the Legion itself. And humanity is the bait.

**REVIEW**

**Praise for Dean Crawford:**

*"The fossilized remains of a 7,000-year-old creature dug from the sands of the Negev Desert in Israel become the bones of contention in Dean Crawford's fast-paced debut thriller... The book neatly threads together a wild variety of plotlines." -* **Wall Street Journal**

*“… cleverly introduced premise… assured pacing and plotting…”* - **Publishers Weekly**

*“The action is frenetic, in the vein of Matthew Reilly’s Scarecrow series. Crawford is an able storyteller who smoothly orchestrates the plot’s twists and turns… ” * – **Kirkus Reviews**

*“… brilliant high-concept, high-octane thriller….”* - **The Guardian**

*"A fast-paced and entertaining yarn." * - **Melbourne Age**

*"Partly mythical read, part thriller this pacy tale is a page turner guaranteed to keep you up late." * - **The Sun**

*"Get the cameras rolling—Indiana Jones meets Alien. What a combination of mystery, suspense, and unspeakable horror. I loved it!" * - **R.L. Stine **

*“This is an amazingly good, intelligently told novel by an exciting new British author.” * - **Eurocrime**

*"Earth-shattering intrigue, hyperdrive action and a desperate race to save humanity, cranked up to the max with scarily realistic science and apocalyptic religion thrown in for good measure . . . a major new talent has hit the mystery thriller scene!" * - **Scott Mariani**

**ABOUT THE AUTHOR**

Dean Crawford began writing after his dream of becoming a fighter pilot in the Royal Air Force was curtailed when he failed their stringent sight tests. His Ethan Warner series of high-concept novels have regularly featured on the Sunday Times paperback bestseller list and have sold all over the world. A full-time author, he lives with his partner and daughter in Surrey.