"Full Tide of Night"  by J.R. Dunn: Long ago, Lady Julia Amalfi fled Earth to escape the diabolical, machinelike Erinye. She seeded the icy planet Midgard with genetic stock brought from Earth, hoping to re-create human society with the assistance of an immature artificial intelligence named Carion. Now Cary and her "children" are rebelling against Lady Julia, and the Erinye are speeding toward Midgard. Inspired by John Webster's classic revenge tragedy "The Duchess of Malfi," J.R. Dunn's "Full Tide of Night" weaves a tale of loyalty and betrayal among the stars. Dunn blends philosophy, worldbuilding, politics, and good old human nature to tell a gripping and tragic story.
 
 
"Mockingbird" by Sean Stewart: Sean Stewart's "Mockingbird" is one of those delightful books that is hard to categorize, but easy to love. Toni Beauchamp's mother could work magic; in fact, she used magic the way other people use credit cards, ringing up huge bills to get the things she wanted. But the debts had to be paid off sooner or later. By way of pure atmospheric magic, Stewart transports us to the Deep South where a woman and her gods must put things right after the mysterious death of her mother.
 
 
"Deepdrive" by Alexander Jablokov: What if alien races set up home on the planets and moons of our solar system? In this tale of interplanetary secrets and lies, ragtag human clans play catch-up with mysterious beings transforming Mercury, Venus, and even Earth. Humanity would love to join these far-flung adventurers in their travels, but without the secret of the faster-than-light deepdrive, we can't level the playing field. A few years ago, an alien by the name of Ripi crash-landed in our system, and he may have brought an intact drive with him.