Hail Bristol has made a name for herself in the galaxy for everything except what she was born to do: rule the Indranan Empire. When she is dragged back to her home planet to take her rightful place as the only remaining heir, she finds that trading her ship for a palace is her most dangerous move yet. There is a wonderful moment as a reviewer that I always enjoy when it happens. That split second when you’re a dozen or so pages into a debut author’s first novel and everything clicks. The joyous frisson when you just get it, and realise that the author’s work really resonates with you. I experienced that exact sensation after I started reading Behind The Throne by K B Wagers. Hail has spent decades running away from the Indranan Empire. In that time she has shed the mantle of royal princess and has become almost the polar opposite – a hard talking no-nonsense gunrunner. When circumstance steps in and forces her to return home, her family and subjects are more than a little dismayed by her appearance and attitude. The stuffed shirts who run the empire on a day to day basis just don’t...