Christian Hurst – författare

2026 IPPY Awards Gold Medalist. Thousands of copies sold.New Edition — Book One in the Award-Winning YA Sci-Fi SeriesLily Starling is alone in a city she barely recognizes, with no memory of her past—only a metal tag bearing her name and an instinct for survival. When a Union starship crew claims she belongs with them, she's pulled centuries beyond her own time and into a desperate mission against the psionic Krythar.Aboard the starship Salamander, Lily is drawn into a found family of misfit officers, warriors, and exiles. Together, they uncover mysteries hidden among the stars: an ancient memory seed carrying the voices of the dead—and a weapon capable of unraveling time itself.But when Lily faces her greatest fear, she must choose—confront the truth of her past, or risk losing everything she's come to care about.A lyrical, fast-paced space opera about identity, connection, and courage at the edge of the unknown.Perfect for fans of Becky Chambers, with the cinematic scope of Mass Effect and the found-family heart of Firefly and Red Rising.

The storm is coming. And it doesn't care who stands in its way.Lily Starling thought she'd finally found her place among the stars. But when a routine rescue mission turns into a devastating ambush, she watches in horror as the Storm Riders—a ruthless band of spacefaring raiders—vanish into the chaos, taking her closest friend with them.Now, with the Salamander crippled and the galaxy on edge, Lily must convince her crew that the Storm Riders are more than just pirates. They are zealots, wielding the power of a cosmic tempest the Union refuses to understand—one that may have been set in motion long before Lily was even born.As the hunt takes her to the farthest reaches of known space, Lily must rely on unlikely allies, question everything she's been taught, and face the growing storm within herself.Because the leader of these zealots is hiding a dark secret.And if Lily can't stop them, the storm will swallow everything.

"e;Hurst has crafted a richly detailed sci-fi world, with extensive descriptions and atmospheric prose. …the plot is intricate and compelling."e; — KirkusSurvival has a cost. The galaxy always collects.Lily Starling has survived time displacement, war, and storms that could swallow entire worlds. But survival has never felt this fragile.When a forbidden technology resurfaces—one capable of preserving life at an unthinkable cost—Lily is drawn into a tightening web of political pressure, institutional secrecy, and moral compromise. As a deadly plague spreads across Union space, the systems meant to protect its citizens begin to fracture, and truth becomes something carefully managed rather than openly faced.Isolated within structures she no longer trusts, Lily is forced into the role of investigator rather than hero. Every answer deepens the unease. Every solution demands a sacrifice someone else is willing to offer.Lily Starling and the Death Machine is a YA sci-fi thriller about control, survival, and the quiet decision to hope when the universe is off-kilter. Told with Fincher-style tension and the heart of a character-driven space opera, it asks what it means to choose hope—especially when everything is out of your control.