Primitive aliens interrupt a billionaire's plans to colonize a faraway planet in this space opera series opener by a Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author.

A human colony settles on a distant planet, a colony formed by Jake Holman—a man trying to escape a dark past. But as this diverse group of thousands comes to terms with their new lives on a new world, they make a startling discovery: primitive humanoid aliens. There are only a few isolated villages, and the evidence seems to indicate they aren't native to the planet—despite the aliens living in thatched huts and possessing only primitive tools.

When a handful of human colonists finally learn the truth, they will face the toughest decision of their lives, a decision that could determine not just the fate of their new home, but the fate of all humanity . . .

Praise for Crossfire

"Life-sized characters with personal and cosmic preoccupations, tense and knotty . . . and Kress's usual abundance of ideas: gripping, challenging work, a reassuring return to top form." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)