Less Star Wars, More Star Work?

[brainwane]

I was reading a bit of military SF whose protagonist is a woman, and it got into more "galaxy-spanning intrigue and conspiracy" stuff, and I realized that what I had actually wanted was chick lit about a woman's career as a space mercenary and her ambition to get promoted. (As Leonard put it, "Can a space woman have it all?")

I welcome recommendations for, like, The Devil Wears A Prada EVA Suit. Pro fic and fan fic are both of interest!

(So far I think what I know to read in this subgenre is Elizabeth Moon's work (edited 30 Jan to add: I read a single Moon book once, Trading in Danger), and Polaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik which someone recommended.)

Feel free to publicly link this to help find more recommendations!

Comments

[tielan]

My recommendation would be the Kris Longknife series by Mike Shepherd.

Kris isn't a space mercenary, she's space military, and she starts off as a Lieutenant (and a Poor Little Rich Girl) but rises through the ranks over the book series. Some of her rise is a little unconventional because she has the money and the connections and the experience that those connections have brought her, but I liked her growth through the series.

Fair warning, the first book, 'Mutineer', has a scene in which Kris faces some people who've been attacked by bandits. I understand the scene caused some readers to NOPE out of there. It's not a trigger for me, although it was disturbing, but it may be for others. Since you've mentioned Elizabeth Moon and female space mercs, I'm going to assume you've read the Serrano/Suiza legacy and know Brun's storyline? It's comparable to that, but not described in the book in the present (as Brun's story does) but as something that happened in the past to the people Kris is speaking with.