Skirmishes: A Diving Novel (The Diving Series Book 6)

The answers Captain Jonathon “Coop” Cooper and the crew of the Ivoire seek lie in the Boneyards. But they must wait for Boss and her team to dive it, explore the wrecks, and piece together what happened in that faraway place.
Boss loves the challenge. Thousands of ships, centuries of history, all play to her strengths. In her absence, she trusts Coop to defend the Nine Planets Alliance against the Enterran Empire.
But an encounter from Coop’s recent past shows up to haunt him, an encounter he never told Boss about, an encounter that could threaten her future, his life, and the fragile peace between the Alliance and the Empire.



A combination of first-person and third-person narrative and flashback segments makes this a complex and compelling story. It’s like having three tales in one, with an added peek into the bad guys’ activities, all of them intriguing, classic science fiction. It leaves the reader eager to explore this universe again and see what will happen next with these characters.
—RT Book Reviews

The Diving Universe, conceived buy Hugo-Award winning author Kristine [Kathryn] Rusch is a refreshingly new and fleshed out realm of sci-fi action and adventure. And the latest offering…doesn’t disappoint.
—Dave Dickinson, Astroguyz

“…there's wreck diving, space battling, and even a bit of romance here. Throw in plenty of suspense and several plot twists, and you have adventure SF in the old tradition.”
—Bill Crider’s Pop Culture Magazine

“The latest Diving Universe science fiction (see City of Ruins, Diving Into The Wreck and Boneyards) is a fabulous outer space thriller that rotates perspective between the divers, the Alliance and to a lesser degree the Empire. Action-packed and filled with twists yet allowing the reader to understand the motives of the key players, Skirmishes is another intelligent exciting voyage into the Rusch Diving universe.”
— Midwest Book Review

“Kristine Kathryn Rusch is best known for her Retrieval Artist series, so maybe you’ve missed her Diving Universe series. If so, it’s high time to remedy that oversight.”
—Don Sakers, Analog

“There’s adventure, suspense, intrigue, and not a few surprises, all in Rusch’s quick, light prose. Boss, as much historian as salvager, reminds one of a Poul Anderson or Gordon R. Dickson protagonist. This is definitely a fun universe to visit: dive in!”
—Don Sakers, Analog

“. . . a fabulous outer space thriller that rotates perspective between the divers, the Alliance and to a lesser degree the Empire. Action-packed and filled with twists yet allowing the reader to understand the motives of the key players, Skirmishes is another intelligent exciting voyage into the Rusch Diving universe.”
—The Midwest Book Review
Harriet Klausner, Senior Reviewer

“There’s adventure, suspense, intrigue, and not a few surprises, all in Rusch’s quick, light prose.”
—The Reference Library

On the Series:

Rusch’s handling of the mystery and adventure is stellar, and the whole tale proves quite entertaining.
—Booklist Online on Diving into the Wreck

This is classic sci-fi, a well-told tale of dangerous exploration. The first-person narration makes the reader an eyewitness to the vast, silent realms of deep space, where even the smallest error will bring disaster. Compellingly human and technically absorbing, the suspense builds to fevered intensity, culminating in an explosive yet plausible conclusion.
—RT Book Reviews Top Pick on Diving into the Wreck

Rusch delivers a page-turning space adventure while contemplating the ethics of scientists and governments working together on future tech.
—Publisher’s Weekly on Diving into the Wreck

Rusch keeps the science accessible, the cultures intriguing, and the characters engaging. For anyone needing to add to their science fiction library, keep an eye out for this.
—Josh Vogt, Speculative Fiction Examiner.com on City of Ruins