These days, Kameron is as well-known for her powerful, truth-hammer essays as for chronicling the adventures of lesbians in space, but we’ll always remember her for her first novel, God’s War, and its sequels, because damn, no one makes a first impression like Nyxnissa so Dasheem—and it looks like her adventures aren’t over yet, thanks to a new book due out next year.

Before she left to start her own mercenary crew, Nyx was a Bel Dame, a licensed bounty hunter who cut off heads on behalf of her government on the ravaged, war-torn colony world Umayma. She’s a veteran of the front lines in the planet’s never-ending Holy War. Her body has been destroyed and rebuilt so many times, she’s not even sure if she’s still human. And she has not an ounce of compassion for you or anyone else. Nyx is endlessly compelling: a self-destructive madwoman who cleaves to no principals other than her own self-interest, yet maintains lethally protective of the people in her crew. I’ve called her the fiercest female character in all of genre fiction, and I stand by that.

Hurley wrapped up the Bel Dame trilogy with Rapture, but hasn’t been able to leave Nyx behind, chronicling her further adventures in a series of short stories. But until now, they’ve been difficult to track down, scattered across the web or behind a Patreon paywall. Next Year, Tachyon will make it easy for you with the publication of Apocalypse Nyx, which collects five of Nyx’s misadventures: “The Body Project,” “The Heart is Eaten Last,” “Soulbound,” “Crossroads at Jannah,” and “Paint it Red.”

We’re showing off the cover below, with art by Wadim Kashin and design by Elizabeth Story. We also asked Kameron five quick questions about the book, which you can pick up in July 2018. Find all that below the official summary.

Move over Mad Max—here comes Nyx Ex-government assassin turned bounty-hunter, Nyx, is good at solving other people’s problems. Her favorite problem-solving solution is punching people in the face. Then maybe chopping off some heads. Hey—it’s a living. Her disreputable reputation has been well earned. To Nyx’s mind, it’s also justified. After all, she’s trying to survive an apocalyptic world full of giant bugs, contaminated deserts, scheming magicians, and a centuries-long war that’s consuming her future. Getting through that while paying the rent and managing her ragtag squad of misfits requires a lot of morally gray choices. Lethal though she is, Nyx’s past keeps trying to catch up to her. Every new job is another day alive. Every new mission is another step toward changing a hellish future—but only if she can survive.

Here’s Kameron to answer five questions about Nyx’s return.

What is it about the God’s War universe that has made you want to continue writing about it?

This universe has always been one of the richest I’ve ever written; the most fully realized. It also featured my most compelling character: a badass, foul-mouthed bounty hunter named Nyx. Readers really fell in love with her. She’s brash and unlikable, and makes a lot of bad choices. Yet I had this passionate group of readers who connected with her instantly. At every event I do, people ask when we’ll get more Nyx and her ragtag team of apocalyptic misfits. I’m always getting emails asking for more Nyx. So…hey, I delivered!

Can I read this book if I have never read the trilogy?

Yes! These stories were all written to stand on their own, like Michael Moorcock’s Elric stories, or an episodic TV show. They are each an individual adventure, all packaged together here for easy reading. Every story is a new job that Nyx and her team undertake, and in every job, they learn a little more about themselves and their world.

Will you ever write any more God’s War novels?

Nyx’s arc in this world is pretty well wrapped up in the God’s War trilogy: God’s War, Infidel and Rapture. The stories here are all set during the long stretches of time that were skipped during that trilogy. While I don’t think those years warrant a novel, there’s nearly endless opportunities for adventures like the ones compiled here. That said, the world itself is so rich that there are tons of other people’s stories I’d love to tell there in novel form. I have an outline for another trilogy set about 25 years after the end of the last God’s War novel that I’d love to do at some point. It all comes down to time and contracts.

What do you like about writing short fiction?

Short fiction isn’t my natural form. It’s taken a lot of work over the years to finally feel more comfortable writing stories under 80,000 words! It was the Nyx adventures that helped me figure this form out. Each of the jobs she and her team took on fell naturally into a shorter form of about 10,000 to 25,000 words. They follow a story structure that readers recognize – a quest plot, or in some cases, a mystery format – and that makes them both easier to write and easier for new readers to get into.

Who would win in a fight, Nyx or Zan from The Stars Are Legion?

Wow, this is a tough question. Not fair! I can imagine endless fan threads arguing about this one. It would really come down to where the fight is. Nyx is going to have the advantage on her world, and Zan would have the advantage on hers, especially in space. Nyx would not be a fan of floating around and loss of control. But Zan would pretty much choke in Nyx’s apocalyptic desert. In neutral territory, they’d be fairly evenly matched. Both aren’t afraid to play dirty. Killing Nyx might be tougher, but Zan is a lot smarter. Now I want to write this fan fiction!

Apocalypse Nyx will be published in July 2018.