Cover Art! 'Only Superhuman' (Christopher L. Bennett)

Raymond Swanland is great isn't he? I'm a lot more used to seeing his art grace the covers of fantasy novels so this one almost passed me by. I say 'almost'... There was something about this cover that caught my eye, enough to make me feel that a cover art post was in order. It started with the gorgeously retro laser gun and ended with me thinking how well the artist had captured the feeling of a split seconds worth of action. Then I saw who the artist was and it all made sense :o)

Here's the blurb,

2107 AD: A generation ago, Earth and the cislunar colonies banned genetic and cybernetic modifications. But out in the Asteroid Belt, anything goes. Dozens of flourishing space habitats are spawning exotic new societies and strange new varieties of humans. It’s a volatile situation that threatens the peace and stability of the entire solar system.

Emerald Blair is a Troubleshooter. Inspired by the classic superhero comics of the twentieth century, she’s joined with other mods to try to police the unruly Asteroid Belt. But her loyalties are tested when she finds herself torn between rival factions of superhumans with very different agendas. Emerald wants to put her special abilities to good use, but what do you do when you can’t tell the heroes from the villains?

I'm a little wary of the 'Hard SF' label that I've seen applied ('Hard SF' and I don't play well together) but I think this could be interesting. It's back to the commute next week so maybe I'll take 'Only Superhuman' along for the ride. Has anyone else read it? Would you want to give it a go?