Novice Trader

Trade World Universe

When your blood is red in a world of blue, you’re already marked for death.

Alan Einfeld’s final test as an apprentice trader was supposed to be routine—survey, barter, and report. Instead, his mentor’s cabin burns, locals bleed blue, copper-based blood, and his only allies are a sharp-tongued trader girl and her orphan helper. Together they uncover a buried legend—Natlan, a mountain valley rumored to grant unending wealth—and the dangerous truths hidden there.

Part survival thriller, part alien-contact mystery, Novice Trader blends hard-science realism with frontier adventure, inter-species tension, and the humor of a man just trying to finish his damn assignment.

Fans of Jack Campbell, Martha Wells, and Firefly-era space traders will love this entry in the Trade World Saga.