Wow. Tchaikovsy spun up another great one! I love his conception of FTL (unspace), with its creeping horror and existential dread. I do have the impression this comes after other books, which of course, I didn't realize. I will say that it stood well in its own though.

He uses many tropes but writes them well enough that the book is still awesome. Deep space crew for hire meets the Angel of Punching People in the Face. One wrong job and they're enmeshed in the survival of life in the universe. It's a rollicking ride, though, and well worth the time.