Hellhole by Kevin J. Anderson

The planet Hellhole was devastated by a large asteroid impact centuries ago and most of its native species - including a sophisticated alien civilisation - were utterly wiped out. Now Hellhole has been opened up as part of a colonization initiative by the sprawling and decadent Galactic Monarchy, but only the hardiest, or most desperate, pioneers and misfits would dare to settle there. This is their story of trying to tame a shattered world, and of uncovering secrets left behind by a devastated civilization.