Epic Space Opera

Rest and relaxation. That's all Jonx wanted after escaping from not one but two star systems on the brink of being taken over by an overpowered, psychopathic cyborg. Unfortunately, his friend, Zozka, had other plans. "Let's join a Sept," she said. "It's just one small tournament." "It'll be good for the both of us." How could he say no to someone who'd watched his back time and again as they slogged through one battlefield or riftworld after another?

The frozen world of Asarus, a critical lifeline for the colonies, is under siege by an icy demonic horde unlike anything humanity has faced. The Hellmarine and his squad are sent in to contain the chaos, but this time, the stakes are personal. As memories of a forgotten past claw their way to the surface, the unstoppable juggernaut finds himself haunted by more than just demons.

He awoke in a tiny, lightless cell, groping for memory...memory that had been erased. Hope Hubris, Jupiter governor, progressive populist, warrior hero, and presidential candidate...a "mem-washed" tool of the enemy. And if his captors' plan worked, Hope would destroy his own political career, leaving the fate of his planet in the hands of its corrupt presidential incumbent - Tocsin. But Hope Hubris had a destiny to fulfill.

In Conquest Born is the monumental science fiction epic that received unprecedented acclaim - and launched C.S. Friedman's phenomenal career. A sweeping story of two interstellar civilizations locked in endless war, it was nominated for the John W. Campbell Award.

"I'm not in the rescue business," states Jonathon Hunter, to the amusement of his crew. But rescues are the least of his concerns. Darkness is coming, and there are still people out there who don't like him. The Sirius system has always fascinated Jon, and he is drawn to solve its mysteries. But what is the price of being curious? Can one simple step cause what you dread the most? Is it possible to do one too many rescues? To take one step too far into the unknown?

Top Gun heads to outer space in this throwback to the classic science fiction of Asimov, Clarke, and Heinlein. Strapped in to artificial wings spanning 25 feet across, your arms push a tenth of your body weight with each pump as you propel yourself at frightening speeds through the air. Inside a pressurized dome on the Moon, subject to one-sixth Earth's gravity, there are swarms of chiseled, fearless, superbly trained flyers all around you, jostling for air space like peregrine falcons racing for the prize.

Lucian has achieved the improbable with his acceptance into the prestigious Volsung Academy. Now, he must do something even more difficult: survive it. As a Novice, he must learn the fundamentals of magic while navigating Academy politics. Lucian must not only pass the grueling Trials but survive other mages' mechanizations. But doing that is difficult when he's being left behind.

He was shaping his times as no one before him had dared, mercilessly scouring an entire planet of crime and corruption wherever he found them - and destroying anyone who stood in his way. Absolute dictator of the United States of Jupiter, Hope Hubris was destined to become the most hated and feared man of an era, a tyrant charged with countless heinous acts and sexual cruelties. Yet justice remained his fiercest passion.

Renegade Star: Publisher's Pack 7 contains books 13 and 14 of the Renegade Star series.

Jonathon Hunter's world grows darker each day. Assassins, pirates, bounty hunters, mercenaries, and retros, all want a piece of him. Each trap leads to yet another trap. When the unthinkable happens, the prey becomes the predator. The hunted goes hunting. But how does a young spiritual warrior cope as the kills mount?

There are some days when you should just stay in bed. Jon Hunter begins to realize this, as the consequences of saying yes, when he should have said no, begin to add up. The trouble with making tech advances, is someone will always come up with a counter eventually. And when this occurs on one of those days you should have stayed in bed, the cosmos tends to demonstrate just how many ways things can actually go wrong. But time is ticking away. The door to Jon's home, and all the answers he so desperately wants, is soon to open.

The Door is only open for five days, and it should be long enough for what he needs. What he doesn't need is his whole concept of home to be challenged. Not when there is so much else to do. The answers he's long wanted are now within his grasp. But does he really want to know the truth? Can he handle the truth? And what else is there he doesn't know about?

The best of the year's science fiction and fantasy stories as selected by the multiple award-winning editor Jonathan Strahan. Distant worlds, time travel, epic adventure, unseen wonders, and much more! The best, most original and brightest science fiction and fantasy stories from around the globe from the past 12 months are brought together in one collection by multiple award winning editor Jonathan Strahan.

What could possibly go wrong with accepting an invitation from an ally? As the war comes to an end, Jonathon Hunter sees the good and bad sides to being considered the hero, but which is which? All he wants to do is go home, but home isn't any closer than it was a month ago, and this time, he's going the long way around. A hero's work is never done, and with the stakes never being higher before, just how much paranoia is not enough?

Thorn is back! The guilty will be punished. The war they dismissed as nonsense is now raging. Jen needs Thorn. The military want Thorn. Thorn is older and wiser, and he doesn't care what anyone wants. He has a better hold on his growing power, or so he thinks. The war calls, but there is unfinished business to attend to on the way. Unanswered questions lead in strange directions, and a war for no reason, is only part of the mystery. But through everything, Thorn carries two themes. The guilty will be punished, and there will be peace! Yesterday was just the start.

"All good heroes are insane." Was that really a joke? Jonathon Hunter hasn't the time to ponder the labels people try to put on him. The war shifts from defensive to offensive. The stakes get higher, as the means to fight the aggressors finally become available. But has he risen too high? Or are the consequences of his own actions interfering with his judgement? As fast as you move, the past is faster and always catches up with you when you least expect it. This is not a game, and being a hero has its own price tag.

There's no such thing as a dull life for Jon Hunter. He's come to grips with being an Admiral. But why does someone want to keep him from becoming a Duke so badly, that collateral damage doesn't matter? The Midgard war is over, the British coup behind him, but war comes in many forms. Life isn't the same when you fly a desk, unless the desk comes under direct attack.

The third-year students are about to take on those who know them best. Each other. Using a variation of the classic game of Capture the Flag, Kaiden and his friends must join teams and battle each other. It is time for Kaiden to learn what it means to lead. Then, when they are out on the town, an opportunity is handed to the students on a silver platter. Kaiden has a job offer to help protect a business in San Diego, but he needs more members. Will the students join him?

Thorn is back. He's lost one civilization, and is still trying to fix two others. But fixing something when you don't know how it broke is never as simple as you'd think. The future is threatened by his own past, and to fix everything, he thinks he has to undo what he's already done. But what if what you did cannot be undone, and the future has more riding on it than anyone knows? Yesterday's Spacemage was the cause. Today's Spacemage was the effect. But can tomorrow's Spacemage save everyone?

The best science fiction and fantasy stories of 2021, selected by series editor John Joseph Adams and guest editor Veronica Roth. This year’s selection of science fiction and fantasy stories, chosen by series editor John Joseph Adams and bestselling author of the Divergent series Veronica Roth...