Exploration Fiction

Au centre de notre galaxie s'ouvre le Vide, un univers artificiel créé il y a des milliards d'années par des êtres inconnus, voilé par un horizon événementiel insondable. Le prophète Inigo représente peut-être la clé de cette énigme, avec ses rêves d'une vie merveilleuse sur un monde caché au sein du Vide. Quand il disparaît sans laisser de traces, ceux qui croient en ses visions se mobilisent pour accomplir un pèlerinage jusqu'au Vide, malgré les risques.

Not every visitor to or from Earth has good intentions, and the Peacemakers are faced with an uncomfortable reality. The Earth is about to meet aliens. Some of the aliens are bringing goods to trade. And among those items are weapons. When a secret cabal of humans who want to exploit the Earth is revealed, Van has to decide how and where to fight this threat. Along the way, he reveals a secret history that began in the Great War—and ends with mass chaos on his home planet.

The Great Devourer is descending on the world of Tarsis Ultra, but to defeat the xenos horrors, Captain Uriel Ventris may have to embark upon a dangerous and unorthodox mission.

It's 2052 and the first known wormhole appears in lunar orbit. Earth sends a ship to investigate and the future of space travel changes forever. The Solar System develops in many ways over the centuries, but one thing remains constant; the wormholes continue to appear. Join many of today's most exciting indie science fiction authors as they chart a shared universe and future-history, each telling us stories of: Explorations: Through the Wormhole.

Vernestra Rwoh is a new Jedi Knight at age 16, but her first real assignment feels an awful lot like babysitting. She's been charged with supervising 12-year old aspiring inventor Avon Starros on a cruiser headed to the dedication of a wondrous new space station called Starlight Beacon. But soon into their journey, bombs go off aboard the cruiser. While the adult Jedi try to save the ship, Vernestra, Avon, Avon's droid, J-6, a Jedi Padawan, and an ambassador's son make it to an escape shuttle, but communications are out and supplies are low.

Van is a veteran now, and the lessons are getting tougher. But so is he. When a ghost ship arrives in port, filled with the victims of a crime beyond imagination, Van and his crew will be drawn into a chase that goes beyond any star system the Peacemakers know.

Shopping in the Empire's biggest shipbuilding star system, Hiro's offered a bargain on an intriguingly uncanny vessel! Then he crosses paths with Kugi--a devout fox shrine maiden hailing from a mysterious sect. She can speak to him telepathically and volunteers to teach him to use his powers. Hiro signs on, but he's about to be put through his psionic paces!

Jacques McKeown is the most celebrated author of star-pilot fiction in the galaxy. He's rich, famous, and living in luxury, and his universe-wide fanbase eagerly awaits any news of his next book. There's just one small hitch. He's not Jacques McKeown. He's Dashford Pierce, star pilot and con artist, and if only the impatient calls from his publisher were the worst of his problems. There's also the last vestige of the Henderson crime gang, trouble brewing in the retired star-pilot community, and a small matter of somebody trying to kill him.

A major new novel from one of science fiction's most powerful voices, Aurora tells the incredible story of our first voyage beyond the solar system. Brilliantly imagined and beautifully told, it is the work of a writer at the height of his powers.

Billions of years ago, on one of the first-ever Earths, a boy named Skylar will walk away from his home for the last time. Beset by dreams where he flies through the early universe as a sentient starship, he will never be safe if his secret gets out. His only chance to stay alive is to fall in with the same knights who destroyed his peasant village and live under the shadow of the king who sent them to exterminate Skylar’s people.

Psychologist Dr. Ophelia Bray has dedicated her life to the study and prevention of ERS—a space-based condition most famous for a case that resulted in the brutal murders of twenty-nine people. When she's assigned to a small exploration crew, she's eager to make a difference. But as they begin to establish residency on an abandoned planet, it becomes clear that crew is hiding something. While Ophelia focuses on her new role, her crewmates are far more interested in investigating the eerie, ancient planet and unraveling the mystery behind the previous colonizer's hasty departure.

Astronaut Lee Rifkin's life is about to change. NASA has done the math. The space object named Cassandra 22007 is not behaving as expected. He will lead a team on a cutting-edge ship to get a closer look. But another group wants to get there first. Who is this shadow organization that seems to be one step ahead of them? Agent Jenna Haynes works to put together the pieces that will pull the veil off those who seem to have known about Cassandra's arrival since long before NASA spotted it. What is their goal?

Humanity has reached the stars, joining the vast galactic community of alien species. But beyond the fringes of explored space lurk the Reapers, a race of sentient starships bent on "harvesting" the galaxy's organic species for their own dark purpose. The Illusive Man, leader of the pro-human black ops group Cerberus, is one of the few who know the truth about the Reapers.

Paul Mitchell wasn't sure how things could get any worse. Sure, he'd been booted from the Marine Corps and was forced to work as a freelancer because he couldn't hold down a regular job. He'd signed on with a mysterious crew of women, sailed across the void, and met interesting aliens and new people who tried to kill him. Against all odds, he'd somehow found himself stuck between a criminal psycho, Naval Intelligence, and a drop-dead gorgeous skipper who actually liked him. He'd even pulled a regular Prince Charming and saved a damsel in distress.

Look outward beyond the stars with six stories from bestselling visionary authors. An AI awakens to its purpose. A researcher seeds a thousand new worlds for one more chance at love. A murder rocks the crew of an interstellar ship. With a sweeping sense of wonder, these stories explore the galaxy . . . and the horizons of humanity’s potential.

All I ever wanted was to explore new worlds, but when my sister vanished during a battle with a ruthless alien horde, my mission became clear—find her at all costs. My search for her leads me to join forces with a desperate blonde princess seeking help. Now, we’re both caught in a war that threatens not just her empire, but the entire galaxy.

Colton Beck has done the improbable. With the aide of his allies, he’s managed to save the Rusa. Just when they think it’s time to focus on their new planet, Desmond returns, asking for a favor. The Ministry of Realms, thought to be destroyed by Drunal years before, still exists, and they’re hiding in the deep reaches of the River. To find them, the team follows a trail of clues, leading to a surprise, no one could have expected.

There's a land rush on exploiting alien tech. Pirates, claim-jumpers, cyborgs, and bureaucrats all must be defeated to keep Borag flying. Corporal Devin Starn is working his way up through the ranks of Red Company. Aboard Borag, a mining ship based out of Mars City, Starn discovers more about the aliens who preceded us. Their ruins and strange technologies deepen the mystery of their ancient downfall.

Get ready to experience two more origin stories in the Backyard Starship universe.

The star cluster's super-powers tried to make peace last. Truly, they did. But everyone knew war between Ascendant Horizon and the Coalition of Giants was inevitable. Saddled with an alliance that seems to struggle with the basics of space warfare, Captain Thatcher must fall back on his tactical prowess—along with the steadfastness of the crews under his command—just to keep his people alive. But an enemy lurks around every corner, and there is dissension even in Thatcher's fleet.