Space Epic

Regarded as a masterpiece today, 2001: A Space Odyssey received mixed reviews. Despite the success of Dr. Strangelove, director Stanley Kubrick wasn't yet recognized as a great filmmaker, and 2001 was radically innovative, with little dialogue and no strong central character. Author Michael Benson explains how 2001 was made, telling the story primarily through the two people most responsible for the film, Kubrick and science fiction legend Arthur C. Clarke. Benson interviewed Clarke many times, and has also spoken at length with Kubrick's widow, Christiane.

Continuing the events leading up to Frank Herbert's immortal Dune saga, the exciting conclusion to this trilogy finds the cruel Tleilaxu overlords on Ix manufacturing a synthetic form of amal to supplant the spice from Dune. If amal is accepted, Emperor Shaddam IV will gain absolute power. But if the plot of the Imperial House Corrino succeeds, the result may be the end of civilization itself.

Across the war-torn galaxy, the Imperial Guard are a bastion against the enemies of mankind. From the elite veteran drop troops of Elysia to the fierce Catachan jungle fighters and from Valhalla's ice warriors to the crews of mighty battle tanks, the many regiments of the Astra Militarum defend the Emperor's realm against all who would tear it asunder. This audio drama anthology contains seven tales of the brave soldiers of the Astra Militarum. A three-part story delves into intrigue surrounding Sergeant Zachariah of Elysia as he faces traitors.

None of the exiles know it, but they are connected and are about to be unwittingly swept into a heroic adventure spanning many worlds. If these reluctant heroes cannot come together and set aside their differences, a whole star system will be plunged into ruin and mindlessly enslaved to an ancient evil creature bent on destruction.

Sent to avenge the deaths of his brothers and purge a dangerous cult, Imperial Fists Primaris Librarian Aster Lydorran finds a foe beyond imagining on Ghyre. Lydorran must use all his strength, will and psychic might to defeat his hidden enemies and avert catastrophe.

More than half a century after humans first walked on the Moon, exciting new space adventures are in the works. Thanks to major advances in rocketry, robotics, and other space technologies, humanity is on the verge of returning to the Moon, exploring Mars, building permanent orbiting space stations, expanding space tourism, and pushing the boundaries of exploration throughout the solar system and beyond. The Future of Space Exploration explores these exciting developments in 12 half-hour episodes, hosted by aerospace engineer and executive Dr. Ariel Ekblaw.

Andrew Wiggin is told that he can no longer live on Earth, and he realizes that this is the truth. He has become far more than just a boy who won a game: he is the Savior of Earth, a hero, a military genius whose allegiance is sought by every nation of the newly shattered Earth Hegemony. He is offered the choice of living in isolation on Eros, at one of the Hegemony's training facilities, but instead the 12-year-old chooses to leave his home world and begin the long relativistic journey out to the colonies.

American Cavalry Scout Nephi Bennett and the survivors of Crazy Horse Platoon now possess the key to returning home to Earth—a mystic artifact—but its secrets continue to elude even the wisest among them. Fate twists when Bennett's wife, Xochi, is snatched by their old foe Colonel Dietrich, propelling Bennett and his comrades to use the artifact to alter destiny itself in an effort to rescue her. Bennett vanishes into the depths of time, and Captain Brown faces an agonizing decision—unleash an all-out assault on the colonel with his dwindling forces, or succumb to the darkness that encroaches.

One hundred years before Ender's Game, the aliens arrived on Earth with fire and death. Earth Afire by Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston is the story of the First Formic War. Victor Delgado beat the alien ship to Earth, but just barely. Not soon enough to convince skeptical governments that there was a threat. They didn't believe that until space stations and ships and colonies went up in sudden flame. And when that happened, only Mazer Rackham and the Mobile Operations Police could move fast enough to meet the threat.

Roger Ramius Sergei Chiang MacClintock was young, handsome, athletic, an excellent dresser, and third in line for the Throne of Man. So it wasn't surprising that he became spoiled, self-centered, and petulant. After all, what else did he have to do with his life?

The battle with the Iron Legion has left The Last Horizon battered and broken, drifting in space. Varic needs an exceptional engineer to fix his ship, and there’s only one person for the job: Mell, the master Aether technician. But first, they have to break her out of prison. Mell has been captured by the Advocates, a group of superpowered vigilantes who dominate their corner of the galaxy. They are led by Starhammer, an invincible champion with a personal obsession with Mell.

Having obliterated entire civilizations, the Torth Majority is now threatening humanity itself. Barreling through deep space—and hunted every dark mile by armadas, saboteurs, and kamikaze armies—the passengers of a refugee streamship must outrun everything they left behind if they hope to stay alive.

Ariock, a superhuman among men, destroyed the Torth Homeworld. Since then, the massive throng of survivors—refugees, freed slaves, and cave dwellers—have been docked in orbit in an undefended starship, one small war behind them. But when the telepathic Torth, thirty trillion strong, catch a whisper of their location, the greatest of all wars will descend.

For years Gregory Roarke and his Kadolian partner Selene worked as crocketts, combing through the atmospheres of uninhabited worlds for places that might be colonized or hold valuable resources. Now, they quietly work for the Icarus Group, a top-secret government organization hunting for portals created by a long-vanished alien race, portals that can teleport a person hundreds or thousands of light-years in the blink of an eye. Roarke and Selene are searching one such possibility when they find that someone appears to be stalking them.

With his signature wit and thought-provoking insights, Neil deGrasse Tyson - one of our foremost thinkers on all things space - illuminates the past, present, and future of space exploration and brilliantly reminds us why NASA matters now as much as ever. As Tyson reveals, exploring the space frontier can profoundly enrich many aspects of our daily lives, from education systems and the economy to national security and morale.

Elysium Fire is a smoldering tale of murderers, secret cultists, tampered memories, and unthinkable power, of bottomless corruption and overpowering idealism from the king of modern space opera. Ten thousand city-state habitats orbit the planet Yellowstone, forming a near-perfect democratic...

Life in the Harper Hall is busy for best friends Kindan, Nonala, and Kelsa. As the only female apprentices, Nonala and Kelsa are the butt of jokes and easy targets for the bully Vaxoram and his cronies. But when Kindan springs to Kelsa's defense, he winds up in a fight for his life against the older, bigger Vaxoram - a fight that will lead to a surprising friendship. Then fate intervenes in the form of a virulent plague as fast-spreading as it is deadly.

For more than 200 years, the armies of the Emperor of Mankind fought to reconquer the galaxy - led by the superhuman primarchs, the Space Marine Legions brought countless worlds back under the rule of ancient Terra. Now Horus, once honoured Warmaster and favoured son of the Emperor, has been corrupted by the whispered promises of Chaos. At his command the Imperium is torn apart by a terrible and bloody civil war, the likes of which the galaxy has never seen.

The Swarmers are on the move. As star systems fall one by one, the League of Worlds begins to fragment. The Dread Pirate Zheng Yang advances her Golden Armada toward the League's core, bringing either death or salvation. The Prophet Sharo Khalin consolidates a theocracy, while the League of Worlds concentrates everything toward a last-ditch defense. Unknown to all these major players, the Worlds' only hope lies in Lucian Abrantes, his crew, their starship, and of course, the powerful Orbs of Starsea. But even these powerful artifacts might not be enough to survive the dark days ahead.

Lucian must do what no mage has ever done before: Escape the Mad Moon. But between frayed mages, violent monsters, and the hostile environment, that may prove impossible. Wandering the brutal surface, every breath is a fight for survival. And things only get worse when Lucian receives visions from the so-called Sorceress-Queen of Psyche, whose Psionic Magic is second to none. Teaming up with a dedicated captain, a frayed mage, and a former Mage-Knight of Dara, Lucian sets off on a quest across Psyche. He needs a way off the moon for good.