Fantasy Opera

Fifty-six hard years after the events of The Machine Crusade, after the death of Serena Butler, the bloodiest decades of the Jihad take place. The human worlds begin to hope that the end of the centuries-long conflict with the thinking machines is finally in sight.

Alors que l'équipage du vaisseau nommé le Hollandais volant tente de s'assurer que des extraterrestres hostiles n'ont pas accès à la Terre, la force expéditionnaire des Nations Unies, elle, reste bloquée sur la planète qu'elle a surnommée « Paradis ». Le Hollandais volant repart alors en mission. Les Nations Unies veulent que le vaisseau s'informe de la situation des humains sur cette planète. Mais le colonel Joe Bishop les prévient qu'ils risquent d'être très déçus de ce qu'ils vont découvrir à leur arrivée et qu'ils ne pourront rien y faire sans mettre la Terre en danger.

En ce début de treizième millénaire, l'Empire n'a jamais été aussi puissant, aussi étendu à travers toute la galaxie. C'est dans sa capitale, Trantor, que l'éminent savant Hari Seldon invente la psychohistoire, une science nouvelle permettant de prédire l'avenir. Grâce à elle, Seldon prévoit l'effondrement de l'Empire d'ici cinq siècles, suivi d'une ère de ténèbres de trente mille ans. Réduire cette période à mille ans est peut-être possible, à condition de mener à terme son projet : la Fondation.

On the forge world of Morod, the machines never stop and the work never ends. The population toils in the mines and factoria to protect humanity from the monsters in the void, while the Adeptus Mechanicus enjoy lives of palatial comfort. Genetor Gammat Triskellian seeks to end this stagnant corruption. When he learns of a twisted congregation operating within the shadows, one which believes that the tech-priests are keeping people from their true salvation, he sees in them an opportunity to bring down Morod's masters and reclaim the world in the name of progress.

An AI overseer and a human crew arrive on a distant planet to salvage an ancient UN starship. The overseer is unhappy. The crew, well, they're certainly no A-team. Not even a C-team on the best of days. And worse? Urmahon Beta, the planet, is at the ass-end of nowhere. Everybody expects this to be a long, ugly, and thankless job. Then it all goes disastrously wrong. What they thought was an uninhabited backwater turns out to be anything but empty.

After years of waiting in the shadows, Darth Sidious is taking the first step in his master plan to bring the Republic to its knees. Key to his scheme are the Neimoidians of the Trade Federation. Then one of his Neimoidian contacts disappears, and Sidious does not need his Force-honed instincts to suspect betrayal. He orders his apprentice, Darth Maul, to hunt the traitor down.

The Traitor Host of Horus Lupercal tightens its iron grip on the Palace of Terra, and one by one the walls and bastions begin to crumple and collapse. Rogal Dorn, Praetorian of Terra, redoubles his efforts to keep the relentless enemy at bay, but his forces are vastly outnumbered and hopelessly outgunned. Dorn simply cannot defend everything. Any chance of survival now requires sacrifice, but what battles dare he lose so that others can be won? Is there one tactical stroke, one crucial combat, that could turn the tide forever and win the war outright?

Esmay Suiza wasn't a member of a great Navy family like the Serranos. She'd had to make her way on grit alone, which meant it wasn't likely she'd ever make admiral and "hoist her own flag." Well, that was fine with her: all Esmay wanted was a secure berth where she could be part of something greater than herself, and otherwise just live her life in peace.

Following their successful escape from Androchida Prime’s capital city, Sir Chuck and the rest of the Phantoms find themselves mystified by unsettling news. The leader of the Blood Guard resistance, famed General Cordan, has defected to the AE. But while many doubt the veracity of the development, more pressing intel awaits: the empire is planning to invade the Sci-Rung home world.

Dev Cameron joined the military to fly a starship but is rated unsuitable and grudgingly accepts an assignment with the ground forces, piloting a massive walking tank (a warstrider). But Cameron may yet get a chance at glory when he makes a discovery about the alien foes that could change the course of the war.

On a dying world along the galactic fringe, Quinton Aldren awakens in the body of an archaic android that’s barely operational. He has only vague memories of who he was and no idea what has happened. Everyone is gone and autonomous mechs are hunting for him. As remnants of the old federations struggle to survive after a devastating war, old alliances are eradicated, leaving warlords and mercenaries to fill the void. When a powerful mercenary discovers Quinton’s origin, he’ll stop at nothing to capture and enslave him.

This omnibus volume contains two Alliance-Union novels, Merchanter's Luck and Forty Thousand in Gehenna.

The galaxy burns. The enemy, a race of alien scorpions, storms from star to star. Planets smolder in their wake. Across the galaxy, they hunt humans. Long ago, we humans had a planet of our own. Long ago, we could have resisted the scorpions. But today we are refugees. We are lost in darkness. We haven't seen Earth in 2,000 years. We, the last humans, must band together. We must resist. We must fight the scorpions. And we must find Earth! Only Earth can unite us. Only Earth can kindle our hope. Only on Earth can we defend our species.

Grand Admiral Thrawn faces the ultimate test of his loyalty to the Empire in this epic Star Wars novel from best-selling author Timothy Zahn.

Dylan Kane's decimated platoon holds a tenuous grip on the asteroid base. They're freeing the imprisoned rebels when an enemy cruiser surprises them and attacks, destroying their assault ship and leaving them stranded. They're driven into the base's subterranean levels where they must scavenge for supplies, fight overwhelming odds, and find a way to destroy the attacking battle cruiser. A turn of good fortune gives Kane's soldiers a chance, but the ensuing raid leaves them in a desperate struggle to survive. Will the Free Army's fleet come to their aid, or is the Free Army just another lie?

Madison Wayward, niece to the most notorious captain among the outlaw Stardrifters, has a plan. She’ll stop at nothing to give humanity a flicker of hope in its darkest hour. If she would consider pausing, her plans might not blow up in her face quite so much. Kirehe Mahono, a skilled warrior with an uncommon gift, has a dragon. She’ll stop at nothing to protect her people from the enemy machines infesting her planet. If she had something better than a knife to bring to a laser fight, she might have better luck. Taken prisoner, both will have to harness their strengths to survive.

When asubatomic physics experiment causes a massive explosion, interdimensional gateways open in Florida - and aliens pour out. Some intend to bring Earth to its knees. Others seem willing to help, but will annihilate the planet if Navy SEAL Command Master Chief Robert Miller can't stop the menace from spreading.

The Overlords appeared suddenly over every city - intellectually, technologically, and militarily superior to humankind. Benevolent, they made few demands: unify earth, eliminate poverty, and end war. With little rebellion, humankind agreed, and a golden age began.

It started as a simple heist. It went to hell from there. On a space station orbiting a pale blue sun, a package changes hands. Data too sensitive to transmit will be exposed for one brief moment. The client is paying a crazy sum - if the job is clean. That’s not going to happen. Instead, the galaxy’s unluckiest crew of outlaws will have to put all their resources into salvaging what they can from the job. Even if it’s only avoiding blame for the fallout.

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