When tech scavenger XĆch Si is captured and imprisoned by the infamous pirates of the Red Banner, she expects to be tortured or killed. Instead, their leader, Rice Fish, makes XĆch Si an utterly incredible proposition: an offer of marriage. Both have their reasons for this arrangement: XĆch Si needs protection; Rice Fish, a sentient spaceship, needs a technical expert to investigate the death of her first wife, the Red Scholar. Thatās all there is to it.
But as the interstellar war against piracy rages on and their own investigation reaches a dire conclusion, the two of them discover that their arrangement has evolved into something much less business-focused and more personal...and tender. And maybe the best thing thatās ever happened to either of themābut only if they can find a way to survive together.
A rich space opera and an intensely soft romance, from an exceptional SF author.
The Skolian Empire rules a third of the civilized galaxy through its mastery of faster-than-light communication. But war with the rival empire of the Traders seems imminent, a war that can only lead to slavery for the Skolians or the destruction of both sides. Destructive skirmishes have already occurred. A desperate attempt must be made to avert total disaster.
Soz Valdoria, a bioengineered fighter pilotāand first in line for the military command of her peopleāhas found refuge with her squad on the sanctuary planet of Delos. It offers a respite from the war that rages between her Skolian people and their enemies, the Traders. Looking for rest and relaxation, they must still be on their guard for the Trader soldiers who also visit the sanctuary.
In a bar, they confront the worst of the worst: an Aristo from the Trader ruling caste, seemingly on the prowl for a āproviderā he can use for his barbaric impulses. His presence takes Soz back to her days as a prisoner of war, when she became the plaything of a sadistic and soulless Aristo. And yet something is off about this Aristo. Unable to ignore her instincts, Soz searches the city until she finds him in a secured mansion. Breaching its fortifications and eluding its guards, she discovers a devastating truth: this man is no true Aristo. He is a genetic anomaly like Soz, one of the few people who can handle the massive neurological demands of the psibernet, the technological marvel that gives the Skolians their only advantage over the Traders.
This false Aristo, this sheep in a wolfās clothing, is heir to the Trader throne. The emperor created him for one reasonāto take control of the Skolian network and conquer Sozās people. But Soz has never felt such a connection as she does to this Trader heir. It may prove herāand the universeāsāundoing.
Acclaimed author Jessie Mihalik returns with an exciting new novel about a rainbow-haired female bounty hunter tasked with preventing an interstellar war. Kee Ildez has been many things: hacker, soldier, bounty hunter. She never expected to be a hero, but when a shadowy group of traitors starts trying to goad the galaxy's two superpowers into instigating an interstellar war, Kee throws herself into the search to find out who is responsibleāand stop them.
Digging up hidden information is her job, so hunting traitors should be a piece of cake, but the primary suspect spent years in the military, and someone powerful is still covering his tracks. Disrupting their plans will require the help of her entire team, including Varro Runkow, a Valovian weapons expert who makes her pulse race. Quiet, grumpy, and incredibly handsome, Varro watches her with hot eyes but ignores all of her flirting, so Kee silently vows to keep her feelings strictly platonic.
But that vow will be put to the test when she and Varro are forced to leave the safety of their ship and venture into enemy territory alone. Cut off from the rest of their team, they must figure out how to work togetherāand fastābecause a single misstep will cost thousands of lives.
From internationally bestselling author Charlie Jane Anders comes Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak, the sequel to Victories Greater Than Death in the thrilling adventure Unstoppable series, set against an intergalactic war.
They'll do anything to be the people they were meant to be ā even journey into the heart of evil.
Rachael Townsend is the first artist ever to leave Earth and journey out into the galaxy ā but after an encounter with an alien artifact, she can't make art at all. Elza Monteiro is determined to be the first human to venture inside the Palace of Scented Tears and compete for the chance to become a princess ā except that inside the palace, she finds the last person she ever wanted to see again. Tina Mains is studying at the Royal Space Academy with her friends, but she's not the badass space hero everyone was expecting. Soon Rachael is journeying into a dark void, Elza is on a deadly spy mission, and Tina is facing an impossible choice that could change all her friends' lives forever.
Octavia Zarola would do anything to keep her tiny, close-knit bounty hunting crew togetherāeven if it means accepting a job from Torran Fletcher, a ruthless former general and her sworn enemy. When Torran offers her enough credits to not only keep her crew afloat but also hire someone to fix her ship, Tavi knows that she canāt refuseāno matter how much sheād like to.
With so much money on the line, Torran and his crew insist on joining the hunt. Tavi reluctantly agrees because while the handsome, stoic leader pushes all of her buttonsāfor both anger and desireāsheās endured worse, and the massive bonus payment heās promised for a completed job is reason enough to shut up and deal.
But when they uncover a deeper plot that threatens the delicate peace between humans and Valoffs, Tavi suspects that Torran has been using her as the impetus for a new war. With the fate of her crew balanced on a knifeās edge, Tavi must decide where her loyalties lieāwith the quiet Valoff whoās been lying to her, or with the human leaders who left her squad to die on the battlefield. And this time, sheās put her heart on the line.
The critically acclaimed author of Polaris Rising takes readers on an exciting journey with the start of her brand-new series about a female bounty hunter and the man who is her sworn enemy.
THEY SAY THE BEST WAY TO KILL A GOD IS TO STOP BELIEVING. WHAT IF THE GODS DON'T WANT TO DIE? It is a troubled time. The old gods are returning and they want the universe back. The Conclave has ruled the 700 known worlds since the fall of the gods. It is an empire built upon a lie. Together with the Inquisition and the mighty Prekhauten Guard, they preserve peace and justice for all, while stamping out heresy when it arises.
Senior Inquisitor Tolde Breed is sent to the planet Crimeat to investigate the escape of one of the deadliest beings in the history of the universe: Amongeratix, one of the fabled THREE, sons of the god-king. He arrives on a world where heresy breeds insurrection, and war is only a matter of time. Aided by Sister Abigail of the Order of Blood Witches, and a company of Prekhauten Guards, Tolde hurries to find Amongeratix and return him to Conclave custody before he can restart his reign of terror.
Perfect for fans of the Malazan Book of the Fallen, the Safehold series, and the Horus Heresy, Dreams of Winter is the first book in the exciting new military science fiction series the Forgotten Gods.