Search Worlds Without End

Eighteen exhilarating journeys into Rush-inspired worlds The music of Rush, one of the most successful bands in history, is filled with fantastic stories, evocative images, and thought-provoking futures and pasts. In this anthology, notable, bestselling, and award-winning writers each chose a Rush song as the spark for a new story, drawing inspiration from the visionary trio that is Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart. Enduring stark dystopian struggles or testing the limits of the human spirit, the characters populating 2113 find strength while searching for hope in a world that is repressive, dangerous, or just debilitatingly bland. Most of these tales are science fiction, but some are fantasies, thrillers, even edgy mainstream. Many of Rush's big hits are represented, as well as deeper cuts... with wonderful results. This anthology also includes the seminal stories that inspired the Rush classics "Red Barchetta" and "Roll the Bones," as well as Kevin J. Anderson's novella sequel to the groundbreaking Rush album 2112.

Contents:

• 1 - Introduction: "Imaginations on Fire" - essay by Kevin J. Anderson and John McFetridge
• 3 - On the Fringes of the Fractal - short story by Greg van Eekhout
• 18 - A Patch of Blue - short story by Ron Collins
• 35 - The Burning Times v2.0 - short story by Brian Hodge
• 54 - The Digital Kid - short story by Michael Z. Williamson
• 75 - A Nice Morning Drive - (1973) - short story by Richard S. Foster
• 82 - Author's Note (A Nice Morning Drive) - essay by Richard S. Foster
• 84 - Players - non-genre - [The Blockbuster] - novelette by Dave Wolverton [as by David Farland]
• 109 - Some Are Born to Save the World - short story by Mark Leslie
• 129 - Random Access Memory - short story by John McFetridge
• 149 - Race Human - short story by Larry Dixon
• 199 - A Prayer for "0443" - short story by David Niall Wilson
• 211 - Gonna Roll the Bones - (1967) - novelette by Fritz Leiber
• 239 - Spirits with Visions - novelette by Brad R. Torgersen
• 263 - Into the Night - [Secret World Chronicle] - short story by Mercedes Lackey
• 279 - Day to Day - short story by Dayton Ward
• 299 - Our Possible Pasts - novelette by David Mack
• 326 - Last Night - novelette by Steven Savile
• 352 - 2113 - short story by Kevin J. Anderson

It is the twenty-first century. Earth's space program is thriving, with a colony in place in the Moon. And then an incredible discovery is made on the lunar farside. A massive structure is being erected by living machines--microscopically small, intelligent, unstoppable, consuming whatever they touch. All who come near them die horribly. Meanwhile, the mysterious structure continues to grow, expand, take shape. And its creators begin to multiply....

Is this the first strike in an alien invasion from the stars? Or has human nanotech experimentation gone awry, triggering a long-predicted disaster? As riots rage across a panicked Earth, scientists on Earth and on the Moon race to learn the truth before humanity's home is engulfed by the voracious machines and its inhabitants perish in the most terrifying plague ever known.

Atlas is a struggling colony on an untamable world, a fragile society held together by the Truthsayers. Parentless, trained from birth as the sole users of Veritas, a telepathy virus that lets them read the souls of the guilty, Truthsayers are Justice--infallible, beyond appeal. But sometimes they are wrong. Falsely accused of murder, Troy Boren trusts the young Truthsayer Kalliana... until, impossibly, she convicts him. Still shaken from a previous reading, Kalliana doesn't realize her power is fading. But soon the evidence becomes impossible to ignore. The Truthsayers' Veritas has been diluted and someone in the colony is selling smuggled telepathy. Justice isn't blind--it's been blinded.

From an immortal's orbital prison to the buried secrets of a regal fortress, Kalliana and Troy seek the conspiracy that threatens to destroy their world from within. For without truth and justice, Atlas will certainly fall.

Escaping into the world of Faery when her own home begins to fall apart, Maria Blanca joins in the fight against the savage trogs that threaten the eleven great elven cities and is taken into the heart of the trog empire.

The life story of Jules Verne's enigmatic dark hero from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and The Mysterious Island.

He built the Nautilus submarine, which terrorized the sea in his war against all war.

He discovered a passage to the center of the Earth.

He explored Africa in a balloon.

He fought pirates on the high seas...

And he was a friend of Jules Verne.

In this epic fantastic history, Andre Nemo experiences incredible adventures, which Verne then incorporates into his classic novels. Learn the truth of these extraordinary journeys, which is even more incredible than fiction.

They were prisoners, exiles, pawns of a corrupt government. Now they are Dr. Rachel Dycek's adin, surgically transformed beings who can survive new lives on the surface of Mars. But they are still exiles, unable ever again to breathe Earth's air. And they are still pawns. For the adin exist to terraform Mars for human colonists, not for themselves. Creating a new Earth, they will destroy their world, killed by their own success. Desperate, adin leader Boris Tiban launches a suicide campaign to sabotage the Mars Project, knowing his people will perish in a glorious, doomed campaign of mayhem--unless embattled, bitter Rachel Dycek can find a miracle to save both the Mars Project and the race she created.

Suppose you could switch bodies with another person? What exciting new experiences would you choose to explore? What forbidden desires would you indulge? Suppose someone stole your life--how far would you go to get it back?

From New York Times bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson comes a pure adrenaline thriller of hijacked identities, elusive motives, and deeply buried secrets--a disturbing, thought-provoking excursion into a sleek, hedonistic society where nothing is your own...not even your soul.

The launch of the space shuttle Atlantis will make history. Another triumph for the space program, and a political coup: a Russian cosmonaut is scheduled to perform the first spacewalk from an American unit.

The checkout fail-safes are all go. The mission is proceeding like clockwork. The team of American and Russian astronauts are strapped in, the mission specialists in Houston see no hitches. No one knows the real danger.

For as millions of viewers tune in to watch the countdown, there's nothing to indicate that what they're seeing is a prerecorded show. Terrorists have taken over Launch Control at Cape Canaveral and are threatening to blow up the Atlantis in less than three hours unless their demands are met.

Only Colonel "Iceberg" Friese, the mission's former commander, out with a broken foot, knows about the danger to his crew. Unknown to anyone, he's sneaked into the restricted zone. And now it's up to him to stop the clock before the countdown reaches... ignition.

It is the largest oil spill in history: a supertanker crashes into the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco Bay. Desperate to avert environmental damage (as well as the PR disaster), the multinational oil company releases an untested designer oil-eating microbe to break up the spill.

What the company didn't realize is that their microbe propagates through the air... and it mutates to consume anything made of petrocarbons: oil, gasoline, synthetic fabrics, plastics of all kinds. And when every piece of plastic begins to dissolve, it's too late....

In shock and grief the last remnants of the human race watched from space as the holocaust of war raged across the face of the Earth. Now the future rested in the hands of three fragile space colonies:

• Aguinaldo--The Philippine L-5 colony whose brilliant biochemist engineered a limitless supply of food.
• Kibalchich--The Soviet space exploration platform that harbors a deadly secret.
• Orbitech 1--The American space factory whose superstrong weavewire could be a lifeline to link the colonies--or a cutting-edge weapon of destruction.

As allies, they could unite to rebuild a better world. As enemies, they could destroy mankind's last hope for survival.

In this horrifying science fiction novel, the dead walk the streets, resurrected by technology to become servants to the living.

Resurrection, Inc. found a profitable way to do it: a microprocessor brain, a synthetic heart, artificial blood--and anyone with money could buy a Servant with no mind of its own, trained to obey any command. But for every Servant created, a living worker was out of a job, and suddenly the profits of Resurrection, Inc. became everyone else's loss.

Some take to rioting in the streets, their rampages ruthlessly ended by heavily armed Enforcers, eager for the kill. Others join the ever-growing cult of Neo-Satanism, seeking Heaven in the depths of Hell.

Only one man tries to save the world. His name is Danal, and he is the last hope of the living. He is dead, but he remembers everything.

Activist Elizabeth Devane wished for an end to nuclear weapons. Surely, she thought, if they'd known what they were unleashing, the scientists of the Manhattan Project would never have created such a terrible instrument of destruction. But during a protest action, the unthinkable happened: a flash of light, a silent confusion, and Elizabeth awakes to find herself alone in a desolate desert arroyo... and almost fifty years in the past. June 1944. Los Alamos, New Mexico. While the Allies battle in the Pacific and begin the Normandy invasion in Europe, Nazi Germany deviates from the timeline Elizabeth knows and uses its newfound nuclear arsenal against America. Somehow, someway, Elizabeth has been given the chance to put the genie back in the bottle... yet could she--should she--attempt the greatest sabotage in history?

This short story originally appeared in the anthology Dark Duets: All-New Tales of Horror and Dark Fantasy (2014), edited by Christopher Golden, and was reprinted in Lightspeed, August 2016.

Read the full story for free at Lightspeed.

In an anthology of tales inspired by Wells's The War of the Worlds, notable science fiction authors--such as Connie Willis, Mike Resnick, Robert Silverberg, and Gregory Benford--imagine the Martian invasion seen through the eyes of his contemporaries in other locations throughout the world.

Table of Contents:

• Foreword - short fiction by Kevin J. Anderson
• The Roosevelt Dispatches - (1996) - short story by Mike Resnick
• Canals in the Sand - short story by Kevin J. Anderson
• Foreign Devils - (1996) - novelette by Walter Jon Williams
• Blue Period - short story by Daniel Marcus
• The Martian Invasion Journals of Henry James - (1996) - novelette by Robert Silverberg
• The True Tale of the Final Battle of Umslopogaas the Zulu - short story by Janet Berliner
• Night of the Cooters - (1987) - short story by Howard Waldrop
• Determinism and the Martian War, with Relativistic Corrections - short story by Doug Beason
• Soldier of the Queen - short story by Barbara Hambly
• Mars: The Home Front - short story by George Alec Effinger
• A Letter from St. Louis - short story by Allen Steele
• Resurrection - short story by Mark W. Tiedemann
• Paris Conquers All - (1996) - short story by David Brin and Gregory Benford
• To Mars and Providence - short story by Don Webb
• Roughing It During the Martian Invasion - short story by Daniel Keys Moran and Jodi Moran
• To See the World End - short story by M. Shayne Bell
• After a Lean Winter - (1996) - novelette by Dave Wolverton
• The Soul Selects Her Own Society: Invasion and Repulsion: A Chronological Reinterpretation of Two of Emily Dickinson's Poems: A Wellsian Perspective - (1996) - short story by Connie Willis
• Afterword: Retrospective - short fiction by Gregory Benford and David Brin

A new world. New magic. New history.

After Halley's Comet was destroyed in a magical battle in 1759, the backlash separated the entire New World from the Old in an event known as The Sundering. Now isolated from the rest of the globe, America has become a very different place, where magic works and history has been changed forever.

It is 1803--a new 1803. Young Meriwether Lewis, footloose and intrigued, goes to hear a lecture in St. Louis by the venerated old wizard Benjamin Franklin. Franklin's talk is disrupted by the attack of a winged fire-breathing beast, much like legends from Lewis's own Welsh heritage. In the aftermath, Franklin tells the young man that he knows of a great, growing evil that lurks in the uncharted Arcane Territories west of the Mississippi.

Using his own vast fortune, Franklin commissions Lewis and his own talented partner William Clark to embark on a remarkable voyage of exploration, to meet and document the indigenous tribes, to find a route all the way to the Pacific Ocean--and perhaps beyond the magical veil to Europe again--and to stop the growing evil that is filling the American West. For while the Sundering separated the rest of the world and granted the original colonists unexpected magical gifts, sorcery inspired by native legends has also been ignited. And the Arcane Territories may hold unparalleled dangers for the expedition, both natural and magical.

Accompanied by the brilliant shape-shifting sorceress Sacajawea, Lewis and Clark set off on an unparalleled adventure across a landscape that no European has ever seen.

A remarkable collaboration that is unprecedented in its scope and realization, this exquisitely wrought novel represents an artistic project between the bestselling science fiction author Kevin J. Anderson and the multiplatinum rock band Rush. The newest album by Rush, Clockwork Angels, sets forth a story in Neil Peart's lyrics that has been expanded by him and Anderson into this epic novel.

In a young man's quest to follow his dreams, he is caught between the grandiose forces of order and chaos. He travels across a lavish and colorful world of steampunk and alchemy with lost cities, pirates, anarchists, exotic carnivals, and a rigid Watchmaker who imposes precision on every aspect of daily life.

The mind-bending story is complemented with rich paintings by the five-time Juno Award winner for Best Album Design, Hugh Syme.

In Clockwork Angels, #1 bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson and legendary Rush drummer and lyricist Neil Peart created a fabulous, adventurous steampunk world in a novel to accompany the smash Rush concept album of the same name. It was a world of airships and alchemy, clockwork carnivals, pirates, lost cities, a rigid Watchmaker who controlled every aspect of life, and his nemesis, the ruthless and violent Anarchist who wanted to destroy it all.

Anderson and Peart have returned to their colorful creation to explore the places and the characters that still have a hold on their imagination. Marinda Peake is a woman with a quiet, perfect life in a small village; she long ago gave up on her dreams and ambitions to take care of her ailing father, an alchemist and an inventor. When he dies, he gives Marinda a mysterious inheritance: a blank book that she must fill with other people's stories -- and ultimately her own.

Clockwork Lives is a steampunk Canterbury Tales, and much more, as Marinda strives to change her life from a mere "sentence or two" to a true epic.

In Clockwork Angels and Clockwork Lives, readers met the optimistic young hero Owen Hardy, as well as the more reluctant adventurer Marinda Peake, in an amazing world of airships and alchemy, fantastic carnivals and lost cities. Now Owen Hardy, retired and content in his quiet, perfect life with the beautiful Francesca, is pulled into one last adventure with his eager grandson Alain. This final mission for the Watchmaker will take them up to the frozen lands of Ultima Thule and the ends of the Earth. Marinda Peake must undertake a mission of her own, not only to compile the true life story of the mysterious Watchmaker, but also to stop a deadly new group of anarchists.

The Clockwork trilogy is based on the story and lyrics from the last album of musical titans Rush, with Anderson and Peart expanding the world, stories, and characters. The two developed the final novel in the trilogy in the last years of Peart's life, and more than a year after his passing, Anderson returned to that unfinished project, with the full support of Peart's wife, bringing Owen and Marinda's stories to a satisfying and stirring conclusion.

Virtual reality is the technology of the future. Groundbreaking. Dangerous. Almost limitless in its potential. It could replace nuclear power as the most coveted knowledge on the planet. And in a supersecret installation in California, under the most restricted security, one of the top scientists in the field is about to be murdered.

They call themselves Eagle's Claw, one of the most extreme militia groups in the United States. They have infiltrated the Device Assembly Facility at the Nevada Nuclear Test Site. And the most frightening display of nuclear terrorism is about to unfold.

At Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Illinois, Fermilab, Nobel candidate Georg Dumenco is bombarded with enough radiation to kill him within days. FBI Special Agent Craig Kreident knows it was no accident. But he has to prove it. Only Dumenco knows enough to track down his own killers--if he lives long enough.

Single Dead Detective Seeks Clue

Ever since the Big Uneasy unleashed vampires, werewolves, and other undead denizens on the world, it's been hell being a detective--especially for zombie P.I. Dan Chambeaux. Taking on the creepiest of cases in the Unnatural Quarter with a human lawyer for a partner and a ghost for a girlfriend, Chambeaux redefines "dead on arrival." But just because he was murdered doesn't mean he'd leave his clients in the lurch. Besides, zombies are so good at lurching.

Now he's back from the dead and back in business--with a caseload that's downright unnatural. A resurrected mummy is suing the museum that put him on display. Two witches, victims of a curse gone terribly wrong, are seeking restitution. And he's got to figure out a very personal question--who killed him?

For Dan Chambeaux, it's all in a day's work...

To be dead, or not to be dead...

In the Unnatural Quarter, golems slave away in sweatshops, necromancers sell black-market trinkets to tourists, and the dead rise up--to work the night shift. But zombie detective Dan Shamble is no ordinary working stiff.

When a local senator and his goons picket a ghostly production of Shakespeare in the Dark--condemning the troupe's "unnatural" lifestyles--Dan smells something rotten. And if something smells rotten to a zombie, you're in serious trouble....

Before his way of life, er, death is destroyed, Dan wants answers. Along the way, he needs to provide security for a mummified madame, defend a mixed-race couple (he's a vampire, she's a werewolf) from housing discrimination, and save his favorite watering hole, the Goblin Tavern, from drying up. Throw in a hairy hit-man and a bank robber who walks through walls, and Dan Shamble's plate is full.

Maybe this time the zombie detective has bitten off more than he can chew...

The fur really flies when a serial scalper stalks the supernatural citizens of the Unnatural Quarter, targeting werewolves--and what's sadder than a bald lycanthrope?

Dan Shamble, zombie P.I., is on the case, trying to stop an all-out gang war between full-time and full-moon werewolves. As he combs through the tangled clues to hunt down the bald facts, things get hairy fast.

Shamble lurches through a loony landscape of voodoo tattoo artists, illicit cockatrice fights, body builders assembling make-your-own human kits, and perhaps scariest of all, crazed fans in town for the Worldwide Horror Convention.

Yet the reign of hair-raising terror grows longer. If Shamble can't snip this off at the roots, the whole world could end up howling mad.

From a New York Times--bestselling author, seven hilarious mystery stories starring a zombie detective who won't let death stop his pursuit of justice.

Even being murdered doesn't keep a good detective down, and in the Unnatural Quarter--inhabited by ghosts, vampires, werewolves, mummies, and all sorts of creatures that go bump (or thud) in the night--a zombie P.I. fits right in. Dan Chambeaux, a.k.a. "Shamble," solves a string of madcap cases with his ghost girlfriend Sheyenne, his Best Human Friend Officer Toby McGoohan, and his firebrand lawyer partner Robin Deyer.

Working Stiff contains seven cases from the files of Chambeaux & Deyer Investigations. Dan Shamble must solve the mystery of a stolen deck of fortune-telling cards and the undeath-defying feats of a vampire trapeze artist, finds himself sealed in a coffin in the back of a truck with no idea where he's being taken, and is even hired by Santa Claus to find his lost "naughty and nice" list. Being trapped in an unbreakable monster-proof crypt, deciphering a string of mysterious zombie graffiti, investigating the murder of a costumed fan at a science fiction convention where the monsters are the normal attendees, or tracking down a kidnapped hellhound for legendary vigilante werewolf cop Hairy Harry--it's all in a day's work for Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I.

Contents:

• Stakeout at the Vampire Circus - (2014) - short story
• Road Kill - (2012) - short story
• Naughty & Nice - (2013) - novelette
• Locked Room - (2014) - short story
• The Writing on the Wall - (2014) - short story
• Role Model - (2013) - novelette
• Beware of Dog - (2014) - short story

There's something fishy going on in the Unnatural Quarter. Bodies are floating face-down, the plumbing is backing up, and something smells rotten--even to a zombie detective like Dan Shamble. Diving into the slimy underbelly of a diabolical plot, Dan comes face-to-tentacles with an amphibious villain named Ah'Chulhu (to which the usual response is "Gesundheit!").

With his snap-happy gang of gator-guys--former pets flushed down the toilet--Ah'Chulhu wreaks havoc beneath the streets.

While feuding weather wizards kick up storms and a gang of thieving lawn gnomes continues their reign of terror, Dan Shamble is running out of time--before the whole stinking city goes down the drain...

Dan Shamble, zombie PI faces his most fowl case yet, when a flock of murderous feral chickens terrorizes the Unnatural Quarter. Also in the caseload, Dan deals with the sinister spokesman for Monster Chow Industries, a spreading contamination that drives vampires berserk, a serial-killer demon from the Fifth Pit of Hell, a black-market blood gang led by the nefarious Ma Hemoglobin, a ghost fighting a hostile takeover of his blood bars... and a cute little vampire girl who may, or may not, be his daughter.

With his ghost girlfriend Sheyenne, his bleeding-heart lawyer partner Robin, and his best human friend Officer Toby McGoohan, Dan Shamble is back from the dead and back on the case. The feathers will fly as he goes face-to-beak with the evil peckers.

Bonus: Includes the short story "Road Kill."

Dan Chambeaux was a human private investigator in the Unnatural Quarter, where all the monsters have gathered in hopes of finding normal lives. Even though he was killed in a back alley when a case went sour, Dan "Shamble" is still on the case. Even death won't keep a good detective down...

Now, teamed up with his partner Robin Deyer, a bleeding-heart human lawyer who wants justice for all monsters, his ghost girlfriend Sheyenne, and his BHF (Best Human Friend) Officer Toby McGoohan, Shamble solves a host of bizarre mysteries involving Mayan sacrificial Christmas turkeys, a headless man who is sure his head has been kidnapped, a book collector who finds deadly curses instead of valuable autographs, a medusa who battles stringent beauty contest rules, a vengeful poltergeist who won't obey a restraining order, an infernal monster cooking contest, and more!

In the Unnatural Quarter, the Plot Thickens... and then runs uncontrollably!

When Howard Phillips Publishing announces the 12 + 1 anniversary edition (due to unavoidable production delays) of the famed Necronomicon--the very book that caused the Big Uneasy in the first place--it takes zombie P.I. Dan Chambeaux, a.k.a. "Shamble," to root out the diabolical schemes surrounding the book, and the fanatics who wish to destroy it.

With enough plot twists to confound a professional contortionist, Dan Shamble doesn't have time for light reading. Along with his ghost girlfriend Sheyenne, his firebrand lawyer partner Robin, his best human friend Officer Toby McGoohan, and his ultra-cute vampire half-daughter Alvina, Dan faces an unnatural caseload.

Entire neighborhoods in the Quarter have simply vanished into thin air.

Rogue werewolf cop Hairy Harry struggles to write and market his memoir.

Customer complaints turn monstrous over an auto-mechanic shop run by gremlins, to whom "repair" is a foreign concept.

And when unnatural doppelgangers appear in the shadowed streets, it does not mean double the fun.

Entangled in it all is the mousy virgin librarian--now turned superstar celebrity--whose blood sacrifice, through an accidental paper cut, brought back all the monsters thirteen years ago.

That anniversary is indeed an unlucky number.

Hunters of Dune and the concluding volume, Sandworms of Dune, bring together the great story lines and beloved characters in Frank Herbert's classic Dune universe, ranging from the time of the Butlerian Jihad to the original Dune series and beyond. Based directly on Frank Herbert's final outline, which lay hidden in a safe-deposit box for a decade, these two volumes will finally answer the urgent questions Dune fans have been debating for two decades.

At the end of Chapterhouse: Dune--Frank Herbert's final novel--a ship carrying the ghola of Duncan Idaho, Sheeana (a young woman who can control sandworms), and a crew of various refugees escapes into the uncharted galaxy, fleeing from the monstrous Honored Matres, dark counterparts to the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood. The nearly invincible Honored Matres have swarmed into the known universe, driven from their home by a terrifying, mysterious Enemy. As designed by the creative genius of Frank Herbert, the primary story of Hunters and Sandworms is the exotic odyssey of Duncan's no-ship as it is forced to elude the diabolical traps set by the ferocious, unknown Enemy. To strengthen their forces, the fugitives have used genetic technology from Scytale, the last Tleilaxu Master, to revive key figures from Dune's past-including Paul Muad'Dib and his beloved Chani, Lady Jessica, Stilgar, Thufir Hawat, and even Dr. Wellington Yueh. Each of these characters will use their special talents to meet the challenges thrown at them.

Failure is unthinkable--not only is their survival at stake, but they hold the fate of the entire human race in their hands.

At the end of Frank Herbert's final novel, Chapterhouse: Dune, a ship carrying a crew of refugees escapes into the uncharted galaxy, fleeing from a terrifying, mysterious Enemy. The fugitives used genetic technology to revive key figures from Dune's past--including Paul Muad'Dib and Lady Jessica--to use their special talents to meet the challenges thrown at them.

Based directly on Frank Herbert's final outline, which lay hidden in two safe-deposit boxes for a decade, Sandworms of Dune will answer the urgent questions Dune fans have been debating for two decades: the origin of the Honored Matres, the tantalizing future of the planet Arrakis, the final revelation of the Kwisatz Haderach, and the resolution to the war between Man and Machine. This breathtaking new novel in Frank Herbert's Dune series has enough surprises and plot twists to please even the most demanding reader.

Set two years before Dune: Princess of Dune is the never-before-told story of two key women in the life of Paul Muad'Dib--Princess Irulan, his wife in name only, and Paul's true love, the Fremen Chani. Both women become central to Paul's galaxy-spanning Imperial reign.

Raised in the Imperial court and born to be a political bargaining chip, Irulan was sent at an early age to be trained as a Bene Gesserit Sister. As Princess Royal, she also learned important lessons from her father--the Padishah Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV. Now of marriageable age, Princess Irulan sees the machinations of the many factions vying for power--the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood, the Spacing Guild, the Imperial throne, and a ruthless rebellion in the Imperial military. The young woman has a wise and independent streak and is determined to become much more than a pawn to be moved about on anyone's gameboard.

Meanwhile, on Arrakis, Chani--the daughter of Liet-Kynes, the Imperial Planetologist who serves under the harsh rule of House Harkonnen--is trained in the Fremen mystical ways by an ancient Reverend Mother. Brought up to believe in her father's ecological dream of a green Arrakis, she follows Liet around to Imperial testing stations, surviving the many hazards of desert life. Chani soon learns the harsh cost of Fremen dreams and obligations under the oppressive boot heel of the long Harkonnen occupation.

Collected for the first time, these three previously unpublished Dune novellas by bestselling authors Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson shine a light upon the darker corners of the Dune universe. Spanning space and time, Sands of Dune is essential reading for any fan of the series.

The world of Dune has shaped an entire generation of science fiction. From the sand blasted world of Arrakis, to the splendor of the imperial homeworld of Kaitain, readers have lived in a universe of treachery and wonder.

Now, these stories expand on the Dune universe, telling of the lost years of Gurney Halleck as he works with smugglers on Arrakis in a deadly gambit for revenge; inside the ranks of the Sardaukar as the child of a betrayed nobleman becomes one of the Emperor's most ruthless fighters; a young firebrand Fremen woman, a guerrilla fighter against the ruthless Harkonnens, who will one day become Shadout Mapes.

Frank Herbert's magnificent Dune saga sprawls across countless planets and tens of millennia. Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson have written thirteen international bestselling novels set in this epic universe. But the wealth of material leaves many side tales or interesting ideas that can be told, hors d'oeuvres to accompany the exotic main course. Sometimes, a short story is exactly what's needed.

Tales of Dune collects eight of Herbert and Anderson's Dune short stories, ranging from the period of the Butlerian Jihad, to the time of young Paul Atreides, to a story set during the events of the novel Dune, to the very end of Frank Herbert's future history. These are the missing pieces in the epic of Dune.

This edition is an expanded edition of the 2011 ebook published by WordFire Press. New material consists of the story "Red Plague" and the essays introducing each story.

Table of Contents:

• i - Introduction (Tales of Dune: Expanded Edition) - essay
• 2 - Hunting Harkonnens Introduction - essay
• 4 - Hunting Harkonnens - [Legends of Dune] - (2002) - novelette
• 45 - Whipping Mek Introduction - essay
• 46 - Whipping Mek - [Legends of Dune] - (2003) - short story
• 66 - The Faces of a Martyr Introduction - essay
• 68 - The Faces of a Martyr - [Legends of Dune] - (2004) - short story (variant of The Faces of a Martyr: A Tale of the Butlerian Jihad)
• 93 - Red Plague Introduction - essay
• 94 - Red Plague - [Schools of Dune] - (2016) - short story
• 114 - Wedding Silk Introduction - essay
• 115 - Wedding Silk - [Heroes of Dune] - (2011) - short fiction
• 131 - A Whisper of Caladan Seas Introduction - essay
• 132 - A Whisper of Caladan Seas - [Dune] - (1999) - short story
• 162 - Sea Child Introduction - essay
• 163 - Sea Child - [Dune] - (2011) - short story (variant of Sea Child: A Tale of Dune 2006)
• 184 - Treasure in the Sand Introduction - essay
• 185 - Treasure in the Sand - [Dune Sequels] - (2006) - short story

Frank Herbert's Dune is widely known as the science fiction equivalent of The Lord of the Rings. The Road to Dune is a companion work comparable to The Silmarillion, shedding light on and following the remarkable development of the bestselling science fiction novel of all time.

Herein, the worlds millions of Dune fans can now read at long last unpublished chapters and scenes from Dune and Dune Messiah. The Road to Dune also includes correspondence between Frank Herbert and famed editor, John W. Campbell, Jr.; excerpts from Herbert's correspondence during his years-long struggle to get his innovative work published; and the article, They Stopped the Moving Sands, Herbert's original inspiration for Dune.

The Road to Dune features Spice Planet, an original sixty-two thousand-word novel by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, based on a detailed outline left by Frank Herbert. The Road to Dune is a treasure trove of essays, articles, and fiction that every reader of Dune will want to add to their shelf.

It was supposed to be just another Sunday night fantasy role-playing game for David, Tyrone, Scott, and Melanie. But after years of playing, the game had become so real that all their creations--humans, sorcerers, dragons, ogres, panther-folk, cyclops--now had existences of their own. And when the four outside players decide to end their game, the characters inside the world of Gamearth--warriors, scholars, and the few remaining wielders of magic--band together to keep their land from vanishing. Now they must embark on a desperate quest for their own magic--magic that can twist the Rules enough to save them all from the evil that the players created to destroy their entire world.

The Gamearth Trilogy continues. It was written in the Rules--Save the World! Over the past two years, a group of four players had given so much to their role-playing world that it had developed a magic of its own. The creatures, warriors, sorcerers, thieves--all had come alive. And now there is an odd connection between the gamers and their characters, splitting into factions to determine the fate of the Game itself and both the inside and the outside worlds.

The finale to the Gamearth Trilogy. It's all-out war between the players and characters in a role-playing game that has taken on a life of its own. The fighter Delrael, the sorcerer Bryl, as well as famed scientists Verne and Frankenstein, use every trick in the Book of Rules to keep the world of Gamearth intact while the outside group of players does everything possible to destroy it.

An all-new Tale of the Great Schools of Dune -- written to accompany Navigators of Dune by the same authors.

Read the full story for free at Tor.com.

The exciting first book in a new Dune trilogy

It is 83 years after the last of the thinking machines were destroyed in the Battle of Corrin, after Faykan Butler established himself as the first Emperor of a new imperium. War hero Vorian Atreides has turned his back on Salusa Secundus, flying off to parts unknown. Abulurd Harkonnen, convicted of cowardice, was sent away to live on gloomy Lankiveil, and his descendants continue to blame Vor for the downfall of their fortunes.

Raquella Berto-Anirul has formed the Bene Gesserit School as the first Reverend Mother. Descendants of Aurelius Venport and Norma Cenva have built a powerful transportation company using mutated Navigators who fly "spacefolder ships".

Gilbertus Albans has established a school on bucolic Lampadas teaching humans to become Mentats. Even so, decades after the defeat of the thinking machines, anti-technology fervor continues to sweep across the human-settled planets, with powerful fanatical groups imposing violent purges...

Gilbertus Albans has founded the Mentat School, a place where humans can learn the efficient techniques of thinking machines. But Gilbertus walks an uneasy line between his own convictions and compromises in order to survive the Butlerian fanatics, led by the madman Manford Torondo and his Swordmaster Anari Idaho.

Mother Superior Raquella attempts to rebuild her Sisterhood School on Wallach IX, with her most talented and ambitious student, Valya Harkonnen... who also has another goal-to exact revenge on Vorian Atreides, the legendary hero of the Jihad, whom she blames for her family's downfall.

Meanwhile, Josef Venport conducts his own war against the Butlerians. VenHold Spacing Fleet controls nearly all commerce thanks to the superior mutated Navigators that Venport has created, and he places a ruthless embargo on any planet that accepts Manford Torondo's anti-technology pledge, hoping to starve them into submission. But fanatics rarely surrender easily...

The Mentats, the Navigators, and the Sisterhood all strive to improve the human race, but know that as Butlerian fanaticism grows stronger, the battle will be to choose the path of humanity's future-whether to embrace civilization, or to plunge into an endless dark age.

Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson's Navigators of Dune is the climactic finale of the Great Schools of Dune trilogy, set 10,000 years before Frank Herbert's classic Dune.

The story line tells the origins of the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood and its breeding program, the human-computer Mentats, and the Navigators (the Spacing Guild), as well as a crucial battle for the future of the human race, in which reason faces off against fanaticism. These events have far-reaching consequences that will set the stage for Dune, millennia later.

Frank Herbert's Dune ended with Paul Muad’Dib in control of the planet Dune. Herbert’s next Dune book, Dune Messiah, picked up the story several years later after Paul’s armies had conquered the galaxy. But what happened between Dune and Dune Messiah? How did Paul create his empire and become the Messiah? Following in the footsteps of Frank Herbert, New York Times bestselling authors Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson are answering these questions in Paul of Dune.

The Muad’Dib’s jihad is in full swing. His warrior legions march from victory to victory. But beneath the joy of victory there are dangerous undercurrents. Paul, like nearly every great conqueror, has enemies--those who would betray him to steal the awesome power he commands. . . .

And Paul himself begins to have doubts: Is the jihad getting out of his control? Has he created anarchy? Has he been betrayed by those he loves and trusts the most? And most of all, he wonders: Am I going mad?

Paul of Dune is a novel everyone will want to read and no one will be able to forget.

With their usual skill, Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson have taken ideas left behind by Frank Herbert and filled them with living characters and a true sense of wonder. Where Paul of Dune picked up the saga directly after the events of Dune, The Winds of Dune begins after the events of Dune Messiah.

Paul has walked off into the sand, blind, and is presumed dead. Jessica and Gurney are on Caladan; Alia is trying to hold the Imperial government together with Duncan; Mohiam dead at the hands of Stilgar; Irulan imprisoned. Paul’s former friend, Bronso of Ix, now seems to be leading opposition to the House of Atreides. Herbert and Anderson’s newest book in this landmark series will concentrate on these characters as well the growing battle between Jessica, and her daughter, Alia.

Frank Herbert’s Dune series is one of the great creations of imaginative literature, science fiction’s answer to The Lord of the Rings.

Decades after Herbert’s original novels, the Dune saga was continued by Frank Herbert’s son, Brian Herbert, in collaboration with Kevin J. Anderson. Working from Frank Herbert’s own notes, the acclaimed authors reveal the chapter of the Dune saga most eagerly anticipated by readers: the Butlerian Jihad.

Throughout the Dune novels, Frank Herbert frequently referred to the war in which humans wrested their freedom from “thinking machines.” In Dune: The Butlerian Jihad, Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson bring to life the story of that war, a tale previously seen only in tantalizing hints and clues. Finally, we see how Serena Butler’s passionate grief ignites the struggle that will liberate humans from their machine masters; here is the amazing tale of the Zensunni Wanderers, who escape bondage to flee to the desert world where they will declare themselves the Free Men of Dune. And here is the backward, nearly forgotten planet of Arrakis, where traders have discovered the remarkable properties of the spice melange....

The breathtaking vision and incomparable storytelling of Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson's Dune: The Butlerian Jihad, a prequel to Frank Herbert's classic Dune, propelled it to the ranks of speculative fiction's classics in its own right. Now, with all the color, scope, and fascination of the prior novel, comes Dune: The Machine Crusade.

More than two decades have passed since the events chronicled in The Butlerian Jihad. The crusade against thinking robots has ground on for years, but the forces led by Serena Butler and Irbis Ginjo have made only slight gains; the human worlds grow weary of war, of the bloody, inconclusive swing from victory to defeat.

The fearsome cymeks, led by Agamemnon, hatch new plots to regain their lost power from Omnius--as their numbers dwindle and time begins to run out. The fighters of Ginaz, led by Jool Noret, forge themselves into an elite warrior class, a weapon against the machine-dominated worlds. Aurelius Venport and Norma Cenva are on the verge of the most important discovery in human history-a way to "fold" space and travel instantaneously to any place in the galaxy.

And on the faraway, nearly worthless planet of Arrakis, Selim Wormrider and his band of outlaws take the first steps to making themselves the feared fighters who will change the course of history: the Fremen.

Here is the unrivaled imaginative power that has put Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson on bestseller lists everywhere and earned them the high regard of readers around the globe. The fantastic saga of Dune continues in Dune: The Machine Crusade.

Following their internationally bestselling novels Dune: The Butlerian Jihad and Dune: The Machine Crusade, Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson forge a final tumultuous finish to their prequels to Frank Herbert's Dune.

It has been fifty-six hard years since the events of The Machine Crusade. Following the death of Serena Butler, the bloodiest decades of the Jihad take place. Synchronized Worlds and Unallied Planets are liberated one by one, and at long last, after years of victory, the human worlds begin to hope that the end of the centuries-long conflict with the thinking machines is finally in sight.

Unfortunately, Omnius has one last, deadly card to play. In a last-ditch effort to destroy humankind, virulent plagues are let loose throughout the galaxy, decimating the populations of whole planets . . . and once again, the tide of the titanic struggle shifts against the warriors of the human race. At last, the war that has lasted many lifetimes will be decided in the apocalyptic Battle of Corrin.

In the greatest battle in science fiction history, human and machine face off one last time. . . . And on the desert planet of Arrakis, the legendary Fremen of Dune become the feared fighting force to be discovered by Paul Muad'Dib in Frank Herbert's classic, Dune.

With this inaugural volume at Tor, the annual Nebula Award collection is reborn as a fiction-only anthology. This collection of nominees for 2010's Nebula Awards includes all of the prior year's most celebrated stories, and will be published in time for the 2011 Nebula Awards in May, 2011.

2009's award winners, announced in May 2010, include Kage Baker's novella "The Women of Nell Gwynne's," Eugie Foster's novelette "Sinner, Baker, Fabulist, Priest; Red Mask, Black Mask, Gentleman, Beast," Kij Johnson's short story "Spar," plus Paolo Bacigalupi's novelette, "The Gambler."

Table of Contents:

• Introduction - essay by Kevin J. Anderson
• Final 2009 Nebula Ballot - essay by uncredited
• Hooves and the Hovel of Abdel Jameela - (2009) - shortstory by Saladin Ahmed
• I Remember the Future - (2008) - shortstory by Michael A. Burstein
• Non-Zero Probabilities - (2009) - shortstory by N. K. Jemisin
• Going Deep - (2009) - novelette by James Patrick Kelly
• Bridesicle - (2009) - shortstory by Will McIntosh
• Spar - (2009) - shortstory by Kij Johnson
• Neal Barrett, Jr.: Writer of Excellence, and My Brother - (2009) - essay by Joe R. Lansdale
• Getting Dark - (2006) - shortstory by Neal Barrett, Jr.
• The Gambler - (2008) - novelette by Paolo Bacigalupi
• Vinegar Peace (or, The Wrong-Way, Used-Adult Orphanage) - (2008) - novelette by Michael Bishop
• I Needs Must Part, the Policeman Said - (2009) - novelette by Richard Bowes
• Divining Light - (2008) - novelette by Ted Kosmatka
• A Memory of Wind - (2009) - novelette by Rachel Swirsky
• Sinner, Baker, Fabulist, Priest; Red Mask, Black Mask, Gentleman, Beast - (2009) - novelette by Eugie Foster
• SFWA Damon Knight Grand Master: Joe Haldeman (Introduction) - essay by Mark Kreighbaum
• SFWA Damon Knight Grand Master: Joe Haldeman (Appreciation) - essay by Connie Willis
• A !Tangled Web - (1981) - novelette by Joe Haldeman
• The Women of Nell Gwynne's - (2009) - novella by Kage Baker
• Song for an Ancient City - (2008) - poem by Amal El-Mohtar
• Search - (2008) - poem by Geoffrey A. Landis
• Fireflies - (2008) - poem by Geoffrey A. Landis
• Other Awards (The Nebula Awards Showcase 2011) - essay by uncredited

The New York Times bestselling prequel to the classic award-winning saga by Frank Herbert.

Frank Herbert's award-winning Dune chronicles captured the imagination of millions of readers worldwide. By his death in 1986, Herbert had completed six novels in the series, but much of his vision remained unwritten. Now, working from his father's recently discovered files, Brian Herbert and bestselling novelist Kevin J. Anderson collaborate on a new novel, the prelude to Dune?where we step onto the planet Arrakis...decades before Dune's hero, Paul Muad'Dib Atreides, walks its sands.

Here is the rich and complex world that Frank Herbert created, in the time leading up to the momentous events of Dune. As Emperor Elrood's son plots a subtle regicide, young Leto Atreides leaves for a year's education on the mechanized world of Ix; a planetologist named Pardot Kynes seeks the secrets of Arrakis; and the eight-year-old slave Duncan Idaho is hunted by his cruel masters in a terrifying game from which he vows escape and vengeance. But none can envision the fate in store for them: one that will make them renegades?and shapers of history.

Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson return to the vivid universe of Frank Herbert’s Dune, bringing a vast array of rich and complex characters into conflict to shape the destiny of worlds....

As Shaddam sits at last on the Golden Lion Throne, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen plots against the new Emperor and House Atreides — and against the mysterious Sisterhood of the Bene Gesserit. For Leto Atreides, grown complacent and comfortable as ruler of his House, it is a time of momentous choice: between friendship and duty, safety and destiny. But for the survival of House Atreides, there is just one choice — strive for greatness or be crushed.

The triumphant conclusion to the blockbuster trilogy that made science fiction history!

In Dune: House Corrino Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson bring us the magnificent final chapter in the unforgettable saga begun in Dune: House Atreides and continued in Dune: House Harkonnen.

Here nobles and commoners, soldiers and slaves, wives and courtesans shape the amazing destiny of a tumultuous universe. An epic saga of love and war, crime and politics, religion and revolution, this magnificent novel is a fitting conclusion to a great science fiction trilogy ... and an invaluable addition to the thrilling world of Frank Herbert’s immortal Dune.

Dune: House Corrino

Fearful of losing his precarious hold on the Golden Lion Throne, Shaddam IV, Emperor of a Million Worlds, has devised a radical scheme to develop an alternative to melange, the addictive spice that binds the Imperium together and that can be found only on the desert world of Dune.

In subterranean labs on the machine planet Ix, cruel Tleilaxu overlords use slaves and prisoners as part of a horrific plan to manufacture a synthetic form of melange known as amal. If amal can supplant the spice from Dune, it will give Shaddam what he seeks: absolute power.

But Duke Leto Atreides, grief-stricken yet unbowed by the tragic death of his son Victor, determined to restore the honor and prestige of his House, has his own plans for Ix.

He will free the Ixians from their oppressive conquerors and restore his friend Prince Rhombur, injured scion of the disgraced House Vernius, to his rightful place as Ixian ruler. It is a bold and risky venture, for House Atreides has limited military resources and many ruthless enemies, including the sadistic Baron Harkonnen, despotic master of Dune.

Meanwhile, Duke Leto’s consort, the beautiful Lady Jessica, obeying the orders of her superiors in the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood, has conceived a child that the Sisterhood intends to be the penultimate step in the creation of an all-powerful being. Yet what the Sisterhood doesn’t know is that the child Jessica is carrying is not the girl they are expecting, but a boy.

Jessica’s act of disobedience is an act of love — her attempt to provide her Duke with a male heir to House Atreides — but an act that, when discovered, could kill both mother and baby.

Like the Bene Gesserit, Shaddam Corrino is also concerned with making a plan for the future — securing his legacy. Blinded by his need for power, the Emperor will launch a plot against Dune, the only natural source of true spice. If he succeeds, his madness will result in a cataclysmic tragedy not even he foresees: the end of space travel, the Imperium, and civilization itself.

With Duke Leto and other renegades and revolutionaries fighting to stem the tide of darkness that threatens to engulf their universe, the stage is set for a showdown unlike any seen before.

An adventure from Kevin J. Anderson's The Saga of Shadows: The Dark Between the Stars

Read the full story for free at Tor.com.

Twenty years after the elemental conflict that nearly tore apart the cosmos in The Saga of Seven Suns, a new threat emerges from the darkness. The human race must set aside its own inner conflicts to rebuild their alliance with the Ildiran Empire for the survival of the galaxy.

In Kevin J. Anderson's The Dark Between the Stars, galactic empires clash, elemental beings devastate whole planetary systems, and factions of humanity are pitted against each other. Heroes rise and enemies make their last stands in the climax of an epic tale seven years in the making.

An epic space opera of the titanic conflict of several galactic civilizations against a life-destroying force of shadows, a dark cosmic force that has swept through the undercurrents of the human interstellar empire.

The intertwined plots, overflowing with colorful ideas, a large cast of characters, and complex storylines, span dozens of solar systems, alien races, and strange creatures.

As the second book of the trilogy opens, the humans and Ildirans, having narrowly escaped annihilation at the hands of the Shana Rei and their robot allies in Book One, are desperate to find a way to combat the black cloud of antimatter of the Shana Rei. The mysterious alien Gardeners, who had helped them previously, turn out to be a disaster in disguise and because of them, the world tree forests are again in danger. The allies believing they have found a way to stop their dreaded enemies, a new weapon is tested, but it's a horrible failure, throwing the human race and its allies to the brink of extinction.

Eternity's Mind, the climactic final volume in Kevin J. Anderson's Hugo-nominated Saga of Shadows trilogy.

The desperate war with the Shana Rei seems lost. All across the transportal network, space is tearing apart, the links between the gateways are breaking down, the fabric of space unraveling, and entire sections of the Spiral Arm are becoming galactic dead zones.

The Shana Rei have infiltrated the transportal network, and desperate populations have to cut themselves off, shutting down their portals, often their only connection with the rest of the Spiral Arm.

In desperation, humans and Ildirans turn to the most unlikely allies, the unpredictable faeros.

Jake and Nog have hit the jackpot playing holo videogames in the Amusement Arcade. An alien named Kwiltek has offered them jobs helping him run remote-controlled mining operations on a distant planet where dull mining is turned into a thrilling video game. In the "gaming room, " teams of kids work together monitoring the operations by remote control, loading cargo and defending against the most frightening "threats" they've ever seen on-screen. "Now" Jake and Nog can show their stuff! Soon they're competing with other alien kids to see who can haul the most ore. It's the ultimate game -- "with pay!" Until the night Jake and Nog slip into the command center and see a roomful of screens displaying real-life images of a devastated world where desperate natives are under attack by fighters that look "very" familiar! Suddenly the game is over -- and the nightmare begins...

Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, cloaked by the Force and riding with the hostile Sand People, have returned to the dunes of the desert planet Tatooine in hopes of finding what Luke so desperately seeks: contact with Obi-Wan Kenobi. Luke is hoping the old Jedi Knight's spirit will tell him how to help his love, Callista, regain her lost ability to use the Force. Tormented and haunted, Luke cannot rest until Callista is a Jedi in the fullest sense, for only then will the link between their minds and souls be restored. Yet brewing on Tatooine is news that will shake Luke and Han and threaten everything they value.

The disturbing piece of information is that the evil Hutts, criminal warlords of the galaxy, are building a secret superweapon: a reconstruction of the original Death Star, to be named Darksaber. This planet-crushing power will be in the ruthless hands of Durga the Hutt -- a creature without conscience or mercy.

But there is worse news yet: the Empire lives. The beautiful Admiral Daala, still very much alive and more driven than ever to destroy the Jedi, has joined forces with the defeated Pellaeon, former second in command to Grand Admiral Thrawn. Together they are marshaling Imperial forces to wipe out the New Republic.

Now, as Luke, Han, Leia, Chewbacca, Artoo and Threepio regroup to face these threats, they are joined by new Jedi Knights and Callista. Together they must fight on two fronts, outshooting and outsmarting the most formidable enemies in the galaxy. In Darksaber the Jedi are heading for the ultimate test of their power--a test in which all the temptations of the dark side beckon. And Luke Skywalker must draw upon his innermost resources to fight for a world in which he can not only live, but dare to love.

Contents:

• 1 - Jedi Search - novel by Kevin J. Anderson
• 249 - Dark Apprentice - novel by Kevin J. Anderson
• 477 - Champions of the Force - novel by Kevin J. Anderson

As the war between the Republic and the scattered remnants of the Empire continues, two children--the Jedi twins--will come into their powers in a universe on the brink of vast changes and challenges. In this time of turmoil and discovery, an extraordinary new Star Wars saga begins....

While Luke Skywalker takes the first step toward setting up an academy to train a new order of Jedi Knights, Han Solo and Chewbacca are taken prisoner on the planet Kessel and forced to work in the fathomless depths of a spice mine. But when Hans and Chewie break away, they flee desperately to a secret imperial research laboratory surrounded by a cluster of black holes--and go from one danger to a far greater one....

On Kessel, Luke picks up the trail of his two friends, only to come face to face with a weapon so awesome, it can wipe out an entire solar system. It is a death ship called the Sun Crusher, invented by a reclusive genius and piloted by none other than Han himself...

As the New Republic takes devastating losses in the ongoingwar with the scattered remnants of the Empire, the galaxy's future depends on three small children -- among them the Jedi twins -- born to incredible powers and perils, as an extraordinary new saga unfolds...

While the New Republic struggles to decide what to do with the deadly Sun Crusher -- a new doomsday weapon stolen from the Empire by Han Solo -- the renegade Imperial Admiral Daala uses her fleet of Star Destroyers to conduct guerrilla warfare on peaceful planets. And now she threatens the watery homeworld of Admiral Ackbar. But as the battle for a planet rages, an even greater danger emerges at Luke Skywalker's Jedi academy. A brilliant student delves dangerously into the dark side of the Force and unleashes the spirit of an ancient master of the evil order that warped Darth Vader himself. Working together, they may become an enemy greater than the New Republic has ever fought... more powerful than even a Jedi Master can face.

Suspended helplessly between life and death, Luke Skywalker lies in state at the Jedi academy. But on the spirit plane, Luke fights desperately for survival, reaching out physically to the Jedi twins. At the same time, Leia is on a life-and-death mission of her own, a race against Imperial agents hoping to destroy a third Jedi child -- Leia and Han's baby Anakin -- hidden on the planet Anoth. Meanwhile, Luke's former protÚgÚ Kyp Durron has pirated the deadly Sun Crusher on an apocalyptic mission of mass destruction, convinced he is fighting for a just cause. Hunting down the rogue warrior, Han must persuade Kyp to renounce his dark crusade and regain his lost honor. To do it, Kyp must take the Sun Crusher on a suicide mission against the awesome Death Star prototype -- a battle Han knows they may be unable to win... even with Luke Skywalker at their side!

Contents:

• 1 - Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina - (1995) - anthology by Kevin J. Anderson
• 297 - Tales of the Bounty Hunters - (1996) - anthology by Kevin J. Anderson
• 549 - Tales from Jabba's Palace - (1996) - anthology by Kevin J. Anderson

Contents:

• 1 - We Don't Do Weddings: The Band's Tale - shortstory by Kathy Tyers
• 19 - A Hunter's Fate: Greedo's Tale - novella by Martha Veitch and Tom Veitch
• 65 - Hammertong: The Tale of the "Tonnika Sisters" - novelette by Timothy Zahn
• 102 - Play It Again, Figrin D'an: The Tale of Muftak and Kabe - novelette by A. C. Crispin
• 131 - The Sand Tender: The Hammerhead's Tale - novelette by Dave Wolverton
• 154 - Be Still My Heart: The Bartender's Tale - shortstory by David Bischoff
• 171 - Nightlily: The Lovers' Tale - novelette by Barbara Hambly
• 194 - Empire Blues: The Devaronian's Tale - novelette by Daniel Keys Moran
• 218 - Swap Meet: The Jawa's Tale - novelette by Kevin J. Anderson
• 240 - Trade Wins: The Ranat's Tale - shortstory by Rebecca Moesta
• 247 - When the Desert Wind Turns: The Stormtrooper's Tale - novelette by Doug Beason
• 279 - Soup's On: The Pipe Smoker's Tale - shortstory by Jennifer Roberson
• 294 - At the Crossroads: The Spacer's Tale - shortstory by Jerry Oltion
• 313 - Doctor Death: The Tale of Dr. Evazan and Ponda Baba - shortstory by Kenneth C. Flint
• 334 - Drawing the Maps of Peace: The Moisture Farmer's Tale - novelette by M. Shayne Bell
• 362 - One Last Night in the Mos Eisley Cantina: The Tale of the Wolfman and the Lamproid - shortstory by Garfield Reeves-Stevens and Judith Reeves-Stevens

Contents:

• xiii - Introduction (Tales from Jabba's Palace) - essay by Kevin J. Anderson
• 1 - A Boy and His Monster: The Rancor Keeper's Tale - novelette by Kevin J. Anderson
• 41 - Taster's Choice: The Tale of Jabba's Chef - shortstory by Barbara Hambly
• 60 - That's Entertainment: The Tale of Salacious Crumb - shortstory by Esther M. Friesner
• 80 - A Time to Mourn, a Time to Dance: Oola's Tale - novelette by Kathy Tyers
• 102 - Let Us Prey: The Whiphid's Tale - shortstory by Marina Fitch and Mark Budz
• 120 - Sleight of Hand: The Tale of Mara Jade - shortstory by Timothy Zahn
• 139 - And Then There Were Some: The Gamorrean Guard's Tale - shortstory by William F. Wu
• 157 - Old Friends: Ephant Mon's Tale - shortstory by Kenneth C. Flint
• 176 - Goatgrass: The Tale of Ree-Yees - shortstory by Deborah J. Ross [as by Deborah Wheeler ]
• 192 - And the Band Played On: The Band's Tale - novelette by John Gregory Betancourt
• 224 - Of the Day's Annoyances: Bib Fortuna's Tale - novelette by M. Shayne Bell
• 252 - The Great God Quay: The Tale of Barada and the Weequays - shortstory by George Alec Effinger
• 268 - A Bad Feeling: The Tale of EV-9D9 - novelette by Garfield Reeves-Stevens and Judith Reeves-Stevens
• 295 - A Free Quarren in the Palace: Tessek's Tale - novelette by Dave Wolverton
• 317 - Tongue-tied: Bubo's Tale - shortstory by Daryl F. Mallett
• 323 - Out of the Closet: The Assassin's Tale - shortstory by Jennifer Roberson
• 339 - Shaara and the Sarlacc: The Skiff Guard's Tale - shortstory by Dan'l Danehy-Oakes
• 346 - A Barve Like That: The Tale of Boba Fett - novelette by Daniel Keys Moran [as by J. D. Montgomery ]
• 372 - Skin Deep: The Fat Dancer's Tale - novelette by A. C. Crispin

Contents:

• 1 - Therefore I Am: The Tale of IG-88 - novella by Kevin J. Anderson
• 73 - Payback: The Tale of Dengar - novella by Dave Wolverton
• 147 - The Prize Pelt: The Tale of Bossk - novella by Kathy Tyers
• 216 - Of Possible Futures: The Tale of Zuckuss and 4-LOM - novella by M. Shayne Bell
• 277 - The Last One Standing: The Tale of Boba Fett - novella by Daniel Keys Moran

When the empire died, they were born--Jacen and Jaina, a new hope for a New Republic. The young twins of Han Solo and Princess Leia are now 14-years-old and enrolled at Luke Skywalker's Jedi Academy. Together with friends both old and new, the future heroes of an already legendary saga begin their training.

Exploring the jungle outside the Jedi Academy, twins Jacen and Jaina Solo discover the remains of a TIE fighter that went down during the first Death Star battle, and their plans to repair it are overseen by a stranded Imperial trooper.

Driven away from Luke Skywalker's Jedi academy for pursuing the Dark Side of the Force, former student Brakiss masters his dark powers, establishes the Shadow Academy for aspiring Dark Jedis, and plots to kidnap the Solo twins.

Reuniting with the street orphan Zekk while visiting their home on Coruscant, twins Jacen and Jaina Solo see how different they have become from their wild but talented friend, who is tempted by someone from the Dark Side.

With a new generation of Dark Jedi being trained at the Shadow Academy, Luke Skywalker decides that it is time for the young Jedi Knights of the New Republic to build their lightsabers, a task that brings both a growth in the power of the Force and deadly peril.

Visiting their friend Lowbacca on the Wookie home world to help him prepare his younger sister for a terrifying rite of passage, Jedi twins Jacen and Jaina confront dark Jedi student Zekk, who is raiding the Wookie computer center.

When an army of Dark Jedi and Imperial stormtroopers attack Luke Skywalker's Jedi academy, students Jacen and Jaina, accompanied by their master and friends, begin a desperate fight.

Setting off to the devastated Alderaan system in the hopes of salvaging a piece of the lost planet for their mother, twins Jacen and Jaina are surprised when a long-believed-dead enemy of their family returns for revenge.

When a fellow Jedi student, who holds the key to a New Republic secret coalition, turns up missing, the young Jedi Knights race across the galaxy to find him and are forced to confront a deadly enemy.

As the young Jedi Knights continue their search for Raynor Thul's father, they turn for assistance to a dangerous resource, the reprogrammed assassin droid IG-88, a fearsome bounty hunter that the young Jedis may or may not have under control.

Lowbacca has left the Jedi academy and traveled to the planet Ryloth, headquarters of the Diversity Alliance, to see what the Alliance is really all about. On Yavin 4, Jacen, Jaina and the other young Jedi Knights have already discovered one truth about the Alliance--once you go to Ryloth, you either join, or you die. Lowie is in great danger, and they must rescue him. But what can a small group of humans do against a planet full of hostile aliens?

Bornan Thul's secret is out: he's protecting a deadly plague that could devastate the galaxy if released. And the evil Nolaa Tarkona--leader of the Diversity Alliance--knows where it is hidden. Now Jacen, Jaina and their allies must race against time. As a massive battle rages between New Republic soldiers and the forces of the Diversity Alliance, the young Jedi Knights must find and destroy the plague before it can be released.

Han Solo's past is about to catch up with him. When he and the twins take the Millennium Falcon to Ord Mantell for a high-speed race, they meet a battle-hungry young woman wielding a light saber. Her name is Anja Gallandro, and she knows more about Han's history than he likes. But Anja Gallandro guards an even more devastating secret, a secret that could mean disaster for the entire Solo family...

Lando Calrissian offer the twins a rare opportunity--a vacation on Cloud City. They jump at the chance, as long as their mysterious new friend Anja Gallandro can come along. Anja is happy to be included. But little do the twins know that they are actually helping Anja hatch her sinister plan. A plan that goes far deeper than simple revenge.

Anja Gallandro planned to destroy the Solo family. But now she fights an intense inner battle--against her increasing spice addiction, and her growing friendship with Jacen and Jaina. In desperation for spice, she steals a ship and flees the Jedi academy. The young Jedi Knights follow her from the spice mines of Kessel to the dangerous beauty of Crystal Reef--where an even more sinister plan is hatching...

Terra Incognita - the blank spaces on the map, past the edge of the known world, marked only by the words 'here be monsters.'Two nations at war, fighting for dominion over the world, pin their last hopes of ultimate victory on finding a land out of legend.Each will send its ships to brave the untamed waters, wild storms, sea serpents, and darker dangers unseen by any man. It is a perilous undertaking, but there will always be the impetuous, the brave, and the mad, willing to leave their homes to explore the unknown.Even unto the edge of the world...

After terrible atrocities by both sides, the religious war between Tierra and Uraba has spread and intensified, irreparably dividing the known world. What started as a series of skirmishes has erupted into a full-blown crusade.Now that the Uraban leader, Soldan-Shah Omra, has captured the ruined city of Ishalem, his construction teams discover a priceless ancient map in an underground vault - a map that can guide brave explorers to the mysterious Key to Creation.

After long voyages, encountering hurricanes and sea monsters, Criston Vora and Saan race to Terravitae, the legendary promised land. Saan's quest is to find the Key to Creation, a weapon that may defeat Uraba's enemies, and Criston wants vengeance against the monstrous Leviathan that ruined his life long ago.Back home, two opposing continents and religions clash for the remnants of a sacred city, unleashing their hatred in a war that could end both civilizations. Queen Anjine and Soldan-Shah Omra are driven by mutual hatred, heaping atrocity upon atrocity in an escalating conflict that only their gods can end.Meanwhile, the secretive Saedrans manipulating both sides, come ever closer to their ultimate goal: to complete the Map of All Things and bring about the return of God.

Leto Atreides, Duke of Caladan and father of the Muad'Dib. While all know of his fall and the rise of his son, little is known about the quiet ruler of Caladan and his partner Jessica. Or how a Duke of an inconsequential planet earned an emperor's favor, the ire of House Harkonnen, and set himself on a collision course with his own death. This is the story.

Through patience and loyalty, Leto serves the Golden Lion Throne. Where others scheme, the Duke of Caladan acts. But Leto's powerful enemies are starting to feel that he is rising beyond his station, and House Atreides rises too high. With unseen enemies circling, Leto must decide if the twin burdens of duty and honor are worth the price of his life, family, and love.

Lady Jessica, mother of Paul, and consort to Leto Atreides. The choices she made shaped an empire, but first the Lady of Caladan must reckon with her own betrayal of the Bene Gesserit. She has already betrayed her ancient order, but now she must decide if her loyalty to the Sisterhood is more important than the love of her own family.

Meanwhile, events in the greater empire are accelerating beyond the control of even the Reverend Mother, and Lady Jessica's family is on a collision course with destiny.

In Dune: The Heir of Caladan, the climactic novel in the Caladan trilogy, we step into the shoes of Paul Atreides. A not yet a man in years, he is about to enter a world he could never have imagined.

The story that began with Duke Leto Atreides's rise to power, then continued with the consequences of Lady Jessica's betrayal, will now conclude with Paul becoming the leader that he needs to be on the way to his pivotal role as Muad'Dib.

Only the most desperate colonists dare to make a new home on Hellhole. Reeling from a recent asteroid impact, tortured with horrific storms, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, and churning volcanic eruptions, the planet is a dumping ground for undesirables, misfits, and charlatans... but also a haven for dreamers and independent pioneers.

Against all odds, an exiled general named Adolphus has turned Hellhole into a place of real opportunity for the desperate colonists who call the planet their home. While the colonists are hard at work developing the planet, General Adolphus secretly builds alliances with the leaders of the other Deep Zone worlds, forming a clandestine coalition against the tyrannical, fossilized government responsible for their exile.

What no one knows is this: the planet Hellhole, though damaged and volatile, hides an amazing secret. Deep beneath its surface lies the remnants of an obliterated alien civilization and the buried memories of its unrecorded past that, when unearthed, could tear the galaxy apart.

In this exhiliarting sequel to Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson's Hellhole, the stakes on planet Hallholme have been raised to new heights.

After declaring his independence from the corrupt Constellation, rebel General Adolphus knows the crackdown is coming. Now he needs to pull together the struggling Hellhole colony, the ever-expanding shadow-Xayan settlement, and his connections with the other Deep Zone worlds. Even then, he doubts his desperate measures will be enough.

Diadem Michella Duchenet has collected a huge space fleet led by Commodore Escobar Hallholme, son of the hero who originally defeated Adolphus. They expect resistance from the General's rebels, but who could possibly stand up to such a mighty fleet?

Adolphus knows he's running out of time, but he still has some hope--the shadow-Xayans have banded together to defend their sacred planet with "telemancy," but can they discover new powers to protect all the stored alien lives on the already devastated world? And when all hope seems lost, the awakened Xayans reveal information hidden even from their own followers--the existence of a bigger threat that makes even the Constellation fleet seem insignificant.

Disaster has come for General Adolphus and Hellhole... and this time there is no escape.

After the events of Hellhole Awakening, the people of Hellhole and the shadow-Xayans scramble to rally against the threat from the still-living rogue Xayans. Back on Sonjeera, the Monarchy is in an uproar after their surprising defeat and the breakaway of the Deep Zone planets. The dowager Queen decides to go to Hellhole on a diplomatic mission, hoping to keep her power. But after touring Hellhole, Queen Michella is shaken, and begins to realize that she can never have the old Monarchy back.

Before the Queen can return to Sonjeera, she's captured by the rogue Xayans and learns the reason for their attack: the orthodox Xayans had developed their minds to the point where they could evolve and, in so doing, trigger another Big Bang, wiping out everything.

The rogue Xayans thought they succeeded in stopping the ascension, but the orthodox Xayans on Hellhole are nearly ready. Now, twenty-two huge asteroids from the outer reaches of the solar system are bearing towards Hellhole, summoned by the rogue sect as a last resort. Can all these lives and the planet itself be saved?

Hellhole Inferno is the thrilling conclusion to Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson's Hellhole trilogy.

The Hind by Kevin J. Anderson and Rick Wilber was first published in Asimov's Science Fiction, November/December issue, 2020.

It concerns an ill-fated generational ship.

Death of the Hind by Kevin J. Anderson and Rick Wilber was first published in Asimov's Science Fiction, November/December issue 2023.

It concerns the final outcome of an ill-fated generational ship.

Having colonized other worlds, humans are certain the galaxy is theirs for the taking. But they soon discover the horrifying price of their arrogance when a scientific experiment awakens the wrath of the previously unknown Hydrogues and begins a war.

Five years after attacking the human-colonized worlds of the Spiral Arm, the hydrogues maintain absolute control over stardrive fuel...and their embargo is strangling human civilization. On Earth, mankind suffers from renewed attacks by the hydrogues and decides to use a cybernetic army to fight them. Yet the Terran leaders don't realize that these military robots have already exterminated their own makers - and may soon turn on humanity. Once the rulers of an expanding empire, humans have become the galaxy's most endangered species. But the sudden appearance of incredible new beings will destroy all balances of power. Now for humans and the myriad alien factions in the universe, the real war is about to begin...and genocide may be the result.

Caught in the middle of a titanic struggle between two alien superpowers, the factions of humanity and their allies, the Ildirans, are under siege. Can they resolve their differences to fight a common threat? For the leader of the Roamers, survival means extending a helping hand to others, while the chairman of the Terran Hansa plans to use a new, untested alien weapon regardless of the consequences. And for the new Ildiran Mage-Imperator, survival involves throwing off the choking traditions of the Empire - even if it might trigger a civil war. As old intrigues and dark secrets come to light, a man who is believed to be long dead returns with an ally who may save mankind. But this new fragile hope will be threatened by a fresh betrayal - the most bitter and brutal of them all...

The fourth novel in the Saga of Seven Suns series executes a plan that has been long in the making. The final, most powerful enemy against the humans is about to be launched; how will they survive?The war between the alien hydrogues and the faeros rages, reducing suns to blackened shells--including one of the fabled seven suns of the Ildiran Empire. The Ildirans are engaged in a bloody civil war and are bitterly divided. Can they overcome their internal fighting to face a deadly new enemy?

The Saga of Seven Suns is a galaxy-spanning SF epic, packed with politics, war, family intrigues and star-crossed lovers. For years, the alien Klikiss robots have pretended to be humanity's friends, but their seeming 'help' has allowed them to plant an insidious Trojan Horse throughout the Earth Defense Forces. In the climactic battle, human and alien races will collide and the galaxy will be shaken to its core.

For years, the alien Klikiss robots have pretended to be humanity's friends, but their seeming 'help' allowed them to plant an insidious Trojan Horse throughout the Earth Defense Forces. Now, in the aftermath of a devastating war, swarms of ancient robots built by the Klikiss continue their depredations on helpless worlds with stolen and heavily armed Earth battleships.Among the humans, the Hansa's brutal Chairman struggles to crush any resistance even as King Peter breaks away to form his own new Confederation among the colonies who have declared their independence.And meanwhile, the original, voracious Klikiss race, long thought to be extinct, has returned, intent on conquering their former worlds and willing to annihilate anyone in the way.

Galactic empires clash, elemental beings devastate whole planetary systems, and the factions of humanity are pitted against each other. Heroes rise and enemies make their last stands in the climax of an epic tale seven years in the making. Acclaim for The Saga of Seven Suns'Anderson weaves action, romance, and science with a rousing plot reflecting the classic SF of Clarke and Herbert and the glossy cinematic influence of Lucas and Spielberg.' --- Publishers Weekly *Starred Review* 'Kevin Anderson has created a fully independent and richly conceived venue for his personal brand of space opera, a venue that nonetheless raises fruitful resonances with Frank Herbert's classic Dune series.' --- Scifi.com'Everything about Anderson's latest is BIG-the war, the history, the aliens. These are elemental forces battling here, folks. Yet the characters are always the heart of the story, and their defeats and triumphs give perspective to it all.' --- Starlog 'A soaring epic . . . a space opera to rival the best the field has ever seen.' --- Science Fiction Chronicle'Colorful stuff . . . bursting with incidents, concepts, and a massive cast of characters, matching well-thought-out SF ideas with melodrama and interfamily strife.' --- SFX

"Tortoise and Hare", a novella by Kevin J Anderson, tells the story of Jorie Taylor, who has lived her whole life on the generation ship Beacon. Fleeing an Earth tearing itself apart from its exhaustive demand for resources, the Beacon is finally approaching Sarbras, the planet circling Tau Ceti which they hope to make humanity's new home.

But Earth has recovered from its near-death experience, and is now under the control of a ruthless dictator whose sights are set on Tau Ceti as well. President Jurudu knows how to get what he wants - and he wants Sarbras. He sends the military ship Conquistador, which uses newly-developed FTL (faster-than-light) technology, to ensure that he gets it.

In the sequel novelette "Grasshopper and Ants" by Steven Savile, Jorie is now the eleventh captain of the generation ship Beacon, which has at last reached its destination, the colony planet Sarbras. But one by one, the colonists come down with a mysterious, undiagnosible illness. And the Conquistador's arrival is imminent.

Tau Ceti won the 2013 "Lifeboat to the Stars" Award as the best work of science fiction contributing to an understanding of the benefits, means, and difficulties of interstellar travel.

New York Times bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson triumphantly returns to epic fantasy with the Wake the Dragon series. Spine of the Dragon is a politically charged adventure of swords, sorcery, vengeance, and the rise of sleeping giants.

Two continents at war, the Three Kingdoms and Ishara, are divided by past bloodshed. When an outside threat arises--the reawakening of a powerful ancient race that wants to remake the world--the two warring nations must somehow set aside generational hatreds and form an alliance to fight their true enemy.

Two continents at war, the Three Kingdoms and Ishara, have been in conflict for a thousand years. But when an outside threat arises--the reawakening of a powerful ancient race that wants to remake the world--the two warring nations must somehow set aside generations of hatred to form an alliance against a far more deadly enemy. Book One awakened the great dragon, and set the kingdoms at each other's throats.

In Book Two, Vengewar, the Three Kingdoms are shattering under pressure from an inexperienced new King who is being led by an ambitious regent to ignore the threat of the Wreths, in favor of a Vengewar with Ishara. His brother and uncle can see only the danger of the Older Race.

In Ishara, the queen lies in a coma, while an ambitious priest seizes power. But he has neither the training nor the talent to rule a nation--or even a city. Ishara is in deadly peril, and the Wreths have not even appeared on their continent.

Two continents at war: the Three Kingdoms and Ishara have been in conflict for a thousand years. But when an outside threat arises--the reawakening of a powerful ancient race that wants to remake the world--the two warring nations must somehow set aside generations of hatred to form an alliance against a far more deadly enemy.