NEW ENTRY IN DAVID DRAKE'S LANDMARK RCN SERIES ADVENTURES BEYOND THE EDGE OF THE KNOWN UNIVERSE The truce between Cinnabar and the Alliance is holding, and the Republic of Cinnabar Navy is able to explore regions of the galaxy without the explorers being swept up in great power conflict. The Far Traveller is probing sponge space to open routes for Cinnabar traders--and for RCN warships if war breaks out again. But besides astrogation, the Far Traveller is to survey and catalog life forms on the worlds it touches. Harry Harper has just been posted to the Traveller. He's an RCN officer by convention, a scientist by training--and a member of one of leading aristocratic families on Cinnabar by birth. Lieutenant Rick Grenville would rather serve on a warship in the heart of battle, but peace and the whim of the Navy Board have put him on an exploration vessel instead. He finds that the dangers on the fringes of civilization are just as great as those from missiles and gunfire that he expected to face. As internal struggles cause the Alliance to relax its iron grip, regional forces are attempting to increase their own power—and they're not fussy about the means they use. Besides the biological answers that officials on Cinnabar expect the Far Traveller to find, the ship's Director of Science, Doctor Veil, has her own agenda: to learn more about the Archaic Spacefarers who roamed the universe tens of thousands of years before humans reached the stars. The crew of the Far Traveller is poised to clear more of the shadows away from the deep past than ever before in human history—if they survive. Praise for prequel *Though Hell Should Bar the Way:* “Though Hell Should Bar the Way is vastly entertaining, a tale that demonstrates Drake’s skill as an author, illustrating why Drake is one of the best living science fiction authors today."—The Daily News of Galveston County About David Drake’s RCN series: “[R]ousing old-fashioned space opera.”—Publishers Weekly “The fun is in the telling, and Mr. Drake has a strong voice. I want more!”—Philadelphia Weekly Press “[S]pace opera is alive and well. This series is getting better as the author goes along…character development combined with first-rate action and memorable world designs.”—SFReader.com “Drake deftly weaves a web of political machinations and intrigue that vividly depicts the costs of war. Fans of Patrick O'Brian's Maturin and Aubrey novels will enjoy this intricate, rousing space opera.” —Publishers Weekly About David Drake: “[P]rose as cold and hard as the metal alloy of a tank…rivals Crane and Remarque…”—Chicago Sun-Times “Drake couldn’t write a bad action scene at gunpoint.”—Booklist RCN series: With the Lightnings Lt. Leary, Commanding The Far Side of the Stars The Way to Glory Some Golden Harbor When the Tide Rises In the Stormy Red Sky What Distant Deeps The Road of Danger The Sea Without a Shore Death's Bright Day Though Hell Should Bar the Way **

Now with a new Afterword by David Drake FIVE YEARS AFTER  THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION,  MAGIC IS LOOSE IN THE BACKWOODS The forces of evil are poised to prey on the folk of the hamlets and hollows: witches, demons, and red-handed men—but first they'll have to overcome Old Nathan the Wizard. He doesn't claim much for his magical powers, but they're real enough for what they are—and besides, he hasn't forgotten how to use his long flintlock rifle .... Enter the gritty, realistic world of Old Nathan, a backwoodsman who talks to animals and says he'll face The Devil himself-and who in the end will have to face The Devil in very fact. "David Drake is one of those rare authors who seems capable of switching from one mode of writing to another, hard science, near future political thriller to high fantasy, with a smooth meshing of gears." -Science Fiction Chronicle

THE THRILLING RE-TELLING OF ARTHURIAN LEGEND FROM MASTER OF SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY DAVID DRAKE CONTINUES! A young Champion must rescue a friend and battle an enemy at the heart of a chaotic world. The universe has shattered into chaos and monsters. Jon, the Leader, is dedicating his life to reuniting the scattered hamlets into a Commonwealth where all humans can live protected against the darkness and the things that live in that darkness. But no man can reshape the universe by himself. Jon has Makers to build weapons and clerks to handle the business of government--but he also needs Champions to face the powers of chaos which will not listen to any argument but force. Lord Pal of Beune is one of those Champions. He has fought monsters and evil on behalf of Mankind, and he will fight them again. But now Guntram, the man who transformed Pal from an ignorant rube into a bulwark of the Commonwealth, has disappeared. Pal must locate his friend and mentor--and then he must battle an entity which may be at the core of the splintered universe! Pal of Beune: A humane man in a universe full of inhumanity. Pal of Beune: A strong man in a universe where some recognize only strength. Pal of Beune: A hero who will keep going until something stops him--and who hasn't been stopped yet! Praise for *The Storm:* “I finished The Storm last night. I loved it. It was such a sweet read. Pal is one of [Drake’s] best people, humane and strong and generous, and his voice carries the whole book.”—Cecelia Holland About prequel *The Spark*: ". . . entertaining tale combining the feel of Arthurian legend with nifty far-future super science . . ."—Publishers Weekly “Drake retells Arthurian legend to perfect effect… efficient world building and likable characters.”—Booklist About David Drake: “Drake deftly weaves a web of political machinations and intrigue that vividly depicts the costs of war. Fans of Patrick O'Brian's Maturin and Aubrey novels will enjoy this intricate, rousing space opera.” —Publishers Weekly “[R]ousing old-fashioned space opera.”—Publishers Weekly “The fun is in the telling, and Mr. Drake has a strong voice. I want more!”—Philadelphia Weekly Press “[S]pace opera is alive and well. This series is getting better as the author goes along…character development combined with first-rate action and memorable world designs.”—SFReader.com “[P]rose as cold and hard as the metal alloy of a tank…rivals Crane and Remarque…”—Chicago Sun-Times “Drake couldn’t write a bad action scene at gunpoint.”—Booklist **

Product DescriptionA cop in the 21st century, Jed Lacey has seen law and order imposed with cameras that scan every citizen, waking or sleeping, and computers that watch the images for any hint of crime. If they find it--it's Lacey's turn to go into action. A compelling combination of 1984 and Dirty Harry. Reissue.

A collection of side-splitting science fiction shorts includes tales of paratrooper goblins, space cops and their politically correct alien supervisor, a band of mercenary elves, and a collaboration with Larry Niven. At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (DRM Rights Management). **Review "David Drake is one of those rare authors who seems capable of switching from one mode of writing to another, hard science, near future political thriller to high fantasy, with a smooth meshing of gears". -- Science Fiction Chronicle From the Back Cover HE'LL JUST SLAY YOU... Widely known for the grim and gritty battlefield realism of his bestselling adventures of Hammer's Slammers, and for other popular novels of military science fiction, David Drake now takes deadly aim at the funnybone. Meet the goblin paratroopers and learn why a sane goblin would want to jump out of a perfectly good lighter-than-air balloon. Follow the problems of a team of hard-boiled, fearless space cops who have to operate under the niggling restrictions of a politically correct alien supervisor. March into the desert with a troop of rough, tough mercenary elves and humans who have to lose a dangerous magic talisman so that it will stay lost, all while being hectored by that same obnoxiously vocal talisman, which doesn't want to be lost. Enjoy a collaboration by Drake and Larry Niven that is as unlike the "Man-Kzin Wars" universe as it is delightful. And more. And laugh all the way to the gallows. 

THE ARTHURIAN-INSPIRED FAR FUTURE TALES FROM MASTER OF SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY DAVID DRAKE CONTINUES!Jon of Dun Add has created a civilization where before there had only been isolated pockets of humanity in a shattered cosmos. Young knight Pal is one of the most respected members of Lord Jon’s Hall of Champions. But Pal’s greatest talent lies not on the field of battle, though he’s no slouch there. He is also a Maker, one who can repair the tools the Ancients had left--sometimes. Moreover, he has learned to use his warrior dog’s ability to predict motion better than any human could, an ability that has saved his skin and won the day more than once. Now, Pal will need all his talent—as a fighter, as a Maker, as a Champion—to deal with the monsters the Waste throws at him—and to deal with his fellow humans. For there are those who would destroy Dun Add, and Lord Jon’s vision of a humanity united in peace, from within…. Praise for The Storm: “I finished The Storm last night. I loved it. It was such a sweet read. Pal is one of [Drake’s] best people, humane and strong and generous, and his voice carries the whole book.”—Cecelia Holland “Counterbalancing the setting’s strangeness, Pal himself is thoroughly levelheaded and decent, the kind of hero readers will enjoy rooting for. This is an enjoyable exploration of a pleasantly peculiar world.”—Publishers Weekly “. . . a wonderful cast of characters in a fabulous world of courtiers, peasants, Beasts, and mysterious Envoys. Drake has imbued Arthurian legend with a convincing sf spin.”—Booklist About prequel The Spark: “. . . entertaining tale combining the feel of Arthurian legend with nifty far-future super science . . .”—Publishers Weekly “Drake retells Arthurian legend to perfect effect . . . efficient world building and likable characters.”—Booklist About David Drake: “Drake deftly weaves a web of political machinations and intrigue that vividly depicts the costs of war. Fans of Patrick O'Brian's Maturin and Aubrey novels will enjoy this intricate, rousing space opera.” —Publishers Weekly “[R]ousing old-fashioned space opera.”—Publishers Weekly “The fun is in the telling, and Mr. Drake has a strong voice. I want more!”—Philadelphia Weekly Press “[S]pace opera is alive and well. This series is getting better as the author goes along . . . character development combined with first-rate action and memorable world designs.”—SFReader.com “[P]rose as cold and hard as the metal alloy of a tank . . . rivals Crane and Remarque . . .”—Chicago Sun-Times

From David Weber to David Feintuch to David Drake, military writers have exploded into the science fiction scene and continue to leave their marks. Now, bestselling Hammer's Slammers creator David Drake pays homage to his own sub-genre by gathering 10 classic takes of men at arms by SF Greats, including Harry Harrison, Joe Haldeman, Richard C. Matheson, Gene Wolfe, Keith Laumer and David Drake himself.

SUMMARY: David Drake’s two Tom Kelly technothrillers in one volume. Day-after-tomorrow technothriller action with a raw, gritty and extremely effective hero you might want to forget, but can’t, fending off Soviet aggression and alien attack. SkyripperDuring the Cold War, a Soviet scientist has knowledge the Earth will be attacked by aliens, but only the U.S. has the laser-based technology to knock out the alien weaponry. Enter Tom Kelly, American spy, navigator of the U.S. intelligence agency spaghetti, and ruthlessly effective operative when it comes to doing his job. Kelly will get the information into the right hands to save most of humanity – but in the process, he’s prepared to annihilate anyone who gets in the way of his duty. FortressTom Kelly and his ruthless, adventurous ways return in an alternate past as JFK builds a space station to guard against alien attack. Now nefarious forces with the Soviet Union as well as actual, evil aliens are trying to turn it against Earth, and the U.S. THEY may have the high ground and the element of surprise on their hands, but WE have Tom Kelly. For better or worse. Or both.Says David Drake of his Loose Cannon hero: “Tom Kelly is me on a very bad day. Kelly also has virtues; but he won’t compromise, and he’s absolutely ruthless.”About David Drake:“[P]rose as cold and hard s the metal alloy of a tank…rivals Crane and Remarque…” – Chicago Sun-Times“Drake couldn’t write a bad action scene at gunpoint.” – Booklist“The fun is in the telling, and Mr. Drake has a strong voice. I want more!” –Philadelphia Weekly Press“[C]haracter development combined with first-rate action and memorable world designs.” –SFReader.com

#9 in the national best selling RCN space adventure series. Captain Daniel Leary with his friend–and spy–Officer Adele Mundy are sent to a quiet sector to carry out an easy task: helping the local admiral put down a coup before it takes place. But then the jealous admiral gets rid of them by sending them off on a wild goose chase to a sector where commerce is king and business is carried out by extortion and gunfights. With anarchy and rebellion in the air, a rogue intelligence officer plots the war that will destroy civilization and enlists the help of a brute whom even torturers couldn't stomach. And, of course, it’s up to Leary and Mundy to put a stop to the madness.About David Drake’s previous RCN novel, What Distant Deeps:“Drake deftly weaves a web of political machinations and intrigue that vividly depicts the costs of war. Fans of Patrick O'Brian's Maturin and Aubrey novels will enjoy this intricate, rousing space opera.” –Publishers WeeklyAbout David Drake’s RCN series:“[R]ousing old-fashioned space opera.” –Publishers Weekly“The fun is in the telling, and Mr. Drake has a strong voice. I want more!” –Philadelphia Weekly Press“[S]pace opera is alive and well. This series is getting better as the author goes along...character development combined with first-rate action and memorable world designs.” –SFReader.comAbout David Drake:“[P]rose as cold and hard s the metal alloy of a tank...rivals Crane and Remarque...” –Chicago Sun-Times“Drake couldn’t write a bad action scene at gunpoint.” –Booklist