<div>A genetically enhanced fighting force may be humanity&rsquo;s only hope in this novel by the #1 New York Times&ndash;bestselling author of Star Wars: Thrawn. Decades after a successful invasion of Earth and the Terran Democratic Empire by the Ryqril&mdash;hostile, leathery-skinned aliens&mdash;resistance fighter Allen Caine is training for an undercover mission. He will assume the identity of an aide to the senate&mdash;part of the government that colludes with the invaders. But when the mission begins earlier than planned, Caine finds himself stuck on the off-planet outpost of Plinry with no idea of what awaits. He&rsquo;s responsible for the most important mission undertaken by the resistance in twenty years, and when the operation goes awry, Caine&rsquo;s only hope is to locate Plinry&rsquo;s so-called blackcollars&mdash;the elusive, martial arts&ndash;trained guerilla force whose wartime resistance efforts are legendary. With his life and the freedom of everyone in the TDE on the line, Caine&rsquo;s success will depend on whether or not he can find them. . . .</div>

Blackcollar

<div>In the sequel to Blackcollar from the #1 New York Times&ndash;bestselling author of Star Wars: Thrawn, Allen Caine is back on the front lines of an alien war. Denver, Earth. The twenty-fifth century. After a devastating alien invasion, the Terra Democratic Empire is occupied by the Ryqril race. The once-heroic resistance warriors known as the blackcollars now serve as strong-arm security for Denver&rsquo;s criminal elements. When Allen Caine completes his year-long blackcollar training on the planet Plinry, he and his elite team head to Earth to strike out against the Ryqril puppet government. But there&rsquo;s no way of knowing whether the remaining blackcollars in Denver will be with him, or against him. . . .</div>

The Backlash Mission

<div>The Tampy aliens&rsquo; living spaceships are far more powerful than humanity&rsquo;s non-biological technology. Can they&mdash;and should they&mdash;be tamed? Throughout the universe, space horses are among the most coveted of species. They are starfaring creatures with telekinetic abilities, tamed and controlled by the Tampy aliens&mdash;who aren&rsquo;t willing to share their understanding of the creatures. Despite diplomatic government intervention, human poachers are determined to capture and control the giant beings. With a tenuous peace treaty in place between the Tampy and humans, the first jointly helmed space horse will undertake its first mission. But will the two races be able to work together&mdash;or will their peace break down into all-out war?</div>

Warhorse

<div>Death-row inmates are used for a lethal mining operation&mdash;but one is innocent&mdash;in this science fiction novel by a #1 New York Times&ndash;bestselling author. Only the recently dead can helm the &ldquo;deadman switch&rdquo; to pilot a ship through the Cloud, a mysterious solar entity that shields the Solitaire solar system and its valuable heavy metals. Two convicted murderers are routinely sacrificed for this task&mdash;one to enter the system, one to exit. Gilead Raca Benedar is a Watcher, employed by the wealthy head of an intergalactic mining company as a human lie detector of sorts. When Benedar is sent to Solitaire, with its metal-rich moons, to assist with the acquisition of its valuable mining rights, he and the crew are able to make it to Solitaire safely, and all goes well. That is, until Benedar&rsquo;s Watcher powers show him that the second convict they are traveling with&mdash;the one meant to helm the deadman switch on their return journey&mdash;is innocent.</div>

Deadman Switch

<div>A &ldquo;brisk and entertaining&rdquo; novel of a barren, mysterious planet that may save humanity&mdash;or destroy it&mdash;by the author of Star Wars: Heir to the Empire (Publishers Weekly). Chasing a new frontier, humankind sends a manned starship into the universe and away from the overpopulated Earth in hopes of finding a new planet to colonize. But every Earthlike world they discover is already inhabited. As it turns out, the universe is a very crowded place. An alien council offers to lease the one remaining uninhabited world: Astra, a bleak and barren but serviceable planet. The new settlement, though, quickly experiences serious problems, from dying crops to the mysterious disappearance of anything and everything that is made of metal. And then Astra reveals a secret neither the aliens nor the human governments could ever have imagined.</div>

Spinneret

<div>When a young researcher ventures through a mysterious planetary system, dangerous secrets come to light in this novel from a Hugo Award&ndash;winning author. Grad student Danae Panya&rsquo;s dream assignment has been approved. She&rsquo;ll study Triplet, the strange planetary system scarred by nuclear war and connected through portals. The most experienced Courier of Triplet, Ravagin, will lead her to its hidden worlds&mdash;Threshold, Shamsheer, and Karyx&mdash;and introduce her to their secrets, including their advanced technology, their dark magic, and the captivating demon culture of the innermost planet. But though they begin their journey with only scholarly research in mind, Danae and Ravagin quickly find themselves embroiled in the menacing dynamics roiling throughout Triplet. Will Ravagin be able to get them both out alive?</div>

Triplet

<div>Science redefines life and death in this novel by the #1 New York Times&ndash;bestselling, Hugo Award&ndash;winning author. Dr. Adrian Sommers&rsquo;s world was destroyed in a split second of distracted driving. The accident left his son wavering between life and death. When the end came, Sommers&rsquo;s family was torn apart, but the tragedy gave him hope and an obsessive mission: to forestall death through science and technology. Years of experimentation lead Sommers to develop Soulminder, a device capable of capturing a dying person&rsquo;s life essence and holding it safely in stasis while physicians heal the body from injury or disease. But there are those who recognize Soulminder&rsquo;s true potential: body-swapping, obstruction of justice, extortion, and perhaps even immortality. As Sommers struggles to retain control over the use of his invention against corrupt and dangerous factions, he must question his own moral judgment and motives in creating Soulminder and determine if humanity has earned the right to harness the power of life and death. From the author of Star Wars: Heir to the Empire, this is not only a tale of a father&rsquo;s desperate love for his son but also &ldquo;an intriguing thought experiment. . . . Those who enjoy deep philosophical questions will appreciate being left with much to ponder&rdquo; (Publishers Weekly).</div>

Soulminder

<div>The children of Tigris have extraordinary telekinetic gifts&mdash;but are these special powers a blessing or a curse? On Tigris, children develop telekinesis beginning at the age of five. By the time they&rsquo;re pre-teens, though, their special abilities peak, then slip away as they reach maturity. Being able to &ldquo;teek&rdquo; gives them power&mdash;even over most adults&mdash;until they gradually become regular teenagers, no longer special, no longer with authority and status. Some handle the Transition better than others. Lisa Duncan always thought she&rsquo;d mature gracefully, but at age fourteen, and close to losing her abilities, she&rsquo;s confused and uncertain about what the future will bring. That is, until she gets drawn into the experimental plan of Dr. Matthew Jarvis, whose scientific discovery may alter Tigrin society forever. . . . </div>

A Coming of Age

<div>A collection of career-launching short fiction by #1 New York Times&ndash;bestselling author Timothy Zahn, including the Hugo Award&ndash;winning novella Cascade Point. Timothy Zahn shows an unparalleled mastership of science fiction in the fifteen tales gathered here. &ldquo;The Price of Survival&rdquo; features an alien ship that arrives in our solar system without hostile intentions but with a desperate need whose fulfillment could destroy humanity. &ldquo;The Giftie Gie Us&rdquo; tells the story of two lonely survivors who find love among the ruins of a post-apocalyptic United States. And in &ldquo;Pawn&rsquo;s Gambit,&rdquo; a human and his alien opponent face off over a game that will decide which one of them will return home. This collection also includes the Hugo Award&ndash;winning novella Cascade Point and nine other works of science fiction, post-apocalyptic drama, and humorous fantasy previously unpublished in book form. Timothy Zahn is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Star Wars: Heir to the Empire and has won multiple awards for his work. With nonstop action, suspenseful plots, and high-tech twists, the stories in Pawn&rsquo;s Gambit are science fiction at its best.</div>

Pawn's Gambit

<div>A secret agent aboard a galactic railroad must derail a sinister conspiracy in this &ldquo;rip-roaring&rdquo; thriller by the author of Star Wars: Thrawn (Publishers Weekly). The universe is a dangerous place, a fact violently brought home to Frank Compton for perhaps the thousandth time when a stranger delivering a message dies right in front of him. An operative for Western Alliance Intelligence until his whistle-blowing activities got him fired, Compton is now being sought out by the Spiders, the robotic alien beings responsible for the upkeep and operation of the Quadrail transportation system, which connects the galaxy&rsquo;s twelve inhabited empires. The discovery of a sinister plot to use the Quadrail for ill has brought the Spiders to Compton&mdash;for only someone possessing the former agent&rsquo;s unique skills can stop the scheme for good. But when Compton leaves Earth behind&mdash;joining forces with Bayta, the Spiders&rsquo; beautiful, half-human representative aboard the Quadrail&mdash;the terrifying scope of a vast, galaxy-wide conspiracy begins to reveal itself. Targeted on all sides by alien assassins of every shape and species, Compton and his enigmatic new partner are suddenly in a race against a clock ticking down to an irreversible doomsday, one in which the galactic night train will derail, carrying all members of humanity screaming to their deaths. The first in the Quadrail series from the Hugo Award&ndash;winning author of Blackcollar and many New York Times&ndash;bestselling Star Wars novels, Night Train to Rigel is an action-packed &ldquo;great read&rdquo; (Booklist). </div>

Night Train to Rigel

<div>Former agent Frank Compton races across the galaxy to prevent an evil group mind from acquiring powerful alien artifacts in the action-packed second installment of the Quadrail series from Hugo Award&ndash;winning author Timothy Zahn Frank Compton saved the universe once&mdash;and for that he must die. Having temporarily stalled the Modhri, a sinister alien group intelligence, in its evil schemes for universal domination, the former Western Alliance Intelligence operative just wants to relax in first class with his stunning, half-human partner, Bayta, aboard the worlds-linking intra-galactic transportation system, the Quadrail. But when their peace is disturbed by an annoying human passenger spinning wild tales of alien art objects, and the pest is discovered dead soon after, Compton and Bayta realize there can be no rest. The galaxy remains in grave danger. Now on a mission to find ancient sculptures, relics of a long-extinct alien civilization, Compton must elude a relentless special agent who believes him to be a murderer. But that&rsquo;s only the tip of the iceberg, for everything ties into the Modhri&rsquo;s secret war against all the planets along the Quadrail lines&mdash;and the enemy&rsquo;s unique ability to enslave the minds of every creature it comes into contact with means an assassin could be anywhere . . . or anyone. </div>

The Third Lynx

<div>Ex-government agent Frank Compton must keep an extraordinary little girl safe from the malevolent group intelligence seeking to enslave the universe in the explosive third installment of Hugo Award&ndash;winning author Timothy Zahn&rsquo;s Quadrail series Frank Compton is glad he&rsquo;s finally back on his home planet of Earth&mdash;galaxy-hopping aboard the Quadrail on his continuing mission to prevent the Modhri group mind from ruling the universe is exhausting business&mdash;but hadn&rsquo;t expected to find a young woman waiting for him in his New York apartment with a loaded gun in her hand. Ignoring her demands that he rescue her 10-year-old sister, the former Western Alliance Intelligence agent sends his unwelcome guest packing&mdash;only to find himself under arrest the following day for her brutal murder. Released on bail and determined to do the right thing, Compton makes tracks for the world of New Tigris. But a captive child is not all that he discovers there: Little Rebekah may also hold the key to the ultimate defeat of the Modhri. Suddenly, keeping one small girl safe is the most important&mdash;and dangerous&mdash;task Compton has ever undertaken. And with the Modhris&rsquo; mind-slave &ldquo;walkers&rdquo; everywhere, there may be no safe place for an &ldquo;abomination&rdquo; and her protector to hide. </div>

Odd Girl Out

<div>Ex-government agent Frank Compton must halt a murderous plague that threatens to turn the galaxy-spanning Quadrail into a ghost train in the fourth installment of Hugo Award&ndash;winning author Timothy Zahn&rsquo;s acclaimed Quadrail series The Chahwyn created the Spiders to keep their intra-galactic transportation system, the Quadrail, safe and running smoothly, and contracted ex-security agent Frank Compton to protect its integrity. So far, Compton and his half-human, half-Chahwyn partner, Bayta, have had their hands full keeping this essential link between occupied worlds open and preventing the evil collective intelligence called the Modhri from using it to spread their mind-controlling infection. But now a new threat has boarded, one that troubles even the Modhri. While the Quadrail is en route to the farthest edge of the galaxy, a murder by poison occurs&mdash;then another and another&mdash;dark happenings that are not only disturbing but also technically impossible. The system Compton and Bayta have been charged with protecting is in grave danger of derailment, and unless they can get to the deep roots of a sinister conspiracy, chaos will come to the ordered universe. This tour de force from Hugo Award winner Timothy Zahn rockets the acclaimed Quadrail series to breathtaking new heights. The Domino Pattern is an ingenious amalgam of hard science fiction and locked-room murder mystery that would leave even the great Hercule Poirot bedazzled. </div>

The Domino Pattern

<div>Frank Compton must join forces with his most feared enemies to defeat an ancient civilizations-devouring malevolence in the final installment of Hugo Award-winning author Timothy Zahn&rsquo;s Quadrail series A dozen sentient species occupy the galaxy, and the Quadrail connects them all. Arriving at Proteus Station under a cloud of suspicion, ex-government agent Frank Compton finds he must answer for the death of six members of the Filly elite, a crime for which he has been falsely accused. Filiaelian captivity, however, is the least of Compton&rsquo;s worries, for his horse-faced alien accusers are guarding a terrible secret that dates back centuries: the Shonkla-raa, a race of super-soldiers believed to be extinct. Invincible fighters bred for conquest and dedicated to the destruction of the Quadrail, as well as the annihilation of the unsuspecting billions who oppose them, the Shonkla-raa must be stopped at all cost. But to do so, Compton and his beautiful, enigmatic half-human partner, Bayta, will have to ally themselves with the insidious, mind-enslaving Mohdri, the malevolent group intelligence they have sworn to destroy. Hugo Award winner Timothy Zahn concludes his sensational Quadrail series with a riveting futuristic adventure that combines the best of three popular genres&mdash;hard science fiction, mystery, and espionage thriller. Judgment at Proteus is a breathtaking tale of deception, murder, and desperate maneuverings in a secret war that threatens the survival of every living being in the galaxy. </div>

Judgment at Proteus

<div>The first two novels in the epic sci-fi series from the #1 New York Times&ndash;bestselling and Hugo Award&ndash;winning author of Star Wars: Thrawn. Decades after the Earth and the Terran Democratic Empire were conquered by the hostile, reptilian Ryqril, one man must find and resurrect the only fighting force that can free humanity . . . Blackcollar: Resistance member Allen Caine was preparing for the most important mission of his life&mdash;until the plan takes a turn and he ends up abandoned on the outpost planet of Plinry. His only hope to salvage the mission and buy time for TDE is to reform the legendary Blackcollars, the genetically enhanced guerilla force famed for their exploits battling the Ryqril. But if he&rsquo;s going to find them, he will have to become one of them. The Backlash Mission: After completing his yearlong Blackcollar training, Caine is returning to Earth at the head of an elite squad of warriors to strike at the puppet human government collaborating with the alien Ryqril. The only problem: There is already a strong Blackcollar element on Earth&mdash;in the criminal underworld. And Caine doesn&rsquo;t know if they are going to fight alongside him or against him. As with his million-copy bestselling Star Wars novels, the Blackcollar series shows once again that Timothy Zahn &ldquo;is a master of tactics and puts his own edge on complex hard-SF thrillers&rdquo; (Kevin J. Anderson, New York Time&ndash;bestselling author).</div>

The Blackcollar Series Books 1–2

<div>All aboard the Quadrail for three tales of nonstop action from the #1 New York Times&ndash;bestselling and Hugo Award&ndash;winning author of Star Wars: Thrawn. It is the Quadrail&mdash;a miracle of design that connects all twelve of the galaxy&rsquo;s inhabited empires, allowing diverse alien species and cultures to exchange ideas, inspire imaginations, build bridges of understanding . . . and orchestrate the subjugation of all living things. Night Train to Rigel: Frank Compton used to be an operative for Western Allied Intelligence. Then he blew the whistle on some shady dealings and got himself fired. Nowadays he just wants to lay low and let someone else do the galaxy&rsquo;s dirty work. Unfortunately, no one does dirty work quite like Frank. And the robotic alien Spiders who maintain the Quadrail know it&mdash;which is why he&rsquo;s going to work for them whether he likes it or not. The Third Lynx: After barely surviving his last mission, Compton just wants to relax with his gorgeous half-human partner, Bayta. But their reverie aboard the Quadrail is broken by a persistent human going on about alien artifacts. Then someone shuts him up permanently, and what begins as a murder leads Compton to uncover a conspiracy that threatens to engulf the entire galaxy. Odd Girl Out: Finally back on Earth, Compton is confronted in his apartment by a woman demanding that he rescue her ten-year-old sister. He brusquely shows her the door, only to be accused of her murder the next day. Determined to make things right, he heads to the world of New Tigris to find the little girl. But his adversaries, the mind-enslaving Mohdri, are waiting for him there. Together in a single volume, here are the first three books in the Quadrail series from a writer New York Times&ndash;bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson calls &ldquo;a master of tactics [who] puts his own edge on complex hard-SF thrillers.&rdquo;</div>

The Quadrail Series Books 1–3

<div>The final three novels in the Dragonback sci-fi saga from the #1 New York Times&ndash;bestselling and Hugo Award&ndash;winning author of Star Wars: Thrawn&mdash;&ldquo;Enthralling&rdquo; (Science Fiction Chronicle). Young fugitive Jack Morgan and alien K&rsquo;da warrior Draycos are inseparable&mdash;quite literally. They&rsquo;ve been together since a desperate Draycos was forced to bond with Jack as his host in order to survive. Now they&rsquo;re traveling the stars trying to clear Jack of a crime he didn&rsquo;t commit, bring down a conspiracy to destroy Draycos&rsquo;s people, and generally stay alive . . . DRAGON AND HERDSMAN After nearly being caught, Jack and Draycos are rescued by Alison Kayna, a reluctant mercenary who steals them away to a planet where she plans to meet some friends. But when they get there they see something they never expected: a lost colony of K&rsquo;da who have all but forgotten their pride and honor. DRAGON AND JUDGE Just when Jack thinks he has a lead to help Draycos on his quest, he&rsquo;s kidnapped by a pack of aliens&mdash;not as a prisoner, but as a judge. Jack has no idea why they think he would, or could, know how to be a judge. But they soon reveal they want him specifically because Jack&rsquo;s long-lost parents were once asked to do the same thing . . . DRAGON AND LIBERATOR Jack and Draycos have traveled a long way and been through a lot of hard times together, and now it looks like their journey may finally come to an end. Their hunt has brought them to the man at the heart of the deadly conspiracy against the K&rsquo;da, and put him within their grasp. But before they can exact justice, they must stop him from unleashing a weapon of apocalyptic power . . . </div>

The Dragonback Series Books 4–6

<div>&ldquo;Fast-paced action . . . first-rate sf space adventure&rdquo; (Library Journal) from the #1 New York Times&ndash;bestselling author of Star Wars: Thrawn. Deep in space lies the black hole known as Angelmass, so called because it emits enigmatic particles with the unusual ability to render humans calm, reasonable, and incapable of lying&mdash;which would normally be seen as a good thing. But not by everyone. For while Empyrean human colonies on the edge of the galaxy utilize the power of the &ldquo;angels,&rdquo; the Earth-based Pax empire views the emissions as a threat that could be used to subvert humanity. Academic Jereko Kosta is pressed into service by the Pax to spy on the Empyrean, joining the crew of a ship actively hunting the particles. But what he learns turns out to be both scientifically fascinating and morally frightening. When the Pax make an aggressive move that may lead to all-out war with the Empyrean, Kosta is the only one who can stop the conflict between the human powers and force them to see that the angels they&rsquo;re about to fight over are far from holy . . . Timothy Zahn combines provocative ethical questions with the same level of vivid sci-fi action that made his Star Wars: Thrawn a New York Times bestseller to deliver &ldquo;a serious SF novel sneakily posing as an enormous golden-age thrill ride&rdquo; (Locus). </div>

Angelmass

<div>The first novel in the Dragonback series is &ldquo;a romp of a space thriller&rdquo; (Booklist) from the #1 New York Times&ndash;bestselling author of Star Wars: Thrawn. Jack Morgan is dealing with more trouble than any young man deserves. Raised to be a professional thief and con artist by his late uncle Virgil, he&rsquo;s survived on his uncle&rsquo;s spaceship with the help of an AI program. But when he&rsquo;s accused of a crime he actually didn&rsquo;t commit, Jack is forced to flee to a remote, uninhabited planet where he can stay off the radar for a while. His solitude is soon interrupted when a ship crashes on Jack&rsquo;s hideout after a terrible space battle. There&rsquo;s only one survivor: a warrior called Draycos, whose reptilian race is being targeted for extinction. The good news is that if Jack helps Draycos, the odd creature might be able to help clear Jack&rsquo;s name. The not-so-good news is that to survive, Draycos must bond&mdash;physically and mentally&mdash;with a sentient being to use as his &ldquo;host.&rdquo; And it looks like Jack is the only sentient being around . . .</div>

Dragon and Thief

<div>Two outcasts are bound together by more than loyalty in the third Dragonback adventure from the #1 New York Times&ndash;bestselling author of Star Wars: Thrawn. Fugitive Jack Morgan and dragonlike alien Draycos have become literally inseparable. After Jack rescued him from a crash, the K&rsquo;da warrior, who must have a host to survive, took residence on his back as a biomorphic tattoo, in return protecting the boy from harm. While Jack tries to clear his own name of a crime he didn&rsquo;t commit, he also helps Draycos uncover a conspiracy to destroy his race. After narrowly escaping service with a band of mercs, Jack and Draycos know that whoever wants the K&rsquo;da dead was involved with a Brummga alien&mdash;brutish beings known to be tough as nails . . . and dumb as rocks. To get more information, Jack&rsquo;s &ldquo;sold&rdquo; into slavery on a rich Brummga estate, where he has to find out all he can from the computer system while under the cruel watch of a vicious slave master who has no problem killing the help. It&rsquo;s not going to be easy. But, as always, Draycos has his back . . . </div>

Dragon and Slave

<div>&ldquo;The adventure and danger levels crackle&rdquo; (Booklist) in the second book of the Dragonback saga by the #1 New York Times&ndash;bestselling author of Star Wars: Thrawn. Even though he&rsquo;s been on the run from the law for a while, young Jack Morgan never wanted a bodyguard. But that&rsquo;s what he got when a desperate alien named Draycos bonded with him for survival. When all is well, Draycos looks like nothing more than a tattoo on Jack&rsquo;s back. But when Jack&rsquo;s threatened, the K&rsquo;da warrior appears in his true, dragonlike form. Now, Jack&rsquo;s indebted to his new symbiotic friend for saving his life, and feels obligated to help Draycos fulfill his vow to discover who&rsquo;s behind the plot to eradicate his kind. All they know for sure is that whoever annihilated the fleet of K&rsquo;da refugee ships used mercenaries to do their dirty work. To investigate, Jack signs up with a merc outfit known for using teenagers to fill their ranks. But life in the military is far more unpleasant than Jack bargained for&mdash;and it turns out he&rsquo;s not the only new recruit who isn&rsquo;t what they appear to be . . . </div>

Dragon and Soldier

<div>The first three adventures in the Dragonback science fiction fantasy series from the #1 New York Times&ndash;bestselling author of the Thrawn series. Dragon and Thief: Young thief and con artist Jack Morgan is hiding out on an uninhabited planet after he&rsquo;s falsely accused of a crime. But his solitude is interrupted when Draycos, a warrior whose reptilian race is being targeted for extinction, makes an emergency landing. The two will be able to survive, but only if they literally bond together . . . Dragon and Soldier: When all is well, Draycos looks like nothing more than a tattoo on Jack Morgan&rsquo;s back. But when Jack&rsquo;s threatened, the K&rsquo;da warrior appears in his true, dragonlike form. Together they go undercover to investigate a mercenary outfit connected to the extermination of Draycos&rsquo;s people, and it turns out Jack isn&rsquo;t the only new recruit with a secret . . . Dragon and Slave: Following a lead, Jack becomes a slave on a Brummga alien estate where he must find out all he can while under the cruel watch of a vicious slave master who has no problem killing the help. Fortunately, Draycos always has his back.</div>

The Dragonback Series Books 1–3

<div>Action science fiction, mystery, and espionage combine in books 4 and 5 of the Quadrail series from this Hugo Award&ndash;winning author. The alien Chahwyn created the Spiders to keep their intragalactic transportation system, the Quadrail, safe and running smoothly. And ex-government agent Frank Compton is there to protect its integrity. So far, Compton and his beautiful half-human, half-Chahwyn partner, Bayta, have had their hands full keeping the Quadrail open and preventing the evil Modhri from using it to spread their mind-controlling infection. But new threats are always popping up . . . The Domino Pattern: While the Quadrail is en route to the farthest edge of the galaxy, someone is poisoning passengers. Meanwhile, Compton and Bayta must prevent the system from derailing, and unless they can unmask a sinister conspiracy, the ordered universe will fall into chaos. Judgment at Proteus: The Shonkla-raa are invincible fighters dedicated to the destruction of the Quadrail. They were once thought to be extinct, but no longer. Now Compton and Bayta must join forces with their most feared enemy, the Modhri, if they hope to protect all species along the Quadrail from annihilation.</div>

The Quadrail Series Books 4–5

<div>A gripping first-contact adventure for fans of James Cameron&rsquo;s Avatar from the #1 New York Times&ndash;bestselling author of the Star Wars: Thrawn series.At twenty-two, hotshot Matthew Raimey has his whole life ahead of him, but a tragic accident quickly changes everything. He&rsquo;s left feeling hopeless&mdash;until he receives a proposition to be part of a new project for SkyLight International: Project Changeling.It&rsquo;s not the easiest transition, but eventually Matt is spending his days unlike anyone back on Earth could imagine&mdash;swimming through the toxic yet beautiful atmosphere of Jupiter, in the body of a Qanska, an enormous alien resembling a cross between a manta ray and a dolphin. Even stranger, Matt is happy again.But his second chance at survival doesn&rsquo;t come without a cost. Behind this project is a mysterious oligarchy of rich and powerful individuals who run the solar system, and they didn&rsquo;t place Matt on Jupiter out of mere kindness. They&rsquo;re monitoring his every move, and preparing to collect what they came for . . .&ldquo;The direction Manta&rsquo;s Gift ultimately takes is inventive and unexpected. . . . Zahn plays out his suspense as deftly as always, building a tense situation and ultimately defusing it in believable and pleasing ways.&rdquo; &mdash;Locus&ldquo;Zahn is ingenious in his plotting and well versed in keeping things moving. Manta&rsquo;s Gift leaves the reader feeling very satisfied.&rdquo; &mdash;Analog Science Fiction and Fact&ldquo;The author of Angelmass brings a new twist to a classic tale of human-alien encounter, combining fast-paced action and hard science with personal drama. A good choice for most sf collections.&rdquo; &mdash;Library Journal &ldquo;Another thoroughly literate sf yarn from Zahn.&rdquo; &mdash;Booklist</div>

Manta's Gift

<div>Hitchcock meets Serling in this deadly game of cat-and-mouse between a young couple and alien races from a #1 New York Times&ndash;bestselling author.After engaging in bloody warfare against each other, two alien races&mdash;the Greens and the Grays&mdash;take refuge on Earth, both believing their home and their enemy destroyed. For seventy-five years, they have been passing as humans, living peacefully&mdash;until each side discovers the other has survived. Now, in order to avoid another destructive conflict, these extraterrestrial rivals have united and agreed that a sacrifice must be made . . . On a dark and cold October night in Manhattan&rsquo;s Riverside Park, a strange ceremony is about to begin. The group is focused on a young girl who is ready to do what she must for peace, but the ritual comes to an abrupt halt when the child is mysteriously kidnapped.Meanwhile, after four years of marriage, Roger and Caroline Whittier struggle to get through a day without fighting. Their bickering is interrupted when a bizarre mugger leaves them with a little girl named Melantha. While they disagree on most matters, they both know they must protect Melantha. Unfortunately, they have no idea who is looking for their foundling or the lengths they will go to get her back. Now, the chase is on . . .&ldquo;[Timothy] Zahn has lots of surprises up his sleeve, and the ability to make the strange sound real.&rdquo; &mdash;Statesman Journal &ldquo;Compelling . . . One nice touch in this highly enjoyable hybrid of SF and mystery is that at no point does any one character know exactly what&rsquo;s going on.&rdquo; &mdash;Publishers Weekly</div>

Timothy Zahn

Books By Timothy Zahn (25 Books)