Starship Captain Pausert and the witches of Karres must deal with a slaver culture that makes slaves feel happy to be in chains. And if that weren’t enough, they’re also plunged into a quest for a long-lost alien pet, during which the youngest of the witches, The Leewit, begins to awaken to her full powers as a healer. And when a witch of Karres comes into her own, she necessarily generates chaos in her wake—and the galaxy itself should rightfully tremble! A new novel in the world of James Schmitz’s The Witches of Karres.

Get The Shaman of Karres eARC here.

Footloose nobleman Penric grows wiser and even more wily as he journeys from young lord to sorcerer and scholar in the Bastard's Order. Oh, and he deals with intrigue and solves mysteries along the way!

Three stories of epic fantasy from SFWA Grandmaster Lois McMaster Bujold. Includes Penric’s Mission, Mira’s Last Dance, and The Prisoner of Limnos.

Get Penric's Travels eARC here.

A new novel from a multiple award-winning author! No one wants the city-states of the Eight Worlds to repeat the Terran Collapse by going to war. But when war accidentally breaks out, everyone seeks ways to exploit it for gain. But the key to victory and peace lies with two unlikely allies: Philip Anderson, a philosopher who seeks only the transcendent meaning of universal physics; and Tara Landry, the spoiled and defiant youngest granddaughter of an ancient dynasty. First Tara accidentally discovers an eleventh star-jump gate. Next, Philip figures out how to use it. Now everything is about to change for the Eight Worlds—for through the gate lies a planet of danger of mystery.

Get The Eleventh Gate eARC here.

Marrissa Marfoglia was the only human—and only female—governor of Simki-Traak Tran-Stellar, the largest manufacturer of interstellar jump drives in the Cottohazz, a position she held only because she was fiscal guardian of a Varoki minor. The rest of the board of governors, of course, wants her gone; the slightest misstep and she could put the well-being of her family in grave danger. So when her sister Aurora shows up with another dangerous scheme, Marr is ready to dismiss yet again. But something about the way Aurora is acting makes Marr think maybe there’s something to her sister’s plan this time. Anyway, it won’t hurt to hear her out . . .

Read “Adrift,” by Frank Chadwick here.

Space exploration is all about giant leaps, and with more and more private sector money being poured into spaceflight, it may be that the 21st century will propel humankind ever closer to the science fictional dreams of spreading out among the stars. One such endeavor is Starshot, an initiative of Breakthrough Initiatives. It aims to propel a spacecraft farther and faster than ever before through the use of beamed energy and reflective sails. In this month’s nonfiction essay, space scientist Les Johnson explores the possibilities of this cutting edge technology.

Read “Beamed Energy for Space Exploration: Giant Leap or Incremental Steps” by Les Johnson here.

Coming soon to the Baen Free Radio Hour: Mercedes Lackey and Cody Martin discuss Breaking Silence, a new entry in the Serrated Edge urban fantasy series. James L. Cambias on the magic and intrigue of The Initiate. And authors and editors meet at the corral for a powwow on weird Western anthology, Straight Outta Dodge City. Missed past episodes? No problem. We’ve got every episode archived for your listening pleasure.

Listen to the Baen Free Radio Hour now.

Don’t forget to check out the Baen new book releases here. Enter the February Contest here. And for upcoming appearances by Baen authors and editors, check here.