W200108 August 2001 Monthly Baen Bundle

March to the Sea

by David Weber and John Ringo

Star Soldiers

by Andre Norton

Thrice Bound

by Roberta Gellis

The Lark and the Wren

by Mercedes Lackey

SOME DAYS IT JUST DOESN'T PAY TO
GET OUT OF YOUR SLEEPING BAG. The successor to March Upcountry

It wasn't so much that Prince Roger and his surviving remnant of elite bodyguards are marooned on a barbarian planet. Or that they have been on continuous operations for so long they are getting shocky. Or that they still have half a planet to cross. Or that they are basically out of ammunition for their plasma and bead rifles and just about out of cash. Sure, those are all problems, but they're not the real problem.
No, the problem is Roger is in love. With one of his bodyguards. And the romance is not going well. Damnbeast Sure. Vampiric moths Okay. Screaming waves of barbarians No problem. But when you have Nimashet Despreaux and Prince Roger Ramius Sergei Chiang MacClintock at sword's point, that's real danger.

And it's just the beginning.

To get to the distant port that is their only way off the planet, they'll be forced to battle enraged monsters, displaced mercenaries, religious fanatics and a barbarian horde to shame the Huns. Along the way they'll have to recreate the Reformation, the Renaissance and the Industrial Revolution. And do it all in a context their four-armed, horned, grizzly-bear sized native allies can handle.

It will strain all their experience and knowledge, as the most elite, the most multitalented and above all the toughest bodyguards in human space. But the really hard part will be keeping Roger and Nimashet from killing each other.

THE ROYAL BRAT IS IN TROUBLE

 Roger Ramius Sergei Chiang MacClintock didn't understand.

He was young, handsome, athletic, an excellent dresser, and third in line for the Throne of Man ... so why wouldn't anyone at Court trust him

Why wouldn't even his own mother, the Empress, explain why they didn't trust him Or why the very mention of his father's name was forbidden at Court Or why his mother had decided to pack him off to a backwater planet aboard what was little more than a tramp freighter to represent her at a local political event better suited to a third assistant undersecretary of state

It probably wasn't too surprising that someone in his position should react by becoming spoiled, self-centered, and petulant. After all, what else did he have to do with his life

But that was before a saboteur tried to blow up his transport. Then warships of the Empire of Man's worst rivals shot the crippled vessel out of space. Then Roger found himself shipwrecked on the planet Marduk, whose jungles were full of damnbeasts, killerpillars, carnivorous plants, torrential rain, and barbarian hordes with really bad dispositions. Now all Roger has to do is hike halfway around the entire planet, then capture a spaceport from the Bad Guys, somehow commandeer a starship, and then go home to Mother for explanations.

Fortunately, Roger has an ace in the hole: Bravo Company of Bronze Battalion of The Empress' Own Regiment. If anyone can get him off Marduk alive, it's the Bronze Barbarians.

Assuming that Prince Roger manages to grow up before he gets all of them killed.

 ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Granted, the decade has just begun, but David Weber shows all signs of being the science fiction phenomenon of the decade. Weber is often compared to C.S. Forester (celebrated creator of Captain Horatio Hornblower) for his novels of the exploits of starship commander Honor Harrington, the most recent of which was the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, and Amazon.com bestseller, Ashes of Victory. Weber's work ranges from epic fantasy (Oath of Swords, The War God's Own) to breathtaking space opera (Path of the Fury, The Armageddon Inheritance) to military science fiction with in-depth characterization (the awesomely popular Honor Harrington novels). Weber lives in South Carolina and, in spite of having gotten married a year ago, shows no sign of slowing down. . . .

John Ringo had visited 23 countries and attended 14 schools by the time he graduated high school. This left him with a wonderful appreciation of the oneness of humanity and a permanent aversion to foreign food. A veteran of the 82nd Airborne, he later studied marine biology, but the pay was for beans, so he turned to quality control database management (much higher-paying). Then Fate took a hand, and he now is in the early stages of becoming fabulously wealthy, which his publisher has ASSURED him is the common lot of science fiction writers. With his bachelor years spent in the Airborne, cave diving, rock-climbing, rappelling, hunting, spear-fishing, and sailing, the author is now happy to let other people risk their necks. He prefers to read (and of course write) science fiction, raise Arabian horses, dandle his kids and watch the grass grow.

W200105 May 2001 Monthly Baen Bundle

March Upcountry

by David Weber and John Ringo

The Philosophical Strangler

by Eric Flint

Starmind

by Spider Robinson and Jeanne Robinson

Quincey Morris, Vampire

by P. N. Elrod

Soldiers

by John Dalmas

W200103 March 2001 Monthly Baen Bundle

Changer of Worlds

by David Weber

Ashes of Victory

by David Weber

Flag in Exile

by David Weber

License Invoked

by Robert Asprin and Jody Lynn Nye

Stars Over Stars

by K. D. Wentworth

HONOR HARRINGTON MUST DIE

Hounded into retirement and disgrace by political enemies, cut to the heart by the murder of the man she loved, and bereft of confidence in herself and her abilities, Captain Honor Harrington has retreated to the planet Grayson to take up her role as Steadholder while she tries to heal her bitter wounds.

But the People's Republic of Haven is rising from defeat to threaten Grayson anew, and the newborn Grayson Navy needs her experience desperately. It's a call Honor cannot refuse, yet even as she once more accepts the duty whose challenges she fears she can no longer meet, powerful men who hate and fear the changes she's brought to their world are determined to reverse them. They have a plan ... and for it to succeed Honor Harrington must die.

Two irresistible forces are rushing together to crush Grayson between them, and only one woman uncertain of her capabilities, weary unto death, and marked for murder-stands between her adopted planet and its devastation.

WELCOME AGAIN TO THE 
MANY WORLDS OF HONOR

Lady Dame Honor Harrington—starship captain, admiral, Steadholder, and Duchess—has spent decades defending the Star Kingdom of Manticore against all comers. Along the way, she has become the legend known as "the Salamander" from her habit of always being where the fire is hottest . . . and also a national bestseller (Ashes of Victory: #7, The Wall Street Journal).

But it's a big universe, and Honor's actions affect a lot of lives, not all of them human. And their actions affect her—a lesson "Ms. Midshipwoman Harrington" learns years before rising to command rank when a desperate battle against "pirates" who aren't quite what they seem begins her brilliant career.

Closer to home, in "Changer of Worlds," a secret that the alien treecats have kept from their human friends for hundreds of years is about to come out . . . and completely change the relationship between the two species forever.

Meanwhile, Eric Flint weighs in with "From the Highlands." Honor can't be everywhere, so when the People's Republic of Haven tries to stage a political assassination on Earth, Anton Zilwicki—husband of one of the Star Kingdom's most revered military martyrs, and father of a young woman who is clearly a chip off the old block—steps into the breach . . . and takes the opportunity to settle some old scores along the way.

And finally, Esther McQueen and Oscar Saint-Just square off for their final confrontation in Noveau Paris in "Nightfall."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND HOST

Granted, the decade has just begun, but David Weber shows all signs of being the science fiction phenomenon of the decade. Weber is often compared to C.S. Forester (the celebrated creator of Captain Horatio Hornblower), is the recipient of critical praise worthy of Heinlein or Asimov, and has hordes of voracious fans clamoring for more and more Weber. Fortunately for them, Weber keeps steadily producing book after book with first printings that sell out almost immediately, then go back into printing after printing after printing. His novels range from epic fantasy (Oath of Swords, The War God's Own) to breathtaking space opera (Path of the Fury, The Armageddon Inheritance) to military science fiction with in-depth characterization (the celebrated and awesomely popular Honor Harrington novels, the New York Times bestselling Ashes of Victory being the latest). Reviewers call Weber "irresistible .  . masterful" (Publishers Weekly), "highly entertaining" (Booklist), "outstanding . . . superb . . . excellent" (Wilson Library Bulletin), "remarkable" (Kliatt), "the best" (Dragon), "worth shouting about" (Philadelphia Weekly Press), "great" (Locus), and "the best writer around today" (FosFax). Readers call Weber similar things, but mostly they call the Baen offices several times a week demanding more from their main man. Weber lives in South Carolina and, in spite of having gotten married a year ago, shows no sign of slowing down. . . .

W200003 March 2000 Monthly Baen Bundle

Ashes of Victory

by David Weber

Worlds of Honor

by David Weber

The Honor of the Queen

by David Weber

In just a few short years, David Weber has shot to the forefront of science fiction! The core of his work is Honor Harrington, the toughest, smartest starship captain in the galaxy. Now Weber invites you to join him and his invitees as they explore Honor's universe.

The Host and His Guests:

David Weber himself is on board, first telling how young Honor Harrington and her treecat Nimitz faced the impossible task of rescuing the victims of an avalanche in a sub-zero blizzard, then revealing a chapter in the history of the telepathic treecats when a young human who bonded with a treecat was a Very Important Person. Specifically, she was a Manticoran crown princess and the heir to the throne of the empire.... Roland Green offers a hard-hitting account of what happened when Manticore and the People's Republic of Haven went eyeball-to-eyeball over a strategically vital planet.... Linda Evans looks at life among the treecats, before Honor.. .. Jane Lindskold tells how Honor's monarch, Elizabeth III, had to learn the hard way what monarchy is all about....

". .. something for every taste in Weber's fandom .. . intriguing background glimpses of Honor's—and Nimitz's—worlds." —Publishers Weekly

"Recommended." —Library Journal

"Heartwarming and insightful..." —VOYA

REPORTS OF MY DEATH HAVE BEEN GREATLY EXAGGERATED . . .

The People's Republic of Haven made a tiny mistake when it announced the execution of Honor Harrington. It seemed safe enough. After all, they knew she was already dead.

Unfortunately, they were wrong. Now Honor has escaped from the prison planet called Hell and returned to the Manticoran Alliance with a few friends. Almost half a million of them, to be precise . . . including some who know what really happened when the Committee of Public Safety seized power in the PRH.

Honor's return from the dead comes at a critical time, providing a huge, much-needed lift for the Allies' morale, for the war is rapidly entering a decisive phase. Both sides believe that victory lies within their grasp at last, but dangers no one could foresee await them both.

New weapons, new strategies, new tactics, spies, diplomacy, and assassination. ... All are coming into deadly focus, and Honor Harrington, the woman the newsies call "the Salamander," once more finds herself at the heart of them all.

But this time, the furnace may be too furious for even a salamander to survive.

By Popular Demand,
the Most Popular Starship
Commander of All

First Time in Hardcover!

It can no longer be denied: David Weber is The Next Big Name. Hordes of fans have been bombarding our website and your stores with demands for more! more! more! David Weber. And then they started complaining about the first five Honor Harrington novels being available only in paperback. It seems that after the ninth or tenth time they reread the books, they start falling apart. The customer is always right, at least about Honor Harrington, and in February 1999 we offered a special limited collector's hardcover edition of On Basilisk Station. The response was successful, to say the least, and we followed up with a hardcover edition of Field of Dishonor, and now present Honor of the Queen, again in a special hardcover edition with a pictorial binding, and at a special paperback-sized price.

"Old-fashioned space opera is alive and well [in] David Weber's The Honor of the Queen. . . ."
—Science Fiction Age

"The Honor of the Queen . . . is worth shouting about. . . . I want more!"
—Philadelphia Weekly Press

"In terms of space combat, I think David Weber may be the best writer around . . . a top-notch read."
—FosFax

W200001 January 2000 Monthly Baen Bundle

The Apocalypse Troll

by David Weber

Eagle Against the Stars

by Steve White

Firefight Y2K

by Dean Ing

Dragonne's Eg

by Mary Brown

There he was in his sailboat in the middle of the Atlantic, all alone and loving it. Well, there was a U.S. Navy carrier group on his southern horizon, but he was a Navy guy himself, so he didn't mind. Then came the UFOs, hurtling in from the Outer Black to overfly the carriers at Mach 17. Their impossible aerobatics were bad enough—but then they started shooting at each other. And at the Navy. With nukes. Little ones at first, but winding up with a 500 megatonner at 90 miles that fried every piece of electronics within line-of-sight.

Richard Ashton thought he was just a ringside observer to these now over-the-horizon events. Until the crippled alien lifeboat came drifting down and homed in on his sailboat; suddenly he has his hands full of an unconscious, critically wounded and impossibly human alien warrior who also happens to be a gorgeous female.

That's when things got interesting.

"... a particular delight, offering nonstop action that's both well executed and emotionally satisfying." —Publishers Weekly

"It's a rollicking fun tale that's impossible to put down." —Philadelphia Weekly Press

"... the best work (Weber] has done ... the rewards are ample ... recommended...." —Starlog

BACK FROM HELL

For eight bloody years, the Star Kingdom of Manticore and its allies have taken the war to the vastly more powerful People's Republic of Haven, and Commodore Honor Harrington has been in the forefront of that war.

But now Honor has fallen, captured by the Peep Navy, turned over to the forces of State Security ... and executed on the interstellar network's nightly news.

The Manticoran Alliance is stunned and infuriated by Honor's death and grimly resolved to avenge it. Yet their military is over-extended and the People's Republic is poised to take (he offensive once more, this time with a new strategy, new weapons, a new command team, and a whole new determination to win. The war is about to enter a phase of unprecedented ferocity . . . and the Alliance is on the short end of the stick.

But even as powerful Peep fleets hurtle towards their objectives, neither they nor the Alliance are aware of events occurring on a distant, isolated, inescapable prison planet called Hell. For what no one knows, not even State Security, is that Honor Harrington is not dead. She and a handful of her people are trapped on Hell, and determined to disprove the Peep boast that no one can ever escape it. Honor Harrington is going home, and taking her people with her... even if she has to conquer Hell to do it.

HONOR BETRAYED

The People's Republic of Haven's sneak attack on the Kingdom of Manticore has failed. The Peeps are in disarray, their leaders fighting for power in bloody revolution, and the Royal Manticoran Navy stands victorious.

But Manticore has domestic problems of its own, and success can be more treacherous than defeat for Honor Harrington. Now, trapped at the core of a political crisis she never sought, betrayed by an old and vicious enemy she'd thought vanquished forever, she stands alone.

She must fight for justice on a battlefield she never trained for in a private war that offers just two choices: death . . . or a "victory" that can end only in dishonor and the loss of all she loves.

***

David Weber is the new Big Name in science fiction, and his dauntless Honor Harrington has conquered not only the enemy but the hearts of thousands of readers everywhere, who have been relentlessly demanding Honor's exploits in a more permanent form. And we're happy to oblige.

KNOW THY ENEMY

For Captain Honor Harrington, it's sometimes hard to know who the enemy really is. Despite political foes, professional jealousies, and the scandal which drove her into exile, she's been offered a chance to reclaim her career as an officer of the Royal Manticoran Navy. But there's a catch. She must assume command of a "squadron" of jury-rigged armed merchantmen with crew drawn from the dregs of her service and somehow stop the pirates who have taken advantage of the Havenite War to plunder the Star Kingdom's commerce.

That would be hard enough, but some of the "pirates" aren't exactly what they seem . . . and neither are some of her "friends," For Honor has been carefully chosen for her mission—by two implacable and powerful enemies.

The way they see it, either she stops the raiders or the raiders kill her . . . and either way, they win.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A lifetime military history buff, David Weber has carried his interest in history into his fiction. In the Honor Harrington series (ten volumes published to date), the spirit of both C.S. Forester's Horatio Horn-blower and history's Admiral Nelson are evident. Weber has also written an epic fantasy, Oath of Swords, and four other science fiction adventures: Path of the Fury and the three novels of the "Dahak" series, Mutineers' Moon, The Armageddon Inheritance and Heirs of Empire. Weber has worked as a war game designer, most extensively on the Task Force game Starfire™. With Steve White, he has written two novels set in that universe, Insurrection and Crusade.

Weber lives in Greenville, South Carolina with two dogs, one cat, and his collection of Honor Harrington artwork.

THE ROAD HOME

Bahzell Bahnakson of the Horse Stealer hradani never wanted to be a champion of the War God. Unfortunately, Tomanak had insisted. Even more unfortunately, Bahzell's own sense of responsibility hadn't let him say, "No."

Which was how he found himself in the Empire of the Axe, where even people who didn't actively hate hradani regarded them with suspicion and fear. Of course, that was only the start of his problems. 

Next, there was the Order of Tomanak, many of whom were horrified by the notion that their deity had chosen a hradani as a champion . . . and intended to do something about it. And assuming he survived that, he had to go home-across three hundred leagues of bitter winter snow-to face a Dark God who threatened to destroy all hradani. Throw in the odd demon and brigand ambush, and add a powerful neighboring kingdom with no intention of letting Bahzell (or anyone else) save his people, and you have the makings of a really bad day.

But one thing Bahzell has learned: a champion of Tomanak does what needs doing. And the people in his way had better move. 

The Road to Hell

Honor Harrington's career has its ups and its downs. She's survived ship-to-ship battles, assassins, political vendettas, and duels. She's been shot at, shot down, and just plain shot, had starships blown out from under her, and made personal enemies who will stop at nothing to ruin her, and somehow she's survived it all.

But this time she's really in trouble.

The People's Republic of Haven has finally found an admiral who can win battles, and Honor's orders take her straight into an ambush. Outnumbered, outgunned, and unable to run, she has just two options: see the people under her command die in a hopeless, futile battle... or surrender them-and herself-to the Peeps.

There can be only one choice, and at least the People's Navy promises to treat their prisoners honorably. But the Navy is overruled by the political authorities, and Honor finds herself bound for a prison planet aptly named "Hell"... and her scheduled execution.

Put into solitary confinement, separated from her officers and her treecat Nimitz, and subjected to systematic humiliation by her gaolers, Honor's future has become both bleak and short. Yet bad as things look, they're about to get worse ...for the Peeps.

DAVID WEBER

In just a few short years, David Weber has shot to the forefront of science fiction with his top-selling novels of Honor Harrington, the toughest, smartest starship captain in the galaxy. Now two more military SF world-beaters join him in Honor's universe, bringing their own celebrated skills in this homage to Honor.

DAVID DRAKE
Creator of Hammer's Slammer's

S. M. STIRLING
Creator of the Draka

Whom the gods would recruit, they first tick off . . .

Our Hero: The unlikely Paladin, Bahzell Bahnakson of the Horse Stealer Hradani. He's no knight in shining armor. He's a hradani, a race known for their uncontrollable rages, bloodthirsty tendencies, and inability to maintain civilized conduct. None of the other Five Races of man like the hradani. Besides his ethnic burden, Bahzell has problems of his own to deal with: a violated hostage bond, a vengeful prince, a price on his head. He doesn't want to mess with anybody else's problems, let alone a god's. Let alone the War God's! So how does he end up a thousand leagues from home, neck-deep in political intrigue, assassins, demons, psionicists, evil sorcery, white sorcery, dark gods, good gods, bad poets, greedy landlords, and most of Bortalik Bay Well, it's all the War God's fault. . . .