The fires are out, but the trouble’s just beginning for the treecats.

On pioneer planet Sphinx, ruined lands and the approach of winter force the now Landless Clan to seek new territory.  They have one big problem—there’s nowhere to go.  Worse, their efforts to find a new home awaken the enmity of the closest treecat clan—a stronger group who’s not giving up a single branch without a fight.

Stephanie Harrington, the treecats’ greatest advocate, is off to Manticore for extensive training—and up to her ears in challenges there.  That leaves only Stephanie’s best friends, Jessica and Anders, to save the treecats from themselves.  And now a group of xenoanthropologists is once again after the great secret of the treecats—that they are intelligent, empathic telepaths—and their agenda will lead to nothing less that treecat exploitation.

Finally, Jessica and Anders face problems of their own, including  their growing attraction to one another.  It is an attraction that seems a betrayal of Stephanie Harrington, the best friend either of them have ever had. 

Download the comprehensive Teacher’s Guide here.

Listen to the authors discuss the book on the Baen Free Radio Hour: Part 1 | Part 2.

Lexile Score: 1000

Eric Flint and David Carrico serve up the latest entry in the best‑selling alternate history saga of them all, the Ring of Fire!

It is the year 1636. The United States of Europe, the new nation formed by an alliance between the Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus and the West Virginians hurled back in time by a cosmic accident, is on the verge of civil war.  His brain injured in the war with Poland, the USE's emperor Gustavus Adolphus is no longer in command. Enter Swedish chancellor Oxenstierna, a leader of aristocratic reaction against democracy.  His goal:  to assemble the forces of the hidebound ruling class in Berlin and drown the revolution in a bloodbath.

In Magdeburg, the capital of the USE, Mike Stearns' wife Rebecca Abrabanel is organizing popular resistance to Oxenstierna's plot. As part of the resistance, the American musician Marla Linder and her company of down‑time musical partners are staging an opera that will celebrate the struggle against oppression. Princess Kristina, the heir to the USE's throne, is now residing in Magdeburg and is giving them her support and encouragement.

But another plot is underway‑‑this one right in the heart of the capital itself, and with murder as its method. The only people standing in the way are a crippled boy and the boxing champion who befriended him, and an unlikely pair of policemen. Can the American detective Byron Chieske and his down‑timer partner Gotthilf Hoch thwart the killers before they succeed in their goal?

Download the Reader’s Group Discussion Guide here.

Listen to the authors discuss the book here on the Baen Free Radio Hour.

THE UNIVERSE MAY NOT BE A NICE NEIGHBORHOOD . . .

“The oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown,” the grand master of horror, H.P. Lovecraft, once wrote. And the greatest unknown is the vast universe, shrouded in eternal cosmic night. What things might be on other planets—or in the dark gulfs between the stars?

Giving very unsettling answers to that question are such writers as Arthur C. Clarke, George R. R. Martin, Theodore Sturgeon, Tony Daniel, Robert Sheckley, James. H. Schmitz, Clark Ashton Smith, Neal Asher, Sarah A. Hoyt, and more, all equally masters of science fiction and of terror.

One might hope that in the void beyond the earth will be found friendly aliens, benevolent and possibly wiser than humanity, but don’t be surprised if other worlds have unpleasant surprises in store for future visitors. And in vacuum, no one will be able to hear your screams—as if it would do any good if they could . . .

Listen to the authors discuss the book here on the Baen Free Radio Hour.

Now with an Historical Afterword by Ron Miller
Featured in Ron Miller’s “The Conquest of Space Book Series.” A 1937 space adventure written for young people by Prof. A.M. Low, then-president of the British Interplanetary Society. The occupants of a spaceship launched from a stratosphere balloon discover a hostile civilization.

The first true space travel stories weren't written until after 1610. Before then, no one knew for sure that there even were other worlds than this one. But Galileo's great discoveries changed all that. People began to wonder what these other worlds might be like and authors lost no time in getting their interplanetary stories into print. The earliest authors were at a loss regarding exactly how to get their heroes to the Moon and other worlds and had to resort to magic and other unlikely devices. The invention of the balloon was a godsend. For the first time a man-made device enabled humans to leave the surface of the Earth---and there was a renewed surge of space travel stories. Most of these authors merely used the Moon and planets as a convenient backdrop for social satire, but others took some pains to get the science correct---or at least as correct as knowledge of the time permitted. The books in this series run the gamut from from balloons to antigravity, from what may be the first interplanetary story ever written to the first suggestion ever for a passenger-carrying rocket. 

Many of these books and stories have not been available in any form for decades. They all contain historical essays and other material written specially for this series by Ron Miller.

Through Space to Mars

by Howard R. Garis
edited by Ron Miller

Lost on the Moon

by Howard R. Garis
edited by Ron Miller

Rocket Riders Across the Ice

by Howard R. Garis
edited by Ron Miller

Rocket Riders in Stormy Seas

by Howard R. Garis
edited by Ron Miller

Rocket Riders in the Air

by Howard R. Garis
edited by Ron Miller

Adrift in the Stratosphere

by A.M. Low
edited by Ron Miller

Now with an Historical Afterword by Ron Miller
Featured in Ron Miller’s “The Conquest of Space Book Series.” Among the few young adult novels written by Howard R. Garis under his own name, the Rocket Rider series introduced thousands of readers to the concept of rocket-propelled vehicles---in spite of the fact that Garis' explanation of how rockets work was consistently wrong!

Now with an Historical Afterword by Ron Miller
Featured in Ron Miller’s “The Conquest of Space Book Series.” Among the few young adult novels written by Howard R. Garis under his own name, the Rocket Rider series introduced thousands of readers to the concept of rocket-propelled vehicles---in spite of the fact that Garis' explanation of how rockets work was consistently wrong!

Now with an Historical Afterword by Ron Miller
Featured in Ron Miller’s “The Conquest of Space Book Series.” Among the few young adult novels written by Howard R. Garis under his own name, the Rocket Rider series introduced thousands of readers to the concept of rocket-propelled vehicles---in spite of the fact that Garis' explanation of how rockets work was consistently wrong!

Now with an Historical Afterword by Ron Miller
Featured in Ron Miller’s “The Conquest of Space Book Series.” One of the first books in the popular Great Marvel Series by "Roy Rockwood" (Howard R. Garis) to deal with space travel. Originally published in 1911, it was among the earliest books about space travel intended for young adult readers.

Now with an Historical Afterword by Ron Miller
Featured in Ron Miller’s “The Conquest of Space Book Series.” The first book in the popular Great Marvel Series by "Roy Rockwood" (Howard R. Garis) to deal with space travel. Originally published in 1910, it was among the earliest books about space travel intended for young adult readers.

In January of 2011 we started posting free teacher's guides to some of our titles suitable for young adults. This is a compilation of Reading Guides for 2013. The books covered so far are: Robert Conroy's Rising Sun, Sarah Hoyt's A Few Good Men, and Wen Spencer's Eight Million Gods.

We'll be collecting these guides, and future planned guides for reader's groups, in this free Ebook at the Baen Free Library.

As new guides are made available, they'll be posted on the main page, then added to this book (to save the Baen Barflies the trouble of doing it themselves).

As is usual with such copyrighted material from Baen, the contents may be copied and shared but NOT sold. All commercial rights are reserved to Baen Books.

The fires are out, but the trouble’s just beginning for the treecats.

On pioneer planet Sphinx, ruined lands and the approach of winter force the now Landless Clan to seek new territory.  They have one big problem—there’s nowhere to go.  Worse, their efforts to find a new home awaken the enmity of the closest treecat clan—a stronger group who’s not giving up a single branch without a fight.

Stephanie Harrington, the treecats’ greatest advocate, is off to Manticore for extensive training—and up to her ears in challenges there.  That leaves only Stephanie’s best friends, Jessica and Anders, to save the treecats from themselves.  And now a group of xenoanthropologists is once again after the great secret of the treecats—that they are intelligent, empathic telepaths—and their agenda will lead to nothing less that treecat exploitation.

Finally, Jessica and Anders face problems of their own, including  their growing attraction to one another.  It is an attraction that seems a betrayal of Stephanie Harrington, the best friend either of them have ever had. 

Wonder inducing. Mind blowing. Comprehensive. Simply amazing. This entire collection includes hundreds of popular and award-winning science fiction and fantasy stories collected in thirty-five volumes gathered by the winner of fifteen Hugo awards for editing, the inimitable Gardner Dozois, and award-winning writer and anthologist, Jack Dann.

We are presenting these thirty-five anthologies in six discount bundles. Get them all, and you will own a huge swath of some of the best short science fiction ever written.

These are luminous, superb stories collected around popular science fiction and fantasy themes. They are written by dozens and dozens of amazing authors. Poul Anderson, Charles Sheffield, Gregory Benford, Fritz Leiber, Brian Aldiss, Ursula K. LeGuin, Arthur C. Clarke, Harry Turtledove, Neal Stephenson, Cordwainer Smith, Greg Bear, William Gibson, Gene Wolfe, Nancy Kress, Fred Saberhagen—the distinguished list goes on and on!

Angels!

edited by Gardner Dozois and Jack Dann

Bestiary

edited by Gardner Dozois and Jack Dann

Dangerous Games

edited by Gardner Dozois and Jack Dann

Dogtales!

edited by Gardner Dozois and Jack Dann

Unicorns I

edited by Gardner Dozois and Jack Dann

Unicorns II

edited by Gardner Dozois and Jack Dann

Wonder inducing. Mind blowing. Comprehensive. Simply amazing. This entire collection includes hundreds of popular and award-winning science fiction and fantasy stories collected in thirty-five volumes gathered by the winner of fifteen Hugo awards for editing, the inimitable Gardner Dozois, and award-winning writer and anthologist, Jack Dann.

We are presenting these thirty-five anthologies in six discount bundles. Get them all, and you will own a huge swath of some of the best short science fiction ever written.

These are luminous, superb stories collected around popular science fiction and fantasy themes. They are written by dozens and dozens of amazing authors. Poul Anderson, Charles Sheffield, Gregory Benford, Fritz Leiber, Brian Aldiss, Ursula K. LeGuin, Arthur C. Clarke, Harry Turtledove, Neal Stephenson, Cordwainer Smith, Greg Bear, William Gibson, Gene Wolfe, Nancy Kress, Fred Saberhagen—the distinguished list goes on and on!

AIs

edited by Gardner Dozois and Jack Dann

Clones

edited by Gardner Dozois and Jack Dann

Beyond Singularity

edited by Gardner Dozois and Jack Dann

Future Sports

edited by Gardner Dozois and Jack Dann

Future War

edited by Gardner Dozois and Jack Dann

Futures Past

edited by Gardner Dozois and Jack Dann

New tales of genetic engineering and its impact on tomorrow…

Long before there was Dolly the sheep, there were brilliant science fiction authors speculating on the power and potential, the temptations and the terrors, of cloning. Join them as they explore the ideas, the implications, and the thrilling dramatic possibilities in this collection of nine stories by Ursula K. LeGuin, Joe Haldeman, John Varley, Greg Egan, Damon Knight, Ian R. MacLeod, Kate Wilhelm, Pamela Sargent, and Charles Sheffield.

“The Extra” by Greg Egan
“The Phantom of Kansas” by John Varley
“Nine Lives” by Ursula K. Le Guin
“Past Magic” by Ian R. MacLeod
“Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang” by Kate Wilhelm
“Out of Copyright” by Charles Sheffield
“Mary” by Damon Knight
“Clone Sister” by Pamela Sargent
“Blood Sisters” by Joe Haldeman

"Stories about legendary creatures of myth and magic!”

An anthology of extraordinary stories about legendary creatures of myth and magic features works by Tanith Lee, T.H. White, Jane Yolen, and Gene Wolfe

“The Man Who Painted the Dragon Griaule” by Lucius Shepard
“Draco, Draco” by Tanith Lee
“The Rule of Names” by Ursula K. Le Guin
“The Black Horn” by Jack Dann
“Walk Like a mountain” by Manly Wade Wellman
“Treaty in Tartessos” by Karen Anderson
“The Woman Who Loved the Centaur Pholus” by Gene Wolfe
“The Sleep of Trees” by Jane Yolen
“The Hardwood Pile” by L. Sprague de Camp
“The Blind Minotaur” by Michael Swanwick
“Landscape with Sphinxes” by Karen Anderson
“Simpson’s Lesser Sphynx” by Esther M. Friesner
“God’s Hooks!” by Howard Waldrop
“A Leg Full of Rubies” by Joan Aiken
“The Valor of Cappen Varra” by Poul Anderson
“The Troll” by T. H. White
“Return of the Griffins” by A. E. Sandeling
“The Last of His Breed” by Rob Chilson

In the reality shows of the future, people will literally be dying to watch.

Science fiction's most expert dreamers envision the computerized, high-risk games of the future in this winning collection. Features:
Robert Sheckley
Cory Doctorow
Kate Wilhelm
Alastair Reynolds
Vernor Vinge
Jonathan Letham
Gwyneth Jones
William Browning Spencer
Allen Steele
Terry Dowling
Jason Stoddard.

The future isn’t through with you yet.

Featuring stellar contributions from some of today's most masterful practitioners of speculative fiction, Beyond Singularity presents fourteen visions of a tomorrow where rapid technological and genetic breakthroughs have rendered humanity obsolete.

“Old Hundredth” by Brian W. Aldiss
“Rogue Farm” by Charles Stross
“Naturals” by Gregory Benford
“Osmund Considers” by Timons Esaias
“Coelacanths” by Robert Reed
“The Dog Said Bow-Wow” by Michael Swanwick
“Barry Westphall Crashes the Singularity” by James Patrick Kelly
“Flowers from Alice” by Cory Doctorow and Charles Stross
“Tracker” by Mary Rosenblum
“Steps Along the Way” by Eric Brown
“The Millennium Party” by Walter Jon Williams
“The Voluntary State” by Christopher Rowe

Joe Haldeman, Lucius Shepard, Allen Steele and others storm the battlefields of tomorrow…

"Second Variety" by Philip K. Dick
"Salvador" by Lucius Shepard
"Floating Dogs" by Ian McDonald
"The Private War of Private Jacob" by Joe Haldeman
"Spirey and the Queen" by Alastair Reynolds
"A Dry, Quiet War" by Tony Daniel
"Rorvik’s War" by Geoffrey A. Landis
"Second Skin" by Paul J. McAuley
"The War Memorial" by Allen Steele
"A Special Kind of Morning" by Gardner Dozois

Are you ready to rumble?

Enter a world of weird sportsmanship in this unique sci-fi anthology of stories by such great visionaries as: Arthur C. Clarke, Kim Stanley Robinson, Michael Swanwick, Howard Waldrop, Jonathan Lethem, Alastair Reynolds, Ian McDonald, Robert Reed

“The Wind from the Sun” by Arthur C. Clarke
“Arthur Sternbach Brings the Curveball to Mars” by Kim Stanley Robinson
“Man-Mountain Gentian” by Howard Waldrop
“Winning” by Ian McDonald
“The Dead” by Michael Swanwick
“Game of the Century” by Robert Reed
“Streak” by Andrew Weiner
“The Holy Stomper vs. the Alien Barrel of Death” by R. Neube
“Stroboscopic” by Alastair Reynolds
“Vanilla Dunk” by Jonathan Lethem