WARLORD

Raj Whitehall was a young noble of the Civil Government, the last remnant of galactic civilization on the planet Bellevue. Possessed of an unparalleled strategic genius, Raj dreamed of leading his people's armies to victory against the barbarians who threatened to engulf them.

Yet it was not exterior enemies who were Raj's greatest challenge, but the Civil Government itself. Its bureaucrats had become corrupt extortionists. The ranks of its armies were filled with barbarian mercenaries ready to turn on the paymasters they despised. Those at the highest levels sank their knives into each other's backs even as the barbarians closed in. And the Governor himself, the man to whom Raj has sworn and given absolute loyalty, nourished a paranoid envy and mistrust that grew with every victory Raj won....

Luckily for Bellevue, Raj had a hidden asset beyond the worship of his troops and his own genius for war. Raj was possessed of—or possessed by—a "guardian angel" that guided him inexorably toward the goal of planetary dominion. But could even a battle computer of the Galactic Age be enough to counter the fury of Raj's enemies ... and the treachery of his "friends"

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

S.M. Stirling instantly became known as a talented new writer of military SF for his highly acclaimed, widely-read "Draka" series, which began with Marching Through Georgia, His collaborative novel with Anne McCaffrey, The City Who Fought, was a national bestseller. In addition to his popular General series, written in collaboration with David Drake, he has also collaborated with Jerry Pournelle on both the best-selling Man-Kzin Wars series and the Falkenberg's Legion series, recently collected in one volume as The Prince. His alternate history series which began with Island in the Sea of Time has also been very popular. He lives with his wife in Santa Fe, NM.

Vietnam veteran, former lawyer, former bus driver, and now bestselling author, David Drake tells a military story like no other. His readers recognize that he can take them where no one else can, with gut-wrenching description that puts them face-to-face with the enemy, and in the midst of the action right on the battlefield. He helped create the audience for mercenary military science fiction with his bestselling "Hammer's Slammers" books. Drake graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Iowa, majoring in history (with honors) and Latin. His stint at Duke University Law School was interrupted for two years by the U.S. Army, where he served as an enlisted interrogator with the 11th Armored Cavalry in Vietnam and Cambodia. Drake has a wife, a son, and various pets.

YOU DON'T NEED SAINTS TO FACE
RUTHLESS ENEMIES—YOU NEED HEROES!

The Khalians are weasel shaped and weasel vicious; their main concern with humanity is the way humans taste. Behind the Khalians are others: stronger, smarter, and more vicious still.

Captain Miklos Kowacs and the men and women of Marine Reaction Company 121, the Headhunters, have faced the Khalians on the front lines: now they're taking the war to the enemy, freeing captured planets from their bestial conquerors and penetrating even the Khalian horneworld.

But the worst dangers to Kowacs and his Headhunters come from traitors who wear the same uniform!

The only chance of defeating the Ichtons is to capture one one alive. No human battlefleet could hope to do that—but just maybe a lone scout like Sergeant Dresser could.

Anyway, he has to try. The Ichtons don't conquer their enemies: they destroy them utterly.

In the not-too-distant future, government cameras watch every soul in North America. Only the most cunning and powerful imagine they can commit a crime and escape punishment, and they become the prey of hunters like Jed Lacey.

Lacey has neither hopes nor fears, and he has no mercy at ad. There's never been anybody better at what he does.

There've always been men and women willing to stand between humanity and the worst the universe has to offer. The trouble is, they can't stay human and do their jobs—and they must do their jobs.

IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE JUST
A ROLE-PLAYING GAME . . .

Professor Deighton smiled from around the stem of his pipe. "You have a vague, unexplainable feeling that what you are looking for is something called the Gate Between Worlds."

"... although we all share a vague suspicion that we're looking for the Gate Between Worlds, whatever that is. Would you care to join us "

"Sure. Un—what are you going to do about those boxes on the hillside "

Doria's voice was almost a whine. "Open them, silly."

"Okay, fine, I'll open them."

"No, don't—". He gripped the rims of his wheelchair.

"As the first box is opened," Deighton said, "You are overwhelmed by a rush of—"

James Michael couldn't hear the rest; a rush of sound like that of an impossibly loud, impossibly near jet buffeted his ears, acrid smoke clawing at his eyes and nostrils until he found himself tumbling out of his wheelchair and falling to his knees in a coughing spasm, his tearing eyes clenched shut.

He bounced to his feet on the damp grass, reflexively reaching for the axe strapped to his chest, loosening the straps with two quick jerks and taking the axe in his gnarled, well-muscled hands.

Well-muscled hands

He opened his eyes.

He was a dwarf standing on the side of a grassy hill, with an axe in his hands.

AND THAT WAS ONLY 7 THE BEGINNING . . .

Joel Rosenberg was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and raised in North Dakota and Connecticut. His occupations have included driving a truck, caring for the institutionalized retarded, bookkeeping, gambling, motel desk-clerking, and passing himself off as a head chef.

His first sale was an op-ed piece favoring nuclear power, appearing in The New York Times. His Guardians of the Flame novels have been bestsellers, and given him a huge readership in fantasy. His science fiction novels, including Ties of Blood, Emile and the Dutchman, Not for Glory, and Hero have been equally popular and received critical acclaim.

He lives in Minneapolis with his wife and daughters.

THE SECRET MASTERS OF THE WORLD—
WERE A PACK OF WOLVES

Praise for Keith Laumer:

"Spare, clean prose style and muscular storytelling technique . . . when the final word is read, the reader comes away with both a sense of completion and a desire for the tale to go on ... forever, if possible." —David Weber

"You're about to have fun." —David Drake

"Laumer is a master ..." —Seattle Times

"Tautly written and endless suspense . . . excellent. ..." —VOYA

"Keith Laumer is one of science fiction's most adept creators. . ." —Savannah News-Press

THE KNIGHT IS A SAINT
(with a twist!)

At least you might think so if you read his curriculum vitae. You would swear in fact that this private eye of the future is honest, paying for what he gets, getting what he's paid for, with somehow a little extra for everybody to go around. Take this case, involving a matter transmitter which the inventor tested on himself—then found his bank accounts empty and his credit cards overflowing, all done by someone whose DNA looks just like that of the rightful owner . . .

But that wasn't all. There was also an archaeological expedition which had uncovered ruins that might solve the mystery of the Martian race that had vanished from the planet eons ago—except that a greedy interplanetary corporation was all set to bulldoze them over in pursuit of the bottom line unless a gallant knight—or Knight—could come galloping up on his charger. Then there were some people who were not amused at how the Knight had foiled a sure-fire scheme worth billions, and were looking for him with heavy muscle and heavier artillery . . .

People in trouble and people who are trouble just seem to populate his life—and thank goodness, because they are the very thing the Knight needs to keep his life from getting boring. And the bad guys never seem to know what hits them . . .

 Praise for James P. Hogan:

 "Entertaining, imaginative. . . . Readers will want to sign up for this ride."—Publishers Weekly

". . . fascinating notions and nonstop plot twists in a taut, gripping narrative; a bravura performance."—Kirkus Reviews

". . . cutting edge scientific approach . . . truly fascinating and hugely enjoyable."—Starlog

An alien pyramid has appeared on Earth, squatting in the middle of Chicago. It is growing, destroying the city as it does — and nothing seems able to stop it, not even the might of the US military. Somehow, the alien device is snatching people and — for unknown reasons — transporting them into worlds of mythology. Dr Lukacs is one of the victims. Granted, he's an expert on mythology. But myths are not something he'd thought to encounter personally. Or wanted to! Sure, he has a couple of tough paratroopers along with him, as well as a blonde Amazon biologist and a very capable maintenance mechanic. Unfortunately, modern weapons don't work, and the Greek gods are out to kill the heroes.

Well, yes, they've got Medea and Arachne and the Sphinx on their side (both Sphinxes, actually — the Greek version as well as the Egyptian). And at least some of the Egyptian gods seem friendly.

But that can be a very mixed blessing, to say the least. Oh, and whatever you do—don't mention dwarf-tossing.

Enthusiastic Praise for the Authors' Hit Novel, Rats, Bats & Vats:

"Space opera grows fur and wings in this jape by two accomplished writers. . . . Politically correct C'mon! Great fun Ah, yes."—Booklist

". . . the military SF plot is peppered with its share of Dirty Dozen–esque cliffhangers . . . the sharpest moments in this giddy entertainment are those where the rodents blithely skewer human mores." —Publishers Weekly

"Noirish comedy alien shoot-‘em-up. . . . Inventive and often smile-worthy. . . ." —Kirkus Reviews

". . . thoroughly enlivened with tweaked and twisted cliches, explosive military action, and plenty of interspecies banter to keep things fun."—Locus

"This is a lot of fun!" —Philadelphia Weekly Press