The Epic Struggle of Freedom and Justice
Against the Tyrannies of the 17th Century Continues,
as European Cunning Meets American Courage!

The Thirty Years War continues to ravage 17th century Europe, but a new force is gathering power and influence: the Confederated Principalities of Europe, an alliance between Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, and the West Virginians from the 20th century led by Mike Stearns who were hurled centuries into the past by a mysterious cosmic accident. The democratic ideals of the CPE have aroused the implacable hostility of Cardinal Richelieu, effective ruler of France, who has moved behind the scenes, making common cause with old enemies to stop this new threat to the privileged and powerful. But the CPE is also working in secret. A group of West Virginians have secretly traveled to Venice where their advanced medical knowledge may prevent the recurrence of the terrible plague which recently killed a third of the city-state's population. At the same time, the group hopes to establish commercial ties with Turkey's Ottoman Empire, then at the height of its power. And, most important, they hope to establish private diplomatic ties with the Vatican, exploiting Pope Urban VIII's misgivings about the actions of Richelieu and the Hapsburgs. But a Venetian artisan involved with the West Virginians may cause all their plans to come to naught. Having read 20th century history books of the period, he has become determined to rescue Galileo from his trial for heresy. The Americans are divided on whether to help him or stop him—and whether he succeeds or fails, the results may be catastrophic for the CPE.

Praise for Earlier Novels in the Series:

"A rich complex alternate history with great characters and vivid action. A great read and an excellent book."
—David Drake

"Gripping . . . depicted with power!"
—Publishers Weekly

". . . formidable historiography, wit, balance (there are few stupid bad guys—well, England's Charles I), intelligently ferocious women, and mouth-watering displays of alternate technology . . . [many readers] will turn every page and cry for more!"
—Booklist

"[Flint takes] historic speculation to a new level in a tale that combines accurate historical research with bold leaps of the imagination. Fans of alternate history and military sf should enjoy this rousing tale of adventure and intrigue."
—Library Journal

A Man of Mystery Seemed
to be the World's Last Hope
—if He Could Stay Alive. . . .

Chaos was sweeping the world, governments were on the verge of collapse, the global economy was hitting rock bottom—and then a man appeared, Nagunda Aran, a charismatic speaker who worked miracles and touched millions of Americans. He made no claim of being a messiah, but he was likely to suffer the traditional fate meted out to messiahs. As his influence grew, powerful men perceived him as a threat to their dominion and made plans to have him eliminated. But one assassin after another failed, thwarted by bizarre circumstances, sometimes even killing each other by "accident" when multiple assassins were sent to do the job. And Aran said that the attempts to kill him were of no importance, since he was fated to die soon—as would many thousands more in an impending cosmic disaster that he predicted was descending on the Earth. . . .

"An outstanding writer."
—C. J. Cherryh

"A polished and inventive writer."
—Spider Robinson

"An outstanding science fiction novelist."
—Rave Reviews

"He creates a variety of believable and interesting characters and involves them in a story that will keep the reader guessing—and turning pages—to the very end."
—West Coast Review of Books

From the Far Reaches of Space to the Unknown Depths of Past Time
—Rapid-fire Science Fiction Adventure from
"One of the most popular authors of our time."
(Publishers Weekly)

Was Andas an android—or the rightful Emperor, held prisoner on a distant planet while an android impersonated him on the Empire's throne world Was Tallhassee Mitford a modern archaeologist suffering from strange delusions, or has an ancient Egyptian ankh somehow hurled her personality far back in the mists of time to a Nubian kingdom where she is now a warrior princess named Ashake, caught up in a struggle between the gods of Egypt Two very different heroes in the grip of forces beyond control, beyond comprehension, both destined to be the only hope of doomed civilizations. . . .

"Engrossing . . . Norton in top form!" —Booklist

"Norton . . . at her best!" —Publishers Weekly

"Excellent . . . science fiction at its best." —Oregonian

"A superb storyteller!" —Chicago Tribune

Another Sunny Day on Marduk

THE GALAXY'S
IN DANGER—SEND FOR
HANS REBKA

Hans Rebka, interstellar troubleshooter, thought he had done it all by now—not only solving the mystery of the gigantic Artifacts which a vanished race called the Builders had left behind millions of years ago, but also preventing the warlike and tyrannical Zardalu from regaining their onetime dominance of the galaxy. He figured he was entitled to work on smaller problems that only involved one planet at a time. Unfortunately, he is about to find that his earlier exploits were only a warm-up for the main event.

In the Sagittarius Arm of the galaxy, something is destroying whole stellar systems. Only the Builders could have the power to snuff out whole stars and planets, but if the mysterious super-race has returned, why should they bring a wave of cosmic destruction with them Has a new, malevolent super-race arisen

Rebka reassembles his old motley crew of humans and aliens to investigate. But when they arrive in the beleagured spiral arm, they become trapped on a planet directly in the path of destruction. And they must escape, for they have learned the secret of the destroyed star systems: a battle is beginning that will determine the ultimate fate of the galaxy itself.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Charles Sheffield, a mathematician and physicist, is a past president of both the American Astronautical Society and the Science Fiction Writers of America, and the chief scientist of the Earth Satellite Corporation. He has published over a hundred technical papers and monographs on such subjects as nuclear physics, gravitational field analysis, and general relativity, and an equally large body of popular science articles for the layman. He serves as a science reviewer for several prominent publications.

In science fiction, Dr. Sheffield has received the coveted Nebula and Hugo Awards, as well as the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for his novel for Baen, Brother to Dragons. His other SF novels for Baen include Between the Strokes of Night, The Mind Pool and its sequel The Spheres of Heaven, and two prequels to Resurgence: Convergent Series and Transvergence. He is also the author of Borderlands of Science: How to Think Like a Scientist and Write Science Fiction, which is both a nonfiction survey of current scientific frontiers and an explanation of how a science fiction writer can write SF using bona fide scientific knowledge. Which is just the sort of SF that Dr. Sheffield has been writing for some time now, to the resounding acclaim of readers and critics alike.

THE NORTH SHALL RISE AGAIN!

When Avram became King of Detina, he declared he intended to liberate the blond serfs from their ties to the land. This noble assertion immediately plunged the kingdom into a civil war that would prove long and bloody, and set brother against brother. The northern provinces, dependent on their serf's labor, seceded, choosing Avram's cousin, Grand Duke Geoffrey, as their king. To save the kingdom, Avram sent armies clad in gray against the slave-holding North, battling Geoffrey's army, arrayed in blue.

Though King Avram held more land and wealth than Geoffrey, Geoffrey's men were better soldiers and the North had better and more powerful wizards. Still, as the war raged on, greater population and superior organization began to tell and the tide turned against the North.

Even so, the war is far from over. The South still faces two formidable leaders: General Bell, whose loss of a leg has only strengthened his resolve, and Ned of the Forest, whose unicorn riders are the most dangerous force on the Northern side. And though the Southern sorcerers have become more adept at war spells, use of sorcery is unpredictable—as the North learned earlier when its forces held an almost impregnable position, but retreated in terror when an overconfident sorcerer's spell went awry.

Though victory seems in sight for the South, its armies must now battle the North on its own ground, ground which will prove treacherous and deadly. . . .

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Harry Turtledove is known for his historical fantasy and alternate history. His novels include The Case of the Toxic Spell Dump, Sentry Peak, Marching Through Peachtree, The Guns of the South, and the Great War and World at War series. A Hugo winner and Nebula finalist, he lives in Los Angeles.

The Empress of Earth

Finest passenger liner in the galaxy —

Brightest link in the chain that binds the starflung civilization of the 23rd century—

Six thousand lives in a single hull, trembling through multiple universes to land on raw, often violent worlds, each with its own history and wonder —

The Empress of Earth

Neutral pawn in an interstellar war!

When hostile necessity knows no law, Ran Colville and the rest of the complement of the Empress of Earth must bring home their ship and the passengers entrusted to them. From the Captain on his bridge to the Cold Crewmen who work in conditions that differ from Hell only by name, they'll have their work cut out for them this voyage!