Problems, Problems, Problems . . .

The world had been a paradise until the Fall, when the holders of the control codes for the world-spanning program called "Mother" fell out in civil war.

The United Free States felt well defended behind its screen of elite Dragon carriers that held sway in the Atlantis Ocean. But when New Destiny proved to have dragon carriers of its own, and more of them, the linch-pin of the UFS defense went out the window.

Now, with the UFS' back to the wall, everything seems to be going New Destiny's way.
But there are problems.

Edmund Talbot had never really studied naval warfare, but what he didn't know about war in general hadn't been written. So when he took over the UFS navy, at its moment of utter defeat, New Destiny's problems were just starting.

And little did the instigator of the civil war, Paul Boman, know that his closest confidante was the daughter of the UFS' head of intelligence. Megan Travante, for four years mired in a concubine's harem, has just been recruited to be an agent in the enemy camp. Of course, she's also planning on murdering Paul, just as soon as she gets a chance.

Herzer Herrick, the UFS' premier ground fighter, has problems of his own. A man who's "good with his hands" he's also found he's good with a dragon. Which is why he's the XO of a dragon contingent instead of fighting in the front lines of the ground battle. With a crew of brand new pilots, undertrained dragons, untrained support personnel, the bitchiest dragon CO on Earth and a ship's commander who's half cat, he has enough problems for any one man. And then he gets an order that drops a whole passel more in his lap.

The battle of dragon carrier on dragon carrier is about to start, with the fleets pursuing each other over half the Atlantis Ocean in a game of cat-and-mouse.

But all the cats are on the side of the UFS.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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. He chose to study marine biology and really liked it. Unfortunately the pay was for beans. So he turned to quality control database management, where the pay was much better. His highest hopes were to someday upgrade to SQL Server, at which point, he thought, his life would be complete. But then Fate took a hand: John has become a professional science fiction writer, and is in the early stages of becoming fabulously wealthy, which his publisher has assured him is the common lot of science fiction writers who write for Baen Books. In addition to his own enthusiastically received and New York Times best-selling military SF series—A Hymn Before Battle, Gust Front, When the Devil Dances, and Hell's Faire—he is collaborating with fellow New York Times best-selling author David Weber on a new SF adventure series: March Upcountry, March to the Sea, March to the Stars and We Few, with more to come.

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 write science fiction (both alone and in collaboration with David Weber and others) raise Arabian horses, dandle his kids and watch the grass grow. Someday he may even cut it. But not today. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe he'll just let the horses eat it.

THREE COMPLETE NOVELS IN ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR ADVENTURE SERIES IN SCIENCE FICTION—ALL IN ONE HUGE BOOK

Ages ago, perhaps before the human race even existed, two war-maddened races fought—and though both are extinct, their Frankenstein weapon, the Berserkers, robotic asteroid-sized warships, still follow their program. And now the relentless death machines have crossed the galaxy, to encounter an equally relentless opponent: humans . . .

Three complete novels set in a seemingly endless war against death itself:

• The Berserker Wars: The millennium-long battle between humans and the killing machines, with heroes, cowards, villains—and even a prankster.

• Berserker Blue Death: One revenge-obsessed man fanatically pursues the great blue Berserker that men call Leviathan.

• Berserker Kill: A Berserker has stolen a biolab filled with human zygotes. Can its pursuers discover its secret plan before it's too late

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Fred Saberhagen is the author of many popular science fiction and fantasy series. His Berserkers® have menaced the universe for over 40 years. His "Swords" and "Lost Swords" stories have caught the imagination of many fantasy readers. Equally intriguing are Saberhagen's exploits in the area of historical fantasy where figures such as Hitler and Lincoln, Daedalus and the pharaohs, populate his alternate worlds. On the border of history and fantasy, Saberhagen has created a unique picture of an old favorite, Dracula. More recent is the "Book of the Gods" series, a new telling of the ancient myths. Many of his works also appear in tape and e-book format. Before abandoning himself to imagination, he served in the US Air Force, worked as a civilian electronics technician, and wrote and edited articles on science and technology for the Encyclopedia Britannica. Born and raised in Chicago, he now lives and works with his wife, Joan Spicci, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Additional information on Fred Saberhagen and his work can be found at his website: www.berserker.com

The early days of space travel — the tragic deaths, the explorers who disappeared without a trace, the many heroisms— were now relegated to a few pages in history textbooks. The Solar System, from Mercury out to the cometary Oort cloud, was as thoroughly domesticated and familiar as anyone's back yard. But other frontiers still beckoned, as distant as the farthest stars themselves, and humankind swarmed out across the galaxy at speeds many times that of light, but still only an amoeboid crawl in comparison to the vast breadth of the galaxy. And once again the statement by a largely-forgotten 20th century scientist was proven true: the universe is not only stranger than we imagine—it is stranger than we can imagine. Stories of interstellar voyagers confronting the infinite by: Gregory Benford, Eric Flint & Dave Freer, James P. Hogan, Debra Doyle & James MacDonald . . . and more.

About the editor

Toni Weisskopf is executive editor at Baen Books. With Josepha Sherman she compiled and annotated the definitive volume of subversive children's folklore, Greasy Grimy Gopher Guts, published by August House, now in its third printing. Long active in science fiction fandom, she has won both the Phoenix and Rebel Awards given by the DeepSouthCon. Weisskopf is a graduate of Oberlin College with a degree in anthropology, the mother of a delightful twelve-year old daughter, married to sword maker and freelance nonfiction writer Hank Reinhardt, and is possessed by a truly devilish little dog.

DENORIEL:
WARRIOR OF KORONOS;
RIDER IN THE WILD HUNT
. . . NURSEMAID

Denoriel Siencyn Macreth Silverhair was a warrior in Koronos' band, a fierce rider in the Wild Hunt, but when he was summoned he came obediently to the valley of the FarSeers.

A glow of power lifted about the crystal lens. "Here is the nexus of our future," said the FarSeer in the dress of ancient Greece, and a mist seemed to pass over the surface of the lens. A moment later, the surface cleared, and within it, Denoriel saw the image of a human infant, red-haired and scowling, swaddled in fine, embroidered linen and lace . . . and glowing with power. The babe was being held by a figure that Denoriel recognized—the mortal king of England, Henry, eighth of that name.

The lens misted again, and scene after scene played out briefly before him—briefly, but enough to show him a future very bright for the mortals of England, a flowering of art, music, and letters, of great deeds, of exploration and bravery. Oh, there were problems——twice, if Denoriel read the signs aright Spain sent a great fleet against England, only to be repulsed at minimal cost. But the troubles were weathered, the difficulties overcome, and the result was nearly an age of gold.

"And this," said the lady of the ancient ways, "Is what will come to pass if that child does not reign."

Fires . . .

Black-robed priests, grim-faced and implacable, condemned scores, hundreds, to the Question, torturing their bodies until they would confess to anything, then burning what was left in front of silent onlookers. Others, whose intellects burned as brightly as the flames, did not need to be tortured; they confessed their sins of difference defiantly . . . and were also burned. In place of a flowering of art and science, came a blight. Darkness fell over the land, pressed there by the heavy, iron hand of Spain and the Inquisition.

"You are the key to all of this." The FarSeer's emerald eyes held his. "The red-haired child of Great Harry of England must live, and thrive, and grow up to rule. You must go to it in the mortal world, and become its protector."

"But I am a warrior, not a nursemaid—" he said, feebly.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Mercedes Lackey is the author of the Bardic Voices series and the SERRAted Edge series (both Baen), the Heralds of Valdemar series (DAW), and many more. Of her writing, Stephen King has stated, "She'll keep you up long past your bedtime," and Locus raved, "Lackey is one of the best storytellers in the field." She has her own fan club with over 1,000 members, and was one of the first writers to have an online newsgroup devoted to her writing. Among her popular Baen titles are The Fire Rose, The Lark and the Wren, and The Shadow of the Lion (with Eric Flint and Dave Freer). She lives in Oklahoma.

Roberta Gellis is author of over 25 novels in different fields. New York Times best-selling author John Jakes has called her "a superb storyteller of extraordinary talent," Publishers Weekly has termed her "a master of the medieval historical," and Romantic Times has praised her as "a master spinner of tales." Her many awards include: The Silver and Gold Medal Porgy for historical novels from West Coast Review of Books and the Golden Certificate and Golden Pen from Affaire de Coeur. From Romantic Times she has received both the Award for Best Novel in the Medieval Period and also the Lifetime Achievement Award for Historical Fantasy. And the Romance Writers of America have presented her with their Lifetime Achievement Award. Her previous fantasy titles for Baen are Bull God and Thrice Bound.

THE OLD GODS ARE RETURNING-
AND SOME OF THEM ARE NOT
FRIENDLY!

When Derek Secrest was suddenly pulled out of Naval flight officer school to take part in a top secret government project involving telepathy—because tests showed that he had a strong latent talent for psi powers— he thought things couldn't get weirder. He was wrong.

Soon he was contacted by a mysterious woman who could open portals at will through spacetime. Her powers seemed godlike—and they were. Millennia ago, extra-dimensional beings with great powers had come to earth and taken on human form, remembered in legends as gods and goddesses—and titans, the ancient enemies of the gods. The godlike beings had driven off the titans, but now the old enemy is returning, with a new plan to use humans with psionic abilities to rule the Earth, and not be driven from it this time. And the titans always did have a fondness for human sacrifice.

Unless Derek and a handful of other telepaths can join forces with the ancient gods to defeat the titans, the world will be plunged into a new dark age of terror and death. Even so, judging from mythology, how much can you really trust a god. . .

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Steve White was an officer in Naval Intelligence, and served in the Mediterranean and the Vietnam War Zone. In addition to the Starfire series with David Weber, he has written several popular science fiction adventure novels for Baen. They include the trilogy comprising The Disinherited, Legacy and Debt of Ages, which combine fast-paced space opera with Arthurian mythology. He has also written the galaxy-spanning adventure Prince of Sunset, and its sequel Emperor of Dawn. His latest is Eagle Against the Stars. He currently works for a legal publishing company in Charlottesville, Virginia. He is married and has three daughters.