Military Fiction

In the heart of Vandar, as dark forces close in, Elyon, a gifted Bladeborn knight, fights for his family's survival in a world on the brink of war. In the beleaguered northlands of Tukor, a servant girl with a mysterious past is forced on the run by a treacherous lord, propelling her on a journey that will change her world forever. From the Shadowfort, an ancient power is unleashed, one that will set into motion a series of events that will bring the world to its knees.

Hot, hard-bodied Sixton Rapp is a former SEAL who's raring to begin his brand-new civilian life. He and his Navy "brothers" start a security firm that offers the kind of services only a team of military-trained professionals can provide. But nothing prepared Six for his new client: an innocent woman on a mission to improve thousands of lives, unless someone takes hers first.

Keeping up-to-date with the most buzzworthy and cutting-edge science fiction requires sifting through countless magazines, e-zines, websites, blogs, original anthologies, single-author collections, and more - a task accomplishable by only the most determined and voracious readers. For everyone else, Night Shade Books is proud to introduce the latest volume of The Best Science Fiction of the Year, collecting the finest that the genre has to offer, from the biggest names in the field to the most exciting new writers.

Although the exciting military career she hoped for never got off the ground, Ky Vatta ended up seeing plenty of combat when she took the helm of one of the commercial transport vessels in her family's fleet...and steered it into a full-blown war. Now the lessons she learned in that trial by fire are about to pay off---because this time, the war has come to her. Someone has launched a full-throttle offensive against Vatta Transport Ltd., Ky's father's interstellar shipping empire.

Thawed out after a century of cryogenic sleep, Captain John “Black Jack” Geary has led the Alliance fleet through Syndicate Worlds space, thwarting the enemy at every turn—even within his own ranks—during the long journey home. Alliance prisoners of war are being held at a labor camp in the Heradao Star System, which also happens to be the location of the majority of the surviving Syndic warships. Determined not to leave any of his people behind, Black Jack Geary orders the fleet to strike hard and fast to rescue the POWs with minimal Alliance losses.

Something went wrong in the Mars Felicity Station. A gate to another reality was opened, and a mysterious alien plague threatens humanity. When communications with the station are cut, the Perihelion crew is sent to find out what happened. Outmatched and unprepared, they’re forced to make war on this new enemy and rescue what remains of the survivors.

Glory barely survived its last battle twenty years ago. Captain Drake resigned rather than face court martial. But the enemy is back, and humanity needs everything that can fly. Maybe it’s not the ship at all but the crew. They hold the key. Drake rallies old and young alike to comply with orders so secret even he wasn’t allowed to see them until after the ship left the junkyard. Would it leave? That was another question. The core hadn’t been fired in twenty years.

For the better part of five decades, Jerry Pournelle's name has been synonymous with hard-hitting science fiction. For the first time, all of Pournelle's best short work has been collected in a single volume. Herein you will find over a dozen short stories, each with a new introduction by editor and longtime Pournelle assistant John F. Carr, as well as essays and remembrances by Pournelle collaborators and admirers.

Lieutenant Commander Mick Riley, a member of the fabled SEAL Team Six, can't pull his eyes from Lacey Owens at the funeral of his mentor. Yet she is the type of woman he wants to avoid-the kind that gets him thinking about settling down, spawning kids, and finding lower-mortality employment. Lacey has her own reasons for avoiding Mick. Tired of living in the shadow of her financial mogul sister, this real estate agent has tossed ethics aside to succeed in today's beleaguered housing market. Her no-fail plan to land lucrative listings?

Sergeant Richard Stavos was a Technomancer, capable of creating stronger than normal mental links with nanites. But that alone wasn't enough to keep him alive. Not when the Ka Empire wages wars across the galaxy. Death was supposed to be his release...an end to the constant fighting that plagued his life. But gifted beings like Richard are assets, and almost a decade after his death, the Ka overlords bring him back from the grave as a "reward" for his good service.

For years the extralegal counterterrorist unit known as the Taskforce has worked in the shadows, anticipating and preventing attacks around the globe. Created to deal with a terrorist threat that shuns the civilized rule of law, it abandoned the same, operating outside of the US Constitution. Though wildly successful, it was rooted in a fear that the cure could be worse than the disease. And now that fear has come home.

When Jason Walker and his dog MMax are both badly injured in an IED explosion while serving in the European war in 2038, they are evacuated back to the United States for the chance to recuperate and heal. But before the two can reach the relative safety of their designated VA hospital in Tennessee an EMP blast creates havoc and brings down their plane, leaving them alone and vulnerable amidst the chaos of a country that is on the verge of complete and utter social collapse.

Terminal Lance Lucky Lee Savage likes his life. Sure, doing PT hungover is a pain, but no one can dodge responsibility like he can - or sweet-talk the cooks into giving out double rations.

It was supposed to be a peaceful exploration, Earth's first step in expanding to the stars. But, no plan survives first contact. Thrown into a battle for survival against the deadliest threats imaginable, the Marines must contend with ice and desert planets with mysterious creatures, along with a history of turmoil that threatens to spill over to Earth if not checked. Meanwhile, a genetically-engineered threat rises on Earth - one that holds the secret to this intergalactic war.

As one of the newest members of Walker Security, Lucifer lives up to his name. He's a man with demons that run deep and dark. A man with secrets. A man betrayed by a woman, and that betrayal has shaped every part of his life moving forward. He lives on the edge with fast cars, faster woman, and some might say a death wish. That is until he crossed paths with Walker Security and one of their own pulled him from the bowels of his self-created hell. But his own personal devil is about to show herself again. That woman from his past is back, and nothing is as it seems.

Honey Honig is used to infiltrating the most dangerous places on Earth and thwarting kidnappers. But he never expected to end up in Tanzania, at the wrong end of a hostage situation with the most intriguing doctor he's ever met. Now, he'll do anything to get them out of the deadly web they've landed in - and keep the woman of his dreams safe. Should be easy for an ex-Delta Force operator, right? He wishes....

From the first time I meet Leo Montgomery, I know I'm in trouble. His dark, heated gaze skittering down my body sets my skin on fire. A rare sighting of his elusive, heart-stopping smile and - dear lord - I think I just ovulated. But then, he hires me to babysit his adorable little troublemaker after school, and now, my maternal instincts are working overtime.

Rys awakes to the smell of blood and nearly two thousand years of dust. Maybe he overslept a little too long. Once, he was a great champion and general in the demonic empire that ruled the world. Now, he’s been erased from history. He’ll need to remind the world of the price of forgetfulness. Now is the time to build his own empire, as the ancient powers of his time are long gone. Rys has an archipelago to conquer, women interested in extending their bloodline with him, and a mysterious labyrinth that holds the secret to why he was sealed away to begin with.

Taskforce operators Pike Logan and Jennifer Cahill are used to putting their lives at risk, but in The Polaris Protocol it's Jennifer's brother and countless more innocents who face unfathomable violence and bloodshed. Pike and Jennifer are in Turkmenistan with the Taskforce - a top-secret antiterrorist unit that operates outside US law - when Jennifer gets a call from her brother, Jack. Working on an investigative report into the Mexican drug cartels, Jack Cahill has unknowingly gotten caught between two rival groups.

I was pretty happy living the carefree life of a successful bachelor. Money to spend, a revolving door of women, no commitment, no relationship troubles - it was perfect. At least, that's what I thought until I held my friends' newborn baby in my arms, and she smiled at me. That was the moment I realized what life was all about. That was also the moment it occurred to me I needed a baby mama - stat. So...the hunt is on for the perfect candidate. But first, I might have to have one last fling - you know, go out with a bang. Literally.