Science Universe

A dozen recent Liaden Universe short works are added to the collection in the third volume of A Liaden Universe Constellation. Ranging from comic to cosmic, only one of these works was first published before 2011. These welcome new additions bring the collected Constellation of Lee and Miller Liaden short stories to forty-five works in three volumes. Here is a vast tapestry of tales of the scouts, artists, traders, priestesses, sleight of hand magicians, and pilots who fill the Liaden Universe with the excitement, action, and romance that fans of the hit series have come to adore.

When Tin’s family inherits an enormous rural estate, they discover the hidden treasures of Toyland. The eccentric mansion was built long ago by a toy magnate named Wallace Noel, a man made famous by his beloved Noel toys. Tin discovers an authentic-looking elf hat and knows what made his toys so special.

Follow a core group of characters known as the Trailblazers as they use alien technology and knowledge discovered in Antarctic ruins to obtain limited immortality and lead humanity out into the galaxy, encountering, befriending, and fighting hundreds of alien races all the while desperately trying to prepare Earth for the unbeatable threat at the core of the Milky Way that is destined to return and reclaim their lost colony and their former human slaves.

Eirik Baldurson — son of Baldur, God of Light — failed living as a Mortal. He lost the girl of his dreams and nearly got his friends killed. Now, he's gone to the underworld to meet the mother he's never known. Torn between his duty to her and the man he used to be, Eirik struggles to find himself, until a witch appears in his world. Feisty and stubborn, she is a reminder of everything good he left behind.

Earth's naivety has come to an end. The peace that they thought was their birthright is shattered when their true birthright returns in the form of an alien invasion bent on their total destruction...and from the Dinosaurs no less. The true history of Earth that Star Force has closely guarded is now revealed along with the death sentence for the Humans that are not allowed to exist by decree of the V'kit'no'sat Empire. Now the Star Force military must fight while the civilians are gradually evacuated rimward, but not all of them are going to make it....

It was just before Summertide, the time when the twin planets, Opal and Quake, would orbit closest to their sun, subjecting both - Quake in particular - to vast tidal forces. It was to be the most violent Summertide ever, creating something that only happened every 350,000 years. Planetary Administrators Hans Rebka and Max Perry had no choice but to go to Quake - risking their lives to protect the others - and to learn, just maybe, the secret of Summertide and the Builders.

The first of the seven books set in the Liaden Universe tells a rich and sweeping story of warring families and star-crossed lovers in a fantastic, other-world galaxy.

Hear the bell from the sunken tower and meet the dreams not yet lost and forgotten, look in the mirror and see how the future might play out, and wonder if you would prefer not to know what happened with the old lady. The Magical Universe Collection One is the first nine short stories from The Magical Universe. All stories from The Magical Universe are self-contained and can be listened to independently. Each story is a thousand words and is also characterized as flash fiction.

From the Demon Accords universe come six stories that delve behind the curtains. How does the FBI respond to a potential werewolf attack in an awakened world? What is it like to grow up witch? How do you assist a vampire queen? Who else lives on the world of Fairie? What does it take to prepare for alien invasion? As told by Declan, Stacia, Lydia, Chris, and introducing a few new characters to the fold. DA Compendium 3 builds upon and moves the arc of the DA storyline forward toward the battle for Earth.

For millennia, humankind and the other intelligent races have studied the bizarre and unfathomable constructs of the legendary beings known as the Builders. But for all that study, they are still no closer to figuring out who - or what - the Builders have been, or where they have gone.

Valerie goes off mission, trusting her gut and wits more than her physical abilities to get on the inside, to help bring justice to the slaves and the downtrodden. She is, after all, the Justice Enforcer. In the process, she finds herself teaming up with locals to take down an empire, right a cascade of wrongs, and kick some serious ass. Valerie was chosen by the Dark Messiah himself. She can’t turn a blind eye to what she finds on Tol. Join Valerie and her elites as they export her brand of justice.

The Tournament of Kings is a major milestone for Earth as it moves toward full integration. Jeremiah is doing everything possible to not only be one of those kings but also make sure his friends and allies are crowned kings as well. That won't be an easy task because his enemies are banding together and planning to do the same and have some nasty surprises waiting for him. Can Jeremiah and his friends ascend to the top or will the tournament be the beginning of the end for them?

All the matter and light we can see in the universe makes up a trivial five per cent of everything. The rest is hidden. This could be the biggest puzzle that science has ever faced. Since the 1970s, astronomers have been aware that galaxies have far too little matter in them to account for the way they spin around: they should fly apart, but something concealed holds them together. That ’something' is dark matter - invisible material in five times the quantity of the familiar stuff of stars and planets.

Follow a core group of characters known as the Trailblazers as they use alien technology and knowledge discovered in Antarctic ruins to obtain limited immortality and lead humanity out into the galaxy, encountering, befriending, and fighting hundreds of alien races, all the while desperately trying to prepare Earth for the unbeatable threat at the core of the Milky Way that is destined to return and reclaim their lost colony...and their former Human slaves.

Young Alvin returns to the town of his birth and begins his apprenticeship with Makepeace Smith, committing seven years of his life in exchange for the skills and knowledge of a blacksmith. But Alvin must also learn to control and use his own talent, that of a Maker, or else his destiny will be unfulfilled.

Meet Earth. Planet Awesome! And your awesome home! Actually, Earth is home to all the plants and all the animals in the solar system, including nearly eight billion people. Humans have accidentally moved Earth's climate change into the fast lane, and she need your help to put on the brakes. Earthlings need Earth, and Earth needs Earthlings, so let’s save Earth together!

When humanity is wronged by the alien AI, the Bad Company leaps to action, but only after the warriors have scattered to the four corners of the galaxy. When the warriors return, they find their ranks bolstered, their weapons upgraded, and their fleet has grown. What they don’t find is the enemy. The search is on! Between the Bad Company and their target stands too many innocent lives. Join Terry and Char as they confront Ten, a galactic evil....

Theo Waitley has lived all her young life on Delgado, a Safe World that is home to one of the galaxy's premier institutions of higher learning. Both Theo's mother, Kamele, and Kamele's onagrata Jen Sar Kiladi, are professors at the university, and they all live comfortably together, just like they have for all of Theo's life, in Jen Sar's house at the outskirts of town.Suddenly, though, Theo's life changes. Kamele leaves Jen Sar and moves herself and Theo back into faculty housing, which is not what Theo is used to.

Some memories belong to a future that hasn't happened yet. When eighteen-year-old Rodion begins testing Artificial Intelligence technology at a mysterious research lab in Pittsburgh, he starts experiencing terrifying visions of the future—visions where he finally avenges childhood trauma. But as his digital double grows stronger and the line between reality and projection blurs, Rodion realizes revenge might cost him everything he holds dear. Including his soul. Are his visions a gift of foresight, or is the AI manipulating his mind? As past trauma and future possibilities collide, Rodion...

This fourth volume collecting Lee and Miller's shorter Liaden Universe® stories features four novelettes, two novellas, and two short stories—including the celebrated linked stories, "Block Party" and "Degrees of Separation."