Space Universe

When and how did the universe begin? Why are we here? What is the nature of reality? Is the apparent “grand design” of our universe evidence of a benevolent creator who set things in motion—or does science offer another explanation? In The Grand Design, Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow present the most illuminating scientific thinking about these and other abiding mysteries of the universe, in nontechnical language marked by brilliance and simplicity.

Humanity fought and won its freedom by establishing a fragile peace with the two great powers-the Qash'vo'tar and the Zhal Confederation—by bringing them proof that their ancient enemy, the Val'ayash, survived the great war. But despite that, Earth is still a minor player in a wider galaxy, with only one advantage. Magic. Two years after Earth won its freedom, the tensions between the three star nations are rising. And United Terran Systems council knows that it is only a matter of time before the two great powers pressure humanity for the secrets of their magi-tech.

Aelliana Caylon has escaped her abusive family. She's found love in her starship co-pilot - a man who turns out to be the leader of Korval, the most powerful clan of the Liaden Universe. But destiny never intended an easy life for Aelliana. Insidious forces within the empire are determined that a new line of Korval heirs be destroyed and that Clan Korval itself be blasted to interplanetary dust. The fight for the future of the Liaden Universe is on, and one heroine is determined to protect her family and her soul mate.

Fifty-six hard years after the events of The Machine Crusade, after the death of Serena Butler, the bloodiest decades of the Jihad take place. The human worlds begin to hope that the end of the centuries-long conflict with the thinking machines is finally in sight.

In Powers of the Universe, cosmologist Brian Swimme identifies 11 powers that are present everywhere and throughout time in the universe. By examining these powers, Dr. Swimme reveals the characteristics of the universe that exist in the subatomic particles, the elements, the galaxies, stars, supernovas, planets, continents, oceans, life, and humans.

Years ago, cosmologist Stephon Alexander received life-changing advice: to discover real physics, he needed to stop memorizing and start taking risks. In Fear of a Black Universe, Alexander shows that great physics requires us to think outside the mainstream - to improvise and rely on intuition. His approach leads him to three principles that shape all theories of the universe: the principle of invariance, the quantum principle, and the principle of emergence. Alexander uses them to explore some of physics' greatest mysteries.

Einstein's idea of a "Cosmic Constant" was scorned for many decades. But lately, scientific attitudes have changed. Physicists now universally recognize the need for a vast amount of invisible energy to keep the universe together and to explain other phenomena--such as why the edges of galaxies speed far too fast to stay attached, but do so anyway. The current theories of elemental particles now suggest a vast range of phantom-particles—these phantom particles blink in and out of existence in space, from other dimensions perhaps, to facilitate the normal changes and interactions between ...

Where Paul of Dune picked up the saga directly after the events of Dune, The Winds of Dune begins after the events of Dune Messiah. Paul has walked off into the sand, blind, and is presumed dead. Jessica and Gurney are on Caladan; Alia is trying to hold the Imperial government together with Duncan; Mohiam is dead at the hands of Stilgar; Irulan is imprisoned. Paul's former friend, Bronso of Ix, now seems to be leading opposition to the House of Atreides.

Our universe has been growing for nearly 14 billion years. But almost everything about it, from the elements that forged stars, planets, and lifeforms, to the fundamental forces of physics, can be traced back to what happened in just the first three minutes of its existence. In this book, Nobel Laureate Steven Weinberg describes in wonderful detail what happened in these first three minutes.

The desert planet Arrakis, called Dune, has been destroyed. Now, the Bene Gesserit, heirs to Dune's power, have colonized a green world—and are tuning it into a desert, mile by scorched mile. Chapterhouse Dune is the last book Frank Herbert wrote before his death: A stunning climax to the epic Dune legend that will live on forever.

Ties that bind...Danai Liao-Centrella is many things: Solaris gladiator; proud military commander; successful diplomat. All of those roles pale beneath perhaps the heaviest responsibility of anyone in the Capellan Confederation: To speak the truth to its ruler, Chancellor Daoshen Liao. He is the undeniable dictator of hundreds of worlds. Mighty armies move at his command. Billions of lives hang on his every decision. Against that, she must speak the truth. And the truth is, the war with House Davion must end. Because there is a greater danger looming.

Brothers in arms...At long last, the Clans’ campaign for the Inner Sphere is about to come to a head. Alaric Wolf is preparing for his biggest moves yet...and is willing to enlist just about any force that can help him achieve his ultimate goal - the conquest of Terra. To do this, he sends one of his own on a very special mission. Marotta Kerensky is a Wolf warrior unlike any other - the perfect candidate for a mission unlike any other: Convince the legendary Wolf’s Dragoons to rejoin the Clan they originally came from.

Beset by the angry remnants of the Department of the Interior, challenged at every turn by opportunists on their new homeworld of Surebleak, and somewhat low on funds, Clan Korval desperately needs to reestablish its position as one of the top trading clans in known space. To this end, Master Trader Shan yos'Galan, aboard Korval's premier trade ship, Dutiful Passage, is on a mission to establish new business associations and to build a strong primary route that links well with existing Loops and secondary routes.

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....

Today we are blessed with two extraordinarily successful theories of physics. The first is Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity, which describes the large-scale behavior of matter in a curved spacetime. The second is quantum mechanics. This theory describes the properties and behavior of matter and radiation at their smallest scales.

After 10 years of wandering the outer rim of the galaxy, Eddie Teach is a man without a purpose. He was one of the toughest pilots in the Federation, but now he's just a regular guy, getting into bar fights and making a difference wherever he can. It's not the same as flying a ship and saving colonies, but it'll have to do.

What happens when Terry and Char meet Bethany Anne? They get to do the Empress' bidding, but not on Earth. With the infamous Valerie of New York, to space they go, to become the Direct Action Branch of Nathan Lowell's Bad Company. Before they reach Nathan on the other side of the galaxy, they find that space is a dangerous place, even for the wary, especially for the unprepared. Are you ready to join them on their epic journey?

Thousands of years ago, the Elakri were a galaxy-spanning civilization—until one day they vanished. Forced to hide themselves away in the folds of space to escape an unstoppable foe, what was once their salvation soon became their prison. Alex Solovy and Caleb Marano search the cosmos for signs of an ancient enemy’s return. When they detect a breach in the fabric of space, however, they discover something wholly unexpected: a people lost in time and space, who have forgotten all they once were.

With origins in the Old Universe, the malevolent, acquisitive intelligence of Tinsori Light sought to infect others with itself and send those agents out into the wide new universe to infect even more. For centuries, two heroes stood between Tinsori Light and the vulnerable universe—Light Keepers Jen Sin yos'Phelium and Lorith of the Sanderat. Just when it seemed that they—merely human—must fail, Tinsori Light, enfeebled by aged systems, succumbed to the stress of a unique spatial event—and died, leaving the station a shell. Luckily, the light keepers have back-up.

The universe has gone dark. Interstellar communications has been lost across the Inner Sphere, threatening the corporate giant ComStar - and maybe civilization itself. Risking everything on a last chance for survival, ComStar has kidnapped the engineering genius Tucker Harwell, hoping he can unravel the mystery of the blackout. But Tucker isn’t just working on why it happened...he’s also trying to figure out who’s behind it.