Defeated at the Battle for Terra Two, the cyborg AIs regroup to destroy mankind. Commodore Detrelna and the battle cruiser Implacable are sent into Quadrant Blue 9 for the only weapon that can stop them. Implacable's crew aren't optimistic--it's been 3,000 years since a ship came home from Blue 9. Then they meet what's been waiting for them. * (2011 revision of 1987 Tor Books edition. 64,800 words.)* The Battle for Terra Two could have marked mankind's end. It still could. The Kronarins and their Terran allies almost went down under the onslaught of the biofabs' new allies: AIs--Artificial Intelligences--fearsome cyborgs from humanity's dawn come at last to kill us all. Barely defeating AIs and biofabs, the Kronarin battle cruiser Implacable returned to Terra and its home universe, warning of an AI invasion so vast not even the dead Kronarin Empire at its height could have stopped it. Mankind's only hope lies in a mythic weapon somewhere out in Blue 9--Quadrant Blue 9--an abandoned cube of space from which no ship's returned since the Empire's long ago Fall. Ordered into Blue 9 after the weapon, Implacable's crew must first master a horror out of their nightmares, an ancient evil that feeds off the undead it makes of the living. His command stalked by corsairs and himself by assassins, Implacable's Commodore Jaquel Detrelna finds the jump into Blue 9 almost a relief--until Battle Stations sounds and he sees what's been patiently waiting for them, a spider long tending her toils. From The AI War:"But now my friends," he said, looking from face to face as comprehension came, "the old portal's opening. The Fleet of the One is coming. They've forgotten nothing, forgiven nothing, learned nothing. They're coming to kill us, slaves and rebels all." I must be crazy, he thought: a corsair-listed officer, commanding a crippled cruiser, in league with a flotilla manned by disembodied brains, transmutes and AIs, out to beat the vanguard of man's invincible foe. "Gunnery, lock onto center ship, ignore the rest. Lakan, transmit the Fleet Rally on all channels.""Sir, there's no one to hear it.""The AIs don't know that," Detrelna said, watching the tacscan. "Confusion to our enemies. What's our intercept point, Tolei?" "Epsilon Red 47, that asteroid belt.""Forward best speed. Gunnery, engage at will."Review"A modern descendant of the Doc Smith Lensman series. Space opera in the Grand Ol' Tradition." --Other Realms "Devotes of militaristic SF should enjoy [Berry's] books." --Kliatt "Kick-butt military science fiction." Amazon reader review. --Amazon reader review From the AuthorStephen Ames Berry is the author of four science fiction novels first published by Ace and Tor, and a technothriller, The Eldridge Conspiracy, a tale spun from his time at the Pentagon and the myth of the Navy's World War II ship invisibility project, the Philadelphia Experiment. He's writing his sixth novel and revising his remaining backlist. A graduate of Boston University, Berry has a master's in information systems and was a systems analyst and data architect for the Navy Department and Harvard University. He's a veteran of the U.S. Army Security Agency, which sponsored his three-year stint in Tokyo. He lives in Florida with his wife, a daffy dog and a pride of entitled cats. Views: 23
Aislinn Flaherty makes her home at a mental hospital. She’s not mentally ill, but after a traumatic childhood event, the hospital is where her family puts her. Permanently. But when scary paranormal things come out to stalk the residents, she starts hunting. Charon is an Ancient, a vampire who must drink human blood. His role as a Hunter makes him, and his fellow Hunters, the equivalent of the paranormal Special Forces. He spends his days sleeping and his nights hunting the things that lurk in the darkness. When Aislinn ends up in Charon’s world, it’s not something either of them wants. But sometimes, what you think you want and what you need are two totally different things. Views: 23
After parting ways with her troubled mermaid tribe, Luce just wants to live peacefully on her own. But her tranquility doesn’t last long: she receives news that the tribe is on the verge of collapse and desperately needs her leadership. Anais, the tribe’s cruel queen, wants Luce dead. Dorian, the boy Luce broke mermaid law to save, is determined to make her pay for her part in the murder of his family. And while the mermaids cling to the idea that humans never suspect their existence, there are suddenly ominous signs to the contrary. But when Luce and Dorian meet, they start to wonder if love can overpower the hatred they know they should feel for each other. Luce’s new friendship with an ancient renegade mermaid gives her hope that her kind might someday change its murderous ways. But how can Luce fulfill her rightful role as queen of the mermaids without sacrificing her forbidden romance with Dorian? Full of miraculous reunions and heart-pounding rescues, this haunting second installment in the Lost Voices trilogy finds Luce eager to attempt reconciliation with humans—as long as war doesn’t break out first. Views: 23
In 2008, just as Laura Roppé was poised to burst onto the music scene, her doctor called her with news that left her spinning—she had been diagnosed with an extremely aggressive form of breast cancer. Just days earlier, she had signed a dream-come-true contract with a record label; now, she wasn't even sure how much longer she had to live. Never one to back down to a challenge, however, Roppé gathered her courage, took stock of her priorities, and made a decision: Cancer may take my hair, she told herself, but that's all it's getting.More than a cancer journey, Rocking the Pink is a quirky, charming, and poignant ode to love, friendship, and music. Roppé is unflinchingly honest and unfailingly funny as she tells the story of her odyssey: from childhood dreamer and giddy valet parker to the Hollywood stars to disillusioned lawyer, wife, and mother; from budding songwriter and late-blooming recording artist to determined cancer... Views: 23
Former classmates Edward and Marianne, now fifty-five, have experienced a turbulent few years having lost contact with each other and suffered painful disruption to their home lives. Reunited again, this time through Twitter, they set about a search for personal fulfilment, but once again there are obstacles in the way – not least in the form of twice-widowed Jessica, Edward's neighbour, who threatens to destroy their pursuit of happiness and whose behaviour has alarming consequences. The extraordinary weather conditions prompt Edward and a former colleague to resurrect an idea for a documentary series that sets to challenge consumerist lifestyles. The Isles of Scilly become a model for sustainability and a filming trip to the islands provides an idyllic backdrop to the unfolding romantic tensions. Set in 2012, the year of the London Olympics, the action alternates between Broadclyst and Beckenham and examines the difficult issues faced in committing to a new relationship... Views: 23
A rugged photojournalist dares a reclusive resort owner to bare her best-kept secrets in this sultry story of steamy desire from Donna Kauffman. Tiny, take-charge April Morgan is tougher than she looks, but after one long, smoldering gaze from new guest Jack Tango, she's buckling at the knees. The attraction is as sudden and pounding as a tropical storm, and just as inescapable. But after one night together, April fears the walls that have kept her safe don't stand a chance. Jack arrives at Mexico's sunny beaches bleary eyed and burned out--but April changes all that in an instant. Though the petite powerhouse runs a tight ship, Jack's instincts tell him she doesn't trust easily. A man accustomed to going after what he wants, Jack will do whatever it takes to show April he wants much more than a fleeting romance--even if it means forcing her to confront her demons and risk her heart. Includes a special message from the editor, as well as... Views: 23
Hard times are coming and most people can't or won't see it , but a few in rural East Texas do see it and have the ability to build for the survival of themselves and the future of not just their area but in the the entire Nation. Views: 23
