Elizabeth Moon

In the sequel to Once a Hero and Rules of Engagement, as Fleet is threatened by mutiny, class conflict, and power struggles, Esmay Suiza-Serrano finds herself uncermoniously dismissed from Fleet and hurtled into the midst of warfare that threatens all galactic civilization. Reprint.

THEIR UNIVERSE IS FALLING APART!Rejuvenants fear the backlash caused by bad drugs; they want to ensure that nothing interferes with their pursuit of long life -- or the profit that comes from promising it to others. Neighbor states fear the aggressive expansion of the Familias Regnant, fuelled by population growth and extended lifespan. Within the Regular Space Service, those who have received experimental rejuvenations fear they may have been given bad drugs on purpose. Esmay Suiza's family fears that her marriage to an offworlder will damage their position. Barin Serrano's family fears that his marriage to a Landbride of Altiplano will damage his career and their reputation.Fear begets violent reactions -- from foreign governments, from great Families determined to maintain or increase their power, from internal rivalries in the Fleet -- and nothing escapes the resultant bloodbath unscathed. As Esmay and Barin struggle to reconcile their families, others have more cosmic struggles to win.

Nebula Award–winning author Elizabeth Moon makes a triumphant return to science fiction with a thrilling series featuring Kylara Vatta, the daring hero of her acclaimed Vatta’s War sequence. Summoned to the home planet of her family’s business empire, space-fleet commander Kylara Vatta is told to expect a hero’s welcome. But instead she is thrown into danger unlike any other she has faced and finds herself isolated, unable to communicate with the outside world, commanding a motley group of unfamiliar troops, and struggling day by day to survive in a deadly environment with sabotaged gear. Only her undeniable talent for command can give her ragtag band a fighting chance. Yet even as Ky leads her team from one crisis to another, her family and friends refuse to give up hope, endeavoring to mount a rescue from halfway around the planet—a task that is complicated as Ky and her supporters find secrets others will kill to protect: a conspiracy infecting both government and military that threatens not only her own group’s survival but her entire home planet.

With the Vatta's War series, award-winning author Elizabeth Moon has claimed a place alongside such preeminent writers of military science fiction as David Weber and Lois McMaster Bujold. Now Moon is back and so is her butt-kicking, take-no-prisoners heroine, Kylara Vatta. Once the black-sheep scion of a prosperous merchant family, Kylara now leads a motley space force dedicated to the defeat of a rapacious pirate empire led by the mysterious Gammis Turek. After orchestrating a galaxy-wide failure of the communications network owned and maintained by the powerful ISC corporation, Turek and his marauders strike swiftly and without mercy. First they shatter Vatta Transport. Then they overrun entire star systems, growing stronger and bolder. No one is safe from the pirate fleet. But while they continue to move forward with their diabolical plan, they have made two critical mistakes.Their first mistake was killing Kylara Vatta's family.Their second mistake was leaving her alive.Now Kylara is going to make them pay.But with a fleet consisting of only three ships including her flagship, the Vanguard, a souped-up merchant cruiser Kylara needs allies, and fast. Because even though she possesses the same coveted communication technology as the enemy, she has nowhere near their numbers or firepower.Meanwhile, as Kylara's cousin Stella tries to bring together the shattered pieces of the family trading empire, new treachery is unfolding at ISC headquarters, where undercover agent Rafael Dunbarger, estranged son of the corporation's CEO, is trying to learn why the damaged network is not being repaired. What he discovers will send shock waves across the galaxy and crashing into Kylara's newly christened Space Defense Force at the worst possible moment.

Elizabeth Moon, the New York Times bestselling author of the celebrated Deed of Paksenarrion and Paladin's Legacy epic fantasy series, presents Deeds of Honor, a brand new collection of short stories set in the world of Paksenarrion. With two exclusive, never-before-published stories featuring characters from the Paladin's Legacy series, Deeds of Honor gathers together lore and legends from Paksenarrion’s world, along with tales from the Paladin’s Legacy era, all revised and updated for this special compilation. Rich with the vivid and immersive storytelling for which Elizabeth Moon is known, the eight short stories in Deeds of Honor—collected here for the first time, with all-new author notes—are certain to please any fan of the Paksenarrion saga. Deeds of Tales of Paksenarrion’s World “Point of Honor” – “Falk's Oath” – “Cross Purposes” – “Torre's Ride” – “A Parrion of Cooking” – “Vardan's Tale” – “Those Who Walk in Darkness” – “The Last Lesson”

Paks leaves the Duke's company to follow the path of Gird alone, and on her lonely quests encounters the other sentient races of her world. Paksenarrion must seek the fabled stronghold of Luap far to the west. The way is long, the dangers many -- and none can say whether glory or ruin awaits.

In the wake of a series of assassinations that have left her parents dead and their shipping empire in ruins, Kylara Vatta, the unorthodox renegade heir to Vatta Transport, Ltd., one of the galaxy's wealthiest merchant houses, sets out to avenge their death.

Kylara Vatta has had to leave a glowing future as a military cadet far behind, and now carves out a living in the brutal cut-throat world of interplanetary trading. Her chosen way of life is tough but rewarding and she thinks she is more than capable of holding her own. That is, until a threat emerges that nobody could have forseen . . . 'Continues to get better with every volume . . . roll on the next one' Guardian

Heris Serrano was an officer from a family with a long tradition of distinguished service in the Fleet. So when a treacherous superior set her up and forced her to resign her commission, she thought life had lost all meaning. But she still needed to pay the bills—which was how she ended up as "Captain" of a rich old lady's interstellar luxury yacht, the Sweet Delight, which just added insult to injury ... or so she thought. But Cecelia, the rich and exceedingly well-born old lady, turned out to have more brains than most admirals Heris had known, and when the pair ran into a secret society whose idea of "fun" was hunting and killing people, they quickly put a stop to that blood sport. But that was only the beginning. The heir to the throne himself was involved with the society, and Heris soon uncovered a plot against the royal family and a conspiracy within the Fleet itself. And whoever controlled the Fleet controlled the galaxy . . . Before it was all over, Heris would be given a chance to rejoin her beloved space navy ... if she could manage to stop an invading armada with only one destroyer, two PT boats, one ore scow, and—oh, yes—an old lady's space yacht Sweet Delight. Impossible Not for Heris Serrano. Publisher's Note: Heris Serrano has been previously published in parts as Hunting Party, Sporting Chance and Winning Colors. This is the first publication of the trilogy in one volume.

Heris Serrano--formerly a commander in the Regular Space Service--must take whatever job she can get after her resignation under a cloud. What she can get is the captaincy of a rich old lady's space yacht...a rich old horsewoman, who has little liking for the military, and whose spoiled nephew Ronnie (and his equally spoiled friends) have been foisted on her after his folly embarrassed the family. Lady Cecelia's only apparent interest is horses--she intends to go fox hunting on the private pleasure planet of a friend of hers, Lord Thornbuckle. But events conspire to make it far more than a fox hunt.

In this new military sci-fi thriller from the author of Cold Welcome, space fleet commander Kylara Vatta uncovers deadly secrets on her latest mission--shedding light on her own family's past. As Admiral Kylara Vatta learned after she and a shipfull of strangers were marooned on an inhospitable arctic island, the secrets she and her makeshift crew uncovered were ones someone was ready to kill to keep hidden. Now, the existence of the mysterious arctic base has been uncovered, but much of the organization behind it still lurks in the shadows. And it is up to the intrepid Ky to force the perpetrators into the light, and finally uncover decades worth of secrets--some of which lie at the very heart of her biggest family tragedy.

During the war, Gird took in a refugee who soon became known as "Gird's luap" (luap being the word for assistant, or an army officer who was not in the chain of command.) Luap, as he was finally called, was in fact the bastard son of a former king. Though he had been cast aside when his father sired a legitimate heir, Luap believed that he had inherited the ability to rule...if not his father's kingdom, then one of his own, somewhere. But his essential dishonesty, his inability to face the truth about himself, doomed him and his followers, and set the Fellowship of Gird on a path very different from that Gird would have chosen.

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. In short order, most of Ky's family is killed, and subsequent attacks sever vital lines of communication, leaving Ky fighting, in every sense, to survive. Ky is determined to identify the ruthless mystery enemy and avenge her family's name, but she needs not only firepower but information. And she gets both in spades—from the band of stranded mercenaries she hooks up with; from her black-sheep cousin, Stella, who has been leading a secret life; and from Stella's roguish ex-lover, Rafe. Together they struggle to penetrate the tangled web of political intrigue that is wreaking havoc within InterStellar Communications, on whose effective operation their own livelihoods—and perhaps lives—depend. But the infighting proves to be infectious, and it isn't long before Ky's hired military muscle are turning their suspicions on the enigmatic Rafe, whose wealth of knowledge about ISC's clashing factions and startling new technologies has begun to make him smell like a rat...or a mole. With swift, violent destruction a very real possibility, the last thing Ky needs is a crew divided against itself—and she's prepared to take whatever measures are necessary to ensure that Vatta stays in business, as well as in one piece. What she is not prepared for is the shocking truth behind the terror—and a confrontation with murderous treachery from a source as unexpected as it is unrelenting.

Kylara Vatta, risk-taking, rule-breaking, can-do heroine of Trading in Danger, is back in business–the kind that’s anything but usual–in the new military science fiction adventure by ace action storyteller Elizabeth Moon.The exciting military career she hoped for never got off the ground–but 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. To be exact, someone unknown has launched a full-throttle offensive against Vatta Transport Ltd., Ky’s father’s interstellar shipping empire. In short order, most of Ky’s family is killed, and subsequent attacks sever vital lines of communication, leaving Ky fighting, in every sense, to survive.Determined to identify the ruthless mystery enemy and avenge her family’s name, Ky needs not only firepower but information. And she gets both in spades–from the band of stranded mercenaries she hooks up with, from her black-sheep cousin, Stella, who’s been leading a secret life, and from Stella’s roguish ex-lover, Rafe. Together they struggle to penetrate the tangled web of political intrigue that’s wreaking havoc within InterStellar Communications, whose effective operation their own livelihoods–and perhaps lives–depend on.But the infighting proves to be infectious, and it isn’t long before Ky’s hired military muscle are turning their suspicions on the enigmatic Rafe, whose wealth of knowledge about ISC’s clashing factions and startling new technologies has begun to make him smell like a rat . . . or a mole. With swift, violent destruction a very real possibility, the last thing Ky needs is a crew divided against itself–and she’s prepared to take whatever measures are necessary to ensure that Vatta stays in business, as well as in one piece.What she’s not prepared for is the shocking truth behind the terror– and a confrontation with murderous treachery from a source as unexpected as it is unrelenting.From the Hardcover edition.

Elizabeth Moon is known best for her Vatta Series, fast paced, intricate novels of interstellar mercantilism. Moon Flight is a collection of over 100,000 words of fiction, Short stories both from the two previous published collections, as well as from uncollected short fiction, the best of work from the breadth of her 15+ year career, and a brand new story set in the Vatta universe. Her fiction spans the gamut from military science fiction to cutting edge stories biotechnology, to heartfelt examinations of politics and social issues. Contents: Introduction (Moon Flights) (2007) • essay by Anne McCaffrey If Nudity Offends You (1988) / short story by Elizabeth Moon Gifts [Paksenarrion Universe] (2004) / novelette by Elizabeth Moon Politics (1990) / novelette by Elizabeth Moon And Ladies of the Club [Ladies' Aid & Armor Society • 1] (1995) / short story by Elizabeth Moon Accidents Don't Just Happen - They're Caused (1996) / novelette by Elizabeth Moon New World Symphony (1989) / novelette by Elizabeth Moon No Pain, No Gain [Ladies' Aid & Armor Society • 2] (1998) / short story by Elizabeth Moon Tradition (1998) / novelette by Elizabeth Moon Fool's Gold [Ladies' Aid & Armor Society • 3] (1999) / short story by Elizabeth Moon Judgment (2003) / novella by Elizabeth Moon Gravesite Revisited (1988) / short story by Elizabeth Moon Sweet Charity [Ladies' Aid & Armor Society • 4] (2000) / novelette by Elizabeth Moon Welcome to Wheel Days (1989) / novelette by Elizabeth Moon Say Cheese [Vatta's War] (2007) / short story by Elizabeth Moon Fencing In (1993) / short fiction by Elizabeth Moon .

UK Title Kylara Vatta is the only daughter in a family full of sons, and her father’s only child to buck tradition by choosing a military career instead of joining the family business. For Ky, it’s no contest: Even running the prestigious Vatta Transport Ltd. shipping concern can’t hold a candle to shipping out as an officer aboard an interstellar cruiser. It’s adventure, not commerce, that stirs her soul. And despite her family’s misgivings, there can be no doubt that a Vatta in the service will prove a valuable asset. But with a single error in judgment, it all comes crumbling down.Expelled from the Academy in disgrace–and returning home to her humiliated family, a storm of high-profile media coverage, and the gaping void of her own future–Ky is ready to face the inevitable onslaught of anger, disappointment, even pity. But soon after opportunity’s door slams shut, Ky finds herself with a ticket to ride– and a shot at redemption–as captain of a Vatta Transport ship.It’s a simple assignment: escorting one of the Vatta fleet’s oldest ships on its final voyage . . . to the scrapyard. But keeping it simple has never been Ky’s style. And even though her father has provided a crew of seasoned veterans to baby-sit the fledgling captain on her maiden milk run, they can’t stop Ky from turning the routine mission into a risky venture–in the name of turning a profit for Vatta Transport, of course.By snapping up a lucrative delivery contract defaulted on by a rival company, and using part of the proceeds to upgrade her condemned vehicle, Ky aims to prove she’s got more going for her than just her family’s famous name. But business will soon have to take a backseat to bravery, when Ky’s change of plans sails her and the crew straight into the middle of a colonial war. For all her commercial savvy, it’s her military training and born-soldier’s instincts that Ky will need to call on in the face of deadly combat, dangerous mercenaries, and violent mutiny. . . .

Elizabeth Moon’s bestselling science fiction novels featuring Kylara Vatta have earned her rave reviews and comparison to such giants as Robert Heinlein and Lois McMaster Bujold. But as Moon’s devoted fans know, she started her career as a fantasy writer. The superb trilogy known as The Deed of Paksenarrion is widely judged to be one of the great post-Tolkien fantasies, a masterpiece of sustained world-building and realistic military action. Now Moon returns to this thrilling realm for the first time in nearly twenty years. The result: another classic in the making.Thanks to Paks’s courage and sacrifice, the long-vanished heir to the half-elven kingdom of Lyonya has been revealed as Kieri Phelan, a formidable mercenary captain who earned a title and enemies in the neighboring kingdom of Tsaia. Now, as Kieri ascends a throne he never sought, he must come to terms with his own half-elven heritage while protecting his new kingdom from his old enemies and those he has not yet discovered.Meanwhile, in Tsaia, Prince Mikeli prepares for his own coronation. But when an assassination attempt nearly succeeds, Mikeli suddenly faces the threat of a coup. Acting swiftly, Mikeli strikes at the powerful family behind the attack: the Verrakaien, magelords possessing ancient sorcery, steeped in death and evil. Mikeli’s survival and that of Tsaia depend on the only Verrakai whose magery is not tainted with innocent blood.   Two kings stand at a pivotal point in the history of their worlds. For dark forces are gathering against them, knit in a secret conspiracy more sinister and far more ancient than they can imagine. And even Paks may find her gods-given magic and peerless fighting skills stretched to the limit and beyond. 

Paks the warrior must learn to live with Paks the human. She undertakes a holy quest for a lost elven prince that brings the gods' wrath down on her and tests her very limits. Oath of Gold is the climactic final volume of the epic that Judith Tarr calls "the first work of high heroic fantasy I've seen that has taken the work of Tolkien, assimilated it totally and deeply and absolutely, and produced something altogether new and yet incontestably based on the master... [Moon's] military knowledge is impressive, her picture of life in a mercenary company most convincing. I'm deeply impressed."

When Esmay Suiza found herself in the middle of a space battle, the senior surviving officer, she had no choice but to take command and win. She didn't want to be a hero, but Once A Hero....

The best of Elizabeth Moon, author of the critically-praised and Hugo-nominated Remnant Population. There's nothing inconstant about this Moon; a fact that shines forth brightly in all her Phases. Contents: Bargains -- ABCs in Zero G -- A delicate adjustment -- Too wet to plow -- Gut feelings -- The generic rejuvenation of Milo Ardry -- New World Symphony -- Just another day at the weather service -- Politics -- In suspect terrain -- The happy frog -- Horse of her dreams -- Knight of other days -- Aura -- Those who walk in darkness.

Nota: prima parte di "Rules of Engagement", la seconda è in Ponte di comando - seconda parte Nella galassia tutto è affidato all'aristocratico mondo delle Famiglie: sono loro a dominare i traffici spaziali e loro a dettare regole precise per la guerra, il potere, il sesso, l'amicizia. In questo universo dai codici infrangibili (o presunti tali) vivono Esmay Suiza (che i nostri lettori hanno già conosciuto) e la sua amica Brun Meager. Ma la galassia non è un sistema pacifico e la guerra è in agguato. C'è per esempio una setta militare-religiosa che trama rapimenti e Brun si troverà esposta a un rischio terribile. Copertina di Franco Brambilla

For forty years, Colony 3245.12 has been Ofelia’s home. On this planet far away in space and time from the world of her youth, she has lived and loved, weathered the death of her husband, raised her one surviving child, lovingly tended her garden, and grown placidly old. And it is here that she fully expects to finish out her days–until the shifting corporate fortunes of the Sims Bancorp Company dictates that Colony 3245.12 is to be disbanded, its residents shipped off, deep in cryo-sleep, to somewhere new and strange and not of their choosing. But while her fellow colonists grudgingly anticipate a difficult readjustment on some distant world, Ofelia savors the promise of a golden opportunity. Not starting over in the hurly-burly of a new community... but closing out her life in blissful solitude, in the place she has no intention of leaving. A population of one. With everything she needs to sustain her, and her independent spirit to buoy her, Ofelia actually does start life over–for the first time on her own terms: free of the demands, the judgments, and the petty tyrannies of others. But when a reconnaissance ship returns to her idyllic domain, and its crew is mysteriously slaughtered, Ofelia realizes she is not the sole inhabitant of her paradise after all. And, when the inevitable time of first contact finally arrives, she will find her life changed yet again–in ways she could never have imagined...

Esmay Suiza, one of Fleet's most gifted young officers, and Brun Meager, daughter of the Speaker of the Grand Council, have a lot in common - they're both bright, brave, likeable and adventurous. But far from becoming the best of friends, a string of misunderstandings leads to a very public argument, and their enmity is soon the talk of Copper Mountain training base. When Brun falls into the hands of a fanatical religious militia movement Esmay finds herself in disgrace, suspected of conniving in Brun's abduction. Far from hating her, however, Esmay understands Brun better than anyone else, and knows that she has the best chance of coming up with a plan to save her. But will anyone in Fleet listen long enough to give her a second chance? RULES OF ENGAGEMENT is the fifth volume of The Serrano Legacy, an action-packed science fiction series from this highly acclaimed author. More information on this book and others can be found on the Orbit website at www.orbitbooks.co.uk

Paksenarrion — Paks for short — is somebody special. She knows it, even if nobody else does yet. No way will she follow her father's orders to marry the pig farmer down the road. She's off to join the army, even if it means she can never see her family again. And so her adventure begins... the adventure that transforms her into a hero remembered in songs, chosen by the gods to restore a lost ruler to his throne. Here is her tale as she lived it. Paks is trained as a mercenary, blooded, and introduced to the life of a soldier . . . and to the followers of Gird, the soldier's god.

In their last adventure, Hunting Party, Captain Heris Serrano and her employer, Lady Cecelia, had just triumphed over a heinous cabal that used human beings as prey. Now it turns out that one of the hunters was Prince Gerel, first in line to the throne. The prince, proclaiming his innocence, is spirited home by Captain Serrano and Lady Cecelia, but soon a foul plot is afoot.

Paksenarrion could never have fulfilled her destiny had it not been for one who came before. Gird, the peasant, the armsman, the Liberator who taught his people that they could fight - and win - against oppression. This is his story, the first of two prequels to the "Deed of Paksenarrion" trilogy.

The Deed of Paksenarrion revolves around the life of Paksenarrion Dorthansdotter, known as Paks. It takes place in a fictional medieval world comprised of kingdoms of humans, dwarves, and elves. The story begins by introducing Paks as a headstrong girl of 18, who leaves her home (fleeing a marriage arranged by her father) to join a mercenary company. Through her journeys and hardships she comes to realize that she has been gifted as a paladin. The novel was originally published in three volumes in 1988 and 1989 and as a single trade edition of that name in 1992. The three books included are The Sheepfarmer's Daughter, Divided Allegiance and Oath of Gold. From publisher Baen: "Paksenarrion, a simple sheepfarmer's daughter, yearns for a life of adventure and glory, such as was known to heroes in songs and story. At age seventeen she runs away from home to join a mercenary company and begins her epic life . . . Book One: Paks is trained as a mercenary, blooded, and introduced to the life of a soldier . . . and to the followers of Gird, the soldier's god. Book Two: Paks leaves the Duke's company to follow the path of Gird alone—and on her lonely quests encounters the other sentient races of her world. Book Three: Paks the warrior must learn to live with Paks the human. She undertakes a holy quest for a lost elven prince that brings the gods' wrath down on her and tests her very limits."

BY THE AUTHOR OF THE DEED OF PAKSENARRIONPaksenarrion was the finest paladin her world would ever see. But Paksenarrion could never have become a fighter at all had it not been for he who had come before: Gird, the liberator, who taught his people that they could fight—and win—against their Mage-Born rulers.And after Gird came one more: Luap, Gird's sworn follower and the king's half-breed bastard. Riven by internal conflict, Luap dare not lie and cannot tell the truth, nor face the future.At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).

Defend the Fleet!Esmay is a young woman caught between the patriarchal culture of her home world, where she is the scion of a powerful family—yet still a second-class citizen—and her chosen profession as an officer of the Fleet, where only ability counts. Esmay's task To gain control of her easily-offended temperament and to show the galaxy that a woman's place is in command!Contains Once a Hero and Rules of Engagement, two dazzling high notes in Nebula-Award-winner Elizabeth Moon's intricate and exciting "Serrano" saga!At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management)."[T]he stuff of riveting fiction . . . resplendent." —Booklist on Elizabeth Moon's Once a Hero.Elizabeth Moon has degrees in history and biology, served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, was elected to public office, and spent six years as a paramedic on a rural Texas ambulance service. Her much acclaimed novels include The Deed of Paksenarrion, an epic fantasy, the "Heris Serrano" series; and two nationally bestselling collaborations with Anne McCaffrey, Sassinak and Generation Warriors. Her recent novel Remnant Population was acclaimed by Anne McCaffrey (". . . marvelously empathic insights . . . pure satisfaction . . .") and Ursula K. LeGuin (". . . a book full of pleasures.") and was a Hugo Award finalist. Her last novel was Change of Command, to which Against the Odds is a sequel. Moon lives outside of Austin, Texas with her husband and their son.

CHANGE OF COMMAND: The Speaker of the Grand Council has been assassinated, and battle lines are quickly drawn. Factions include Families keen to control the new political order, and neighbouring states preparing to defend themselves. Even Fleet can no longer be depended on to keep the peace. Young Fleet officers Esmay and Barin want simply to marry. But Barin is a Serrano, the most influential of Fleet families, and Esmay is Landbride of the planet Altiplano. Their elders see only disaster in the match. And as Esmay and Barin struggle to reconcile their families, their very way of life is threatened. AGAINST THE ODDS: The worst has happened and Fleet is tearing itself apart. Some mutineers see injustice in the unequal spread of rejuvenation drugs offering virtual immortality to the rich; others are simply thirsty for power, or for blood. And when Esmay Suiza-Serrano is unceremoniously booted out of Fleet, the apparent victim of Family politics, she has no idea of the whirlwind of conflict that awaits ...

In the near future, disease will be a condition of the past. Most genetic defects will be removed at birth; the remaining during infancy. Unfortunately, there will be a generation left behind. For members of that missed generation, small advances will be made. Through various programs, they will be taught to get along in the world despite their differences. They will be made active and contributing members of society. But they will never be normal. Lou Arrendale is a member of that lost generation, born at the wrong time to reap the awards of medical science. Part of a small group of high-functioning autistic adults, he has a steady job with a pharmaceutical company, a car, friends, and a passion for fencing. Aside from his annual visits to his counselor, he lives a low-key, independent life. He has learned to shake hands and make eye contact. He has taught himself to use “please” and “thank you” and other conventions of conversation because he knows it makes others comfortable. He does his best to be as normal as possible and not to draw attention to himself. But then his quiet life comes under attack. It starts with an experimental treatment that will reverse the effects of autism in adults. With this treatment Lou would think and act and be just like everyone else. But if he was suddenly free of autism, would he still be himself? Would he still love the same classical music–with its complications and resolutions? Would he still see the same colors and patterns in the world–shades and hues that others cannot see? Most importantly, would he still love Marjory, a woman who may never be able to reciprocate his feelings? Would it be easier for her to return the love of a “normal”? There are intense pressures coming from the world around him–including an angry supervisor who wants to cut costs by sacrificing the supports necessary to employ autistic workers. Perhaps even more disturbing are the barrage of questions within himself. For Lou must decide if he should submit to a surgery that might completely change the way he views the world . . . and the very essence of who he is. Thoughtful, provocative, poignant, unforgettable, The Speed of Dark is a gripping exploration into the mind of an autistic person as he struggles with profound questions of humanity and matters of the heart. From the Hardcover edition.

Thoughtful, provocative, poignant, unforgettable, The Speed of Dark is a gripping journey into the mind of an autistic person as he struggles with profound questions of humanity and matters of the heart.   In the near future, disease will be a condition of the past. Most genetic defects will be removed at birth; the remaining during infancy. Lou Arrendale, a high-functioning autistic adult, is a member of the lost generation, born at the wrong time to reap the rewards of medical science. He lives a low-key, independent life. But then he is offered a chance to try a brand-new experimental “cure” for his condition. With this treatment Lou would think and act and be just like everyone else. But if he was suddenly free of autism, would he still be himself? Would he still love the same classical music—with its complications and resolutions? Would he still see the same colors and patterns in the world—shades and hues that others cannot see? Most important, would he still love Marjory, a woman who may never be able to reciprocate his feelings? Now Lou must decide if he should submit to a surgery that might completely change the way he views the world . . . and the very essence of who he is.Tenth anniversary edition • With a new Introduction by the author   Praise for The Speed of Dark   “Splendid and graceful . . . A lot of novels promise to change the way a reader sees the world; The Speed of Dark actually does.”—The Washington Post Book World   “[A] beautiful and moving story . . . [Elizabeth] Moon is the mother of an autistic teenager and her love is apparent in the story of Lou. He makes a deep and lasting impact on the reader while showing a different way of looking at the world.”—The Denver Post   “Every once in a while, you come across a book that is both an important literary achievement and a completely and utterly absorbing reading experience—a book with provocative ideas and an equally compelling story. Such a book is The Speed of Dark.”—Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel   “A remarkable journey [that] takes us into the mind of an autistic with a terrible become normal or remain an alien on his own planet.”—Mary Doria Russell, author of The Sparrow   “A powerful portrait . . . an engaging journey into the dark edges that define the self.”—The Seattle Times

Kylara Vatta is the only daughter in a family full of sons, and her father's only child to buck tradition by choosing a military career instead of joining the family business. For Ky, it's no contest: Even running the prestigious Vatta Transport Ltd. shipping concern can't hold a candle to shipping out as an officer aboard an interstellar cruiser. It's adventure, not commerce, that stirs her soul. And despite her family's misgivings, there can be no doubt that a Vatta in the service will prove a valuable asset. But with a single error in judgment, it all comes crumbling down. Expelled from the Academy in disgrace—and returning home to her humiliated family, a storm of high-profile media coverage, and the gaping void of her own future—Ky is ready to face the inevitable onslaught of anger, disappointment, even pity. But soon after opportunity's door slams shut, Ky finds herself with a ticket to ride—and a shot at redemption—as captain of a Vatta Transport ship. It's a simple assignment: escorting one of the Vatta fleet's oldest ships on its final voyage . . . to the scrapyard. But keeping it simple has never been Ky's style. And even though her father has provided a crew of seasoned veterans to baby-sit the fledgling captain on her maiden milk run, they can't stop Ky from turning the routine mission into a risky venture—in the name of turning a profit for Vatta Transport, of course. By snapping up a lucrative delivery contract defaulted on by a rival company, and using part of the proceeds to upgrade her condemned vehicle, Ky aims to prove she's got more going for her than just her family's famous name. But business will soon have to take a backseat to bravery, when Ky's change of plans sails her and the crew straight into the middle of a colonial war. For all her commercial savvy, it's her military training and born-soldier's instincts that Ky will need to call on in the face of deadly combat, dangerous mercenaries, and violent mutiny. . . .

A vast and hostile force is attacking prosperous trade centres, destroying their space fleets then moving on, leaving death and chaos in their wake. Admiral Ky Vatta’s family was decimated by one such attack and Turek, the pirate force’s leader, will not escape her vengeance.Ky has a loyal taskforce, but the enemy have three times the ships and the firepower to match. She must offset these advantages with her knowledge of military strategy and her ace: superior ansible technology, facilitating fast and accurate in-space intelligence.The alternative to victory is unthinkable - devastation of interplanetary trading networks on a galaxy-wide scale - and the end of a way of life.

Heris Serrano thought her life was over when a treacherous superior officer forced her to resign from the Regular Space Service - the only life she had ever known, or ever wanted. But captaining a rich old lady's interstellar yacht has proved more exciting - and fulfilling - than she could ever have imagined. Having rescued some former Fleet friends and colleagues betrayed by the same officer who forced her resignation, and foiled a plot to poison the heir to the throne, Heris has at last been offered a chance for vindication and reinstatement in her beloved Fleet - and reconciliation with the family she thought had abandoned her. But it means standing alone against the military might of the Benignity, an interstellar criminal cartel more colloquially known as the Compassionate Hand. With only a few small ships and the space yacht Sweet Delight she must stop an invading fleet dead in its tracks ...