Edward Chase Morgan, NASA's accident investigator at Lunar Alpha Base, plans an uneventful retirement-until the crash of the Stellarfare Phoenix kills the United States Secretary of Energy and turns Chase's last case into a fight to avert war. Evidence of deliberate sabotage and Chinese government involvement suggest that this is the first in a series of political moves designed to undermine America's interplanetary clout. Events escalate as both sides break decades-old treaties. But when Chase learns that someone fabricated the evidence, he suspects conspiracy. Now he must find proof before...

Kelly Baker's life on space station Venus Rain is far from perfect. Her father has deserted the family, her mother labors full-time on the planet surface, and Kelly is forced to raise her young brother practically by herself, while she's still in college. She tells herself things could be worse, but she has no idea. When Chinese militants hijack the space station and seize control of the terraforming project, they abandon Kelly's mother on Venus's deadly surface. Kelly's brother goes missing. And a European spy gambles with the lives of Kelly and her family in his effort to oppose the...

This colorfully illustrated tale features a wise old praying mantis and a hungry spider determined to catch her next meal. On the way to its surprise ending, kids can learn - what roles different insects play in nature - how problem solving can work, and - how greed can bring about negative consequences. As they absorb the lessons of this delightful story, children can have fun searching for aphids and watching ants at work.

The great seer Ageus Mortaan foretold the coming of the Age of Darkness, the rise to power of the forces of evil, and the extermination of the civilized races: humans, elves, and dwarves. For Nick Mirrin, a farm boy from the rural kingdom of Meuribar, this prophecy had never been more than a fairytale--until the minions of darkness attacked his family and destroyed his home... and until the preconditions foretold by Mortaan began to coalesce. Nick's grandfather, on the other hand, had always believed. He had dedicated his life to the study of the Prophecy. But he's gone now. With nothing more...

War has come to Mercury. The fate of the worlds hangs in the balance. A squadron of Covert Armed Tactical Spacecraft and a contingent of ground forces arrive too late to avert disaster at Deep West base. Ravaged by China's orbital defenses, the American and European troops who survive long enough to land find themselves outmaneuvered and outgunned. They even face opposition from the locals, who blame the American forces for provoking the attacks. Amidst the chaos of the collapsed base, an invasion by Chinese troops, and repeated nuclear attacks by the Russians, facilities manager Zeke...