In the year 2040, the governments of Earth make a decision that will change the course of human history forever: they send a team to Mars for extensive exploration.

The Mars Explorers, however, are meant to serve as little more than a distraction as the industry moguls behind the world governments' work to find a solution for the food shortages and economic struggles that plague the planet. Their real solution is much darker-an engineered disease with a limited number of antidotes available. In other words: population reduction.

What does the future hold for these intrepid pioneers...

"Human Trials" found the human race scurrying to Mars and facing horrible trials in the wake of extreme overpopulation. In its sequel, "Human Expansion," humankind has not only survived but is also once again thriving, thanks in large part to a series of interconnected rings that allow instantaneous travel between worlds and systems. Dozens of planets are now inhabited, with the "Core" systems containing the most wealthy and influential populations.

The Exploration Service searches for remnants of the race that built the rings. When a trader named Jown discloses to them a deserted alien...

"Human Heritage" is the third book in the fascinating science fiction series by Steve Holgate that imagines the fate of humanity in the distant future.

The story finds life in the Rings continuing on, blissfully unaware that the most influential system governments are actively suppressing all knowledge of the recent war with the Consumers, an alien race called the Flock, and any evidence that humans came from planets called Earth and Mars.

Ali Timori is just as deceived as the rest, until the historian receives a report on an artifact he'd analyzed and knows it's been falsified to...