Best of
Space-Opera

2008

Miles in Love


Lois McMaster Bujold - 2008
    This collection shows Miles and Ekaterin meeting (Komarr), getting to know each other as Miles tries to court her (A Civil Campaign), and the wedding (Winterfair Gifts), and, of course, Miles dealing with assorted family relationships. Miles deals with political problems along the way plus recounts the loves of his life to Ekaterin. ...none of them would marry him; they all went on to lead successful lives--so unlike her life on Komarr. The last on his list was Rian: "And what does she do now?" ... "Now, She's an empress" ... "Can I take a number and get in line?" ... "The next number up", he breathed, "is one".Contents:Komarr: Miles Vorkosigan is sent to Komarr, a planet that could be a garden with a thousand more years of terraforming; or an uninhabitable wasteland, if the terraforming project fails. The solar mirror vital to the project has been shatteredby a ship hurtling off course, and Miles Vorkossigan has been sent to find out if it was an accident, or sabotage. Miles uncovers a plot that could exile him from Barrayar forever - and discovers an unexpected ally, one with wounds as deep and honor as beleaguered as his own.A Civil Campaign: On Komarr, Miles met the beautiful Vor widow Ekaterin Vorsoisson, who has no intention of getting married after the heartbreak and betrayal of her first experience. But Miles has a cunning plan to change her mind. Unfortunately his clone-brother Mark and his cousin Ivan have cunning plans of their own, and the three-way collision of cunning plans threatens to undo Miles' brilliant romantic strategy."Winterfair Gifts": Miles and Ekaterin make elaborate preparations for their wedding. But Miles has an enemy who is plotting to turn the romantic ceremony into a festival of death.

Beyond the Aquila Rift: The Best of Alastair Reynolds


Alastair Reynolds - 2008
    It features the very best stories from the ‘Revelation Space’ universe alongside thrilling hard science fiction stories, environmental SF tales and thought-provoking shorts. Table of Contents: • Great Wall of Mars • Weather • Beyond the Aquila Rift • Minla's Flowers • Zima Blue • Fury • The Star Surgeon's Apprentice • The Sledge-Maker's Daughter • Diamond Dogs • Thousandth Night • Troika • Sleepover • Vainglory • Trauma Pod • The Last Log of the Lachrymosa • The Water Thief • The Old Man and the Martian Sea • In Babelsberg • Story Notes

House of Suns


Alastair Reynolds - 2008
    But now, someone is eliminating the Gentian line. Campion and Purslane—two shatterlings who have fallen in love and shared forbidden experiences—must determine exactly who, or what, their enemy is, before they are wiped out of existence.

Spinward Fringe Broadcast 1: Resurrection


Randolph Lalonde - 2008
    Left on a strange ship in an unfamiliar sector of the galaxy, he's forced to begin a new life. Possessing a skill set that leads to bounty hunting and object repossession, he gathers a crew from the rough fringe of the galaxy.While he keeps the ship running and his crew paid Captain Jacob Valance continues his secret quest; to find the daughter who rescued him and left him to fend for himself. Years pass and he's earned a reputation as a man who can hunt down hardened criminals and go where others fear to tread.This book was updated in December of 2015 with extended content and corrections to the original text. If you already own this book, please request the updated version for free by contacting Kindle Customer Service.This is the end of a hunt, the continuation of an adventure that began in Spinward Fringe Broadcast 0: Origins and the beginning of an epic saga that reaches across the stars.You can find Spinward Fringe Broadcast 0: Origins here - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004...Praise for Resurrection:"An addictive series. Fantastic following to the First Light Chronicles, and just as full of adventure and twists. Great Sci-Fi.""...keeps on getting better and better. The twists blow me away.""This is something new in Space Opera. The characters are so real they're like family."Praise for Awakening"The story continues and get better all time. Do read the Omnibus first - it's worth it.""Characters transform before my eyes and the story is amazing. A good read for all ages that isn't dumbed down."Praise for other books by Randolph Lalonde:First Light Chronicles Omnibus: "Fantastic! The First Light Chronicles Omnibus edition is one of the most exciting books I have ever read."Spinward Fringe Broadcast 3: Triton: "I just couldn't put the books down. The characters are not just action heroes. There are others like engineers (close to my heart) that play a major part."

The Serrano Succession


Elizabeth Moon - 2008
    Even Fleet can no longer be depended on to keep the peace as family factions seek to control the new political order.

Misfits


Sharon Lee - 2008
    Before she was an acclaimed mercenary soldier with the Gyrfalks, she was "Redhead," a young recruit in Lizardi's Lunatics. Meanwhile, there was a weatherman, Ichliad Brunner. A weatherman's job is to observe and predict. What else can an honorable Liaden do, but his duty? A space-based Liaden meteorologist can only observe the trials of a mercenary troop abandoned in place during a world war fueled by hate and superstition. The young soldier who carries the station's weather equipment to the surface, is cheerful, bright, and going to die. The station commander isn't concerned because the data on weapons used to gas populations and destroy cities is priceless, while the soldiers below are only misfits. Misfits like Miri Robertson, who doesn't know quite when to give up. The framing story is set immediately after the novel "I Dare", and ties those early characters back into the main intentions/plot direction laid out at the end of "I Dare".

Freeground


Randolph Lalonde - 2008
    Large enough to support an entire civilization, one of the last free ports all alone in the dark, Freeground Station is about to come under siege. Able to fight off periodical assaults and attempted takeovers in the past, they are losing ground technologically, and with no nearby allies they find themselves resorting to the unorthodox to improve their situation. Jonas Valent, a former engineer with the Freeground Fleet has reduced his professional life as a trade and supply agent, a not so glorified port traffic director. In his spare time he and his friends engage in anonymous combat with anyone who opposes them in station wide simulations. Their success rate and original thinking have earned them the attention of Freeground Fleet Command who have plans for the unsuspecting anonymous team. This book is about how it all began for Jonas and his friends. How they came together and took their first steps out into the galaxy. This is the first installment in the First Light Chronicles Series and can also be found in the First Light Chronicles Omnibus.

The Gabble And Other Stories


Neal Asher - 2008
    No one does monsters better than Neal Asher, so be prepared to revisit the lives and lifestyles of such favourites as the gabbleduck and the hooder, to savour alien poisons, the walking dead, the Sea of Death, and the putrefactor symbiont. Through these stories, welcome to a universe of unbridled imagination, each one of them a delight in itself.Contents: Softly Spoke the Gabbleduck [Polity Universe] (2005) / novelette by Neal Asher Putrefactors [Polity Universe] (1999) / novelette by Neal Asher Garp and Geronamid [Polity Universe] (2005) / novelette by Neal Asher (variant of Garp & Geronamid) The Sea of Death [Polity Universe] (2001) / short story by Neal Asher Alien Archaeology [Polity Universe] (2007) / novella by Neal Asher Acephalous Dreams [Polity Universe] (2005) / novelette by Neal Asher Snow in the Desert [Polity Universe] (2002) / novelette by Neal Asher Choudapt [Polity Universe] (2000) / novelette by Neal Asher Adaptogenic [Polity Universe] (1994) / short story by Neal Asher The Gabble [Polity Universe] (2006) / novelette by Neal Asher.

Space Pirates


David Lee SummersDavid Boop - 2008
    Edited by David Lee Summers, editor of Tales of the Talisman, Space Pirates contains fifteen swashbuckling tales of pirates in space, by established and rising-star authors. The contents of this treasure chest of adventure include these swarthy tales of deep-space piracy: Eating Vacuum, by Robert E Vardeman: An asteroid miner matches wits with a desperate pirate who is short on oxygen. On the Even of the Last Great Ratings War, by David Boop: Genetically engineered animals battle humans for control of the space-borne airwaves. Adrift, by Carol Hightshoe: The Flying Dutchman legend takes to outer space. Bad Traveling, by Neal Asher: Pirates sailing the seas of a distant planet find their match in alien monsters of the deep. Carbon Copy, by Denielle Ackley-McPhail: Recently demoted Private Alexander suspects that one of the ships of the space fleet are bearing false colors. Space Pirate Cookies, by C.J. Henderson: Aliens are mocking humanity, and that means war. For a Job Well Done, by David Lee Summers: A ruthless pirate finds himself rescuing a victim of human trafficking on the planet Epsilon Indi 2. Lunacy by Anna Paradox: The moon is being taxed to death, and a teenage girl is caught in the middle.by a satellite laser weapon. The Claims Adjustor, by David B. Riley: An insurance claims adjustor from Mars wants to ferret out the pirates who are driving up the cost of shipping from Earth. Never Lie to Yourself, by Uncle River: When a young boy marooned in a space habitat disaster is rescued by bloodthirsty pirates, what exactly does he owe his rescuers? Star Wench, by Daniel M. Hoyt: Captain Beech of the HMSBounty IV must match his wits against a notorious pirate to save his spaceship's crew. Searching the Vastness of Space, by Alan L. Lickiss: Rory is a bureaucrat who believes he has discovered proof of interstellar piracy, but finds that pirates are not always what they seem. Captain Barti Ddu, by M.H. Bonham: Morgan Roberts' life is saved during an attack by Atolian Pirates.by an Eighteenth Century Buccaneer. Earth-Saturn Transit, by W.A. Hoffman: Pirates in deep space are bound by debilitating circuits in their heads, but where there are pirates, there will be mutineers. Ship's Daughter, by Pamela D. Lloyd and Karl Grotegut: A pirate's daughter must prove herself to the rest of the crew, without losing her humanity.

Winning Colors, Part 2


Elizabeth Moon - 2008
    But once again she manages to put herself and Heris Serrano at the point where lightning will strike. This time it's invasion from the neighboring empire: The Benignity of the Compassionate Hand. Heris is only a civilian now, with a space yacht what can she do in the face of a full-scale fleet of warships? But she is also a Serrano born to lead. In GraphicAudio...A Movie in Your Mind with Full Cast, Narration, Cinematic Music and Sound Effects. GraphicAudio sets the gold standard for full-cast dramatizations, and new listeners will become instant fans. - Audiofile Magazine

Star Wars: Legacy of the Force, Volume 1 (Star Wars: Legacy of the Force, #1-4)


Aaron Allston - 2008
    The first four installments of the Star Wars: Legacy of Force series

Star Wars: Legacy of the Force, Volume 2 (Star Wars: Legacy of the Force, #5-8)


Aaron Allston - 2008
    The second four installments of the Star Wars: Legacy of Force series

Spinward Fringe Broadcast 0: Origins


Randolph Lalonde - 2008
    He is employed by Freeground station as a port traffic controller, a job he took after completing a tour in the military. His only real joy in life is his participation in true-to-life military simulations with a cadre of friends who come together regularly to defeat challenges made to test the brightest military cadets and officers alike. These restricted scenarios stand as an addictive preoccupation that is so enticing that they ignore the potential repercussions of breaking in to participate. When someone betrays their identities to the Freeground Fleet Admiralty, Jonas and his friends are faced with a far greater challenge: to venture out into the more populated regions of the galaxy to acquire technology and knowledge. They are tasked with laying the groundwork for the Freeground Nation in their efforts to reconnect with the rest of humanity, and to secure the armaments they might need to defend themselves from encroaching enemies. Spinward Fringe Broadcast 0: Origins is a collected trilogy that chronicles the early adventures of an ambitious crew. Their leader, Jonas Valent, has the least to lose and everything to gain as he tells the tale of his first tour as Captain of a ship tasked with making allies and discovering new technologies for the good of his people. This simple mission becomes more complicated as the crew ventures further into the settled fringes of the galaxy. This trilogy spawned the best selling Spinward Fringe eBook series. This is where it all began, when one man was challenged to aspire for more than an idle life. A Space Opera Adventure enjoyed across the globe by all ages.