Boldly going where several other people have been before, Marcus Berkmann tells the story of this sturdy science fiction vehicle from its first five-year mission (rudely curtailed to three), through the dark years of the 1970s, the triumphant film series and The Next Generation, to the current 'reboot' films, with a younger cast taking on the characters of Kirk, Spock, McCoy and co.With wit, insight and a huge pile of DVDs, he seeks to answer all the important questions. Why did Kirk's shirt always get torn when he had a fist fight? What's the most number of times Uhura said 'Hailing frequencies open, sir' in a single episode? (Seven.) And what's the worst imaginable insult in Klingon? (Your mother has a smooth forehead.)

    Produced under the aegis of Lucasfilms from Skywalker Ranch archives, the books feature new material and data on the characters and vehicles. Cross Sections Vehicles and ships are illustrated in exploded 3-dimensional views. Learn about the secret firepower of Boba Fett's bounty ship, see the floor plans of the Death Star, and more.

    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.

    By his death in 1986, Herbert had completed six novels in the series, but much of his vision remained unwritten. Now, working from his father's recently discovered files, Brian Herbert and bestselling novelist Kevin J. Anderson collaborate on a new novel, the prelude to Dune—where we step onto the planet Arrakis…decades before Dune's hero, Paul Muad'Dib Atreides, walks its sands.Here is the rich and complex world that Frank Herbert created, in the time leading up to the momentous events of Dune. As Emperor Elrood's son plots a subtle regicide, young Leto Atreides leaves for a year's education on the mechanized world of Ix; a planetologist named Pardot Kynes seeks the secrets of Arrakis; and the eight-year-old slave Duncan Idaho is hunted by his cruel masters in a terrifying game from which he vows escape and vengeance. But none can envision the fate in store form them; one that will make them renegades—and shapers of history.

    But recently, her behavior has been erratic and her drawings match, with stunning accuracy, the brittle pages of a Portuguese print dating back to 1642 . . . a drawing of an ancient lost city. A new expedition — along with Amy — is sent into the Congo where they enter a secret world, and the only way out may be through a horrifying death …source: michaelcrichton.com

    Don't miss this story that brings STAR TREK back to the big screen!

    Ultimate troubleshooters equipped with state-of-the-art firepower, capable of power projection across the vast expense of deep space. They can sharpshoot a man at a thousand meters or obliterate an entire world from the safety of orbit. They reckon they are unbeatable.But on a dirtball colony planet known only as LV-426 the unthinkable happened.The marines lost.The ALIENS COLONIAL MARINES TECHNICAL MANUAL is your official guide to the equipment and organisation of the United States Colonial Marines Corps. Packed with never-before-published diagrams, technical schematics and plans, the manual takes a detailed look at the guns, vehicles and ships of the USCMC, and the men and women who use them.A must for all ALIENS fans, this book examines the technology of the film's futuristic nightmare in every detail, and tries to discover exactly what went wrong on LV-426.

    Admiral Naismith of the Dendarii Free Mercenaries, is a young man of many parts.Miles and his handsome cousin Ivan are called upon to play a simple diplomatic role on the capital world of Barrayar's old enemy until murder and deceit thrust them into Cetagandan internal politics at the highest levels, and Miles discovers the secrets of the haut-women's biological domain to be very complicated indeed.Commander Elli Quinn, sent by Miles on the trail of those secrets, meets a man who marches to the beat of a very different drummer. Dr. Ethan Urquhart, obstetrician from a planet forbidden to women, is on a quest at cross-purposes to Elli's mission - or is it?Consequences of Cetagandan bioengineering continue to play out, this time on a Dendrii sortie to the crime planet of Jackson's Whole. When he encounters a genetically altered super-soldier, Miles's routine rescue strike takes a sudden hard turn for the unanticipated.Contents: CetagandaEthan of AthosLabyrinth.

    It includes a spread introducing Star Wars fans to the planet and characters featured in Rogue One! The Galactic Atlas, illustrated by Tim McDonagh in superb full colour, covers everything from Alderaan and Naboo to Tatooine and Yavin 4, taking in the epic stories, strange creatures and glorious vistas of the entire saga. Taken from the holdings of the Graf Archive and found in the underground Shadow Stacks, these ancient hand drawn maps were unearthed from the Shadow Stacks. The Head Curator's theory is that they are the work of the great Ithorian artist Gammit Chond. Chond never travelled off-world but he was fascinated by travellers' tales, and many of his works depict their stories of adventure and discovery in the rest of the galaxy. While we know that many of the things he has included are a matter of fact, some may merely be tall tales spun by explorers; but all presents a unique view of a fascinating slice of history. The atlas also contains a useful timeline that describes the period of history covered in these maps, from the Clone Wars between the Republic and the Separatists, to the Galactic Civil War between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance, and beyond. The Rogue One spread introduces fans to a whole new terrain. Set before Star Wars: A New Hope, Rogue One follows a rag-tag group of rebel commandos who must steal the plans to the Empire's new superweapon, the Death Star. This standalone story transports fans to unseen corners of the Star Wars universe and strange new planets not to mention an encounter with a familiar adversary, Darth Vader. With dozens of maps, star charts, character profiles, and a timeline of the entire saga, this book is the perfect gift for Star Wars fans of

    Set before the Star Wars movie adventures, these books chronicle the coming-of-age of the galaxy's most famous con man, smuggler, and thief.The first book in this exciting Han Solo series begins with a recounting of Han's late teen years and shows us how he escaped an unhappy adopted home situation to carve out an adventurous new life for himself as a pilot. Han Solo, the handsome rogue, is every girl's dream man, and every boy's hero. Features a bonus section following the novel that includes a primer on the Star Wars expanded universe, and over half a dozen excerpts from some of the most popular Star Wars books of the last thirty years!

    AND IT'S WRONG. ALL ROADS LEAD AWAY FROM ANKH-MORPORK, BUT SOMETIMES PEOPLE JUST WALK ALONG THE WRONG WAY' from Moving PicturesAnkh-Morpork! City of One Thousand Surprises (according to the famous publication by the Guild of Merchants)! All human life is there! Although, if it walks down the wrong alley, often quite briefly!The city celebrated in the bestselling Discworld series by Terry Pratchett has been meticulously mapped for the first time. It's all here - from Unseen University to the Shades, from major landmarks like the Patrician's Palace to little-known, er, nooks like Dwarf Bread Museum in Whirligig Alley. See the famous streets along which so many heroes have walked, in some cases quite hurriedly!As leading Ankh-Morpork entrepreneur C.M.O.T. Dibbler would say, A nip at any price - and that's cutting our own throat. Well, close.

    

    Most Trek books revel in trivia that would puzzle Spock himself How can a latecomer to Star Trek ever catch up? Here, in a funny and easy-to-read format, is everything that those unfamiliar with the Star Trek universe need to know to be brought up to warp speed with their significant Trekking other.Coping With Your Trekker discusses the history of Star Trek, important episodes from all the different series, weird aliens and memorable characters, as well as the movies, the technology...plus "Really Cool Things to Say to Impress a Trekker", how to survive a Star Trek convention, and more After each chapter, a quiz helps readers hone their knowledge A handy Trek-to-English dictionary makes sense of it all.For new fans and reluctant mates this book will make the viewing of yet another Star Trek rerun -- arm-in-arm with a pointy-eared loved one -- a happy experience!