New Releases by Catherine Asaro

BORN TO RUN; BORN TO FIGHT, A PAIR OF STAR-CROSSED LOVERS COMPETE IN THE OLYMPIC GAMES COMPETITORS IN THE INTERSTELLAR OLYMPICS MUST OVERCOME POVERTY AND INTRIGUE Three interstellar civilizations vie for honors in the Olympics, including the Skolian Imperialate. The thriving, populous worlds of humanity have always dominated the Games. The team from Raylicon, a dying world of scorching temperatures, has never won honors. IS CHANGE COMING? Mason, the coach for the Raylicon track and field team, makes a startling discovery: The Undercity, an ancient culture hidden in ruins beneath the desert, carries a secret. In a place where crushing poverty exists alongside a culture of dramatic beauty, a group of spectacular runners has existed for centuries, even millennia, unknown to the outside universe. The Dust Knights are the best of those marvels. With the help of Major Bhajaan, an Undercity native, he recruits the Knights. And so change sweeps their world. The Undercity faces a civilization they''ve never trusted, one that sees them as barely even human. Now, they must all learn to work together. THE KYLE UNIVERSE Skolia needs the Undercity to trust them—for hidden within its enigmatic population is one of humanity’s greatest resources. Their inbred population has created a large concentration of Kyle operators, an otherwise almost extinct group of humans. Kyles can do more than run; only they have the neurological makeup needed to utilize a vital technology, one that gives Skolian its sole advantage over their conquering enemies. The army wants the Kyles to work for them, but after centuries of being despised and left to die by the rest of humanity, the Undercity wants nothing to do with them. Until Angel, one of the top runners among the Knights, joins the Kyle Corps—and dives into a world of neurological marvels, including star-spanning networks that access a dimension with dramatically different laws than our space-time universe. THE STAKES COULD NOT BE HIGHER AS THE DUST KNIGHTS COMPETE FOR THEIR WORLD—AND THE FREEDOM OF HUMANITY At the publisher''s request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management). Praise For Saga of the Skolian Empire: “. . . riveting. . . . The world is rich and vivid, with two distinct cultures in the Undercity and the aboveground City of Cries. This exciting novel stands alone for anyone who enjoys science fiction adventure.” —Publishers Weekly on The Bronze Skies, starred review “The Jigsaw Assassin follows a futuristic serial killer whose work implicates those in political power, causing a ripple of response that threatens the political party and calls upon Major Bhaajan to solve the crime. As Bhaaj and her crew delve into political and criminal worlds beyond their usual ken, readers receive an action-packed story of interstellar politics, intrigue, and science fiction that proves satisfying fast-paced, creatively world-building, and hard to put down.” —Midwest Book Review

Permutations: A Well World Anthology revives Jack L. Chalker''s legendary series, bringing together exceptional talent to extend its universe. This collection, authorized by Chalker''s estate, gathers renowned authors like Neal Asher, Catherine Asaro, and S.P. Somtow, each adding their unique flair to the Well World legacy. These stories pay homage to a series that has influenced countless science fiction writers, selling millions of copies worldwide. Fans and newcomers alike will be captivated by the rich, imaginative tales that continue the journey in the Well World, a testament to Chalker''s enduring impact on the genre. This anthology isn''t just a collection; it''s a gateway to rediscovering a world that has shaped science fiction, inviting readers to explore its depths once more.

DUST KNIGHTS: A NEW SERIES IN CATHERINE ASARO’S SKOLIAN EMPIRE A CITY DIVIDED For centuries The City of Cries—one of the most desired locales in the Skolian Imperialate—has existed by the thinnest of threads. On the dying world of Raylicon, the “haves” live in great luxury in Cries while the “havenots” scrape by, eking out a marginal existence in the notorious Undercity beneath the desert. Major Bhaajan, formerly of the Pharaoh''s Army, knows both worlds. Born into the Undercity, she nevertheless has made a name for herself in the Imperialate. And now, she has the chance to help her people. HOPE FOR RECONCILIATION For the first time, a member of the Royal class wants to extend an olive branch to the Undercity. Hoping to build bridges, Colonel Lavinda Majda recruits Bhaaj and her Dust Knights to act as guides and bodyguards on a mission of goodwill to those who live below the surface of their parched world. THE DOWN DEEP But the problems of the Undercity run deeper than anyone knows. To help find peace, the Dust Knights must reach the most hidden rungs in that mysterious underground world, a place known only as the Down Deep, where the scars from centuries of distrust are greatest. There they will face an unseen enemy that may destroy the lives of everyone they know—and threaten interstellar civilization. At the publisher’s request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).

From a Mayan village to an L.A. barrio to a chance to reach the stars . . . Part One of “a space adventure for the twenty-first century” (Nancy Kress, Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author). Not much surprises waitress Tina Santis Pulivok on the streets of East LA—until the night when, on her way home from her waitressing job, she meets a man working on a strange, glowing box. Still, she thinks he must be one of those Caltech students who’s into role-playing games. Until his mind reaches out to hers . . . Althor is definitively in the wrong place at the wrong time. An Imperial Space Command pilot, he was headed to a reception in Washington DC and somehow ended up here, though he’s not quite sure where here is. As Tina helps Althor get his bearings, they realize he’s in more trouble than he thought. He left his home base in 2328—and now it’s 1987. At least he still has his starfighter, shrouded and in orbit above the Earth. But when the military gets their hands on the ship, he and Tina must race to reclaim it before it detonates itself—taking a huge chunk of California along with it . . . Praise for Lightning Strike “From the L.A. barrios to the universe! Excellent.” —The San Diego Union-Tribune “A truly masterful accomplishment of world-building, an example of consummate craftsmanship and an impeccable feel for the technical and social possibilities that lie ahead of us. Hard science fiction fans can rejoice—the next superstar is here.” —Romantic Times

A two-part adventure of time travel, romance, and interstellar intrigue that takes you "from the L.A. barrios to the universe! Excellent" ( The San Diego Union-Tribune ). Born in Mexico but living in East LA much of her young life, Tina Santis Pulivok has always felt different from her friends and family. Her mind picks up the moods of others, but she''s never understood why—until a bizarre meeting gives her a one-of-a-kind connection to a soldier from the future. Their connection will transcend both time and space—and the future of both their worlds depends on it . . . Earthborn Tina knows the strange man on the street must be lost, but she can''t imagine just how far he is from home. Althor, an Imperial Space Command pilot, left his planet in 2328 to attend a reception in Washington DC—and somehow ended up in 1987 Los Angeles. When the military captures his starfighter, he and Tina race to recover the ship before it detonates—and takes a large swath of California with it . . . Starborn Following her heart, Tina leaves Earth behind when she travels to a future universe with starfighter pilot Althor. But the more she learns about his powerful, telepathic family, the more she realizes how much danger they''re in, as a merciless enemy targets the newlywed couple in a treasonous plan to conquer human civilization. Praise for Lightning Strike "A space adventure for the twenty-first century." —Nancy Kress, Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author "A truly masterful accomplishment of world-building, an example of consummate craftsmanship and an impeccable feel for the technical and social possibilities that lie ahead of us. Hard science fiction fans can rejoice—the next superstar is here." — Romantic Times

A collection that includes the Nebula Award–winning titular novella and "Light and Shadow," the story that begins the Saga of the Skolian Empire series. In "The Spacetime Pool," recent MIT grad Janelle Aulair is hiking through the Great Smoky Mountains when a man appears out of nowhere to request her help. Shaken by his impossible appearance, she steps away—and falls through a portal onto a beach in another universe. That''s when Dominick, the man who waylaid Janelle, reveals she is part of a prophecy. It foretells a bizarre future: if Dominick marries Janelle, he''ll depose his twin brother and become Emperor of the land. If Dominick doesn''t marry her, his brother—a brutal tyrant who will do anything to keep his throne—will murder him. Janelle finds herself caught in a conflict that could destroy the realm. If that''s not mind-blowing enough, she discovers books that prove this civilization achieved interstellar travel five centuries ago. Yet now they''re living in a culture that doesn''t have electricity, riding two-horned creatures that definitely aren''t horses, and sword-fighting. To find her way home, Janelle must figure out what happened between then and now . . . The Spacetime Pool also includes Catherine Asaro''s first-ever published story, "Light and Shadow," featuring Kelric, a popular character from the Saga of the Skolian Empire series, and an illustrated essay on the math in her fiction titled "A Poetry of Angles and Dreams." Praise for Catherine Asaro "Readers seeking the harmonious meld of hard SF''s rigor and human chemistry''s heat should read Catherine Asaro''s fiction." — SciFi Weekly

TOUGH FEMALE P.I. EXPLORING THE UNDERWORLD OF A VAST STAR EMPIRE. Book two in a new series set in the world of Catherine Asaro''s Skolian Empire series. Major Bhaajan achieved the impossible. Born to the Undercity, the slums below the City of Cries on the planet Raylicon, she broke free from crushing poverty and crime to become a military officer with Imperial Space Command. Now retired from military duty, she walks the mean streets of Undercity as a private investigator. And she is about to embark on her most challenging case yet. Summoned by no less than the Ruby Pharaoh herself, Major Bhaajan is tasked with finding a killer. But this is no ordinary murderer. The Ruby Pharaoh witnessed a Jagernaut cut down Assembly Councilor Tap Benton—which shouldn’t have been possible. The Jagernauts are the elite of the elite soldiers in the Imperial Space Command. What’s more, the spinal node implanted in all Jagernauts should have prevented the murder. But the Ruby Pharaoh is sure of what she saw, and she has reason to believe that the Jagernaut will kill again. Now, Major Bhaajan must hunt down a killer before it is too late. To do so, she must return to the one place on Raylicon she knows best: Undercity. At the publisher''s request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management). About prequel Undercity: "Asaro plants herself firmly into that grand SF tradition of future history franchises favored by luminaries like Heinlein, Asimov, Herbert, Anderson, Dickson, Niven, Cherryh, and Baxter. . .They don''t write em like that anymore! Except Asaro does, with . . . up-to-the-minute savvy!"—Locus "[Baahjan], who starts out keeping an emotional distance from the people in the Undercity soon grows to think of them as her community once more. Asaro . . . returns to the Skolian empire''s early history to tell Bhajaan''s story."—Booklist "Asaro delivers a tale rich with the embedded history of her world and bright with technical marvels. Her characters are engaging and intriguing and there is even a bit of romance. What really touched my heart was Bhaaj''s interaction with the children of the aqueducts. I spent the last fifty pages of the book sniffling into a tissue."—SF Crowsnet "I''m hooked, both on her writing and her Skolian universe. This book had everything I wanted: strong characters, a new and unique world, and a plot that isn''t as simple as it first appears."—TerryTalk About Catherine Asaro’s Skolian saga: “Entertaining mix of hard SF and romance.”—Publishers Weekly “Asaro’s Skolian saga is now nearly as long and in many ways as compelling as Dune, if not more so, featuring a multitude of stronger female characters.”—Booklist “Rapid pacing and gripping suspense.”—Publisher’s Weekly

Visions of the Future is a collection of stories and essays including Nebula and Hugo award-winning works. In this anthology, you''ll find stories and essays about artificial intelligence, androids, faster-than-light travel, and the extension of human life. You''ll read about the future of human institutions and culture. But these literary works are more than just a reprisal of the classical elements of science fiction and futurism. At their core, each of these pieces has one consistent, repeated theme: us.

BOOK ONE IN A BRAND NEW SERIES by Nebula and Hugo Award Winner Catherine Asaro set in the world of her Skolian Empire universe. Major Bhaajan, a former military officer with Imperial Space Command, is now a hard-bitten P.I. with a load of baggage to deal with, and clients with woes sometimes personal, sometimes galaxy-shattering, and sometimes both. Bhaajan must sift through the shadows of dark and dangerous Undercity¾the enormous capital of a vast star empire¾to find answers. At the publisher''s request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management). About Catherine Asarou0090s Skolian saga: _Entertaining mix of hard SF and romance.Ó¾Publishers Weekly _Asarou0090s Skolian saga is now nearly as long and in many ways as compelling as Dune, if not more so, featuring a multitude of stronger female characters.Ó¾Booklist _Rapid pacing and gripping suspense.Ó¾Publisheru0090s Weekly

Rosa Cuántica es la historia de Kamoj Argali, la joven gobernante de una provincia empobrecida en un planeta abandonado. Para impedir que su pueblo muera de hambre, ha accedido a contraer matrimonio con Jax Ponteferro, señor de una próspera provincia vecina. Pero antes de que puedan casarse, Kamoj se ve obligada a unirse a un misterioso extraño de un planeta distante, lo que sume su mundo en un caos completo.

El Imperio Eskoliano gobierna una tercera parte de la galaxia civilizada gracias a su dominio de las comunicaciones superlumínicas. Pero la guerra con su rival, el Imperio de los Mercaderes, parece inminente, una guerra que no puede conducir más que a la esclavitud de los eskolianos o la destrucción de ambos bandos. Ya se han producido algunas escaramuzas destructivas. Alguien ha de llevar a cabo un intento desesperado por prevenir un desastre total.

Multiple Nebula-award-winning Catherine Asaro continues her brilliant and intricate Skolian space opera opus. Two galactic emperors attempt to end a multi-generation war of the stars without both getting assassinated in the process. The leaders of the Eubian empire and Skolian Imperialate have survived political intrigue, military coups and murder attempts as they worked to forge a peace treaty between their two empires. Now comes the hard part--making the treaty a reality. Assassins are poised on both sides. Their mission: eliminate the leaders for the "crime" of striving to end half a millennia of hatred between empires. And as the main players in the peace process attempt to navigate the Byzantine convolutions surrounding the negotiations, an explosive pop anthem, Carnelians Finale, sweeps across three civilizations, its message inflaming passions. The violence escalates and militaries on both sides are called forth. The hope: to keep both empires alive long enough so that their rulers might somehow achieve peace at last. About Catherine Asaro’s Skolia saga: “Entertaining mix of hard SF and romance.”—Publishers Weekly “Asaro’s Skolian saga is now nearly as long and in many ways as compelling as Dune, if not more so, featuring a multitude of stronger female characters.”—Booklist “Rapid pacing and gripping suspense.”—Publisher’s Weekly

Catherine Asaro''s first collection contains five short stories, including the Nebula Award-winning "Spacetime Pool" and an essay on Asaro''s use of mathematics in writing her fiction.

In the distant future, the Skolian Empire rules one third of the human galaxy, and is the most powerful of all. For the ruling family has the power of telepathy, and through it, the ability to communicate faster than light across interstellar space. But their most determined enemy, the traders, who thrive on human pain, need to interbreed with a Skolian to gain their powers. And now they have.

Deep in the sun-drenched desert, priestess Ginger-Sun carries the power of shape mages. And whispers abound: Is she descended from the beloved Sunset Goddess, or are her nighttime rituals filled with wickedness? Ginger herself is uncertain, until a stranger is left for dead at her feet. Thence her magic begins to burn. Fate makes Ginger the stranger''s wife and therefore a target for those who would murder this man to crown another—and force her magic into twisted ferocity. For unless Ginger masters her dark powers, violence will rein in Taka Mal—and in her soul.

Combining scientific theory with grand romantic adventure, this series represents space opera at its finest. With "The Final Key," the Skolian Empire comes under assault from the Euban Concord. The Empire''s only hope? A young woman who hasn''t completed her cadet training.

In 2002, Catherine Asaro won the Nebula Award for The Quantum Rose, the sixth novel in her Saga of the Skolian Empire. This very same novel was also named Best SF Novel by the Romantic Times. Schism: Part One of Triad is the tenth novel in this multiple award-winning series, and represents an excellent entry point into the series. For Schism harkens back to the early years of the Skolian Empire, back to the beginning of the war between Skolia and the Euban Traders. Twenty-three years have passed since the fateful vote in the Skolian Assembly that Roca missed in Skyfall. It created the first open hostility between Eube and Skolia, which has only deepened over the ensuing years. Now, Eube senses an opportunity, for strife has riven the first family of the Skolian Empire. Sauscony, the daughter of Roca and Eldrinson, is ready to seek her fortune as an officer-in-training in the Skolian military. When her father forbids her to undertake such a dangerous path, a wedge is formed as Soz chooses duty over family. Eube hopes to make this permanent, a divide that will leave the Skolian Empire ripe for conquest. And they''re willing to kill anyone to make it happen. Revel in the latest adventure of this Nebula Award-winning series.

Le Savoir a été perdu depuis longtemps sur Balumil, une planète isolée aux confins de la galaxie. Nul ne sait comment réparer les vieilles machines qui tombent en panne, et seuls quelques initiés sont capables de déchiffrer les signes de l''antique langue iotaca. Les hommes ignorent tout de leurs origines. Kamoi Quanta Argali est la jeune souveraine d''une province pauvre. Pour sauver son peuple de la famine, elle accepte d''épouser Jax Pont-de-Fer, un homme rustre et violent gouverneur d''une région prospère. Mais tout bascule le jour de la cérémonie. Un mystérieux étranger venu des tréfonds de l''espace, et maître d''une technologie avancée, enlève la jeune femme. II semble détenir les clés des énigmes qui entourent le monde de Kamoi. Et tandis que la planète sombre dans le chaos, le mystère des origines de Balumil et de son peuple se dévoile peu à peu...

SHE WAS RUNNING FROM A RUTHLESS CRIMINAL ACCOMPANIED BY SOMEONE MORE THAN HUMAN . . . When the shipwrecked stranger washed up, nearly drowned, on the beach near research scientist Samantha Bryton''s home, she was unaware that he was something more than human: an experiment conducted by Charon, a notorious criminal and practitioner of illegal robotics and android research. The man said his name was Turner Pascal¾but Pascal was dead, killed in a car wreck. Then she found that Charon was experimenting with copying the minds of humans into android brains, implanted in human bodies to escape detection, planning to make his own army of slaves that will follow his orders without question. Samantha and Turner quickly found themselves on the run across the country, pursued by the most ruthless criminal of the twenty-first century. In desperation, Samantha decided to seek help from Sunrise Alley, an underground organization of AIs that had gone rogue. But these cybernetic outlaws were rumored to have their own hidden agenda, not necessarily congruent with humanity''s welfare, and Samantha feared that her only hope would prove forlorn. . . . At the publisher''s request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).

Catherine Asaro exploded onto the science fiction scene in 1995 with the publication of her widely acclaimed debut novel, Primary Inversion, which introduced readers to the vast and intricate far-future Saga of the Skolian Empire. She won widespread acclaim for her innovative blend of cutting-edge physics, interstellar intrigue, and passionate romance. Over the next few years she garnered nominations and awards in both SF and romance. Then in 2002, Catherine Asaro won the Nebula Award for Best Novel for The Quantum Rose, the sixth installment in her Saga of the Skolian Empire. If you haven''t caught on to the myriad pleasures to be found in this multiple award-winning epic SF series, here''s the perfect chance. Skyfall goes back to the beginning, to the re-birth of Skolia, showing how a chance meeting on a backwater planet forged a vast interstellar empire. Kurj, a provincial ruler on a primitive planet, is plagued by inner demons. But when he meets Roca, a beautiful and mysterious woman from the stars, he whisks her away to his mountain retreat, inadvertently starting a great interstellar war, and birthing the next generation of rulers for the Sklolian Empire. Revel in the newest grand adventure of this Nebula Award-winning series.

Two young men on opposite sides--one who gave up everything to save an empire, while the other, born a prince but forced into slavery, who has become Imperator of all Skolia--search for a way to bring peace, despite their people''s thirst for war.

Catherine Asaro is a popular SF writer, combining her diverse talents to blend hard science fiction and heartrending romance into a sweeping epic known as the Saga of the Skolian Empire. This is her trademark series. Ever since Primary Inversion, her very first novel, this series has continued to grow, building a significant readership and receiving widespread praise. All of Asaro''s considerable talent is on display in Spherical Harmonic, the direct sequel to The Radiant Seas. Separated for decades by circumstance and political machinations, the Ruby Dynasty, hereditary rulers of the Skolian Empire, struggle to bring together the tattered remnants of their family in the shadow of a disastrous interstellar war. Too many have died, others are presumed lost, yet they must move quickly if they are reassume their rightful place as rulers of Skolia.

Follows Kelric, the heir to the Skolian Empire, as he flees his imprisonment on Coba only to find his kingdom in tatters.

A new chapter in the saga of the Skolian Empire finds Kamoj Quanta Argali, a young noblewoman, agreeing to marry a powerful stranger in order to save her people from starvation.

Jaibriol and Sauscony, heirs to two different interstellar empires, are the key to stopping a massive war.