[The War Years 01] • The Far Stars War

TO FIGHT OR DIE AMONG THE FARTHEST STARS ...

It’s 2237 . . . and the Far Stars War has begun.

Isolated by the light years that lie between them and Earth’s established colonies, the pioneers on the outskirts of the galaxy suddenly face a merciless enemy—the Guerin. An alien warrior race of unsurpassed cruelty, they are bent on the total destruction of every other spacefaring race that might challenge them for dominance. Before human and allied alien authorities can react, the Guerin blast world after world into oblivion. From the terror-stricken response to the first deadly Gerin assault through desperate battles to the terrible aftermath of total war, follow the League’s Space and Marine forces as they challenge the enemy with high-tech weapons and old-fashioned courage. The shared universe of The Far Stars War, created by Bill Fawcett and David Drake, showcases ten stories produced by top military SF authors performing at their writing best.

From War to Peace

“Band of Brothers” by David Drake—Alien invaders have completed their first deadly attack on Earth and its colonies, and the only hope for human survival is the formation of a revolutionary alliance—the League of Man.

“Trojan Hearse” by Robert Sheckley—The war is in full swing, and fleet commander Darfur must join up with a group of mutant circus freaks to save the show–and the future of the League–from total annihilation by the enemy invaders of Gerin.

“Politics” by Elizabeth Moon—A full-scale assault on a Gerin–captured colony planet goes terribly wrong for the League Marines, but the disastrous landing is only the beginning of their problems.

“Reunion” by Diane Duane—The Far Stars War has ended victoriously for The League of Man. But who will bring order to the alien and human chaos that remains?

Plus six more thrilling tales of interstellar warfare in the year 2237 . . .

An excerpt from “Politics” by Elizabeth Moon: Brightness bloomed in the zenith, and I glanced up. Something had taken a hit—another shuttle? We were supposed to have two hundred shuttle flights on this mission, coming out of five cruisers—a full-scale assault landing, straight onto a defended planet. Thunder fell out of the sky, and I added up the seconds I’d been counting. Ten thousand meters when they’d been blown—no one was going to float down from that one.