New Releases by C.J. Cherryh

Dark magical forces are afoot in the eighth entry of the shared-world fantasy series. An ominous black storm from hell rages down on the city of Ranke. Its streets are full of lethal hail, and its walls are coated with ash. As the new Emperor and his mercenary Tempus wonder what can be done to stop it, a shade manifests before them on behalf of the gods with a decree: Travel to the city of Sanctuary and destroy the globes of the Nisibisi power . . . Meanwhile, Sanctuary is riddled with crime, blood feuds, and warring factions. An army of mercenaries is all that stands between the city and chaos. And the witch once known as Death’s Queen, Roxane, lives in a hovel by the river. She no longer holds as much power as she once did, but even she can sense that trouble is on its way . . . Brace yourself for adventure in this shared-world anthology featuring six stories by three of fantasy’s best authors: Lynn Abbey, Janet Morris, and C. J. Cherryh.

The dead rise in the seventh volume of the shared-world fantasy, co-edited by the New York Times–bestselling author of the Myth Adventures series. As winter descends on the fractured city of Sanctuary, it’s expected that the rainy season will cool the air. But tensions are simmering. The Emperor is dead, and the rightful heir to the throne is in town. The city is a battlefield, and armed factions war for control of the streets. While the Rankan Empire faces a crisis, the original Stepsons have returned to take back what is theirs. And then there is the matter of a witch and an army of undead . . . Things are heating up in this action-packed world of sword and sorcery. Prepare yourself for adventure in this shared-world anthology featuring stories by some of fantasy’s best authors, including Janet Morris, C. J. Cherryh, Diane Duane, Robin W. Bailey, Andrew Offutt, Diana L. Paxson, Lynn Abbey, and Robert Lynn Asprin.

A ruined city rebuilds in the ninth entry of this shared-world fantasy series. Hakiem, storyteller and adviser, surveys the city of Sanctuary from a palace window and is heartbroken by what he sees. The city of outlaws and adventurers now lies in shambles, ravaged by war, plague, riots, and magical destruction, and many citizens are dead or wounded. Hakiem is not the only one thinking of leaving . . . Now, without gods or magic, the people of Sanctuary face the task of rebuilding their homes and their lives. It will be their toughest struggle for survival yet. Featuring stories from some of fantasy’s best authors, including Robert Lynn Asprin, Diana L. Paxson, Janet and Chris Morris, Robin W. Bailey, C. J. Cherryh, Diane Duane, Lynn Abbey, and Andrew and Jodie Offutt.

The fifth novel in Cherryh’s Foreigner space opera series, a groundbreaking tale of first contact and its consequences… Nearly ten years after the unexpected return of the starship Phoenix, the alien atevi have three functioning space shuttles, and teams of atevi engineers labor in orbit to renovate the space station. But these monumental advances not only add a dangerously powerful third party to an already precarious diplomatic situation, but rouse pro- and anti=s[ace factions in atevi society to incendiary levels. To help negotiate these treacherous diplomatic waters, Tabini-aiji, the powerful head of the atevi''s Western Association, has sent the only human he fully trusts into space: his own paidhi, Bren Cameron. However, the threat of possible invasion by hostile aliens who attacked Phoenix''s station in a far-off sector of space hangs over them all. And when one of the senior captains of the Phoenix confesses that this station was not completely destroyed, as had been previously thought, the crew mutinies. How can Bren hope to mediate on a station overcome by a rebellious crew intent on taking the Phoenix on a rescue mission back into hostile alien territory? The long-running Foreigner series can also be enjoyed by more casual genre readers in sub-trilogy installments. Defender is the fifth Foreigner book and the the second book of the second sub-trilogy.

The third novel in Cherryh’s Foreigner space opera series, a groundbreaking tale of first contact and its consequences… Six months have passed since the reappearance of the starship Phoenix—the same ship which brought a colony of humans to the hostile environment of alien atevi nearly two hundred years ago. During these six months, the atevi have reconfigured their fledgling space program in a bid to take their place in the heavens alongside humans. But the return of the Phoenix has added a frighteningly powerful third party to an already volatile situation, polarizing both human and atevi political factions, and making the possibility of all-out planetary war an even more likely threat. On the atevi mainland, human ambassador Bren Cameron, in a desperate attempt to maintain the peace, has arranged for one human representative from the Phoenix to take up residence with him in his apartments, and for another to be stationed on humanity''s island enclave. Bren himself is unable to return home for fear of being arrested or assassinated by the powerful arch conservative element who wish to bar the atevi from space. Responsible for a terrified, overwhelmed young man, and desperately trying to keep abreast of the atevi associations, how can Bren possibly find a way to save two species from a three-sided conflict that no one can win? The long-running Foreigner series can also be enjoyed by more casual genre readers in sub-trilogy installments. Inheritor is the 3rd Foreigner novel. IT is also the final book in the first subtrilogy.

Forced to help jinxed pilot Paul Dekker, Ben Pollard becomes entangled unwittingly in a lethal deep space political mess. By the Hugo Award-winning author of Heavy Time. and Cyteen. Reprint.