New Releases by KAREN TRAVISS

Dem Bösen verfallen! Die Rebellion innerhalb der Neuen Republik droht die Galaxis zu zerreißen. Doch Jacen Solo, inzwischen ein vollendeter Meister der Macht, hat eigene Pläne, um der Welt Frieden und Ordnung zurückzubringen. Gelenkt von seinem Sith-Mentor Lumiya beschreitet er den Weg seines Großvaters – Darth Vader!

La Guerre des Clones est terminée. Seulement, pour ceux qui ont toutes les raisons de fuir le nouvel Empire galactique, la lutte pour la survie ne fait que commencer... Les anciens commandos de la République déchue sont dispersés. Cette élite de soldats clonés d''après Jango Fett se retrouve dans des camps opposés. Certains ont déserté pour devenir mercenaires mandaloriens sous l''égide de Kal Skirata, leur père spirituel. D''autres, restés au sein de la jeune 501e Légion du Seigneur Vador, pourchassent sans répit Jedi survivants, opposants au régime et anciens frères mutins. Le clone Darman est ainsi écartelé entre loyauté du sang et devoir. Mais il n''est pas le seul dont les convictions soient ébranlées. Dans le refuge de Skirata affluent bientôt de nouveaux et mystérieux clandestins qui réveillent suspicion et haine chez les clones dissidents et les Mandaloriens...

Omega Squad is no more—in its place stand the Imperial commandos, under the imperious command of Darth Vader and the Empire. The Clone Wars are over, but for those with reason to run from the new galactic Empire, the battle to survive has only just begun. . . . The Jedi have been decimated in the Great Purge, and the Republic has fallen. Now the former Republic commandos—the galaxy’s finest special forces troops, cloned from Jango Fett—find themselves on opposing sides and in very different armor. Some have deserted and fled to Mandalore with the mercenaries, renegade clone troopers, and rogue Jedi who make up Kal Skirata’s ragtag resistance to Imperial occupation. Others—including men from Delta Squad and Omega Squad—now serve as Imperial commandos, a black ops unit within Vader’s own 501st Legion, tasked to hunt down fugitive Jedi and clone deserters. For Darman, who’s grieving for his Jedi wife and separated from his son, it’s an agonizing test of loyalty. But he’s not the only one who’ll be forced to test the ties of brotherhood. On Mandalore, clone deserters and the planet’s own natives, who have no love for the Jedi, will have their most cherished beliefs challenged. In the savage new galactic order, old feuds may have to be set aside to unite against a far bigger threat, and nobody can take old loyalties for granted. 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!

Experience the first in the epic series featuring the brave members of Omega Squad—an elite team of clone commandos—fighting to protect the Galactic Republic. On a mission to sabotage a chemical weapon research facility on a Separatist-held planet, four clone troopers operate under the very noses of their enemies. The commandos are outnumbered and outgunned, deep behind enemy lines with no backup–and working with strangers instead of trusted teammates. Matters don’t improve when Darman, the squad’s demolitions expert, gets separated from the others during planetfall. Even Darman’s apparent good luck in meeting an inexperienced Padawan vanishes once Etain admits to her woeful naivety. For the separated clone commandos and stranded Jedi, a long, dangerous journey lies ahead, through hostile territory brimming with Trandoshan slavers, Separatists, and suspicious natives. A single misstep could mean discovery . . . and death. It’s a virtual suicide mission for anyone–anyone except Republic Commandos.

Across the galaxy, the Clone Wars are raging. The Separatists, led by Count Dooku, the onetime Jedi and now secret Sith Lord, continue to press forward, and more and more worlds are either falling, or seceding and joining the cause. Under the leadership of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, the Republic heroically battles on, championed by its huge army of cloned soldiers and their Jedi generals. Anakin Skywalker, believed by some to be the prophesied “Chosen One” destined to bring balance to the Force, is now a Jedi Knight under the tutelage of his Jedi Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Death is a constant possibility–and his chances of survival aren’t improved by the unexpected arrival of an apprentice: Ahsoka, a brash, inexperienced fourteen-year-old Padawan apprenticed to Anakin. But there’s no time for Anakin to question his latest orders: He and Obi-Wan have been assigned a new mission, and failure is not an option. Jabba the Hutt’s precious infant son has been kidnapped, and when the frantic parent applies to the Jedi for help, it falls to Anakin, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, and their clone troops to track down the evidence and retrieve the missing Huttlet. And more is at stake: For a grateful Jabba just might allow the Republic access to the Hutt-controlled space lanes that the Grand Army desperately needs in order to beat the Separatists into submission. But the Republic is not the only power that craves access to those space lanes. Count Dooku, determined to win the prize for the Separatists, has set a trap for the Jedi. When they find the Huttlet, they will also find Dooku’s master assassin, Asajj Ventress, and countless legions of battle droids waiting to spring a trap. The blazing new animated feature film Star Wars: The Clone Wars takes place in the years preceding Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and sets the stage for the groundbreaking TV series. Both contain all original material–direct from the brilliant imagination of legendary Star Wars creator George Lucas. And these exciting new adventures and characters are being brought to life in book form by none other than #1 New York Times bestselling Star Wars author Karen Traviss. 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!

Continuing the saga of the bestselling game series! In the third of three official tie-in novels to the hugely successful videogame from Microsoft and Epic Games, Marcus Fenix and his Gears defend humanity’s final city from the Locust horde. With the Locust Horde apparently destroyed, Jacinto’s survivors have begun to rebuild human society on the Locust stronghold. Raiding pirate gangs take a toll—but it’s nothing that Marcus Fenix and the Gears can’t handle. Then the nightmare they thought they’d left behind begins to stalk them again. Something far worse, something even the Locust dreaded, has emerged to spread across the planet, and not even this remote island haven is beyond its reach. Gears and Stranded must fight side by side to survive their deadliest enemy yet, falling back on the savage tactics of another bloody siege—Anvil Gate.

L''issue de la Guerres des Clones est aussi proche qu''indéterminée, mais certains enjeux paraissent bien plus importants aux commandos Omega, aux célèbres Nulls et à l''ensemble du clan Skirata, Jedi, civils ou militaires. Alors que le Chancelier Palpatine est sur le point de signer l''arrêt de mort des Jedi en prononçant l''Ordre 66, les fidèles du sergent Skirata poursuivent la préparation de leur plan visant à faire déserter les clones qui le désirent de la Grande Armée de la République. Tiraillés entre leur engagement envers la République et leur loyauté envers leur clan, les membres de ces commandos vont devoir faire un choix stratégique... Découvrez le final de la Guerre des Clones !

Après quinze années d''une guerre brutale pour la survie, la Coalition des gouvernements unis est contrainte de détruire la dernière ville de l''humanité. Alors que les survivants fuient Jacinto, ils doivent affronter les ultimes hordes locustes assoiffées de vengeance et lutter pour subsister sur une terre sauvage et glacée. Marcus Fenix, Dom Santiago et leurs camarades soldats tentent de guider les réfugiés de Jacinto vers une retraite sûre. Mais ils découvrent bientôt un nouveau monde sans foi ni loi où l''ennemi, aussi acharné et dangereux que n''importe quel locuste, affiche désormais un visage humain.

Wenn die Dunkelheit das Licht verdrängt, wird eine Heldin geboren Jacen Solo wollte seine Familie schützen und der Galaxis Frieden und Sicherheit bringen - doch stattdessen ist aus ihm ein Sith-Lord und tyrannischer Herrscher geworden. Doch seine Schwester Jaina glaubt eine Möglichkeit gefunden zu haben, wie sie ihn noch aufhalten könnte - auch wenn das bedeutet, sich mit einem alten Feind zu verbünden ... Karen Traviss war Korrespondentin aus dem Verteidigungsministerium und TV- und Zeitungsjournalistin. Ausserdem hat sie als Pressesprecherin der Polizei gearbeitet. Sie lebt in Devizes, England.

This collection dives into the Halo universe from the perspective of those who fought and died to save humanity—and those who vowed to wipe it out.

Desde niños, los tres eran inseparables; como soldados, no. Marcus, Fénix y Dominic Santiago lucharon al lado del hermano mayor de Dominic, Carlos, en Aspho Fields durante el épico enfrentamiento que cambiaría el curso de las Guerras del Péndulo. Ahora una nueva batalla se libra, una batalla de la que, esta vez sí, dependerá el futuro de la Humanidad. Pero mientras la última fortaleza de Sera se prepara para recibir otro ataque de las hordas Locust, los fantasmas vuelven a perseguir a Marcus y Dom, así como el regreso de un antiguo camarada amenaza con desvelar un secreto atroz que Marcus ha jurado guardar.

A female cop seeks refuge on another planet after being infected by an alien virus in this science fiction fantasy novel from a New York Times bestseller. Shan Frankland forever abandoned the world she knew to come to the rescue of a lost colony on a distant and dangerous planet—a hostile world coveted by two alien races and fiercely protected by a third. But in the course of her mission, she overstepped a boundary and stumbled into forbidden lands. And she can never go back—to being neutral, to being safe. To being human. War is coming again to Cavanagh’s Star — and this time, the instigators will be the troublesome gethes from the faraway planet Earth. Former Environmental Enforcement Officer Shan Frankland has already crossed a line, and now she is a prize to be captured . . . or a threat to be eliminated. But saving a coveted world and its fragile native population may require of her one unthinkable sacrifice: the destruction of her own ruthless, invading species. “Had me thinking of Le Guin . . . (readers) should find many of the same pleasures and useful discomforts.” —Locus magazine

In thirty years, the invincible Eqbas will arrive at Earth to forcibly return the planet to what it once was—as retribution, in part, for the gethes'' thoughtless near-extermination of an alien ocean-dwelling species. First, however, another world requires their attention: the crowded, ecologically ravaged planet of the swarming, insect-like isenj. Efforts to drastically reduce the isenj population have sparked a devastating civil war—which may well do the savior/destroyers'' work for them. And the human visitors can only watch. Rendered immortal and ever changeable by a parasite in her blood, ex-cop Shan Frankland isn''t content merely to play Matriarch to her two similarly infected mates—one earthborn, one alien wess''har. Her fears for the future of Umeh and the ultimate fate of humankind must be set aside while she tackles an unfulfilled duty that haunts her every waking moment—a mission that must be undertaken for the sake of the future—and pursues a righteous vengeance.

Three strikingly different alien races greeted the military mission from Earth when it reached the planet called Bezer''ej. Now one of the sentient species has been exterminated—and two others are poised on the brink of war. The fragile bezeri are no more, due to the ignorant, desperate actions of human interlopers. The powerful wess''har protectors have failed in their sworn obligation to the destroyed native population—and the outrage must be redressed. But those who are coming to judge from the World Before -- the home planet, now distant and alien to the wess''har, whose ancestors left there generations ago -- will not restrict their justice to the individual humans responsible for the slaughter. Earth itself must answer for the genocide. And its ultimate fate may depend on a dead woman: former police officer Shan Frankland, who became something far greater than human before destroying herself in the vast airless depths of space.

Based on the blockbuster Xbox game, this is the stunning story of the men and women who stood between a planet and total destruction—and now have to face the consequences of their actions. After a brutal fifteen-year war for survival, the Coalition of Ordered Governments is forced to destroy mankind’s last city in a final bid to stop the Locust Horde. As the survivors flee Jacinto, they must contend with the last of the Locust, bent on vengeance, as they struggle to stay alive in an icy wilderness. Marcus Fenix, Dom Santiago, and their fellow Gears fight to get Jacinto’s refugees to a safe haven, but find themselves in a lawless new world where the enemy is human—and as desperate and dangerous as any grub.

Omega Squadron faces the ultimate trial during the final days of the Clone Wars as Palpatine issues Order 66. The Clone Wars rage to their bloody climax. Treachery reigns. Treason takes courage. Commandos, Jedi, and the entire Galactic Republic must face the end of life as they know it . . . and the dreaded dawn of a new empire. Even as the Clone Wars are about to reach an explosive conclusion, no one knows whether victory will favor the Grand Army of the Republic or the Separatists. But no matter who wins, the stakes are highest for elite Special Ops clones like the Republic Commandos in Omega and Delta squads—and the notorious renegade Advanced Recon Commando troopers known as Null ARCs. And now even the deadliest weapon may not be powerful enough to defeat the real menace: the apocalyptic horror that will be unleashed when Palpatine utters the chilling words “The time has come. Execute Order 66.” Translation: The Jedi have tried to stage a coup, and all must be executed on sight. With their faith in the Republic and their loyalty to their Jedi allies put to the ultimate test, how will the men of Omega and Delta squads react to the most infamous command in galactic history?

Three separate alien societies have claimson Cavanagh''s Star. But the new arrivals -- the gethes from Earth -- now threaten thetenuous balance of a coveted world. Environmental Hazard Enforcement officer Shan Frankland agreed to lead a mission to Cavanagh''s Star, knowing that 150 years would elapse before she could finally return home. But her landing, with a small group of scientists and Marines, has not gone unnoticed by Aras, the planet''s designated guardian. An eternally evolving world himself, this sad, powerful being has already obliterated millions of alien interlopers and their great cities to protect the fragile native population. Now Shan and her party -- plus the small colony of fundamentalist humans who preceded them -- could face a similar annihilation . . . or a fate far worse. Because Aras possesses a secret of the blood that would be disastrous if it fell into human hands -- if the gethes survive the impending war their coming has inadvertently hastened.

The worlds orbiting Cavanagh''s Star are in turmoil. Civil war on Umeh—ignited by outsiders—threatens to annihilate the teeming masses of a grossly overpopulated planet. On Bezer''ej, the handful of native aquatic creatures who survived extermination must take extraordinary and terrible steps to ensure the future of their kind . . . And the interlopers from a distant planet called Earth can only watch the chaos they helped, in part, to create—knowing their home world will be next to suffer. The day of reckoning is rapidly approaching when the powerful Eqbas will remake the Earth at the expense of its dominant species. And Shan Frankland—once a police officer, once human, now something much more—must decide where her loyalties truly lie: among the gethes, on a planet she once called home, or here, where a dying species presents her with a new and unexpected crisis.

The Eqbas have come, bringing justice, change, hope to some . . . and death to many. Seeking to punish the human gethes who caused the near destruction of an ocean-dwelling race in the distant Cavanagh’s Star system, the Eqbas have finally landed on Earth. But another, equally important obligation has drawn them across the galaxy: the salvation of this environmentally ravaged world, a mission that could entail the annihilation of billions of humans. Former police officer Shan Frankland has come as well—along with her two lifemates, one alien and one human—carrying in her blood the parasite that makes her virtually immortal. Though she once vowed never to let the powerful contagion reach the homeworld she left nearly a century ago, she feels compelled to play an active role in the unfolding drama—and to follow the catastrophic events that have devastated civilizations and defined her life to their shocking, inevitable end.

La guerre civile couve et l''Alliance Galactique, nouvellement créée, se trouve confrontée à un nombre croissant de mondes rebelles. Han et Leia retournent vers Corellia, le cœur de la résistance, dont Han est natif. Et leurs enfants, Jacen et Jaina, sont enrôlés au sein de la campagne de l''Alliance pour écraser les insurgés. Mais Jacen, désormais maître accompli de la Force, a son propre plan pour ramener l''ordre dans la galaxie. Guidé par son mentor Sith, Lumiya, et accompagné de Ben, le jeune fils de Luke, il s''engage sur la voie autrefois arpentée par son grand-père, Dark Vador... Alors que leur fils se transforme sous leurs yeux en adversaire, Han et Leia doivent faire face à un mystérieux assassin et au retour d''un nom qu''ils pensaient relégué au passé : Boba Fett. Dans ce nouvel ordre galactique, amis et ennemis ne sont plus ceux que l''on croit...

For the first time, fans of the blockbuster Gears of War video games get an in-depth look at Delta Squad’s toughest fighters—soldier’s soldier Marcus Fenix and rock-solid Dominic Santiago—as well as a detailed account of the pivotal battle of the Pendulum Wars. As kids, the three of them were inseparable; as soldiers, they were torn apart. Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago fought alongside Dom’s elder brother Carlos at Aspho Fields in the epic battle that changed the course of the Pendulum Wars. There’ s a new war to fight now, a war for mankind’s very survival. But while the last human stronghold on Sera braces itself for another onslaught from the Locust Horde, ghosts come back to haunt Marcus and Dom. For Marcus–decorated war hero, convicted traitor–the return of an old comrade threatens to dredge up an agonizing secret he’s sworn to keep. As the beleaguered Gears of the Coalition of Ordered Governments take a last stand to save mankind from extermination, the harrowing decisions made at Aspho Fields have to be re-lived and made again. Marcus and Dom can take anything the Locust Horde throws at them–but will their friendship survive the truth about Carlos Santiago?

During this savage civil war, all efforts to end Jacen Solo’s tyranny of the Galactic Alliance have failed. Now with Jacen approaching the height of his dark powers, no one–not even the Solos and the Skywalkers–knows if anything can stop the Sith Lord before his plan to save the galaxy ends up destroying it. Jacen Solo’s shadow of influence has threatened many, especially those closest to him. Jaina Solo is determined to bring her brother in, but in order to track him down, she must first learn unfamiliar skills from a man she finds ruthless, repellent, and dangerous. Meanwhile, Ben Skywalker, still haunted by suspicions that Jacen killed his mother, Mara, decides he must know the truth, even if it costs him his life. And as Luke Skywalker contemplates once unthinkable strategies to dethrone his nephew, the hour of reckoning for those on both sides draws near. The galaxy becomes a battlefield where all must face their true nature and darkest secrets, and live–or die–with the consequences. 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!

Civil war rages as the Galactic Alliance–led by Cal Omas and the Jedi forces of Luke Skywalker–battles a confederation of breakaway planets that rally to the side of rebellious Corellia. Suspected of involvement in an assassination plot against Queen Mother Tenel Ka of the Hapes Consortium, Han and Leia Solo are on the run, hunted by none other than their own son, Jacen, whose increasingly authoritarian tactics as head of GA security have led Luke and Mara Skywalker to fear that their nephew may be treading perilously close to the dark side. But as his family sees in Jacen the chilling legacy of his Sith grandfather, Darth Vader, many of the frontline troops adore him, and countless citizens see him as a savior. The galaxy has been torn apart by too many wars. All Jacen wants is safety and stability for all–and he’s prepared to do whatever it takes to achieve that goal. To end the bloodshed and suffering, what sacrifice would be too great? That is the question tormenting Jacen. Already he has sacrificed much, embracing the pitiless teachings of Lumiya, the Dark Lady of the Sith, who has taught him that a strong will and noble purpose can hold the evil excesses of the dark side at bay, bringing peace and order to the galaxy–but at a price. For there is one final test that Jacen must pass before he can gain the awesome power of a true Sith Lord: He must bring about the death of someone he values dearly. What troubles Jacen isn’t whether he has the strength to commit murder. He has steeled himself for that, and worse if necessary. No, the question that troubles Jacen is who the sacrifice should be. As the strands of destiny draw ever more tightly together in a galaxy-spanning web, the shocking answer will shatter two families . . . and cast a grim shadow over the future.