The Original Worlds of Timothy Zahn by Open Road Media

Two outcasts are bound together by more than loyalty in the third Dragonback adventure from the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Star Wars: Thrawn. Fugitive Jack Morgan and dragonlike alien Draycos have become literally inseparable. After Jack rescued him from a crash, the K'da warrior, who must have a host to survive, took residence on his back as a biomorphic tattoo, in return protecting the boy from harm. While Jack tries to clear his own name of a crime he didn't commit, he also helps Draycos uncover a conspiracy to destroy his race. After narrowly escaping service with a band of mercs, Jack and Draycos know that whoever wants the K'da dead was involved with a Brummga alien—brutish beings known to be tough as nails . . . and dumb as rocks. To get more information, Jack's "sold" into slavery on a rich Brummga estate, where he has to find out all he can from the computer system while under the cruel watch of a vicious slave master who has no problem killing the help. It's not going to be easy. But, as always, Draycos has his back . . .

A “brisk and entertaining” novel of a barren, mysterious planet that may save humanity—or destroy it—by the author of Star Wars: Heir to the Empire (Publishers Weekly). Chasing a new frontier, humankind sends a manned starship into the universe and away from the overpopulated Earth in hopes of finding a new planet to colonize. But every Earthlike world they discover is already inhabited. As it turns out, the universe is a very crowded place. An alien council offers to lease the one remaining uninhabited world: Astra, a bleak and barren but serviceable planet. The new settlement, though, quickly experiences serious problems, from dying crops to the mysterious disappearance of anything and everything that is made of metal. And then Astra reveals a secret neither the aliens nor the human governments could ever have imagined.

In the sequel to Blackcollar from the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Star Wars: Thrawn, Allen Caine is back on the front lines of an alien war. Denver, Earth. The twenty-fifth century. After a devastating alien invasion, the Terran Democratic Empire is occupied by the Ryqril race. The once-heroic resistance warriors known as the blackcollars now serve as strong-arm security for Denver's criminal elements. When Allen Caine completes his year-long blackcollar training on the planet Plinry, he and his elite team head to Earth to strike out against the Ryqril puppet government. But there's no way of knowing whether the remaining blackcollars in Denver will be with him, or against him. . . .

Frank Compton must join forces with his most feared enemies to defeat an ancient civilizations-devouring malevolence in the final installment of Hugo Award-winning author Timothy Zahn's Quadrail series A dozen sentient species occupy the galaxy, and the Quadrail connects them all. Arriving at Proteus Station under a cloud of suspicion, ex-government agent Frank Compton finds he must answer for the death of six members of the Filly elite, a crime for which he has been falsely accused. Filiaelian captivity, however, is the least of Compton's worries, for his horse-faced alien accusers are guarding a terrible secret that dates back centuries: the Shonkla-raa, a race of super-soldiers believed to be extinct. Invincible fighters bred for conquest and dedicated to the destruction of the Quadrail, as well as the annihilation of the unsuspecting billions who oppose them, the Shonkla-raa must be stopped at all cost. But to do so, Compton and his beautiful, enigmatic half-human partner, Bayta, will have to ally themselves with the insidious, mind-enslaving Mohdri, the malevolent group intelligence they have sworn to destroy. Hugo Award winner Timothy Zahn concludes his sensational Quadrail series with a riveting futuristic adventure that combines the best of three popular genres—hard science fiction, mystery, and espionage thriller. Judgment at Proteus is a breathtaking tale of deception, murder, and desperate maneuverings in a secret war that threatens the survival of every living being in the galaxy.

A group of telepaths navigate the challenges of their power in four linked stories from the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of the Star Wars Thrawn trilogy. Dale Ravenhall is part of a small network of telepaths spread throughout North America. Although they can communicate with each other across hundreds of miles, if they get within twenty miles of each other, the mental pressure is fatal. Their situation requires them to be a cautiously tight-knit community, but when one of them is murdered, things begin to unravel . . . The gripping world of Dale and his distant friends first appeared in "Red Thoughts at Morning" in 1981, and continued with "Dark Thoughts at Noon" and "Black Thoughts at Midnight. Now, in Distant Telepaths, Hugo Award-winning author Timothy Zahn brings the saga to a dramatic close with an all-new original story, "Bright Thoughts at Dawn."

This short fiction collection includes the Hugo Award-winning novella Cascade Point and eight stories previously unpublished in book form.

An original collection of thirteen exciting science fiction & fantasy stories by the #1 bestselling author of the Star Wars Thrawn trilogy. He captivated readers with his creation of General Thrawn beginning with his #1 New York Times–bestselling Star Wars: Heir to the Empire. Now, Hugo Award–winning author Timothy Zahn shares thirteen of his masterful science fiction and fantasy stories, previously published separately in magazines and anthologies throughout his career, together for the first time in one original collection. Take a trip down memory lane with Zahn and prepare yourself for a journey across space and time where you will see wonders of technology, powerful magic, and chilling monsters. In "The Battle of Space Fort Jefferson," a mild-mannered Park Service Ranger must deal with terrorists aboard a former space prison and quarantine center that's now a largely deserted tourist attraction. Administrators from Earth discover an alien race's secret to longevity in "A Lingering Death." A wizard prepares for the army of the evil witch king in "A Touch of Rosemary." Scientists discover the dangers of first contact in the novella Cordon Sanitaire. A jazz music aficionado travels two hundred years back in time to 1953 Pittsburgh in "For Love of Amanda." A vampire helps Hollywood celebrities avoid the paparazzi in "Vampin' Down the Avenue." A werewolf and a mermaid encounter murder in the countryside in "Protection." These stories and more await readers in this exciting collection, full of all the action, mystery, suspense, thrills, chills, and humor that have made Zahn a leader in science fiction and fantasy.

In this brilliant epic sci-fi adventure from the bestsellilng author of "Angelmass," a recently crippled quadriplegic is transformed into a space-dwelling, manta/dolphin-like animal and becomes the herd's last hope for survival.

"Fast-paced action . . . first-rate sf space adventure" ( Library Journal) from the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Star Wars: Thrawn. Deep in space lies the black hole known as Angelmass, so called because it emits enigmatic particles with the unusual ability to render humans calm, reasonable, and incapable of lying—which would normally be seen as a good thing. But not by everyone. For while Empyrean human colonies on the edge of the galaxy utilize the power of the "angels," the Earth-based Pax empire views the emissions as a threat that could be used to subvert humanity. Academic Jereko Kosta is pressed into service by the Pax to spy on the Empyrean, joining the crew of a ship actively hunting the particles. But what he learns turns out to be both scientifically fascinating and morally frightening. When the Pax make an aggressive move that may lead to all-out war with the Empyrean, Kosta is the only one who can stop the conflict between the human powers and force them to see that the angels they're about to fight over are far from holy . . . Timothy Zahn combines provocative ethical questions with the same level of vivid sci-fi action that made his Star Wars: Thrawn a New York Times bestseller to deliver "a serious SF novel sneakily posing as an enormous golden-age thrill ride" ( Locus).

The first novel in the Dragonback series is "a romp of a space thriller" ( Booklist) from the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Star Wars: Thrawn. Jack Morgan is dealing with more trouble than any young man deserves. Raised to be a professional thief and con artist by his late uncle Virgil, he's survived on his uncle's spaceship with the help of an AI program. But when he's accused of a crime he actually didn't commit, Jack is forced to flee to a remote, uninhabited planet where he can stay off the radar for a while. His solitude is soon interrupted when a ship crashes on Jack's hideout after a terrible space battle. There's only one survivor: a warrior called Draycos, whose reptilian race is being targeted for extinction. The good news is that if Jack helps Draycos, the odd creature might be able to help clear Jack's name. The not-so-good news is that to survive, Draycos must bond—physically and mentally—with a sentient being to use as his "host." And it looks like Jack is the only sentient being around . . .

When a young researcher ventures through a mysterious planetary system, dangerous secrets come to light in this novel from a Hugo Award–winning author. Grad student Danae Panya’s dream assignment has been approved. She’ll study Triplet, the strange planetary system scarred by nuclear war and connected through portals. The most experienced Courier of Triplet, Ravagin, will lead her to its hidden worlds—Threshold, Shamsheer, and Karyx—and introduce her to their secrets, including their advanced technology, their dark magic, and the captivating demon culture of the innermost planet. But though they begin their journey with only scholarly research in mind, Danae and Ravagin quickly find themselves embroiled in the menacing dynamics roiling throughout Triplet. Will Ravagin be able to get them both out alive?

A genetically enhanced fighting force may be humanity's only hope in this novel by the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Star Wars: Thrawn. Decades after a successful invasion of Earth and the Terran Democratic Empire by the Ryqril—hostile, leathery-skinned aliens—resistance fighter Allen Caine is training for an undercover mission. He will assume the identity of an aide to the senate—part of the government that colludes with the invaders. But when the mission begins earlier than planned, Caine finds himself stuck on the off-planet outpost of Plinry with no idea of what awaits. He's responsible for the most important mission undertaken by the resistance in twenty years, and when the operation goes awry, Caine's only hope is to locate Plinry's so-called blackcollars—the elusive, martial arts–trained guerilla force whose wartime resistance efforts are legendary. With his life and the freedom of everyone in the TDE on the line, Caine's success will depend on whether or not he can find them. . . .

A secret agent aboard a galactic railroad must derail a sinister conspiracy in this "rip-roaring" thriller by the author of Star Wars: Thrawn ( Publishers Weekly). The universe is a dangerous place, a fact violently brought home to Frank Compton for perhaps the thousandth time when a stranger delivering a message dies right in front of him. An operative for Western Alliance Intelligence until his whistle-blowing activities got him fired, Compton is now being sought out by the Spiders, the robotic alien beings responsible for the upkeep and operation of the Quadrail transportation system, which connects the galaxy's twelve inhabited empires. The discovery of a sinister plot to use the Quadrail for ill has brought the Spiders to Compton—for only someone possessing the former agent's unique skills can stop the scheme for good. But when Compton leaves Earth behind—joining forces with Bayta, the Spiders' beautiful, half-human representative aboard the Quadrail—the terrifying scope of a vast, galaxy-wide conspiracy begins to reveal itself. Targeted on all sides by alien assassins of every shape and species, Compton and his enigmatic new partner are suddenly in a race against a clock ticking down to an irreversible doomsday, one in which the galactic night train will derail, carrying all members of humanity screaming to their deaths. The first in the Quadrail series from the Hugo Award–winning author of Blackcollar and many New York Times–bestselling Star Wars novels, Night Train to Rigel is an action-packed "great read" ( Booklist).

Escape to far-off planets with ten science fiction stories from the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of the Star Wars Thrawn trilogy. Contains two original stories: "The Needs of the Many" and "Challenge Accepted" Hugo Award–winning author Timothy Zahn presents an original collection of science fiction adventure stories. Some of the works here were previously printed in publications such as The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction and Analog, or in themed collections, but have never appeared together until now . . . The Shadow Stories In "The Shadows of Evening," a seasoned warrior named Turek has dedicated his life to defending colonists from mysterious and debilitating Shadows on a hostile planet. Zahn elaborates Turek's story with two sequels, and now concludes the saga with the original story, "The Needs of the Many." The Hive Mind Stories Two Hive Mind starcraft observe Earth from afar and from a superior viewpoint in "The Challenge." They believe that self-destructive competition among humans will prevent this so-called fragmented race from achieving the technological level required to reach the stars. In two sequels, Zahn explores what would happen if humans found a different way to the heavens. Now, with the original story "Challenge Accepted," he brings the series to a climactic end. Two more stories round out the collection. In "Star Song," humans find a unique way to fuel interstellar travel with music, while a diplomatic aide gets caught up in a plot of greed and destruction in "The Art of War." Together, these ten tales promise action, adventure, humor, and more, all from the masterful mind of one science fiction's greatest authors.

Hitchcock meets Serling in this deadly game of cat-and-mouse between a young couple and alien races from a #1 New York Times–bestselling author. After engaging in bloody warfare against each other, two alien races—the Greens and the Grays—take refuge on Earth, both believing their home and their enemy destroyed. For seventy-five years, they have been passing as humans, living peacefully—until each side discovers the other has survived. Now, in order to avoid another destructive conflict, these extraterrestrial rivals have united and agreed that a sacrifice must be made . . . On a dark and cold October night in Manhattan's Riverside Park, a strange ceremony is about to begin. The group is focused on a young girl who is ready to do what she must for peace, but the ritual comes to an abrupt halt when the child is mysteriously kidnapped. Meanwhile, after four years of marriage, Roger and Caroline Whittier struggle to get through a day without fighting. Their bickering is interrupted when a bizarre mugger leaves them with a little girl named Melantha. While they disagree on most matters, they both know they must protect Melantha. Unfortunately, they have no idea who is looking for their foundling or the lengths they will go to get her back. Now, the chase is on . . . "[Timothy] Zahn has lots of surprises up his sleeve, and the ability to make the strange sound real." — Statesman Journal "Compelling . . . One nice touch in this highly enjoyable hybrid of SF and mystery is that at no point does any one character know exactly what's going on." — Publishers Weekly

DIVThe Tampy aliens’ living spaceships are far more powerful than humanity’s non-biological technology. Can they—and should they—be tamed?/divDIV Throughout the universe, space horses are among the most coveted of species. They are starfaring creatures with telekinetic abilities, tamed and controlled by the Tampy aliens—who aren’t willing to share their understanding of the creatures. Despite diplomatic government intervention, human poachers are determined to capture and control the giant beings. With a tenuous peace treaty in place between the Tampy and humans, the first jointly helmed space horse will undertake its first mission. But will the two races be able to work together—or will their peace break down into all-out war?/div

Ex-government agent Frank Compton must halt a murderous plague that threatens to turn the galaxy-spanning Quadrail into a ghost train in the fourth installment of Hugo Award–winning author Timothy Zahn's acclaimed Quadrail series The Chahwyn created the Spiders to keep their intra-galactic transportation system, the Quadrail, safe and running smoothly, and contracted ex-security agent Frank Compton to protect its integrity. So far, Compton and his half-human, half-Chahwyn partner, Bayta, have had their hands full keeping this essential link between occupied worlds open and preventing the evil collective intelligence called the Modhri from using it to spread their mind-controlling infection. But now a new threat has boarded, one that troubles even the Modhri. While the Quadrail is en route to the farthest edge of the galaxy, a murder by poison occurs—then another and another—dark happenings that are not only disturbing but also technically impossible. The system Compton and Bayta have been charged with protecting is in grave danger of derailment, and unless they can get to the deep roots of a sinister conspiracy, chaos will come to the ordered universe. This tour de force from Hugo Award winner Timothy Zahn rockets the acclaimed Quadrail series to breathtaking new heights. The Domino Pattern is an ingenious amalgam of hard science fiction and locked-room murder mystery that would leave even the great Hercule Poirot bedazzled.

Science redefines life and death in this novel by the #1 New York Times–bestselling, Hugo Award–winning author. Dr. Adrian Sommers’s world was destroyed in a split second of distracted driving. The accident left his son wavering between life and death. When the end came, Sommers’s family was torn apart, but the tragedy gave him hope and an obsessive mission: to forestall death through science and technology. Years of experimentation lead Sommers to develop Soulminder, a device capable of capturing a dying person’s life essence and holding it safely in stasis while physicians heal the body from injury or disease. But there are those who recognize Soulminder’s true potential: body-swapping, obstruction of justice, extortion, and perhaps even immortality. As Sommers struggles to retain control over the use of his invention against corrupt and dangerous factions, he must question his own moral judgment and motives in creating Soulminder and determine if humanity has earned the right to harness the power of life and death. From the author of Star Wars: Heir to the Empire, this is not only a tale of a father’s desperate love for his son but also “an intriguing thought experiment. . . . Those who enjoy deep philosophical questions will appreciate being left with much to ponder” (Publishers Weekly).

DIVThe children of Tigris have extraordinary telekinetic gifts—but are these special powers a blessing or a curse?/divDIV On Tigris, children develop telekinesis beginning at the age of five. By the time they’re pre-teens, though, their special abilities peak, then slip away as they reach maturity. Being able to “teek” gives them power—even over most adults—until they gradually become regular teenagers, no longer special, no longer with authority and status. Some handle the Transition better than others. /divDIV /divDIVLisa Duncan always thought she’d mature gracefully, but at age fourteen, and close to losing her abilities, she’s confused and uncertain about what the future will bring. That is, until she gets drawn into the experimental plan of Dr. Matthew Jarvis, whose scientific discovery may alter Tigrin society forever. . . . /div

"The adventure and danger levels crackle" ( Booklist) in the second book of the Dragonback saga by the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Star Wars: Thrawn. Even though he's been on the run from the law for a while, young Jack Morgan never wanted a bodyguard. But that's what he got when a desperate alien named Draycos bonded with him for survival. When all is well, Draycos looks like nothing more than a tattoo on Jack's back. But when Jack's threatened, the K'da warrior appears in his true, dragonlike form. Now, Jack's indebted to his new symbiotic friend for saving his life, and feels obligated to help Draycos fulfill his vow to discover who's behind the plot to eradicate his kind. All they know for sure is that whoever annihilated the fleet of K'da refugee ships used mercenaries to do their dirty work. To investigate, Jack signs up with a merc outfit known for using teenagers to fill their ranks. But life in the military is far more unpleasant than Jack bargained for—and it turns out he's not the only new recruit who isn't what they appear to be . . .

Former agent Frank Compton races across the galaxy to prevent an evil group mind from acquiring powerful alien artifacts in the action-packed second installment of the Quadrail series from Hugo Award–winning author Timothy Zahn Frank Compton saved the universe once—and for that he must die. Having temporarily stalled the Modhri, a sinister alien group intelligence, in its evil schemes for universal domination, the former Western Alliance Intelligence operative just wants to relax in first class with his stunning, half-human partner, Bayta, aboard the worlds-linking intra-galactic transportation system, the Quadrail. But when their peace is disturbed by an annoying human passenger spinning wild tales of alien art objects, and the pest is discovered dead soon after, Compton and Bayta realize there can be no rest. The galaxy remains in grave danger. Now on a mission to find ancient sculptures, relics of a long-extinct alien civilization, Compton must elude a relentless special agent who believes him to be a murderer. But that's only the tip of the iceberg, for everything ties into the Modhri's secret war against all the planets along the Quadrail lines—and the enemy's unique ability to enslave the minds of every creature it comes into contact with means an assassin could be anywhere . . . or anyone.

Death-row inmates are used for a lethal mining operation—but one is innocent—in this science fiction novel by a #1 New York Times–bestselling author. Only the recently dead can helm the “deadman switch” to pilot a ship through the Cloud, a mysterious solar entity that shields the Solitaire solar system and its valuable heavy metals. Two convicted murderers are routinely sacrificed for this task—one to enter the system, one to exit. Gilead Raca Benedar is a Watcher, employed by the wealthy head of an intergalactic mining company as a human lie detector of sorts. When Benedar is sent to Solitaire, with its metal-rich moons, to assist with the acquisition of its valuable mining rights, he and the crew are able to make it to Solitaire safely, and all goes well. That is, until Benedar’s Watcher powers show him that the second convict they are traveling with—the one meant to helm the deadman switch on their return journey—is innocent.

Ex-government agent Frank Compton must keep an extraordinary little girl safe from the malevolent group intelligence seeking to enslave the universe in the explosive third installment of Hugo Award–winning author Timothy Zahn's Quadrail series. Frank Compton is glad he's finally back on his home planet of Earth—galaxy-hopping aboard the Quadrail on his continuing mission to prevent the Modhri group mind from ruling the universe is exhausting business—but hadn't expected to find a young woman waiting for him in his New York apartment with a loaded gun in her hand. Ignoring her demands that he rescue her ten-year-old sister, the former Western Alliance Intelligence agent sends his unwelcome guest packing—only to find himself under arrest the following day for her brutal murder. Released on bail and determined to do the right thing, Compton makes tracks for the world of New Tigris. But a captive child is not all that he discovers there: Little Rebekah may also hold the key to the ultimate defeat of the Modhri. Suddenly, keeping one small girl safe is the most important—and dangerous—task Compton has ever undertaken. And with the Modhris' mind-slave "walkers" everywhere, there may be no safe place for an "abomination" and her protector to hide.