A massive alien convoy is hurtling toward Earth, but its true purpose is a puzzle: “It’s time to discover Donald Moffitt.” —Greg Bear The Lunar Observatory on Earth is picking up a very strange and unidentifiable signal from the direction of Cygnus. When the meaning of this signal is finally understood, it clearly spells disaster for Earth. An immense object is rushing toward the Solar System, traveling nearly at the speed of light, its intense nuclear radiation sure to kill all life on Earth within months. As it moves closer the humans can discern that it is an enormous convoy of some sort, nearly as large as a planet. And there is nothing anyone can do to divert such an enormous alien object. Then, unexpectedly, the object changes course and heads toward the dead planet of Jupiter...but what could an enormous alien convoy want with such a useless planet?

The Lunar Observatory on Earth is picking up a very strange and unidentifiable signal from the direction of Cygnus. When the meaning of this signal is finally understood, it clearly spells disaster for Earth. An immense object is rushing toward the Solar System, traveling nearly at the speed of light, its intense nuclear radiation sure to kill all life on Earth within months. As it moves closer the humans can discern that it is an enormous convoy of some sort, nearly as large as a planet. And there is nothing anyone can do to divert such an enormous alien object. Then, unexpectedly, the object changes course and heads toward the dead planet of Jupiter...but what could an enormous alien convoy want with such a useless planet?

The Quantum Thief is a Kirkus Reviews Best of 2011 Science Fiction & Fantasy title. One of Library Journal's Best SF/Fantasy Books of 2011 Jean le Flambeur is a post-human criminal, mind burglar, confidence artist, and trickster. His origins are shrouded in mystery, but his exploits are known throughout the Heterarchy- from breaking into the vast Zeusbrains of the Inner System to stealing rare Earth antiques from the aristocrats of Mars. Now he's confined inside the Dilemma Prison, where every day he has to get up and kill himself before his other self can kill him. Rescued by the mysterious Mieli and her flirtatious spacecraft, Jean is taken to the Oubliette, the Moving City of Mars, where time is currency, memories are treasures, and a moon-turnedsingularity lights the night. What Mieli offers is the chance to win back his freedom and the powers of his old self-in exchange for finishing the one heist he never quite managed. As Jean undertakes a series of capers on behalf of Mieli and her mysterious masters, elsewhere in the Oubliette investigator Isidore Beautrelet is called in to investigate the murder of a chocolatier, and finds himself on the trail of an arch-criminal, a man named le Flambeur.... Hannu Rajaniemi's The Quantum Thief is a crazy joyride through the solar system several centuries hence, a world of marching cities, ubiquitous public-key encryption, people communicating by sharing memories, and a race of hyper-advanced humans who originated as MMORPG guild members. But for all its wonders, it is also a story powered by very human motives of betrayal, revenge, and jealousy. It is a stunning debut. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Let's say you've just gotten out of prison, and your old boss wants to rehire you. Sounds great! But what if your old boss is the Frozen Avenger? His last job was the attempted kidnapping of an acclaimed astrophysicist in order reinstate Pluto as a full-fledged planet, and now he wants you to help him steal a set of precious meteorites to fund his obsession. Still sound great?And what if an elite team of superheroes forces you to take the job and work for them as a double agent? Do these superheroes want to put away criminals, or are they just looking for a way to get these meteorites for their own mysterious purposes? Maybe these superheroes aren't heroes after all.What if all of the Frozen Avenger's old goons are turning up murdered and it looks like you might be next? What if sinister corporations are taking an interest in your work history, and you've got a seductive cat woman, whiskers and everything, knocking on your door at all hours?What are you going to do?If you're Zach Hernandez, professional henchman, you better forget about the dream of getting a normal job, having a normal life. You better learn not to follow orders. Then you do what it takes to stay alive.

NYT and USA Today bestselling author Jennifer A. Nielsen brings a new dose of adventure and thrills to ancient Rome in the second book of her magical Mark of the Thief trilogy! Nic may have escaped enslavement in the mines outside of Rome, but his troubles are far from over. The Praetor War -- the battle to destroy Rome from within -- is in full force, and Nic is caught in the crossfire. The secretive Praetors are determined to unlock a powerful amulet -- one sure to bring the empire to its knees. Worse, the Praetors believe Nic holds the key to finding this amulet, and they will stop at nothing to steal it, even if that means harming the people Nic holds most dear. When the Praetors capture Nic's mother, Nic knows he must do anything to save her. He challenges the Praetors to a chariot race. If he wins, they will release his mother. But if he loses, he must hand over a magic that will certainly bring about the end of Rome as well as his own life. Can Nic once again harness his magic and gather the strength to defeat his enemies? Or will he lose his mother and bear witness to Rome's destruction?

Like all human colonists born into the crushing gravity of Jupiter, Jarls Anders commands tremendous physical strength and survival ability. And, like his fellow Jovians, Jarls has grown up innocent, easy to exploit. Shipped between Jupiter, Venus, and Earth in indentured servitude, Jarls finds his life in constant danger--not just from the harsh landscapes of distant planets, but also from the treacherous politics of human aristocracy. Navigating the solar system proves much easier than navigating political conspiracy and a government coup. Jarls’s only chance for survival is if he can leave behind his rustic innocence and build a strength of character to match the strength of his body. In JOVIAN, author Donald Moffitt creates a fast-moving SF adventure packed with grand themes and big ideas sure to please fans of his other titles and of brand-new and classic SF adventure alike.

Readers of this transportive text will learn how much the writers of the movie The Martian really got right when they described how a stranded astronaut survived on the red planet. They will also investigate the conditions that actual Mars colonists will face. Since the 1800s, sci-fi writers have imagined colonizing other planets. Today, science fiction is becoming reality, as scientists plan actual colonies in the solar system. This volume considers some of the challenges in colonization of the Moon, Mars, asteroids, and the moons of Jupiter and Saturn, and looks at the ethics involved in taking over another planet.