STEVEN BARNES

Jedi Master Mace Windu travels to a dangerous remote planet on a mission that challenges even his deadly prowess all to fulfill Qui Gon s last request The Jedi are reeling from Qui Gon Jinn s sudden death at the hands of a Sith Jedi Master Mace Windu s feelings about Qui Gon have always been complicated and have not been made any simpler in death While they often disagreed Mace valued Qui Gon s unique perspective and their shared dedication to the Force made them allies Without Qui Gon and his unorthodox views Mace feels out of balance While considering his fallen friend s legacy Mace is surprised to receive a final message from Qui Gon marked to be delivered to Mace on the event of Qui Gon s death The message contains a last request a plea to help the Outer Rim planet of Metagos Many years ago a violent solar flare transformed the surface of the desert planet into a landscape of irradiated glass as beautiful as it is dangerous Now most of the surviving inhabitants live underground where rival clans fight to control the planet s limited resources As a young Jedi Qui Gon protected the Sa ad farming clan from the planet s less scrupulous factions The Sa ad practice the art of dream weaving retaining their waking minds upon sleep in order to comm

Ord Cestus, a planet mostly barren and inhospitable to life, was first colonized as a prison world—until a handful of hardy pioneers discovered its rich ore deposits and managed to build up a successful droid-manufacturing industry. But when the Clone Wars erupted, bringing severe rationing of imported resources and a Republic ban on the production of battle droids, Ord Cestus was threatened with imminent economic collapse.

Ord Cestus, planeta árido y casi inhóspito, fue colonizado con vistas a convertirlo en un mundo prisión, hasta que un puñado de pioneros descubrió su gran riqueza en minerales y creó una gran industria de fabricacion de androides. Hasta que estallaron las Guerras Clon, con su inevitable racionamiento de recursos y con la prohibicion de la Republica de fabricar androides de combate, lo que dejo a Ord Cestus al borde de un inminente colapso economico.

An exciting paranormal novel from two award-winning authors about what happens when an alien race brings Earth to the brink of the Apocalypse. What happens when an unprecedented infection sweeps the world, leaving the earth on the brink of the Apocalypse?But this infection goes far beyond disease. Beyond even the nightmare images of walking dead or flesh-eating ghouls. The infected are turning into creatures unlike anything ever dreamed of . . . more complex, more mysterious, and more deadly. Trapped in the northwestern United States as winter begins to fall, Terry and Kendra have only one choice: they and their friends must cross a thousand miles of no-mans-land in a rickety school bus, battling ravenous hordes, human raiders, and their own fears. In the midst of apocalypse, they find something no one could have anticipated . . . love.

The Confederacy is trying to get its hands on some very special battle droids, and the Republic is determined to stop them, so Obi-Wan Kenobi is sent to the planet Ord Cestus, manufacturer of the droids. His mission: diplomacy. But if diplomacy doesnt work, he will use any means a Jedi can to help keep these potentially super-dangerous weapons out of enemy hands. And diplomacy cant work. Someone is pulling the manufacturing planets strings--someone with an agenda all his or her own, which cant allow for either side to win control. As Obi-Wan and Jedi Master Kit Fisto uncover the secret plans layer by layer, Obi-Wan learns just how much he can trust a clone warrior...and just how reprehensible war can be, especially in the face of true honour.

Jedi Master Mace Windu travels to a dangerous, remote planet on a mission that challenges even his deadly prowess - all to fulfill Qui-Gons last request.The Jedi are reeling from Qui-Gon Jinns sudden death at the hands of a Sith. Jedi Master Mace Windus feelings about Qui-Gon have always been complicated, and have not been made any simpler in death. While they often disagreed, Mace valued Qui-Gons unique perspective, and their shared dedication to the Force made them allies. Without Qui-Gon and his unorthodox views, Mace feels out of balance.While considering his fallen friends legacy, Mace is surprised to receive a final message from Qui-Gon, marked to be delivered to Mace on the event of Qui-Gons death. The message contains a last request: a plea to help the Outer Rim planet of Metagos.Many years ago, a violent solar flare transformed the surface of the desert planet into a landscape of irradiated glassas beautiful as it is dangerous. Now most of the surviving inhabitants live underground, where rival clans fight to control the planets limited resources. As a young Jedi, Qui-Gon protected the Saad farming clan from the planets less scrupulous factions. The Saad practice the art of dream-weaving, retaining their waking minds upon sleep in order to communicate and coexist with the wild creatures around them. Qui-Gon vowed to return if they ever required his aid, but now it falls to Mace to fulfill that promise. The Saads leader, KinShan Nightbird, has begged for the Jedis help in freeing Metagos from the crime lords who threaten to eradicate her peoples way of life.Intent on fulfilling Qui-Gons final wishes, Mace travels to Metagos and infiltrates the enemies of the Saad. But as the Jedi Master investigates the intricate web of adversaries and allies, Mace finds himself pushed to the boundaries of the Jedi code, challenging his beliefs and his relationship to the Force itself.

The epic story of how primitive humans, without words or machines, set in motion civilizations long, winding journey to the present. Thirty thousand years ago, in the heart of the African continent and in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro, lived the Ibandi, who for generations nurtured their ancient traditions, and met survival s daily struggle with quiet faith in their gods. TCori, an abandoned girl, and Frog Hopping, a boy possessing a gift that is also a curse, are two of the Ibandis chosen ones. Though they live in different encampments, Frog and TCori are linked through the mysterious medicine woman known as Stillshadow, who has sensed in them a destiny apart from others. Through the years, and on their separate paths, TCoris and Frogs fates entwine as an inevitable disaster approaches from the southfrom the very god they worship. For as long as there have been mountain, sky, and savannah, there has been a home for the Ibandi. Now, in the face of an enemy beyond anything spoken of even in legend, they must ask their god face-to-face: Do we remain or do we depart?

WHAT LIES BENEATHDispatched as a Republic envoy to the Outer Rim planet Ord Cestusin a bid to halt the sale of potentially deadly bio-droids to the ConfederacyObi-Wan Kenobi finds himself enlisted in a mission more desperate, and dangerous, than diplomatic. The once self-contained world has long since been co-opted by unscrupulous offworlders, whose plunder of a vital natural resource has enabled the rise of a powerful corporation that controls the economy. Ord Cestuss native population, the XTing, are now mere second-class citizens in their own society. Enter the Jedi Knight, with news that a legal technicality has turned the tablesand the corrupt forces with a stranglehold on Ord Cestus are now at the mercy of the XTing. Circumstances, however, are more dire than the Republic suspected. In the wake of a devastating plague, the XTings benevolent rulers are dead, and the once tightly knit race has splintered into battling factions. Reunification can only come with the rise of new royals, whom all XTing are bound by blood to serve. But the eggs that will spawn those sovereigns lie out of reach, secured in a secret chamber and booby-trapped by those whose knowledge died with them in the plague. Now, to salvage a peoples destiny, Obi-Wan will risk a veritable descent into hell: braving the unknown horrors in the forgotten depths of an alien world, on a perilous quest from which none who went before have ever returned.BONUS: This short story features an exclusive author interviewplus an excerpt from Steven Barnes Star Wars novel, The Cestus Deception.

IN THE NIGHTMARE FUTURE OF THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY ONLY THE STRONGEST SURVIVERaised on the streets of a devastated twenty-first century torn by plagues, riots, and social decay, Aubry Knight was trained to be a lethal killing machine. Betrayed by those who created him, he survived a living hell to become a new kind of hero: strong enough to confront evil, yet caring enough to save a world.But now a fanatical religious leader plots to enslave the nation and tampers with the sanctity of life itself. To save America from tyranny, Aubry Knight must battle an inhuman army of super soldiersand confront the terrors of his own past.

Streetfighter, fugitive, hero Aubry Knight is now a powerful man with powerful friends. And someone wants to kill him.Their opening shot is the death of one of Aubrys dearest friends. Their next attack is on Aubrys child. Knight is drawn inexorably toward New Africa, toward the mysteries of his own past, and toward a future that may take him far from Los Angeles and the only life hes ever known.To win this battle, and save his family, Aubry Knight must defeat himself.

Los Angeles is a teeming metropolis with a rotten core: Deep Maze, where the Thai-VI ghoulsthe disease-spreading Spidersroam. Here the all-powerful Ortegas rule over their empire of drugs, prostitution and black-market human organs "donated" by their helpless victims.All Aubry Knight, the former weightless boxing champion, wants is to be left alone. But youre either with the Ortegas or against them, so they made his life a hell. First they tried to control his mind, then they tried to reduce him to "spare parts."

Steven Barness Great Sky Woman unveiled the world of a prehistoric people in the shadow of modern-day Mount Kilimanjaro. Now, in Shadow Valley, the astounding sequel, we follow the Ibandi peoples odyssey through a land where everything has changeda land from whose ashes will grow the roots of civilization and the enduring truths of love, family, forgiveness, and faith.After the catastrophic eruption of Father Mountain, the Ibandi are divided, desperate, and afraid. Most have followed the only person in whom they still believe: young Sky Woman, who was on the great mountain when it exploded and who, along with Frog Hopping, returned to tell the tale. Nurtured by an elder whose searing visions have left her blind, Sky Woman nonetheless doubts her own visionary powers as she follows a path she can hardly discernacross savannah and parched plainsto find a valley of plenty for a people on the brink of collapse.But in fact, Sky Woman and Frog were not the only survivors of the mountains explosion. Another man has emerged from the destruction, vengeance pulsing in his veins, to lead a separate group of Ibandi into a vicious and reckless act of war. Soon these two strands of survivors will meet, through chance, desperation, and sheer willpower. In a world in which every moment is lived on the edge between life and death, where animal and human predators can strike in an instant, where the gods themselves seem lost, and dreams entwine with reality, a peoples destiny rushes toward them. The Ibandi must make a last, violent stand against complete destruction.In this hypnotic, thrilling, and beautiful novel, Steven Barnes explores relationships between friends and lovers, leaders and followers, strangers and allies. At once visceral and soaringly insightful, Shadow Valley is about who we are as human beings today as seen through the wondrous prism of our distant past.