Dark Space Opera

A century ago, the Sentience Wars tore the galaxy apart and nearly ended the entire concept of intelligent space-faring life. In the aftermath, a curious tradition was invented - something to cheer up everyone who was left and bring the shattered worlds together in the spirit of peace, unity, and understanding. Once every cycle, the civilizations gather for the Metagalactic Grand Prix - part gladiatorial contest, part beauty pageant, part concert extravaganza, and part continuation of the wars of the past.

Ten years ago the Sythians invaded the galaxy with one goal: to wipe out the human race. Now the survivors are hiding in the last human sector of the galaxy: Dark Space--once a place of exile for criminals, now the last refuge of mankind.

Ethan Ortane has just met his long lost son, Atton, but the circumstances could have been better. After a devastating bio-attack and the ensuing battle, they've fled Dark Space aboard the Defiant to get away from the crime lord, Alec Brondi, who has just stolen the most powerful vessel left in the Imperial Fleet--the Valiant, a five-kilometer-long gladiator-class carrier. They need reinforcements to face Brondi, but beyond Dark Space the comm relays are all down, meaning that they must cross Sythian Space to contact the rest of the fleet.

This dazzling anthology includes epic interstellar adventures, tales of space and wonder, from some of the brightest names in science fiction.

Humanity has just won a major victory against the invading Sythians - the first victory in the history of the war. The savage Gors have joined forces with Dark Space, and now for the first time since the invasion, it looks like the tide is turning. But the Sythians weren't defeated. Humanity just bloodied their noses. Now they know where Dark Space is, and they are coming back for revenge.

Ethan and his son, Atton, have been arrested for high treason and conspiracy, crimes which will surely mean the death sentence, but it's beginning to look like theirs aren't the only lives in jeopardy--the Defiant is stranded in Sythian Space, and the vessel which Commander Caldin sent to get help has used all its fuel to get to Obsidian Station, only to find out that the station has been destroyed. Now the Defiant's last hope for a rescue is gone, and everyone on board is about to die a cold, dark death.

Following the success of their Locus Award-winning anthology

The New Space Opera, editors Gardner Dozois and Jonathan Strahan up the ante with

The New Space Opera 2, in which more of the most beloved names in science fiction spin stunning tales of interstellar adventure and wonder.

In space everyone can hear you sing. A century ago, intelligent space-faring life was nearly destroyed during the Sentience Wars. To bring the shattered worlds together in the spirit of peace, unity and understanding, the Metagalactic Grand Prix was created. Part concert, part contest, all extravaganza, species far and wide gather to compete in feats of song, dance and/or whatever facsimile of these can be performed by various creatures who may or may not possess, in the traditional sense, feet, mouths, larynxes or faces.

Lucien Ortane is a Paragon in the Etherian Empire. His job is to explore the universe and spread Etherian doctrines of peace, justice, and immortality to sentient beings everywhere. Like all Paragons and most citizens, Lucien believes that Etherus, the benevolent ruler of the empire, is exactly who he claims to be: the one true God and creator of the universe.

Dark Space, the last refuge of humanity, is overrun; its citizens are either enslaved or dead. The relentless Sythians have slaughtered humanity wherever they could find them, and now only a few hundred survivors remain. Desperate to escape, these few chase rumors of a lost sector of humanity and end up on Avilon, a planet covered with a vast, kilometers-high city that lies hidden and shielded from the rest of the galaxy by its impossibly advanced technology and its benevolent ruler.

Omnius has been hiding a lot from the people of Avilon. The war with the Sythians is not what we thought, but that raises the question: If not the Sythians, then what did Omnius go to fight in the Getties Cluster? Omnius knows what people will do before they do it. He predicts citizens' behavior, and, some suspect, he even makes those predictions come true.

Being a recruiter for the Galactic Legion of Planets is a safe and secure job for Josh Morris as he tries to re-enter a "normal" life following his captivity at the hands of Dax Rodon and the Tyral Pirates. But he is tortured by a vow he made to the smuggling group known as the Barracudas to return their ship.

Jess was born a prisoner, grew up a prisoner, and at 16 knew he would die a prisoner. When his turn comes to try to break through the traps protecting a spaceship it seems his day to die has come. The ship, and others like it, have already claimed hundreds of prisoners' lives.

An alien fleet is coming. Elle and her friends are the Hegemony's best chance for fighting back, but they'll need to head straight into enemy territory in order to identify the Darkness' origin. The Hegemony is out of time...and the war may already be lost before it even starts. The only chance for salvation is the mysterious shard of the Master Crystal, supposedly capable of initiating a universal-scale reset. Except no one knows what a reset of that magnitude might entail, or if it's possible.

A gripping action- and tension-filled suspense time travel account of alternate history. A Diplomat of Mars tells the tragic tale of a girl who could not scream, not because she was in space but because of what she had to scream about. This somewhat futuristic drama tells a very human story, filled with interplanetary political unrest yet marked by the characters’ pride, honor, and resolute conviction never to step on the little ones. It is an easy and enjoyable listen, full of twists and turns...a book that will captivate the listener to the end.

Tensions are running high aboard The Camelot, a deep-space exploration vessel. Spending an extended amount of time in close quarters has left most of the crew at each other’s throats, and put their veteran captain in the position of constantly playing peacemaker. As bad as things are, they get markedly worse when The Camelot unknowingly picks up a stowaway: a shapeshifting alien monster who boards their ship and begins killing the crew one by one.

The universe is in chaos. After a mysterious ancient alien race invaded human space, wiping out untold millions on dozens of worlds, humankind teeters on the brink of utter disaster. Only two paths forward seem to exist: enslavement or annihilation. But a small team of humans - seemingly thrown together by fate - emerge from the chaos of the attack, coalescing around a solitary noble warrior and a woman who the enemy seem to fear.