Edward M. Lerner

As though landing people safely on Mars weren't daunting enough ... The Space Race of the Sixties, at the height of the Cold War, had been nail-biting—until the Soviet Union forfeited. In the thirties—amid a second Cold War—China is not about to lose the race to Mars. Nor is the United States. Nor, quite the wildcard, is a secretive cabal drawn from among the world's multi-billionaires. All of them are scrambling to launch deep-space missions on a schedule that makes the Sixties contest appear lackadaisical. This competition could only continue on the Red Planet. More treacherous still? The rivalries, resentments, and distrust that simmer just beneath the surface within each expedition. More difficult yet? Survival on that arid, radiation-drenched, all-but-airless, planet. These challenges have somehow fallen into the lap of NASA engineer—and reluctant astronaut—Xander Hopkins. But the thorniest problem of all? The existential quandary for which neither training nor experience has prepared Xander? Making sense of the seemingly unstoppable plague that has already killed many on Mars, and seems poised to devastate all life on another planet. Earth.

"Lerner's world-building and extrapolating are top notch." -SFScopeHowever wildly people had imagined First Contact? They never imagined this. They weren't supposed to be there. They hadn't planned to be there. But neither had they planned for the near-catastrophic explosion that had all but destroyed their interstellar passenger vessel. There was somewhere on the far fringes of what the rustic locals-for all they knew alone in the universe-egotistically capitalized as the Solar System. But however primitive these humans, scarcely spacefaring at all, they were the last, best, and-however vanishingly small-only hope for the few surviving passengers of the starship Greater Good to avoid lingering deaths on some remote, icy rock. And the crew of the tiny spaceship Andrew Carnegie? They entertained no plans beyond keeping secret the identity of their destination asteroid, exploiting its storehouse of precious metals, and fantasizing over how to spend their anticipated wealth. The universe, once again, didn't give a damn what anyone had planned ...." One of the leading global writers of hard science fiction."-The Innovation Show

One of the leading global writers of hard science fiction."-The Innovation Show"Lerner's world-building and extrapolating are top notch."-SFScopeDashiell Hammett meets Andy WeirThe Company Man, lowly accountant for the filthy-richest business in the Belt, has modest aspirations. Air and water not endlessly recycled. Food that had not been freeze dried and rehydrated. A few quiet days at home. And, if he can just figure out how, ripping off the company a bit. Alas, working as he does for evil geniuses, that final ambition seems impossible-until, at the end of an interminable trek among remote company mining asteroids, a mysterious emergency preempts his return flight. Someone has discovered a flaw in the company's legendary security. If people must die to exploit it? That, apparently, isn't an obstacle. Or even the least of the consequences, in the Belt, elsewhere in the Solar System, and across Earth itself. With the body count rising, even the vast fortunes at stake cease to matter-and only the Company Man has a chance of averting interplanetary disaster. If he survives ....

"Holy crap, this is a great book."—Sci Fi Saturday Night "Solid sci-fi outing from Lerner"—Publishers Weekly “Here’s an author you definitely need to check out.”—Asimov’s Science Fiction On the Moon’s far side, shielded from Earth’s radio cacophony, Americans are building a radio-astronomy observatory. Russians sift the dust of a lunar “sea” for helium-3 to run future fusion reactors. Commercial robots, remotely operated from Earth, roam the Moon’s near side in a hunt for mineral wealth. Why chase distant asteroids for precious metals? Onetime asteroids must lie close beneath the much-bombarded lunar surface. Then a prospecting robot encounters a desiccated, spacesuited figure. An alien figure …. Americans from the lunar observatory investigate. Near the original find, underground, they discover an alien installation. Lunar Russians, realizing that the Americans are up to something clandestine, send their own small team. Each group distrusts the other … even before the fatal “accidents” begin. By the time anyone suspects what ancient evil they have awakened, it may be too late— For everyone on Earth, too.

For decades, the spacefaring species of Known Space have battled over the largest artifact and grandest prize in the galaxy: the all-but-limitless resources and technology of the Ringworld. But without warning the Ringworld has vanished, leaving behind three rival war fleets. "Something" must justify the blood and treasure that have been spent. If the fallen civilization of the Ringworld can no longer be despoiled of its secrets, the Puppeteers will be forced to surrender theirs. Everyone knows that the Puppeteers are cowards. But the crises converging upon the trillion Puppeteers of the Fleet of Worlds go far beyond even the onrushing armadas: Adventurer Louis Wu and the exiled Puppeteer known only as Hindmost, marooned together for more than a decade, escaped from the Ringworld before it disappeared. And throughout those years, as he studied Ringworld technology, Hindmost has plotted to reclaim his power Ol't'ro, the Gw'oth ensemble mind and the Fleet of World's unsuspected puppet master for a century is deviously brilliant. And, increasingly unbalanced Proteus, the artificial intelligence on which in desperation the Puppeteers rely to manage their defenses, is outgrowing its programming. And the supposed constraints on its initiative Sigmund Ausfaller, paranoid and disgraced hero of the lost human colony of New Terra, knows that "something" threatens his adopted home world. And that it must be stopped Achilles, the megalomaniac Puppeteer, twice banished and twice rehabilitated sees the Fleet of World's existential crisis as a new opportunity to reclaim supreme power. Whatever the risks One way or another, the fabled race of Puppeteers may have come to the end of their days in "Fate of Worlds, "the final installment to Larry Niven and Edward M. Lerner's "Fleet of Worlds "series."

The explosive finale to the Ringworld and the Fleet of Worlds seriesFor decades, the spacefaring species of known space have battled over the largest artifact--and grandest prize--in the galaxy: the all-but-limitless resources and technology of the Ringworld. Now, without warning, the Ringworld has vanished, leaving behind three rival war fleets. Somethingmust justify the blood and treasure that have been spent. If the fallen civilization of the Ringworld can no longer be despoiled of its secrets, the puppeteers will be forced to surrender theirs--everyone knows that they are cowards. But the crises converging upon the trillion puppeteers of the Fleet of Worlds go far beyond even the onrushing armadas. Adventurer Louis Wu and the exiled puppeteer known only as Hindmost, marooned together for more than a decade, escaped from the Ringworld before it disappeared. And throughout those years, as he studied Ringworld technology, Hindmost has plotted to reclaim his power. One way or another, the fabled puppeteer race may have come to the end of its days.

Fleet of Worlds marks Larry Niven's first full novel-length collaboration within his Known Space universe, the playground he created for his bestselling Ringworld series. Teaming up with fellow SF writer Edward M. Lerner, Fleet of Worlds takes a closer look at the Human-Puppeteer (Citizens) relations and the events leading up to Niven's first Ringworld novel. Kirsten Quinn-Kovacs is among the best and brightest of her people. She gratefully serves the gentle race that rescued her ancestors from a dying starship, gave them a world, and nurtures them still. If only the Citizens knew where Kirsten's people came from.... A chain reaction of supernovae at the galaxy's core has unleashed a wave of lethal radiation that will sterilize the galaxy. The Citizens flee, taking their planets, the Fleet of Worlds, with them. Someone must scout ahead, and Kirsten and her crew eagerly volunteer. Under the guiding eye of Nessus, their Citizen mentor, they explore for any possible dangers in the Fleet's path--and uncover long-hidden truths that will shake the foundations of worlds.

Worlds closer to the galatic core than Known Space are --or were-- home to intelligent speciers. Some learned of the core explosion in time to flee. Destroyer of Worlds opens in 2670, ten years after Juggler of Worlds closes; with refugee species fleeing in an armada of ramscoops in the direction of the Fleet of Worlds. The onrushing aliens are recognized as a threat; they have left in their trail a host of desolated worlds: some raided for supplies, some attacked to eliminate competition, and some for pure xenophobia. Only the Puppeteers might have the resources to confront this threat--but the Puppeteers are philosophical cowards... they don't confront anyone. They need sepoys to investigate the situation and take action for them. The source of the sepoys? Their newly independent former slave world, New Terra.

For too long, the Puppeteers have controlled the fate of worlds. Now Sigmund is pulling the strings... Covert agent Sigmund Ausfaller is Earth's secret weapon, humanity's best defense against all conspiracies, real and potential - and imaginary - of foes both human and alien. Who better than a brilliant paranoid to expose the devious plots of others? He may finally have met his match in Nessus, representative of the secretive Puppeteers, the elder race who wield vastly superior technologies. Nessus schemes in the shadows with Earth's traitors and adversaries, even after the race he represents abruptly vanishes from Known Space. As a paranoid, Sigmund had always known things would end horribly for him. Only the when, where, how, why, and by whom of it all had eluded him. That fog has begun to lift... But even Sigmund has never imagined how far his investigations will take him - or that his destiny is entwined with the fates of worlds.