In the country of Carthya, a devious nobleman engages four orphans in a brutal competition to be selected to impersonate the king's long-missing son in an effort to avoid a civil war.

"Growing up, Travis Uriah Long yearned for order and discipline in his life...two things his neglectful mother couldn't or wouldn't provide. So when Travis enlists in the Royal Manticoran Navy, he thought he'd finally found the structure he'd always wanted so desperately. But life in the RMN isn't exactly as expected. Boot camp is rough; his first ship assignment lax and disorderly; and with the Star Kingdom of Manticore still recovering from a devastating...

"Lieutenant Travis Long of the Royal Manticoran Navy is one of those rare people who likes rules but has a talent for thinking outside of them when everything starts coming apart. That is why he is now a mustang and also why he has enemies. At the moment, there are powerful forces in the young Star Kingdom's Parliament who don't think they need him or the navy for that matter. Unhappily for them, the edge of the explored galaxy can be a far more dangerous...

"In a peaceful Carthya, Jaron leads as the Ascendant King with Imogen beside him--but the peace he fought so long for is not destined to last. On a routine sea voyage, Jaron's ship is brutally attacked, and he is taken hostage. The mysterious captors and their leader, Jane Strick, accuse Jaron of unthinkable acts. They are also in possession of some shocking items--including the crown and sword that belonged to Jaron's older brother, Darius. The items...

When a mysterious enemy strikes at the very foundation of the Ascendancy by widening the rifts between the Nine Ruling Families and Forty Great Houses, Thrawn and his allies must decide what matters most--the security of their family or the survival of the Ascendancy itself.

"Life can exist anywhere. And anywhere there is life, there is home. In the swirling clouds of Venus, the families of La Colonie live on floating plant-like trawlers, salvaging what they can in the fierce acid rain and crackling storms. Outside is dangerous, but humankind's hold on the planet is fragile and they spend most of their days simply surviving. But Venus carries its own secrets, too. In the depths, there is a wind that shouldn't exist. And...

"King Jaron has outwitted the Prozarians and returned to his own kingdom with one secret in his pocket that not even his friends know about. He's hoping that secret will help him finally bring stability to Carthya. But a surprise attack on his own land--on the castle itself--reminds Jaron that nothing is easy. The Prozarian Monarch threatens to crumble Jaron's entire kingdom. And that's not the only thing in danger: With old enemies and new rumors...