Winner of the Nebula Award, this science fiction adventure “features sound characterization, straightforward plotting, abundant world building detail, and almost as much humor” (Booklist). As the young ruler of a destitute province burdened by obsolete technology, Kamoj Argali must marry to save her people from starvation. She has managed to make peace with her betrothal to the arrogant leader of a wealthy neighboring province. Then Havyrl Lionstar, a mysterious visitor to their land, steps in to claim Kamoj as his wife, sowing chaos in their lives. In this science fictional retelling of a classic folk tale, Havryl appears as a beast to Kamoj’s people. But what is the truth behind his strange, erratic behavior? In dealing with the upheavals he brings to their world, Kamoj discovers that the universe is much larger than she ever understood. This new edition contains a revised, expanded version of the essay that appeared in the original book, in which Catherine Asaro explains how she found inspiration for The Quantum Rose while earning her doctorate at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, where she studied the quantum theory of scattering processes. “A freestanding page-turner as a romance, with a hard science fiction framework.” —Publishers Weekly “Bolsters [Asaro’s] reputation for skillfully putting classic romance elements in an sf setting.” —Booklist “Fans of futuristic romance will revel in the delights of a top notch romantic adventure set against an impeccably crafted, richly imagined background.” —Romantic Times “Sturdy and absorbing.” —Kirkus Reviews “Asaro plants herself firmly into that grand SF tradition of future history franchises favored by luminaries like Heinlen, Asimov, Herbert, Anderson, Dickson, Niven, Cherryh, and BaxterBaxter.” —Paul Di Filippo, Locus

"'Skyfall' goes back to the beginning, to the rebirth of Skolia, showing how a chance meeting on a backwater planet forges a vast interstellar empire."--Back cover.

Asaro returns to the interstellar Skolian Empire in Catch the Lightning to tell a tale of politics, love, and war, the story of a young girl from Earth taken into the future and made the focus of a murderous plot to bring down the empire.

The first book in the Skolian Empire saga by the Nebula Award–winning author. “Fast, smart, speculative . . . another stellar debut.” —Los Angeles Daily News Soz Valdoria, a bioengineered fighter pilot—and first in line for the military command of her people—has found refuge with her squad on the sanctuary planet of Delos. It offers a respite from the war that rages between her Skolian people and their enemies, the Traders. Looking for rest and relaxation, they must still be on their guard for the Trader soldiers who also visit the sanctuary. In a bar, they confront the worst of the worst: an Aristo from the Trader ruling caste, seemingly on the prowl for a “provider” he can use for his barbaric impulses. His presence takes Soz back to her days as a prisoner of war, when she became the plaything of a sadistic and soulless Aristo. And yet something is off about this Aristo. Unable to ignore her instincts, Soz searches the city until she finds him in a secured mansion. Breaching its fortifications and eluding its guards, she discovers a devastating truth: this man is no true Aristo. He is a genetic anomaly like Soz, one of the few people who can handle the massive neurological demands of the psibernet, the technological marvel that gives the Skolians their only advantage over the Traders. This false Aristo, this sheep in a wolf’s clothing, is heir to the Trader throne. The emperor created him for one reason—to take control of the Skolian network and conquer Soz’s people. But Soz has never felt such a connection as she does to this Trader heir. It may prove her—and the universe’s—undoing . . . “This is one of the best SF first novels in years.” —Booklist

She bears no name. Her silvery appearance is freakish to the numerous inhabitants of Sago, the cosmopolitan capital of Pevorocco in the Western Realm. With her mother vanishing at the instance of her birth, she is sent to live with the cruel, rich Ma Dane, where she is punished daily for something, though she knows not what. Tauntingly named Beauty, she flees Sago in a violent uprising that sets out to massacre all Magics and journeys to the farthest point of the country. But Beauty cannot hide in the grassy Hillands forever. Before long, the State officials find her and threaten to take her back to war-torn Sago where death surely awaits. In a midnight blizzard she escapes them, running into a deep, enchanted forest to a great and terrible beast who will bargain for her life. But can Beauty accept Beast? Eternity is a long time. Now for the first time in paperback, Roses is sure to capture your heart as you fall in love with Beauty and her Beast all over again. For readers 12+, this is a very imaginative, fantasy retelling of a classic fairy tale, which is still popular to the YA genre. With lessons about bullying others and falling in love, this is not only a light, fun read but also engages kids to think about their relationship to others in the real world. Sky Pony Press, with our Good Books, Racehorse and Arcade imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of books for young readers—picture books for small children, chapter books, books for middle grade readers, and novels for young adults. Our list includes bestsellers for children who love to play Minecraft; stories told with LEGO bricks; books that teach lessons about tolerance, patience, and the environment, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Catherine Asaro is a popular SF writer, combining her diverse talents to blend hard science fiction and heartrending romance into a sweeping epic known as the Saga of the Skolian Empire. This is her trademark series. Ever since Primary Inversion, her very first novel, this series has continued to grow, building a significant readership and receiving widespread praise. All of Asaro's considerable talent is on display in Spherical Harmonic, the direct sequel to The Radiant Seas. Separated for decades by circumstance and political machinations, the Ruby Dynasty, hereditary rulers of the Skolian Empire, struggle to bring together the tattered remnants of their family in the shadow of a disastrous interstellar war. Too many have died, others are presumed lost, yet they must move quickly if they are reassume their rightful place as rulers of Skolia.

A gorgeous and timely novel based on the incredible story of Sophie Scholl, a young German college student who challenged the Nazi regime during World War II as part of The White Rose, a nonviolent resistance group.