NOW A LOCUS AWARD FINALIST! “A classic space opera...a universe we’ve never seen before.” —Delilah S. Dawson, New York Times bestselling author From Hugo Award finalist Max Gladstone comes a smart, swashbuckling, wildly imaginative adventure; the saga of a rag-tag team of brilliant misfits, dangerous renegades, and enhanced outlaws in a war-torn future. A wildly successful innovator to rival Steve Jobs or Elon Musk, Vivian Liao is prone to radical thinking, quick decision-making, and reckless action. On the eve of her greatest achievement, she tries to outrun people who are trying to steal her success. In the chilly darkness of a Boston server farm, Viv sets her ultimate plan into motion. A terrifying instant later, Vivian Liao is catapulted through space and time to a far future where she confronts a destiny stranger and more deadly than she could ever imagine. The end of time is ruled by an ancient, powerful Empress who blesses or blasts entire planets with a single thought. Rebellion is literally impossible to consider--until Vivian Liao arrives. Trapped between the Pride—a ravening horde of sentient machines—and a fanatical sect of warrior monks who call themselves the Mirrorfaith, Viv must rally a strange group of allies to confront the Empress and find a way back to the world and life she left behind. A magnificent work of vivid imagination and universe-spanning action, Empress of Forever is a feminist Guardians of the Galaxy crossed with Star Wars and spiced with the sensibility and spirit of Iain M. Banks and William Gibson. “Empress of Forever is tense and vast, complex and twisty, a space opera epic that’s a lot faster on the draw than Star Wars or Star Trek ever dreamed of being. But at its core, it’s an epic about the value of empathy and the importance of compassion. It’s amazingly good.”—Locus “With Empress of Forever, Max Gladstone’s remarkable talent is operating at full stretch, demonstrating the strength, power, and originality at his command. This unique and propulsive novel yields a deep, cellular-level enchantment filled at every turn with curiosity and delight.”—Peter Straub “Empress of Forever is a story that will make you weep with wonder. The whole book is filled with the kind of snark that I love and an endless majesty of stars. It broke me to pieces and then stitched me back together with golden thread. Simply glorious.”—K.B. Wagers, author of Behind the Throne “Galaxy-saving space opera with cool original settings and a unique band of adventurers that change each other for the better. It was a wild ride and I really enjoyed it.”—Martha Wells, Hugo Award-winning author of The Murderbot Diaries “Incorporates wonder and wit to create a feminist, humanist playground. Introduces one mind-blowing concept after another, capitalizing on the concept of personal power while candidly addressing personal failure. This feast for the imagination intelligently captures the complexities of a variety of relationships in an adrenaline-fueled series of escapades and will leave readers both exhausted and elated.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review “A fantastic tale of adventure on the grandest scale of epic space opera, spanning galaxies full of battles and traps as well as trade and negotiation, all told with humor as the crew seeks allies, weapons, and ships to fight back against The Empress to save the galaxy—and so Viv can find her way home.”—Booklist, starred review “Vivian is an amazing woman: with no more than her sharp wit in a universe of AIs and enhanced beings, she still ends up being the key to the truth. Gladstone's epic space opera and fast-paced adventure will thrill readers.”—Library Journal, starred review At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

For fans of Pierce Brown and Firefly comes an epic sci-fi fantasy, hailed as "an important and relevant novel" by The New York Times. Empress Rhee, also known as Crown Princess Rhiannon Ta’an, is the sole surviving heir to a powerful dynasty. She’ll stop at nothing to avenge her family and claim her throne. Fugitive Aly has risen above his war refugee origins to find fame as the dashing star of a DroneVision show. But when he’s falsely accused of killing Rhee, he's forced to prove his innocence to save his reputation – and his life. Madman With planets on the brink of war, Rhee and Aly must confront a ruthless evil that threatens the fate of the entire galaxy. Rhoda Belleza crafts a powerful saga of vengeance, warfare, and the true meaning of legacy in this exhilarating debut, perfect for readers of Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles and Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman's Illuminae Files.

A tale of love, power and intrigue from the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Alice Network and The Diamond Eye. Powerful, prosperous, and expanding ever farther into the untamed world, the Roman Empire has reached its peak under the rule of the beloved Emperor Trajan. But neither he nor his reign can last forever... Brash and headstrong, Vix is a celebrated ex-gladiator returned to Rome to make his fortune. The sinuous, elusive Sabina is a senator's daughter who craves adventure. Sometimes lovers, sometimes enemies, Vix and Sabina are united by their devotion to Trajan. But others are already maneuvering in the shadows. Trajan's ambitious Empress has her own plans for Sabina. And the aristocratic politician Hadrian—who is both the Empress's ruthless protégé and Vix's mortal enemy—has ambitions he confesses to no one, ambitions rooted in a secret prophecy. When Trajan falls, they all will be caught in a deadly whirlwind that may seal their fates, and that of the entire Roman Empire...

Sandry, Daja, Briar, and Tris, are older now and back together again, in an exciting and much-awaited, stand-alone novel by everyone's favorite mage, Tamora Pierce. For years the Empress of Namorn has pressed her young cousin, Lady Sandrilene fa Toren, to visit her vast lands within the Empire's borders. Sandry has avoided the invitation for as long as it was possible. Now Sandry has agreed to pay that overdue visit. Sandry's uncle promises guards to accompany her. But they're hardly a group of warriors! They're her old friends from Winding Circle: Daja, Tris, and Briar. Sandry hardly knows them now. They've grown up and grown apart. Sandry isn't sure they'll ever find their old connection again - or if she even wants them to. When they arrive at the pala

One girl must compete to become the next empress while keeping her monstrous identity a secret in this Ancient Japan-inspired standalone fantasy.

Fresh from winning the Hugo and Nebula Awards, Max Gladstone weaves elements of American myth—the muscle car, the open road, the white-hatted cowboy—into Last Exit, a deeply emotional tale where his characters must find their own truths if they are to survive. Ten years ago, Zelda led a band of merry adventurers whose knacks let them travel to alternate realities and battle the black rot that threatened to unmake each world. Zelda was the warrior; Ish could locate people anywhere; Ramon always knew what path to take; Sarah could turn catastrophe aside. Keeping them all connected: Sal, Zelda’s lover and the group's heart. Until their final, failed mission, when Sal was lost. When they all fell apart. Ten years on, Ish, Ramon, and Sarah are happy and successful. Zelda is alone, always traveling, destroying rot throughout the US. When it boils through the crack in the Liberty Bell, the rot gives Zelda proof that Sal is alive, trapped somewhere in the alts. Zelda’s getting the band back together—plus Sal’s young cousin June, who has a knack none of them have ever seen before. As relationships rekindle, the friends begin to believe they can find Sal and heal all the worlds. It’s not going to be easy, but they’ve faced worse before. But things have changed, out there in the alts. And in everyone's hearts. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

[ SALES TO DATE: 1,144 ] ........... "Staying alive for me is like surviving a train wreck" ☹️ says nineteen year old Theresa in chapter 22..... "This is the most stupid thing ever done. 🤬 I'm glad I won't be here to see what happens" says eighteen year old Theresa in chapter 4 when she thinks the U.S. government will execute her in a few minutes.......The intellect and the emotions are in constant struggle 👺 for control of the person. In Theresa's case, the intellect wins. 😁 ..... ( IT'S INTERESTING THAT OUT OF THE FIRST -*NINETY-FIVE*- ..YES 95 !!!.., ONE-STAR REVIEWERS, ONLY -*ELEVEN*- ACTUALLY READ THE BOOK AS INDICATED BY AMAZON'S ' Verified Purchase' FLAG. WHY ARE THEY HERE? READ ON. ).......Theresa is a star baseball pitcher in high school. Internet trolls viciously attack her on the internet. A teacher tells Theresa why they do that, and she understands.............. "I saw why the trolls were angry. They knew they couldn't go where I was going. I'd have a good life. They wouldn't.".........If I had intended to write a story that the internet trolls would hate, I couldn't have done better than Empress Theresa. It's a natural internet troll target...........How many stories can make you feel good? Can you think of any? Add Empress Theresa to the list...................In chapter 1, ten year old Theresa admits she doesn't have a clue about anything, but nine years later she confidently says, "I can do anything". "How did I come so far?" she asks herself, and considers a list of influences on her life. She had good parents and family support, she had natural gifts of beauty and intelligence, she has a good, loyal husband, but the most important influence are her own actions. ... "I'm very simple. I follow my conscience. I am what I do." ........What's in Empress Theresa?....... Violence, shootings, bombings? No. Foul language? No. Car chases? No. Sex scenes? No. Marital infidelity? No. Suicide? No. Drugs, alcohol? No. Mystery, crime? No. ........Mysterious events? Yes. "Impossible problems" solved? Yes. Stupid, greedy adversaries? Yes. Teenage ingenuity? Yes. Love and friendship? Yes. Pet chipmunks? Yes. Courage? Yes. Heroism? Yes. Fame and fortune? Yes. U.S. President, British Prime Minister, Israeli Prime Minister? Yes. Global crises? Yes. Political situations? Yes. Philosophical remarks? Yes. Heartwarming scenes? Yes........Can a teenage girl be trusted with limitless power? We'll see.............Of what is Theresa the empress? She's empress of her internal self, described by Henry David Thoreau as 'a realm besides which the empire of the Czar is a petty state', a land too vast to be explored in a lifetime. Theresa rules her inner self.....A teenage Catholic girl from Massachusetts acquires limitless power over the whole world...What will she do with it?....What would you do with it?....On page two, Theresa sums up the human situation in a single sentence: "We're lost in this confusing world unless we follow the directions of its Maker." Theresa figures it all out and changes the world. 😀❤️ 🙋♀