Caleb and Mezoke are on Earth for celebrations marking the end of the Human-Sandjarr wars, running security for the ceremonies. When an incident occurs between Malaysian fishermen and a nomadic alien species called the Rapakhun, they are brought in to investigate and to lead negotiations. But tensions are high, and something is killing the fish in the mangrove swamp. The two agents will have to contend with the humans' lingering mistrust towards aliens in their efforts to solve the mystery.
The unexplained deaths in the mangrove have not deterred authorities: The ceremonies will go on as planned in Kuala Lumpur, despite Mezoke's resistance and growing disagreement with Caleb. But the official optimism is soon dampened by news of further destruction, closer to the city. And when Nina and Angus return with the identity of the killer, an old enemy of the Confederation, the agents will be forced to act in desperation-and, maybe, to pay the ultimate price.
Caleb (a human) and Mezoke (a Sandjarr) are paired up and trained as special agents to keep the intergalactic peace. This is a controversial and historic alliance given their races' longstanding enmity, and a lot of people are watching them. Their first mission is to keep war from breaking out between humans and Javlodes on the planet Senestam.
Caleb acts as a mediator between the warring factions while dealing with an attack by Stilvulls (highly destructive insects)-and he also has to contend with his feelings for charming doctor Kim Vandersel. Mezoke is on the planet Upssal, trying to appease the Javlodes
In the 23rd century, humans and Sandjarrs are allowed to join an intergalactic multiracial organisation set up 8,000 years before. The humans are seen as a belligerent, underdeveloped race by the other members of the organisation and have been kept out of it until now. The Sandjarrs had stayed out of interplanetary politics until a war between themselves and the humans broke out. Now Caleb, a human, and Mezoke, a Sandjarr, are paired up and trained as special agents to keep the intergalactic peace. This is a controversial and historic alliance, and a lot of people are watching them. Their first mission is to keep war from breaking out between humans and Javlodes on the planet Senestam.
Following the Kuala Lumpur incidents, which almost prevented the Human-Sandjarr reconciliation ceremony from being held, the situation on Earth is increasingly tense. The mood has turned ugly, resulting in attacks against aliens and assassinations of isolationist personalities. Meanwhile, the circles of Confederate powers are afire with political manoeuvring, and Mezoke is on trial for high treason, a convenient scapegoat. But when the judges request that Caleb be brought out of his regenerative coma to testify, the Sandjarr agent's loyalty is put to the test...
After fleeing Confederate space, Caleb and Mezoke are hiding among a community of exiles disgusted by the corruption and violence infecting the galactic government. Caleb is recovering slowly, just as Angus, the living ship, is doing on a different world. But a powerful, dangerous psychic link seems to exist between them, and all are actively hunted by both the authorities and a terrorist group. When running ceases to be the answer, the only option left is resistance...
After the events in Stockholm, Caleb and Mezoke have become renegades and are hunted by the entire Confederation. Inevitably they end up on Tetsuam, a gigantic itinerant space station that's the capital of crime in the galaxy. But while they attempt to sort out a future for themselves, and as Confederate space is recovering from the civil war, the Neuronomes - sentient ships previously thought eradicated - appear to launch random, devastating suicide attacks that kill thousands...
It's clear now: the Neuronomes are not attacking the Confederation,
but rather are the victims of a mysterious aggressor, and they
explode when they die. They did, however, take up positions near
large population centres, threatening to take thousands of lives with
them when they go in order to pressure Confederate authorities - who
had once massacred them - into helping them. Unsurprisingly, Caleb,
Mezoke and Angus are chosen to go to the Neuronomes' home planet and
neutralise the unknown threat.
Kristina Swany, a rebellious young Human, discovers the hidden side
of the Intergalactic Confederation - crime, misery and corruption.
She will have to carve a place for herself in the shadows. The first
volume of an Orbital spin-off. 2279. A freighter arrives on planet
Drenn, with its hidden cargo of illegal immigrants, including young
Human Kristina Swany. Like the rest of her travelling companions, she
seeks a new life, a new start ... but what awaits them is slavery, at
the hands of a merciless criminal cartel - the supposed price for the
last leg of their journey. Left with no choice, Kristina and the
others must do dangerous work in atrocious conditions, and soon begin
to suspect there won't be a last leg ...
Midaluss, on planet Drenn, is a sprawling seaside city where wealthy districts and alien slums co-exist, though violence is never far. That is where Kristina and her new partner, Zachary, have decided to start their new career as luxury vehicles thieves. But even as they must face fierce competition from other gangs, the tragic events that followed Kristina’s arrival on Drenn soon catch up to them, and blood – alien and Human – could soon flow freely again …
The Horde, that reunites the three largest realms of Pre-Antiquity, continues its unstoppable advance. But it's becoming increasingly clear that its greatest enemy is perhaps its own unique founding concept. While the brawls between the three clans begin to tear the great army apart, there is also a storm brewing in Thusia's mind, as she is forced to choose sides.
Two women--each other's nemeses. Louise Fernbach and Yun Shao. One a European soldier, the other a Catholic terrorist from China. Ever since she discovered Yun Shao was behind the deaths of some of her fallen comrades, Louise has been out for her blood. Whatever it takes. Louise shows no mercy. Louise is a drone pilot. For her, wars are just video games she plays from Stockholm HQ. For Yun Shao, they are a fight to the death with disposable machinery. Welcome to modern warfare...
The Horde of the Living is growing ever weaker in consequence of the constant attacks from the Hittites. Their only hope is to sneak into enemy territory and kill the Hittite king. Which is how Thusia ends up mounting Marak's griffin and setting off for the Hittite capital. If she succeeds, the Horde will survive.
The war is at its peak. Louise is experiencing it from her drone pilot desk, which allows her the time to deal with family disputes and to go pick up the kids from school. Yun Shao, on the other hand, is right at the heart of the conflict, face to face with a robot. But soon the corpse of a soldier killed in combat comes along to remind Louise that war is not just the video game she thinks it is, sitting comfortably in her Stockholm headquarters...
This opening episode begins with the Hittites' bloody Urar conquest, which is the first stage of a fierce conflict. Urar belongs to the rulers Marak, Kymris and Simmissee, three ancient rivals who have now united and formed one fearsome fighting force whose sole preoccupation is killing. Woe betide anyone who provokes their wrath!
The Horde of the Living continues its relentless advance, growing increasingly certain of its invincibility. However, the alliance of the three kings is more fragile than they seem to think it is. The Hittites seems to be mastering their weaponry in a whole new way, and cracks are starting to appear in the Horde's unified facade. Will Thusia continue to observe from the sidelines, or will she have a greater part to play...?
Lisa Forsberg is a rookie cop who has just taken her first assignment in the small Swedish city where she was born. In her youth she was a troublemaker, part of a hard-living subculture called "raggare" who worship American rock'n'roll and vintage cars from the 1950s. Now Lisa finds herself thrown back into this world when she is sent to investigate a missing person report involving people she went to school with. She and her partner, Erik Lund, will uncover secrets that put them in harm's way and bring them face-to-face with the unspeakable.
Jakob Kayne and his brother Samuel are the last of the Hippocrats. Sworn to treat those in need (and those who are deemed worthy), the two Healer-Alchemists have been tracked across the Archipelagos by manifold enemies, including the Inquisition. On his latest mission, Jakob, a formidable Memory-Eater whose face none can recall, is confronted by an obstacle as unexpected as it is persistent: feelings for his latest patient, Victoria Marcheda, amid the fiery destruction of the city of La Isabela.
As our saga reaches its conclusion, old scores are settled, new lies are told, and the spilling of human (and non-human) blood continues. Each band of travelers engages in battles where victory might mean the difference between love and love lost, life and death, or the recovery of an ancient relic. Deceit and treachery are countered by steadfast honor and promises kept. The clash between the old gods and a new one can be heard in the sounds of swords piercing flesh, and wind whispering past bodies swinging from the trees. In the lands of "Hammerfall," things are rarely as they seem.
In 8th-century Europe, a clash of cultures and religions inevitably leads to a clash of swords. This harsh, changing world suits Bjrn the Beautiful, who has a single passion: violence. His bloodlust led to his exile from his native land, and it's his bloodlust that brings him back. For Harald, it's the season of Jul and he's about to marry the gorgeous Lina. The festivities are interrupted by the arrival of Bjrn and his troops. With his people either slaughtered or enslaved, Harald begins a forced march with the other survivors. He wants revenge, but he must be patient like the serpent: know when to sleep, and know when to strike.
1937: An island somewhere in the middle of the ocean, which Count Zaroff has chosen as his new hunting ground. He's tired of hunting the usual game - animals are far too easy to kill. He has set himself the supreme challenge: a prey that is both dangerous and unpredictable, in fact the only prey worth hunting - people. But when the Count brings down a Mafia boss, the "family" lands on the island looking for revenge. Suddenly, the roles are reversed and the Count finds himself being hunted. To make matters worse, the Mafiosi have kidnapped the Count's sister and her children and brought them to the island. If Zaroff doesn't find them soon, they'll all be killed. And he'll be next.
Our heroes and villains have left the dark region of Svartalfheim, yet new dangers await. Unlikely alliances are formed in the quest to survive long enough for destinations to be reached and goals attained. In the snow-covered regions of the north, bone-chilling sorcery, divine trickery, and foul deceit all play a role in revealing the coldness of the human heart. Will the love that also burns there be enough to conquer all the evil that men-and gods-do?
Bjrn the Beautiful's march through the North with his band of slaves continues. As payment for protection and passage through Svartalfheim, some slaves have been given to the ruthless Skanes. With their family now separated, the surviving members of Harald's clan must now find ways to endure and eventually escape their servitude. Family crises, sword-play, a slave-driving poet, and sacrifices to a giant: from the intrigues of Charlemagne's court to the non-human tribes of Europe's Far North, Hammerfall follows both the expansion of a religious empire and the suffering its violent spread inflicts upon the people of the conquered territories.
Since he arrived 10 years ago, the United States haven't quite lived up to Zaroff's expectations. A handful of criminals, the odd vagabond... the pickings are pretty slim, especially for the greatest manhunter in the world. But Uncle Sam soon leads him to more promising lands: his native Russia, which has been invaded by Nazis. Finding himself amongst the predators of the 3rd Reich, Zaroff finally bares his true colors, and they're almost as terrifying as the savage aggressors themselves...
