A RACE TO BUILD THE FIRST SPACE ELEVATOR IN AFRICA New money, old tribes, and international megacorps race to build the first space elevator. With a little Dabare magic, it just might work! The Sadous, an oil-rich West African family, are handed a plum contract as repayment for a decades-old favor that could make the next generation even richer if the family doesn’t tear itself apart first. Two engineer daughters of the Sadou family, Pascaline and Maurie, upon whom the burden of success rests, have troubles of their own. One wants nothing more than to leave and make her own name as an engineering prodigy, while the other is troubled by fever dreams and snakes. Ethan Schmidt-Li is an ambitious megacorp executive with eyes on a big promotion—only to get more than he bargained for when put in charge of the company’s make-or-break project. These are some of the people that Tchami “Chummy” Fabrice has brought together to an ambitious end—constructing the world’s first space elevator in Africa and ensuring the space industry that it catapults will enrich the continent and all involved. They have the carbon nanofiber, prime land around Kilimanjaro, and a captured rock in orbit for the tether. The hard part will be getting all these different people working together long enough to see it built. At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management). Praise for The Dabare Snake Launcher “Joelle Presby’s novel is a fascinating fictional look behind the scenes of the construction of the world’s first space elevator in a near-future version of Africa that has enough grounded elements to be thoroughly believable . . . The story maintains a keen eye on the largely larger-than-life characters and respect for the business processes, customs, and beliefs of the people on the ground making things happen.” —Wole Talabi, Locus Award–nominated author and editor of Africanfuturism: An Anthology "You guys should all be on the lookout for Joelle Presby’s solo Baen novel THE DABARE SNAKE LAUNCHER. It is… remarkable. Just truly, truly remarkable.” —David Weber, NYT Bestselling author of the Honorverse series "The Dabare Snake Launcher is a very believable depiction of when this species decides to do something amazing: backstabbing, plotting, and inflamed passions galore. Presby has created a future that I could easily imagine reading on the news in a few decades, and the novel is all the better for it." —Warped Factor “The Dabare Snake Launcher takes you on a journey of possibilities, an Africa foremost in groundbreaking technology and not focused on deprivation and poverty. Joelle’s writing is nuanced . . . There’s family drama . . . romance . . . and laugh-out-loud humour. Writing is vivid and the characters fascinating.” —Hannah Onoguwe, author and poet "Set in Cameroon, where the author lived for many years, and full of lovely detail about the local cultures, clashes between traditional and modern, and differing expectations." —Jane Lindskold, author of the Star Kingdom series and Over Where series.

Entry #3 in the popular Hell's Gate series by 28 times New York Times best-selling author David Weber and Joelle Presby. The war between magically-gifted Arcana and psionically talented Sharona continues to rage. The dragon-borne Arcanan assault across five universes has been halted at Fort Salby by a desperate defense, but at atrocious cost. One of those costs was the life of Crown Prince Janaki, heir to the newly created Sharonian Empire, who went knowingly to his death in the tradition expected of the House of Calirath. And another price will be the sacrifice of his younger sister, Grand Imperial Princess Andrin, now heir of Sharona, for the accords creating the Sharonian Empire require the marriage of the heir to the Crown to wed a Uromathian prince. Andrin bears her family's Talent, the Glimpses, which show flashes of events yet to come. She knows the accords must be secured . . . and like her brother, she will pay any price, make any sacrifice for her duty to her people. Sharona's soldiers dig in, facing the Arcanans in a tense standoff which cannot last long. Both sides continue rushing reinforcements towards the front, but how do armies fight wars when they can reach one another only through the portals which join the universes? And far, far behind the front, carried by dragons, a young Voice name Shaylar and her husband Jathmar hurtle deeper and deeper into Arcanan captivity, their only protection the fierce personal honor of the Andaran officer whose men massacred all of their companions in the horrendous misunderstanding which began the entire conflict. Men and women of honor on both sides must grapple with the terrible costs and deadly secrets of the spreading cataclysm, and in the shadows, those who will balk at neither treason nor murder drive the conspiracies which pour fuel into the furnace. The stakes are high and the pieces are in motion, but there are factors known not even to the conspirators and not even a Calirath can Glimpse the final outcome. The Hell's Gate Series: The Road to Hell Hell Hath No Fury Hell's Gate About the Hell's Gate series: "Magic and high tech collide in this exciting military SF novel from bestseller Weber . . . The authors treat both societies sympathetically and realistically, with human vices and virtues evenly distributed."–Publishers Weekly About the Honor Harrington series: “Weber combines realistic, engaging characters with intelligent technological projection and a deep understanding of military bureaucracy in this long-awaited Honor Harrington novel…Fans of this venerable space opera will rejoice to see Honor back in action.”–Publishers Weekly “. . .everything you could want in a heroine …. Excellent … plenty of action.”–Science Fiction Age “Brilliant! Brilliant! Brilliant!”–Anne McCaffrey “Compelling combat combined with engaging characters for a great space opera adventure.”–Locus “Weber combines realistic, engaging characters with intelligent technological projection . . . Fans of this venerable space opera will rejoice . . ."–Publishers Weekly

A NEW SERIES IN THE UNIVERSE OF THE DABARE SNAKE LAUNCHER! PODKAYNE OF MARS AT SATURN'S RINGS—HARD SF WITH A HUMAN FACE It is a time of humanity’s exuberant expansion throughout the Solar System. We have colonies on the Moon, Mars, as far as Saturn’s rings. And we’re heading out even further. But it does mean that we’re stretched thin, and that every person who is part of the great experiment must do their part. To include the least likely scion of a famous explorer family: the Sadous. The Sadous were in space exploration from the start of the space elevators in Africa, and they remain powerful to this day. But power draws envy, and for 12-year-old Calypso, life ain’t so easy. Especially when her mother, father, and two prodigy brothers—no pressure—head out, leaving her alone on Saturn’s ring station with her grandparents in charge. She becomes the focus of a lot of strife, political maneuvering, and simple jealousy. As her grandparents are aging, she's going to have to grow up fast to protect them and her own hopes for a productive future. It’ll take everything she’s got to prove worthy—to her family, to her colony, and most of all, to herself. Praise for The Dabare Snake Launcher: “Joelle Presby’s novel is a fascinating fictional look behind the scenes of the construction of the world’s first space elevator in a near-future version of Africa that has enough grounded elements to be thoroughly believable . . . The story maintains a keen eye on the largely larger-than-life characters and respect for the business processes, customs, and beliefs of the people on the ground making things happen.” —Wole Talabi, multiple-award finalist author and editor of Africanfuturism: An Anthology “You guys should all be on the lookout for Joelle Presby’s solo Baen novel THE DABARE SNAKE LAUNCHER. It is . . . remarkable. Just truly, truly remarkable.” —David Weber, NYT best-selling author of the Honorverse series “The Dabare Snake Launcher is a very believable depiction of when this species decides to do something amazing: backstabbing, plotting, and inflamed passions galore. Presby has created a future that I could easily imagine reading on the news in a few decades, and the novel is all the better for it.” —Warped Factor “The Dabare Snake Launcher takes you on a journey of possibilities, an Africa foremost in groundbreaking technology and not focused on deprivation and poverty. Joelle’s writing is nuanced . . . There’s family drama . . . romance . . . and laugh-out-loud humour. Writing is vivid and the characters fascinating.” —Hannah Onoguwe, author and poet “Set in Cameroon, where the author lived for many years, and full of lovely detail about the local cultures, clashes between traditional and modern, and differing expectations.” —Jane Lindskold, author of the Star Kingdom series and Over Where series. Praise for Joelle Presby: “Joelle Presby has a knack for engaging characters and plots that skillfully walk the line between science and storytelling.” —Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, Nebula Award-winning and Hugo Award-nominated author and editor of The Year’s Best African Speculative Fiction “Presby’s prose is efficient and shows intricate knowledge of both engineering and engineering management considerations. This infuses the story with the sensibility of a techno-thriller without the usual breakneck action pace that can sometimes sacrifice character development . . . I am eager to see what Presby writes next.” —Wole Talabi, Locus Award-nominated author and editor of Africanfuturism: An Anthology

These Women are Up to the Task!In Hit World, everything is legal-if you pay the right amount to the right person with the right paperwork. LifeEnders, Inc. has made a lot of money taking all kinds of targets off the board-everything from an annoying boss to a rampaging monster from another dimension. But there are some things no contract can cover. When a rival organization threatens to eat LEI from the inside out, they'll need something beyond their licensed Shooters to counter their new enemy. They'll need Valkyries. Meet the first fifteen women who may be tapped for the Valkyries Initiative. Through murder, magic, and mayhem, these women might save the world? or end it. With stories by:Marisa WolfJD BlackroseMatt NovotnyMelissa OlthoffCharity AyresJoelle PresbyBecca Lee GardnerMel ToddKayla KrantzKristi BradleyJordan ComeauxApril Kelley JonesMary MckennaRob HowellKacey Ezell

THE CHICKS ARE BACK! CELEBRATING FEARLESS AND FEARSOME FEMALES WITH ALL-NEW STORIES. Featuring all-new stories inspired by the classic Chicks in Chainmail series! A boy and his dog. A girl and her tank. Tropes have been with us throughout all of history. Any girl would gladly trade in her skimpy armor for a tank. While a little bit of chainmail can take a chick far, heavy armor can take one even further. Besides, what’s not to love about Chicks in Tank Tops? From pure near-future military science fiction to Pride and Prejudice with zombies, AI tanks, and true love! All-new stories by: Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, David Drake, Jody Lynn Nye, Kevin Ikenberry, Esther Friesner, Joelle Presby, Robert E. Hampson, A.C. Haskins, Lydia Sherrer & David Sherrer, G. Scott Huggins, Philip Wohlrab, Marisa Wolf, and Jason Cordova & Ashley Prior.

Victory, speedy and complete, awaits the side that employs air power as it should be employed-Marshal Sir Arthur Harris, Bomber Command War in the air, like any other domain, is subject to the whims of Fate. Throughout history, humans have always asked "What if?" Violent Blue Yonder explores what happens when that question gets asked hundreds (or thousands) of feet above sea level. Do you like the age of "canvas falcons?" Come along as Sarah Hoyt, the 2018 Dragon Award Winner for Alternate History, surmises what could have happened had The Red Baron survived World War I. Or alternatively (pun intended), let Rob Howell ("In Dark'ning Storms") and Joelle Presby ("Friends In High Places") lay out opposite sides of early American intervention in airpower's first conflict. More a fan of closed canopies and superchargers than flimsy, flammable death traps? See how the German Luftwaffe gains the upper hand in a Second Battle of Britain in "Londonfall." Or see different events in the Pacific as William Alan Webb cuts in with "Sword of the Sun," a tale set in his A World Afire universe. Finally, if worlds afire are your thing, we have 2010 Sidewise Award Winner Eric Swedin having the Cold War go brilliantly hot in "Foolish Games." Prefer your Cold War to have less thermonuclear annihilation? See what happens when former Flying Tigers and Tuskegee Airmen team up in Justin Watson's "Red Tailed Tigers." Bottom line: Whether you like your aviation fiction to "make kills" or "make history," there's something for you in Violent Blue Yonder. As the first of three Arc of Ares anthologies, this book sets the alternate history tone in a way that would amuse the Greek war god himself. So grab a helmet and map case, as these twelve tales are about to take you on sorties you won't forget! Editor's Note: Also includes an excerpt from James Young's Acts of War, the first book in the Usurper's War: An Alternate World War II-series.

Welcome to the Twenty-Second Century!Ever-turbulent humanity has reached out to the stars and found itself challenged by several "exosapient" species whose motivations are as unusual as their physical forms. Troubleshooters like Caine Riordan must contend with both humans and aliens during this epic plunge into the high-stakes exploration, statecraft, and warfare that churn and change our post-contact world.But no world is defined just by the characters who occupy center stage. "Lost Signals" digs deep into the lives-and struggles-of those beyond the spotlight by bringing together twenty new voices and new stories in a format that blurs the line between fact and fiction in the Consolidated Terran Republic.With stories by:Charles E. GannonGray RinehartBarbara KrasnoffKacey EzellMike MassaRobert E. WatersRobert R. ChaseJoelle PresbyAlex ShvartsmanDoug DandridgeWalter H. HuntVonnie Winslow Crist Alan BrownLawrence M. SchoenAlistair KimbleGriffin BarberRobert E. HampsonTom DoyleRick BoatrightMarc MillerJean Marie Ward

Thirteen outstanding authors. Thirteen aviation stories that never happened. Throughout the human experience, historians have wondered, "What if?" What if Americans had fought on the side of Germany in World War I? What if Germany had invested in naval aviation in World War II? What if Russia had started World War III? Wonder no more, for these questions, along with many others, are answered within the pages of this book. Told by a variety of award-winning authors, like Sarah Hoyt, the 2018 Dragon Award Winner for Alternate History, Richard Fox, the 2017 Dragon Award Winner for Best Military Science Fiction, and Kacey Ezell, the winner of the 2018 Baen Reader's Choice Award, "To Slip the Surly Bonds," deals with aviation warfare that never happened in our world¿but easily could have. The second book in the exciting new "Phases of Mars" anthology series, there is something for everyone inside! From fighting alongside the Red Baron, to flying a P-38 Lightning, to present day air warfare, "To Slip the Surly Bonds" traces a century of aviation warfare¿that wasn't. From learning how the PBY got to the new world in Taylor Anderson's "The Destroyermen" series¿to fighting the French in a very different Vietnam, this book has it, so come aboard and find out "what if" all of these things had changed history¿just a little. You'll be glad you did! Inside you'll find: Friends In High Places by Joelle Presby and Patrick Doyle In Dark'ning Storms by Rob Howell Perchance To Dream by Sarah A. Hoyt Trial of the Red Baron by Richard Fox The Kaiserin of the Seas by Christopher G. Nuttall Through the Squall by Taylor Anderson The Lightnings and the Cactus by James Young Catching the Dark by Monalisa Foster Do The Hard Thing by Kacey Ezell Tail Gunner Joe by William Alan Webb