Tales of a Dying Star: Box Set 1 Books I -3
(2016)(A book in the Tales of a Dying Star series)
An omnibus of novels by David Kristoph
Awarded Honorable Mention in the 2015 Writers of the Future Contest
Book I: Siege of Praetar
The red giant Saria is dying.
Praetar, a sand-blown planet, lies occupied. Its people are buried and beaten, forced to toil for the Melisao Empire that prepares to flee their star. Hyken, a Sentinel pilot in orbit around the planet, is faced with a moral dilemma that forces him to choose between his co-pilot and their mission. Mira, a factory worker on Praetar, struggles to make a better life for her daughters--using what little resources at her command. A slumlord named Bruno makes his own arrangements, gathering what meager power he can in the Empire's scramble to flee.
Caught up in the exodus, these people struggle to survive. Are they strangers, or do their decisions affect one-another in unexpected ways?
Book II: The Ancillary
In a dangerously-close orbit around its star floats the Ancillary, a hollowed-out asteroid that harvests energy from the solar ring before relaying it deeper into the Sarian system. It fulfills the entirety of the Melisao Empire's energy needs--a masterful feat of engineering, once.
Now, with the star it orbits dying and the departure of the Exodus Fleet near, the Ancillary's usefulness has come to an end. And so labors Javin, an aging engineer who must dismantle the structure he's spent his entire life maintaining.
But there are those who would take advantage of the Empire's absence. Do they simply want the Ancillary and its precious solar panels, or are their motives more sinister?
Book III: Sword of Blue
The Exodus is near.
The supplies have been gathered, the passengers are boarded, and the mighty Olitau--the greatest ship ever built--is complete. But all Admiral Acteon can think about is the dead son before him, killed on a routine patrol above a planet far away. His legacy is surely shattered... until an unexpected visitor presents him with another option. An impossible option.
On the planet's surface stands a boy caught between two rivaling worlds. Without the proper Academy marks Charlie has no hope of becoming a pilot for the Empire. Yet the Children of Saria, the sun-worshiping religious cult, refuse to trust someone raised in the privileged inner city. Until a mission surfaces that only Charlie can complete. Is this his chance to prove his value, or will he remain loyal to the world he grew up in? Does the survival of civilization rest in the decision of one boy?
Genre: Science Fiction
Book I: Siege of Praetar
The red giant Saria is dying.
Praetar, a sand-blown planet, lies occupied. Its people are buried and beaten, forced to toil for the Melisao Empire that prepares to flee their star. Hyken, a Sentinel pilot in orbit around the planet, is faced with a moral dilemma that forces him to choose between his co-pilot and their mission. Mira, a factory worker on Praetar, struggles to make a better life for her daughters--using what little resources at her command. A slumlord named Bruno makes his own arrangements, gathering what meager power he can in the Empire's scramble to flee.
Caught up in the exodus, these people struggle to survive. Are they strangers, or do their decisions affect one-another in unexpected ways?
Book II: The Ancillary
In a dangerously-close orbit around its star floats the Ancillary, a hollowed-out asteroid that harvests energy from the solar ring before relaying it deeper into the Sarian system. It fulfills the entirety of the Melisao Empire's energy needs--a masterful feat of engineering, once.
Now, with the star it orbits dying and the departure of the Exodus Fleet near, the Ancillary's usefulness has come to an end. And so labors Javin, an aging engineer who must dismantle the structure he's spent his entire life maintaining.
But there are those who would take advantage of the Empire's absence. Do they simply want the Ancillary and its precious solar panels, or are their motives more sinister?
Book III: Sword of Blue
The Exodus is near.
The supplies have been gathered, the passengers are boarded, and the mighty Olitau--the greatest ship ever built--is complete. But all Admiral Acteon can think about is the dead son before him, killed on a routine patrol above a planet far away. His legacy is surely shattered... until an unexpected visitor presents him with another option. An impossible option.
On the planet's surface stands a boy caught between two rivaling worlds. Without the proper Academy marks Charlie has no hope of becoming a pilot for the Empire. Yet the Children of Saria, the sun-worshiping religious cult, refuse to trust someone raised in the privileged inner city. Until a mission surfaces that only Charlie can complete. Is this his chance to prove his value, or will he remain loyal to the world he grew up in? Does the survival of civilization rest in the decision of one boy?
Genre: Science Fiction
Used availability for David Kristoph's Tales of a Dying Star: Box Set 1 Books I -3