Synopses & Reviews
General Adolphus knows the Monarchy crackdown is coming. Now he needs to pull together all the resources of the Hellhole colony, the ever-expanding shadow-Xayan settlement, and his connections with the other Deep Zone worlds. On Sonjeera, Diadem Michella Duchenet has collected a huge fleet, led by firebrand Commissar Escobar Hallholme, son of the man who originally defeated Adolphus.
Uniting themselves and pooling their minds, the shadow-Xayans send a power surge along the original stringline path that links Hellhole with the Monarchys hub on Sonjeera. All of the Diadems battleships are currently approaching on that route, and when the mental blast wipes out all the substations, the battleships are effectively stranded.
A bigger threat appears. Three asteroids come in from the outer reaches of the Candela system. On Hellhole, the awakened Xayans finally reveal information that has been hidden even from their own followers. A large group of powerful, rogue telemancers split away from the main race. Now that the Xayan civilization is reawakening, these violent fanatics have come back to destroy them once and for all. They are coming for Hellhole, and this time they will completely destroy it.
Review
"Hellhole is a militaristic SF story of galactic proportions....Brilliant strategist, lover of Old Earth history, and cast-off of a now-defunct noble line, Adolphus is a Robin Hood for the galaxy to unite behind. The characters are easy for the reader to believe in, brought to life through not only their own emotions but also the responses and thoughts of the individuals around them." Booklist, starred review
Review
"Combines the best of space opera with galactic intrigue and a cast of memorable characters. Fans of David Weber's Honor Harrington series and the Star Wars® novels should enjoy a new entry into this popular category." Library Journal
Synopsis
After declaring his independence from the corrupt Constellation, rebel General Adolphus knows the crackdown is coming. Now he needs to pull together the struggling Hellhole colony, the ever-expanding shadow-Xayan settlement, and his connections with the other Deep Zone worlds. Even then, he doubts his desperate measures will be enough.
Diadem Michella Duchenet has collected a huge space fleet led by Commodore Escobar Hallholme, son of the hero who originally defeated Adolphus. They expect resistance from the General's rebels, but who could possibly stand up to such a mighty fleet?
Adolphus knows hes running out of time, but he still has some hope — the shadow-Xayans have banded together to defend their sacred planet with "telemancy," but can they discover new powers to protect all the stored alien lives on the already devastated world? And when all hope seems lost, the awakened Xayans reveal information hidden even from their own followers — the existence of a bigger threat that makes even the Constellation fleet seem insignificant.
Disaster has come for General Adolphus and Hellhole… and this time there is no escape.
About the Author
Brian Herbert has written numerous novels, including
Man of Two Worlds with Frank Herbert,
The Race for God, and
Sudanna, Sudanna. In 2003, he published
Dreamer of Dune, a Hugo Award-nominated biography of his father.
Kevin J. Anderson has been nominated for the Nebula Award, the Bram Stoker Award, and the SFX Reader's Choice Award. He set the Guiness-certified world record for the largest single-author book signing.