Birthright (Resnick)

The pursuit of a legendary beast pushes a hunter to his breaking point in this classic science fiction adventure by a five-time Hugo Award–winning author. "I applaud The Soul Eater . . . a rarity in science fiction . . . any sensitive reader should be profoundly moved." -Wilson Tucker You name it, he'll kill it. Professional game hunter Nicobar Lane will travel anywhere in the galaxy to kill almost any creature for the right price. But when the richest woman in the Deluros system requests the Dreamwish Beast, he refuses. It's not her-he just doesn't believe in the animal, whether you call it a Dreamwish Beast, a Starduster, Straigor, or Deathdealer. It's simply a fable meant to scare children, and not worth his time . . . Then, an inexplicable sighting on a routine hunt changes everything. The more Lane investigates what he thinks he saw, the more his obsession grows. Suddenly the hunt for the Dreamwish Beast is on. But Lane is left wondering if he is closer to reaching greatness-or his own death . . . The perfect choice for readers of Alan Dean Foster, Timothy Zahn, and Joe Haldeman.

The epic story of humanity writ large across the galaxy In the twenty-fifth century, settlements are established on Mars and the inner planets, but the stars are still light-years away, just a twinkle in humanity's eyes. Hyperspace is a myth-until it's not. A young scientist devises a theory for an engine that propels a ship at faster-than-light speed-and suddenly the galaxy is there for the taking. It's a story that's been told before in the annals of human history. And here, Hugo and Nebula Award—winning author Mike Resnick has it all covered, from our first alien contact and the colonization of new planets to the exploitation of resources by miners and merchants and the politicians who pave the way. Here is humanity in all its glory, its rise and inevitable fall as power and oppression give way to defiance and anarchy. Ambitious in scope, Birthright shows that the nature of humans doesn't change, just the size of the playing field...

An alien art expert is caught in a dangerous hunt for an enigmatic beauty in this science fiction classic by a five-time Hugo Award–winning author. For thousands of years the Dark Lady has appeared in portraits across the galaxy, but very little is known about her. She wears only black. She has been seen by many but known by few. And if you do see her, it will be after you've taken your last breath . . . Alien art historian Leonardo has seen paintings of the Dark Lady before and sees her image again when he comes to work at a human art gallery. There he meets a wealthy old collector who hires him to track down portraits of the mysterious woman. However, Leonardo is not alone in his search. There's an art thief out to make some money, and a man desperate to see the model herself in the flesh. Legend says that the Dark Lady summons men to great deeds or to their demise. As Leonardo's search begins, his obsession with the woman grows. She will either be the key to his salvation or his destruction . . .

The Hugo and Nebula Award—winning author "has cultivated in these pages an epic history that spans millennia and the breadth of the galaxy" (Tampa Bay Newspapers). Duncan Rojas, an employee in the research department of Wilford Braxton's Records of Big Game, rarely gets such a request. Bukoba Mandaka, the last descendant of the Maasai, wants his help finding a relic that has been lost for three thousand years: the tusks of the famous Kilimanjaro Elephant. In the year 6303 of the Galactic Era, all animals have become extinct. It's an almost impossible job, but what Bukoba is willing to pay-and Duncan's own curiosity-prove irresistible. As Duncan puts all the technology at his disposal to the task, he begins to follow the remarkable odyssey of the ivory through cultures, time, and the universe-from being used as a pawn in a power play by unethical scientists to propping up a brutal warlord, from being worshipped as a symbol of immortality by an alien race to being turned into a matter of national pride by an opportunistic politician. But to Duncan, the even bigger mystery-and one that he must solve-is why Bukoba is willing to put his own future on the line for something so irretrievably lost to the past...