Hope Reborn - Omnibus 1-2

Contains Raj Whitehall series opening novels The Forge and The Hammer together in one volume. A young hero overcomes implacable foes to lead a planet fallen into a dark age back to the high point of its lost technological civilization. Series relaunches in April 2012 with The Heretic [Baen hardcover, 9781451638813] Contains Raj Whitehall series opening novels The Forge and The Hammer together in one volume. Raj Whitehall was a young noble of the Civil Government, the last remnant of galactic civilization on the planet Bellevue, when he came across an ancient but still functioning Fleet Battle Computer named Center. With Center's vast fund of knowledge and strategic calculating abilities, Raj could defeat the barbarians threatening to engulf the Civil Government, and start Bellevue on the road back to the stars. But the Governor, to whom Raj has sworn absolute loyalty, nourishes a paranoid envy and mistrust that grows with every victory. Can even a battle computer of the Galactic Age be enough to counter the fury of Raj's enemies . . . and the treachery of his "friends"? A young hero overcomes implacable foes to lead a planet fallen into a dark age back to the high point of its lost technological civilization. About the Raj Whitehall series: [T]old with knowledge of military tactics and hardware, and vividly described action. . .devotees of military SF should enjoy themselves. Publishers Weekly [A] thoroughly engrossing military sf series. . .superb battle scenes, ingenious weaponry and tactics, homages to Kipling, and many other goodies. High fun. Booklist * *About David Drake: [P]rose as cold and hard s the metal alloy of a tankrivals Crane and Remarque Chicago Sun-Times Drake couldnt write a bad action scene at gunpoint. Booklist About the Author The Army took David Drake from Duke Law School and sent him on a motorized tour of Viet Nam and Cambodia with the 11th Cav, the Blackhorse. He learned new skills, saw interesting sights, and met exotic people who hadn't run fast enough to get away. Dave returned to become Chapel Hill's Assistant Town Attorney and to try to put his life back together through fiction making sense of his Army experiences. Dave describes war from where he saw it: the loader's hatch of a tank in Cambodia. His military experience, combined with his formal education in history and Latin, has made him one of the foremost writers of realistic action SF and fantasy. His books include the genre-defining and bestselling Hammers Slammers series, the RCN series including What Distant Deeps, In the Stormy Red Sky, The Way to Glory, and many more.His bestselling Hammer's Slammers series is credited with creating the genre of modern Military SF. He often wishes he had a less interesting background. Dave lives with his family in rural North Carolina. S.M. Stirling is a writer by trade, born in France but Canadian by origin and American by naturalization, and living in New Mexico at present. His hobbies are mostly related to the craft, with a love of history, anthropology and archaeology, and an interest in the sciences. His books include Drakas! and The Reformer. ϡ쯦랠 David Drakes legendary Raj Whitehall/The Generalseries, stunningly reborn!In a world of muskets, bows and arrows,and reptile riding nomads, ayoung warrior fights against a totalitarian computer devoted to stasis. ABEL DASHIAN'S WORLD DOESN'T NEED A HERO Duisberg is one of thousands of planets plunged into darkness and chaos by the collapse of the galactic republic, but where other worlds have begun to rebuild a star-travelling culture, Duisberg remains in an uneasy balance between mud-brick civilization and bloodthirsty barbarism. The people of Duisberg have a god: Zentrum, a supercomputer from the ancient past. Zentrum has decided avoid another collapse by preventing civilization from rising from where it is. And because even a supercomputer and the powerful religion which it founded cannot block all progress, Zentrum has another tool: every few centuries the barbarians sweep in from the desert, slaughtering the educated classes and cowing the peasants back into submission. These are the Blood Winds, and the Blood Winds are about to blow again. This time, however, there's a difference: Abel Dashian, son of a military officer, has received into his mind the spirit of Raj Whitehall, the most successful general in the history of the planet Bellevue--and of Center, the supercomputer which enabled Raj to shatter his planet's barbarians and permit the return of civilization. One hero can't stop the tide of barbarians unless he has his own culture supporting him. To save Duisberg, Abel must break the power of Zentrum. With the help of Raj and Center, Abel Dashian must become . . . THE HERETIC! About The Heretic: More than once, I envied Abels gift. If you count having the voice of a computer and the recreation of a famous general in your head as a gift. . .An interesting relationship that elevates [the novel] to something unique. . .I loved the battles and I found Abel to be an engaging character. I adored Golitsin, his priest friend. SF Crowsnest About the Raj Whitehall series: [T]old with knowledge of military tactics and hardware, and vividly described action. . .devotees of military SF should enjoy themselves. Publishers Weekly [A] thoroughly engrossing military sf series . . . superb battle scenes, ingenious weaponry and tactics, homages to Kipling, and many other goodies. High fun. Booklist About David Drake: [P]rose as cold and hard s the metal alloy of a tank rivals Crane and Remarque Chicago Sun-Times Drake couldnt write a bad action scene at gunpoint. Booklist About Tony Daniel: [D]azzling stuff. New York Times Book Review [His work] teems with vivid characters and surprising action. Publishers Weekly (starred review) Daniel proves that the Golden Age of science fiction is right here and now.Greg Bear [A] large cast of utterly graspable humans, mostly military and political folks, of all ranks and capacities and temperments. Daniel has a keen eye for the kinds of in extremis thinking and behavior that such a wartime situation would engender. . . .Following in the footsteps of Poul Anderson and Greg Bear. . . Asimovs Science Fiction Magazine on Daniel's Guardian of Night

David Drake’s legendary Raj Whitehall/The General series, stunningly reborn! In a world of muskets, bows and arrows, and reptile riding nomads, a young warrior fights against a totalitarian computer devoted to stasis.

ABEL DASHIAN'S WORLD DOESN'T NEED A HERO

Duisberg is one of thousands of planets plunged into darkness and chaos by the collapse of the galactic republic, but where other worlds have begun to rebuild a star-travelling culture, Duisberg remains in an uneasy balance between mud-brick civilization and bloodthirsty barbarism.

The people of Duisberg have a god: Zentrum, a supercomputer from the ancient past. Zentrum has decided avoid another collapse by preventing civilization from rising from where it is. And because even a supercomputer and the powerful religion which it founded cannot block all progress, Zentrum has another tool: every few centuries the barbarians sweep in from the desert, slaughtering the educated classes and cowing the peasants back into submission. These are the Blood Winds, and the Blood Winds are about to blow again.

This time, however, there's a difference: Abel Dashian, son of a military officer, has received into his mind the spirit of Raj Whitehall, the most successful general in the history of the planet Bellevue-and of Center, the supercomputer which enabled Raj to shatter his planet's barbarians and permit the return of civilization.

One hero can't stop the tide of barbarians unless he has his own culture supporting him. To save Duisberg, Abel must break the power of Zentrum.

With the help of Raj and Center, Abel Dashian must become . . . THE HERETIC!

About the Raj Whitehall series:

'[T]old with knowledge of military tactics and hardware, and vividly described action. . .devotees of military SF should enjoy themselves.'-Publishers Weekly

'[A] thoroughly engrossing military sf series . . . superb battle scenes, ingenious weaponry and tactics, homages to Kipling, and many other goodies. High fun.'-Booklist

About David Drake:

'[P]rose as cold and hard s the metal alloy of a tank … rivals Crane and Remarque …' –Chicago Sun-Times

'Drake couldn’t write a bad action scene at gunpoint.' –Booklist

About Tony Daniel:

'[D]azzling stuff.'–New York Times Book Review

'[His work] teems with vivid characters and surprising action.'–Publishers Weekly (starred review)

'Daniel proves that the Golden Age of science fiction is right here and now.'–Greg Bear

'[A] large cast of utterly graspable humans, mostly military and political folks, of all ranks and capacities and temperments. Daniel has a keen eye for the kinds of in extremis thinking and behavior that such a wartime situation would engender. . . .Following in the footsteps of Poul Anderson and Greg Bear. . .'-Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine on Daniel's Guardian of Night

Contains Raj Whitehall series opening novels The Forge and The Hammer together in one volume. A young hero overcomes implacable foes to lead a planet fallen into a dark age back to the high point of its lost technological civilization. Series relaunches in April 2012 with The Heretic [Baen hardcover, 9781451638813]

Contains Raj Whitehall series opening novels The Forge and The Hammer together in one volume.

Raj Whitehall was a young noble of the Civil Government, the last remnant of galactic civilization on the planet Bellevue, when he came across an ancient but still functioning Fleet Battle Computer named Center. With Center's vast fund of knowledge and strategic calculating abilities, Raj could defeat the barbarians threatening to engulf the Civil Government, and start Bellevue on the road back to the stars. But the Governor, to whom Raj has sworn absolute loyalty, nourishes a paranoid envy and mistrust that grows with every victory. Can even a battle computer of the Galactic Age be enough to counter the fury of Raj's enemies . . . and the treachery of his "friends"?

A young hero overcomes implacable foes to lead a planet fallen into a dark age back to the high point of its lost technological civilization.

About Hope Reborn:

"The various battles and intrigues–all of them very clever and some of them very unexpected–make up the core of these extremely well-written and unabashedly fun books. And really, the action never stops. I highly recommend them to you as they’ve come out in a tasty trade format that’s very easy to hold and lug around (they are, in other words, backpackable)."—Amazing Stories

About the Raj Whitehall series:

“[T]old with knowledge of military tactics and hardware, and vividly described action. . .devotees of military SF should enjoy themselves.”—Publishers Weekly

“[A] thoroughly engrossing military sf series. . .superb battle scenes, ingenious weaponry and tactics, homages to Kipling, and many other goodies. High fun.”—Booklist

About David Drake:

“[P]rose as cold and hard s the metal alloy of a tank...rivals Crane and Remarque...” –Chicago Sun-Times

“Drake couldn’t write a bad action scene at gunpoint.” –Booklist

Humanity settled the stars, only to fall into a catastrophic collapse. On one planet, a single artificial intelligence, a computer program known as Center, found a military genius of grit and daring in Raj Whitehall, and the Galactic Republic rose again. But many dark planets remain - planets such as Duisenberg.