Kirjahaku

Rafe comes from a long line of shifters. His father is a werewolf, and his mother is a weretiger. As he reaches puberty, he eagerly awaits his First Shift and finding out just what is his animal form. What powerful animal will complete him?Much to his disappointment, after going through the agony of his First Shift, Rafe discovers that he is not a wolf, tiger, or bear. He is not even a coyote or raptor, forms considered perhaps less prestigious in the tribe, but still acceptable. No, Rafe is a wererat, the only wererat in anyone's memory.Events work out to drive Rafe away from the tribe, to live out in the world at large. When he finally comes back for a visit, the tribe comes under attack from a group dedicated to eradicate all shifters from the face of the earth. The question is whether there is anything Rafe can do to help his tribe survive. Does he have value in a tribe of powerful shifters, or is exile the proper place for a genetic regression such as him?

Michiko MacCail n is a member of the First Families, more concerned with her privileged lifestyle of ballet, spending time with friends, and planning her wedding than of the injustices suffered by the indentured workers of the all-powerful Propitious Interstellar Fabrication, Inc., the charter holder of the planet. When her activist fianc is murdered at a protest rally, she blames the company and embarks on a personal mission of vengeance. Michi has some initial, if minor success, but when the company requests that the Federation send in the Marine Corps to quell the unrest, the stakes immediately get higher. Undeterred, Michi is willing to take on the Marines if that is what it takes to achieve her revenge.WARNING: This book contains some graphic violence that may not be suitable for all readers.AUTHOR'S NOTE: Rebel is set in the same universe as the first three books in The United Federation Marine Corps series, and a few of the characters in those three books make brief appearances in this one. However, this is a decidedly different book, examining what it might be like on the other side of a Federation Marine deployment. The battle scenes are limited, and the violence is much more visceral and personal. This is a darker, deeper book and not your typical "Space Marine" story.Rebel will tie into future volumes of the series that will put the focus back on the Marines, but it is a departure from the first three volumes.

Nova EsperanCa offers no future for Liege Neves as a gangrat and daughter of the favelas. With one goal in mind--to save her younger sister and ailing grandfather from a difficult and hopeless future--Liege's only option is the Federation Navy. Scoring higher on her entrance exams than anyone had expected, Liege enlists as a corpsman and hopes for a safe career that will allow her to get her AvO the help he requires. The needs of the Navy always take precedence, however, and instead of an expected hospital billet, Liege's life takes a dangerous turn when her first set of orders is to the Fleet Marine Corps instead. After being trained to heal and save lives, she is suddenly issued a weapon and thrust into combat to defend the Federation. Face-to-face with war, destruction, and the probability to both save and take lives, Liege must find the strength, discipline, and courage within herself to protect her family and brothers-in-arms and earn the time-honored title of "Doc."

Esther and Noah Lysander are the twin children of General Ryck Lysander, Commandant of the Marine Corps, leader of the Evolution, and Chairman of the Federation. When they are told that their father and mother have been assassinated, they are both devastated. Cut adrift, they each decide to enlist in the Corps--but for different reasons. Esther feels it is her duty to carry on the family legacy, confident that she can excel and reach the top. Noah simply wants to earn his father's pride, even if it is too late. As children of General Lysander, they are not "normal" recruits. Seniors and peers are well aware of their background, and the twins can't escape the public eye. From under their father's heavy shadow, the two have to discover his or her personal path in the Corps, even when that seems to pull them apart from each other.

Jasper van Ruiker is an elderly algae farmer, drafted into the local militia to defend his village from the invading Tenners. Lieutenant Castor "Mountie" Klocek is a Navy pilot, shot down during an air-to-ground mission. Lance Corporal Javier Julio Gregory Portillo and Sergeant Gary Go are Marine combat engineers, the only survivors of a deep-recon mission to destroy a bridge. All four are thrust together by chance, and they must learn to work together if they are going to survive, Jasper to search for his wife and grandchildren who fled their destroyed village, and the three servicemen to reach Federation forces far to the north. Surrounded by enemy troops, they have to decide what "duty" means. Do they attempt to avoid the enemy and exfiltrate to friendly territory to live and fight another day, or do they aggressively prosecute the war despite overwhelming odds?

United Federation Marine Lance Corporal Tamara Veal catches the attention of recruiters who nominate her to serve as a Single Combat Specialist. Gladiators, as they are better known, are genetically modified human champions who meet Klethos d'relle in the combat ring when the Klethos issue a challenge for a human world. Win, and the planet stays in human possession; lose, and not only do they lose their lives, but the world as well. With the Klethos much more advanced and militarily powerful, able to defeat humanity in an all-out war, the challenge ring is the only way to retain at least some of the worlds of man. While life as a gladiator is full of celebrity status and the gratitude of humanity, it comes with a heavy price. Not only is there the real risk of death in the ring, if a gladiator survives that, the "Brick," or Boosted Regeneration Cancer, will claim her life within a few years. Lance Corporal Veal, who has found a home in the Marines, has to decide whether to accept the nomination. She would have to leave her brothers and sisters in the Corps, be assigned to the combined human gladiator course, and undergo extreme genetic modification that will leave her almost unrecognizable from the woman she was before. Becoming a gladiator will enable her to serve humanity to a far greater extent than anything else she could do as a Marine grunt, but at a tremendous personal cost. Author's note: For those readers familiar with my other Marine-related books, this one is a little different in that there is far less combat action, particularly from a Marine unit standpoint. This novel, which is the first of three planned books that follow three different women serving as United Federation Marines or as a Navy corpsman, is more about duty, sacrifice, and what it means to serve in defense of others.

The First Barbary War (1801-1805), or "America's First War on Terror," as some refer to it, was a pivotal moment in US history. While both the Navy and Marines participated in the Quasi-War with France, it was the war with the Barbary pirates that cemented both the Marine Corps and the Navy as the proud organizations that they are today. This was the war that produced heroes such as O'Bannon, Decatur, Preble, Porter, Hull, and Somers. To the Shores of Tripoli follows three fictional Marine privates as they participate in the watershed moments in the war. Private Seth Crocker is an uneducated, underage Marine who fights from the tops of the USS Enterprise and in battles such as the Gunboat Battle off the coast of Tripoli. Private Ichabod Cone, a veteran of the Revolution, is part of the crew of the USS Philadelphia when it is captured and spends most of the war as a slave of the pasha. Private Jacob Brissey is one of the seven Marines, under Lieutenant Presley O'Bannon, who march 600 miles across the desert against tremendous odds to attack and capture the city of Derne, where, for the first time in history, the US flag is raised over foreign soil. This book is historical fiction, but the events it describes are historical fact. Most of the characters actually existed and fought in the war. Where possible, their actual words are reproduced here. In all other cases, dialogue and characterizations were born in the author's imagination. The First Barbary War is considered the birth of the US Navy. It is equally valid to say that the war created the foundation for the Marine Corps as we know it today.

Human slavers attack. Despite trying to fight back, there is nothing the young Leefe can do to save his family and friends. But he doesn't have to. The Imperial Marines arrive in the nick of time, and they hate slavers. Three tri-years later, when the new emperor issues a proclamation to integrate the imperial military with non-human citizens, Leefe is among the first to volunteer.Integration to resurrect the empire as a force for good is challenged by centuries of prejudice against the "dung races." Leefe and the other Wyntonans only want to prove their worth and fight for the empire, but their greatest battles are closer to home. With threats to the empire from both within and without, this grand experiment has the potential to save it . . . or tear it apart.

War with the aliens has broken out, and they seem to have all the advantages. Engineers and scientists are scrambling to develop weapons to stand up to the threat, but when all is said and done, it is the Navy fighter pilots who have to take the fight to the enemy.Petty Officer Third Class Floribeth Salinas O'Shea Dalisay, one of the new enlisted fighter pilots, is on the front lines with VFX-99, the "Stingers." Sent out as guinea pigs, they collect needed data on the enemy weapons systems by being targets. But even guinea pigs have teeth, and if she can survive, Beth is determined to use hers.

Marine Raider Sergeant Leif a'Hope Hollow is the first of his People to earn the coveted title. He never knew how soon he and his fellow Raiders would have to prove themselves on the field of battle.After the failed coup to oust the emperor, the Novacks do not fade quietly into the background. They continue a low-grade insurgency, but in doing so, they open the door to other players that bring the entire empire to the brink of destruction. Sergeant a'Hope Hollow must lead a ragtag group of fellow non-humans in an attempt to avert a catastrophe that can wipe out humans forever.Read DEVOTION now.