In this rewritten fourth volume of Exordium, the Panarchy is in shambles, coalescing at the military base Ares. Brandon has inherited not only this political tinderbox, but also must face the escalating threat from the invading Dol’jharians and their Rifter allies before they can power up the ancient artifact they call the Suneater.

But moving with secret, deadly precision against Brandon is a traitor who will do anything for power. Meanwhile Brandon has fallen in love, but everyone thinks it’s with the wrong person.

Space battles, political in-fighting, and personal struggles ramp up the stakes in this penultimate volume in the five book Exordium series.

“The Exordium series of 5 books are some of the most entertaining space opera novels I have ever read. The authors take on culture, and how it can be manipulated in the context of a star spanning civilization is interesting. The “alien-ness” of his aliens (in the case of one species, The Kelly, who exists in triples and who only came to understand humans after watching ancient recordings of the Three Stooges) adds to the depth and texture of the story. I wish the story continued beyond these 5 books!” — Amazon reviewer

About the Authors: Sherwood Smith has published over forty books, one of which was an Anne Lindbergh Honor Book; she’s twice been a finalist for the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award and once a Nebula finalist. She fell in love with Chinese historical dramas and hero tales six years ago, and ever since has immersed in Asian history, literature, and language.

Dave Trowbridge has been writing high-tech marketing copy for almost thirty years. This has made him an expert in what he calls “pulling stuff out of the cave of the flying monkeys,” so science fiction is a natural career move. He lives in the Santa Cruz Mountains with his writer wife, Deborah J. Ross, and a tri-lingual German Shepherd Dog responsible for three cats.