Move over Star Wars! This is a superb space opera... humans and hybrids and strange new creatures fighting for survival on Earth and across the galaxies. there is life everywhere throughout the Milky Way Galaxy. It takes forms that will astonish and frighten, that will challenge and terrify as they exist within the greater fight of existence: eat or be eaten. But to the crew of the frigate Basalt, those alien life forms that exist in the near vacuum of interplanetary space only serve to be of fascination in the crew's quest for knowledge. And there is a vicious conflict brewing as the Octopoids test the occupants of an outer planet of Humanity, in all its varied forms, probing and looking for the weaknesses of the marshalled forces. But who is the enemy really? 'Wheeler has crafted a world overflowing with technological realism, imaginative depth and rollicking adventure.' Dominion Post (NZ)

What will you do when the hand that nourishes you starts choking you? The crew of Basalt, the interstellar frigate, are major media heroes, famous beyond their wildest dreams. The various factions of the Administration, the Games Board, the Haulers and the corporate Gjomviks all want a piece of their action, and will go to any lengths to manipulate the famous ship and crew to make more money and gain more influence, even if it means savaging Basalt beyond recognition. This is the second book in the Fury of Aces series and follows on from the action-packed BURNT ICE.

Product DescriptionSUPERB SPACE ADVENTURE FROM A FRESH NEW VOICE. In our future worlds the Administration rules the Sphere of Humankind, the Games Board sanctions and funds wars and conflicts, and the Haulers' Collective roams the space routes like the caravanners of old. Marko and his crew of fellow soldier-engineers are sent to investigate an unknown planet. When they encounter strange artefacts and an intelligent but aggressive squid species, they are forced to embark on a perilous journey far from the Sphere. They will have to survive not only other alien encounters but also their own Administration's deadly manipulations. Political factions and galactic media moguls vie for power ... and money.