1848. In Ottoman-occupied Montenegro, young doctor Vanko Winczlav is
one of the leaders of a popular uprising. Betrayed, wanted by the
authorities, he flees the Balkans for the United States in the
company of a Bulgarian refugee, Veska, whom he marries to allow her
to enter New York legally. So begins the history of a family closely
entwined with that of a still new country going through many
transformations.
After three years of study and training, Marie is now officially a
member of the UN Special Forces. But she's barely had time to
celebrate her graduation when an extraordinary event forces her to
leave for her first mission: an alien ship of unknown origin has just
arrived in orbit of Earth. As no contact can be established with its
crew, Marie and her team are sent to board the vessel and investigate
...
A first attempt to enter the world-ship and make contact with the
Humans inside has failed after the exploration team was contaminated
with deadly nanorobots. Only Marie, with her Mantris-improved body,
was able to fight them off, and so she and Kim, who is also immune,
make the decision to give it another try ... before the authorities of
Earth destroy the massive vessel, the robotic menace within ... and its
mysterious Human passengers.
Now rid of Prince John's henchman, William, Marian and their friends
are finally free to relax a little. Their respite is short, however.
A judge known for his integrity and doggedness has been dispatched to
Nottingham by the regent to investigate the recent trouble, and from
the town's very bowels, drawn by the rumours about the theft of the
royal treasure, another gang of brigands emerges, their hearts and
intentions far less pure than those of the `Merry Men' allied with
the Hood ...
SPADS: Special Assault & Destroying Sections. XIII, zoals de man zonder geheugen genoemd wordt, wordt door generaal Carrington in een trainingskamp in Centraal-Amerika geplaatst omdat hij nog gezocht wordt in de USA voor zijn ontsnapping. Maar hij ontdekt ook dingen over zijn verleden.
Captured and imprisoned in the Roca Negra fortress, XIII is being tortured by the sinister Colonel Peralta. But, for all his pain and suffering, he's also in the same building as Maria, the woman who may be his wife. And they have plenty of dedicated, resourceful friends outside... as well as at least one traitor. Still unsure of his past, Jason McLane will have no choice but to become the man known as "El Cascador" to clean up Costa Verde once and for all.
Bad luck, shoddy equipment and hostile fauna have stranded Kim and her companions thousands of miles from the Antares expedition's base camp. Abandoned to their fate by the fanatical leaders who cannot abide Kim's independent streak, wracked by internal dissent, the little group must make its way back through an unknown, terrifying land a long journey that will raise many questions and cost many lives.
As the main body of the Antares expedition faces a catastrophic situation and seems doomed to failure, Kim's little group is still trying to establish contact with whoever kidnapped her daughter Lynn. But the fanatic Jedediah is still there, causing dissension and creating obstacles. Only Kim's strength of character, her determination to find her daughter, and her special bond with the alien Sven - Lynn's father - can still save them all...
The Antares mission is underway. Kim, her daughter and her companions are on board the interstellar ship that carries the would-be colonists. Conditions are far from ideal, though. The fanaticism and bigotry of a large number of the passengers, all members of the project leader's sect, are putting everyone on edge. As well, there are rumours of substandard equipment for the expedition. By the time they reach Antares, Kim and her friends are already disillusioned... and the worst is yet to come.
Kim's group, still stranded halfway across Antares, must get back to the base camp through a journey filled with deadly encounters. Meanwhile, at the base camp, a trip to the neighbouring planet source of the strange ray that vaporised Kim's daughter is being organised. The prospect of meeting an intelligent species, though, drives the religious fanatics in charge to clamp down on any person or activity deemed rebellious. As if a hostile world isn't enough, the colonists have brought their own worst enemy with them...
Kim's mission to the other Antares planet - the one from which came the mysterious beam that took her daughter - is underway, and the young woman desperately wants to believe she will find her missing child. One amongst her team has no shortage of faith, though: the insufferable Jedediah Thornton is convinced they are going to meet an advanced alien civilisation. And he will stop at nothing to ensure humanity's representative is a man of proper morals...
The long journey of the Neptune is well underway. Lady Vivian is
counting on her associate Long John Silver to take control of the
expedition. But Silver doesn't have enough men to take over the ship,
and Captain Hastings doesn't trust him. In the close quarters of a
tall ship, tensions rise; betrayal looms... Blood will be spilled
before the vessel reaches the Amazon, and a single act of routine
brutality will throw the Neptune into a maelstrom of death.
Humanity migrates to a new planet, the secrets of which Kim Keller will have to unravel. After the failure of the Betelgeuse colonisation mission, Kim is back on Earth, where she is an increasingly popular figure. Meanwhile, advance scouts on planet Antares have witnessed some distressingly strange events. Worried about the future of this new mission, the sponsors of the Antares project call upon Kim to accompany the first colonists, offering legal amnesty for Alexa and Mark in exchange. It's the beginning of a new adventure for the young woman and her friends.
The long journey of the Neptune is well underway. Lady Vivian is counting on her associate Long John Silver to take control of the expedition. But Silver doesnâEURTMt have enough men to take over the ship, and Captain Hastings doesnâEURTMt trust him. In the close quarters of a tall ship, tensions rise; betrayal loomsâEUR¦ Blood will be spilled before the vessel reaches the Amazon, and a single act of routine brutality will throw the Neptune into a maelstrom of death.
Caleb (a human) and Mezoke (a Sandjarr) are paired up and trained as special agents to keep the intergalactic peace. This is a controversial and historic alliance given their races' longstanding enmity, and a lot of people are watching them. Their first mission is to keep war from breaking out between humans and Javlodes on the planet Senestam.
Caleb acts as a mediator between the warring factions while dealing with an attack by Stilvulls (highly destructive insects)-and he also has to contend with his feelings for charming doctor Kim Vandersel. Mezoke is on the planet Upssal, trying to appease the Javlodes
Belarus, in Soviet times. Irina is an unremarkable young woman growing up in an orphanage. One night, a mysterious visitor demands to see her and her best friend Julia. The latter goes first, then Irina is told she won't be needed after all. The next day, Julia has vanished without a trace... Thus begins a quest for truth and vengeance, from Minsk to Moscow to Washington - one that will lead Irina to discover her true calling.
The mysterious events in Kenya are beginning to attract international attention - and maybe too much of it.After reporting to London, Kathy Austin returns to Kenya to continue her investigation. In the palace of Count Di Broglie, the young English woman finally meets the last survivors of the Remington expedition, but they lack material proof to support their stories. Kathy is ordered to obtain information on Irmanius, a rather inquisitive individual who's been snooping around the country. Who is he working for? The Americans, the Russians... or some considerably more foreign power?
From the shores of Lake Victoria, Kathy and Remington witnessed an extraordinary event: the coming of a massive UFO. Stunned by the sight, they're taken prisoners by Irmanius, who's working for the Soviets. Faced with the oddness of their situation and its potential dangers, though, Westerners and Communists decide to team up. A temporary alliance that may not survive the fantastic discoveries ahead of them.
After the extraordinary events of Lake Victoria, the Soviet agents let Kathy Austin and her companions go. On their way back to Mombasa, the group stops to speak to Lord Balmer, who was taken in by the Maasai. The Lord has lost his mind, and tells them a wild story of extraterrestrials and apocalypse... but is the story so fantastic after all? Will Kathy manage to find an explanation to the mysteries of Kenya - and maybe tangible proof?
Kenya, 1947. A hunting expedition led by American writer John Remington makes a startling encounter, and then vanishes without a trace. Shortly afterwards, Katherine Austin, agent of the British Secret Intelligence Service, arrives in Mombasa. Her mission: investigate a series of mysterious sightings and incidents, of which the disappearance of the Remington party could be the latest. Undercover as a teacher, courted by colleagues who may be working for competing secret services, she's about to enter a whole new reality...
It's clear now: the Neuronomes are not attacking the Confederation,
but rather are the victims of a mysterious aggressor, and they
explode when they die. They did, however, take up positions near
large population centres, threatening to take thousands of lives with
them when they go in order to pressure Confederate authorities - who
had once massacred them - into helping them. Unsurprisingly, Caleb,
Mezoke and Angus are chosen to go to the Neuronomes' home planet and
neutralise the unknown threat.
In a not-so-distant future where society has changed considerably but the problems often remain the same, a young policewoman from Paris is dragged into a difficult, dangerous investigation that could impact the very future of mankind.
On Puerto Blanco, life goes on. Captain Flynn is dead, murdered by his old nemesis. Emilio mourns his mentor and lover, yet finds unexpected companionship in Maria and Raffy. The three children left behind by the Barracuda have grown and found each other, but the dangers are many: De La Loya and his Spanish expedition; Ferrango, Maria's cuckolded husband; Flynn's killer; a scorned woman with a talent for poisons... And above all, a cursed diamond that carries madness and death.
Roger, Romane's brother, has been transferred to an Algapower lab in Brazil. Shortly afterwards, his sister, still working for Intelligence, arrives in Rio. Her new mission: to get in touch with her brother and convince him to inform the authorities on the company and its mysterious Mermaid Project. The stakes have changed for the Pennac siblings, though: among the documents retrieved during the New York mission, their names appear on a list of potential test subjects...