A Talent for War - Knowledge

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made at least several hundred years before the time in which the back-story is set. McDevitt conceives the Ashiyyur as being at approximately the same technological level as humans, and in fact humanoid – bi-laterally symmetrical, bipedal, larger than average for human, of two genders, descended from predators, and interested in the same kind of real estate as humans. Most significantly for the story, they are also incapable of audible speech without mechanical aids, and are nicknamed “Mutes” by humans as a result. The Ashiyyur are telepathic and have evolved a society based on that form of communication. They have the ability, with some difficulty, to “read” human minds and emotions. Ashiyyur civilization is described as being much older than human civilization (approximately 75,000 years versus perhaps 15,000) but as having developed much more slowly. It is important to the back-story that to the Ashiyyur, human dynamism and exuberance appear threatening and humans are aggressive, untrustworthy, and unethical.

300:, which used magnetic drives for short and medium distance travel within star systems and Armstrong interstellar drives by means of which ships could travel between star systems through “Armstrong space”. Both at the time of the back-story and in the protagonist's time, navigation using Armstrong drives is sufficiently imprecise that ships must for safety reasons emerge from Armstrong space well away from stars and planets and travel substantial distances (and times) using magnetic drives. In addition, and partly as a result, travel through Armstrong space is time-consuming – as described in the novel, a voyage of 3,000 light years takes about seven months, of which about five months time is spent in Armstrong space. It is important to the story that some individuals, like Alex Benedict and most Ashiyyur, react physically badly to the transitions into and out of Armstrong space. 515:

series of improbable military victories against far superior Ashiyyur forces through a combination of audacity, imaginative tactics, excellent strategic intelligence, and uncanny insights into Ashiyyur psychology. Sim’s forces, small though they were (“sixty-odd frigates and destroyers holding off the massive fleets of the Ashiyyur”), seemed to be everywhere at once. McDevitt tells us that Sim's strategic successes foreshadowed his ultimate tactical defeat. While the tide of public opinion (if not government policies) on human worlds slowly turned in favor of the Resistance, Sim’s forces’ unavoidable losses in battle and meager replenishment and the much larger military forces on the other side eventually brought Sim to bay. In a climactic battle near Rigel, Sim’s remaining forces were overwhelmed and his famous ship, the frigate

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was overthrown by an enraged populace and its major military forces committed to the war. Within a few months, Tarien Sim and his colleagues were able to persuade the majority of human worlds to sign the Instrument of Confederation creating a human federal government. The military forces of "half a hundred human worlds" were contributed to a unified Confederate fleet, which battled the Ashiyyur forces to a standstill and preserved the independence of human civilization. Tarien Sim did not live to see this outcome; he was killed in battle shortly before the Instrument was signed and before the weight of human forces could be effectively mobilized.

529:: Another key figure, through whose perceptions (reflected in her private papers and the journals of her friend Walford Candles) McDevitt tells the major part of the back-story. She was a university professor at and after the time of the Resistance, a specialist in Ashiyyur philosophy and literature. Her translations of and writings on the most important Ashiyyur philosopher, Tulisofala, are still considered definitive in Alec Benedict’s time. She was a peace activist during the early years of the Resistance, later becoming a staff intelligence officer and diplomat for the Dellacondans. 511:

of Sim, his politician brother Tarien Sim and others on Dellaconda and neighboring frontier worlds to the Ashiyyur threat: they banded together, formed a small naval force and conducted a guerrilla war (the "Resistance") over a four or five year period against the Ashiyyur. The author tells (one of his major themes) how the Resistance faced apathy or outright hostility from most other humans - for every human world that supported the Resistance, McDevitt tells us, two remained neutral (including the most powerful) and a few accepted overlordship of the Ashiyyur.

602:(1988 ), set in a galactic venue eons hence, similarly sets a religious frame around the central quest plot, in which a young man must thread his way through the unsettled hinterlands dividing human and alien space in his search for the secret that may retroactively destroy the reputation of a human who has been a hero in the recent wars. In both novels, wrestles valiantly with the task he has set himself: that of imposing an essentially contemplative structure upon conventions designed for violent action. He comes, at times, close to success." 335:, Hugh Scott's Planetary Survey ship, and then meet Gabe at a world near the Veiled Lady star cluster and pilot them to an unspecified destination. Alex's uncle disappeared before reaching his destination, and owed Ms. Kolpath a considerable sum. Alex agrees to pay what his uncle owed her and asks her to assist him in his investigations. From the planned logistics of the trip, Ms. Kolpath estimates that they were to travel from 800 to 1,500 light years distance. Chase doesn’t know Gabe’s objective, only that it had something to do with the 320:

uncle had been working on a special archeological project that Alex is to pursue now that his uncle cannot. Alex must return to his uncle's home on Rimway and look in the “Leisha Tanner” file to recover relevant research and notes. The message does not discuss the nature of the project, other than to mention Hugh Scott, an old acquaintance. However, en route to Rimway, Alex learns that his uncle’s house has been burgled and, when he arrives, that the Tanner file is missing and all of his uncle's computerized records have been destroyed.

810: 546:: A professor of classical literature, a war poet, a contemporary of Christopher Sim and a friend of Leisha Tanner. In the novel, his journals are the best source of information about and insight into Leisha Tanner. They also paint a vivid picture of life on the home front during the time of the Resistance, with non-combatants waiting in hope and despair as the fortunes of the Dellacondans rise and, eventually, fall. 355:

to review Ashiyyur records of the war, which might shed some light on the problem. Alex meets S’Kalian and experiences mind-to-mind contact for the first time. He learns that the Ashiyyur are aware of the “problem” of Sim’s nearly simultaneous appearances in distant places and account for it as human scholars have done, by assuming that Sim’s fleet included as many as three other Dellacondan vessels disguised as the

307:” into an increasing number of small and then larger military clashes in which the Ashiyyur generally prevailed. The fiercely independent governments of the human worlds responded to the Ashiyyurian challenge largely by dithering and self-deception about the threat. A few human worlds, led by Dellaconda, reacted militarily by forming a small military force, based at first mainly on the Dellacondan navy, to wage a 25: 403:

view of the history of the Resistance. It becomes clear that as time had passed, Sim became increasingly angry at the shortsightedness of the major human worlds and increasingly disturbed by the casualties among “our finest and bravest.” Toward the end, “his anger flared: there will be a Confederacy one day, . . . but they will not construct it on the bodies of my men.”

387:, had been in Uncle Gabe’s bedroom when Alex returned, and was open to that poem. Gabriel Benedict must have had the same insight. Alex is able to find the university researcher who helped his uncle work with the clues in Candles’ poem and who identifies a location about 1,300 light years into the Veiled Lady as the primary locus of search. 510:

progresses, the author reveals more and more of Sim's story. Sim lived about 200 years before the novel's "present" time, beginning as a teacher of Ancient History and Government on the planet Dellaconda, a frontier world near the Perimeter (border) with Ashiyyur space. McDevitt portrays the reaction

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Alex and Chase rent a ship and begin a two-month journey through Armstrong space. At their destination, they find a red dwarf star with two planets in its habitable zone. One appears to be a terrestrial world and they move toward it. From a distance, they are able to see something artificial orbiting

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Alex Benedict receives word from a cousin that his uncle Gabriel was among the passengers on an interstellar that disappeared in Armstrong space. A package arrives from his uncle’s lawyers informing Alex that he is his uncle’s heir and giving Alex a sealed message from his uncle. Alex learns that his

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McDevitt describes human civilization at the time of the back-story as spread across many worlds, most of which were independent of the others. All maintained sentimental ties with Earth, but difficulties of interstellar travel and local parochialism ensured that there was no central government. Many

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figure, Machesney declared support for the Resistance early in the war and joined them with much of his scientific team. The Ashiyyur denounced him as a war criminal for creating advanced weaponry for Sim’s military forces. His principal apparent value to the Resistance was diplomatic. Together with

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Alex visits the local police inspector and learns that the burglars apparently wanted only the Tanner file. The inspector, a social friend of Alex's uncle, can shed little light on Gabe’s project other than to note that Alex's uncle seemed distracted for the three months before his death and that he

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Alex gradually learns more of the history of the Resistance and is puzzled by the fact that during the war Sim’s forces, and especially Sim himself, appear to have been present and in action at widely separated locations virtually simultaneously. He contacts the local Ashiyyur representative office

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Humanity discovered the ruins of one alien technological civilization, and encountered one that at the time of the story is alive and thriving, the Ashiyyur. The sphere of Ashiyyur worlds is described by the author as abutting the worlds of human civilization along the Perimeter – first contact was

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Christopher Sim’s death in battle, like that of Leonidas at Thermopylae, changed everything, according to the author. Public opinion swung swiftly to demand war against the Ashiyyur. Previously hesitant governments on many worlds now committed to the war effort; one especially resistant government

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McDevitt portrays Christopher Sim as an unlikely hero who rose to greatness through an unexpected "talent for war," a charismatic military genius able to anticipate his enemy’s plans and outwit them with his own. As McDevitt describes the history of the war, over several years, Sim's forces won a

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won’t be fully charged for about a day. Their problem is to stay alive until the Armstrong drive is ready. They borrow a classic maneuver from one of Sim’s battles and leave orbit at high speed headed directly toward the incoming Ashiyyur warship, which cannot slow its speed quickly enough to meet

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From this point onward, the story follows two increasingly intertwined threads, a mystery in the present and a history narrated in the backstory. The mystery is the nature of Uncle Gabe’s project, which Alex works to discover. As Alex does so, he becomes increasingly immersed in the history of the

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Gradually, Alex works out the answer. Christopher Sim became disillusioned with the war and wanted to sue for peace. His brother Tarien and other Resistance leaders seized him and marooned him on this planet to keep him from surrendering. Alex confirms this by searching the planet in a lander and

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has power and appears functional. Indeed, the ship appears virtually normal, aside from a few mechanical malfunctions due to age. They play back the captain’s log, and unexpectedly find that it ends before the battle at Rigel at which Sim died. They listen to the whole record and hear a Sim’s-eye

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strive for. The portrayal of archeological and historical work feels right. There are dead ends, witnesses with suspect motives, lies and exaggerations, papers and memoirs that are frustratingly elliptical or written by people only ancillary to the investigation, and even a wonderfully-portrayed

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In an epilogue to the novel, the reader learns, with Hugh Scott, that Christopher Sim did not die on the planet where he was marooned. Sim was rescued by Leisha Tanner and lived afterward under the assumed identity of Jerome Courtney, spending considerable time as a respected lay brother at a

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This isn't a book to grab and hold the reader; the prose is unadorned, Alex is a straightforward and logical (if self-centered) first-person narrator, and the characterization of most of the cast frankly leaves something to be desired. But in its puzzling out of history, it evokes the sort of

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Dellaconda itself is the next destination, as Chase and Alex continue their hunt for Hugh Scott. Alex visits Christopher Sim’s home and the school where he taught before the war; both are maintained as shrines to his memory. He locates and meets with Hugh Scott, in spite of Scott’s obvious

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magnetic drives; Chase realizes too late that she has forgotten to raise the ship’s shields. The Ashiyyur warship reverses its trajectory and reaches them about ten hours before they can jump. It demands their surrender. Through a strategem, Alex and Chase are able to fire

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found, Lesha Tanner had found it first, 200 years before. Alex has an inspiration – the location of the missing something is obliquely described in a poem by Walford Candles, to whom Tanner must have confided the secret. A collection of Candles' poems,

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flight but finds no indication of anything unusual besides a mechanical breakdown. He then attempts to visit Hugh Scott, but finds that Scott has been away from home for months. One of his neighbors notes that Scott’s personality has changed since the

247:, to discover the nature of a mysterious project Alex's uncle had been working on when the interstellar passenger ship, on which his uncle was a passenger, was lost in space. This investigation leads deep into the history of a war between human 647:

In Great Britain, Kinnell published a hardcover edition and Sphere published a paperback edition in June 1989. In September 2000, Meisha Merlin published, in hardcover and trade paperback formats, an omnibus edition with

466:- An older man of independent means, an amateur archeologist, well-regarded and greatly experienced in the field. He lived on Rimway, in the country west of Andiquar, the planetary capital and capital of the Confederacy. 429:’ major weapons at it, damaging it badly and forcing it to flee. Ten hours later, the interstellar drive activates. It is not an Armstrong drive but something else, product of Rashim Machesney’s genius. In an eye blink, 391:

this world. Moving closer, they can see first that it is a ship, then that it is a warship, and then that it is a Dellacondan warship. Finally, they can make out clearly the ship’s insignia – the famous markings of

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The huge (if temporary) technological advantage conferred on humanity by the new drive ends the human-Ashiyyur rivalry; the Perimeter stabilizes and more peaceful relations develop between the two civilizations.

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of our galaxy. The novel is concerned with two time periods – the present of the principal viewpoint character, Alex Benedict, and a period approximately 200 years before his time, which is viewed through

339:. That ship had explored the Veiled Lady about three years before Gabe’s death and returned unexpectedly early. “Apparently, they saw something. . . Gabe wanted to know what, but I could never find out.” 410:

Chase reports from orbit that an Ashiyyur warship is inbound at high speed. Then another appears, slowing to make orbit around Sim's world of exile. Alex warns Chase to abandon their rented ship for the

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Tarien Sim, Machesney was the public face of the Resistance. His scientific prestige lent credibility to the cause, his political campaigns drew public attention, his brilliant writings persuaded.

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as a mass market paperback in February 1989. Ace Books republished the book as a mass market paperback in July 2004. It was also published in a hardcover book club edition in June 1989 for the

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The book is the first in the Alex Benedict series. It is the only one told from Benedict’s point of view; the others are narrated by his pilot and assistant, Chase Kolpath.

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is not McDevitt's best novel, it shows signs of the writer he is still becoming. Even where the characters flag, the ideas remain at the forefront and manage to place

506:- Christopher Sim is the most important character in the "historical" back-story, the person around whom the central mystery of the novel revolves. As Alex Benedict's 460:- A reputable and very successful dealer in human antiquities. His interest in the field was sparked by his uncle, Gabriel Benedict, who raised him from an early age. 1289: 303:

As described in the back-story, following first contact with the Ashiyyur, there was increasing friction between human and Ashiyyur civilizations, evolving from a “

1466: 1340: 1407: 472:- When the story opens, Ms. Kolpath is an experienced private interstellar pilot who had been working with Gabriel Benedict intermittently for several years. 324:

Resistance and its principal leader and hero, Christopher Sim. The story switches back and forth between the developing mystery and the historical narrative.

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mission, except to confirm that the survey ship found something and that there was a good reason to keep it secret. Alex startles Scott by guessing that the

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known as "the Resistance" against the Ashiyyur. The back-story begins at this point in history, although it is not told in strictly chronological sequence.

1372: 1281: 535:: The most eminent physicist at the time of the Resistance, an expert in gravitational wave theory. Portrayed by the author as a larger-than-life 331:

Chase Kolpath visits Alex at his uncle's house. Before disappearing, Gabriel Benedict had hired Ms. Kolpath to investigate the last flight of the

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The story is set approximately 9,600 years in the future (approximately 11,600 C.E.). As is made clearer in McDevitt's later Alex Benedict novel

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human worlds maintained their own armed forces but again there was no central direction. Communication between worlds was limited to travel by

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above a standard space opera or science fictional mystery." Reviewer Russ Allbery praised the novel's "unique perspective" on the theme of

519:, was destroyed. Only a handful of Dellacondan ships survived the battle; the Resistance navy ceased to exist for all practical purposes. 415:; she does so just before the first Ashiyyur warship destroys their rented ship. Alex joins her and learns that the Armstrong drive on the 1499: 1205: 1178: 35: 1494: 1114: 950: 441:

Catholic monastery on an isolated planet. There, he continued to write on various historical and philosophical subjects.

1147: 1161: 967: 868: 749: 730: 694: 683: 672: 191: 60: 1504: 571: 484:- Formerly an acquaintance of Gabriel Benedict, later a member of the Planetary Survey and a crew member on the 1140: 1099: 1069: 1045: 719: 708: 1489: 1356: 1198: 279:, during the course of recorded history, human civilization has spread through a substantial part of the 574:, its "quaint feel that's both comfortable and oddly prosaic," and its "satisfying, tense conclusion": 608:

is not one of the three novels annotated under Jack McDevitt's name in the current (fifth) edition of

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1989, USA, Ace Books (ISBN unknown), June 1989, hardback (Science Fiction Book Club edition, # 14900)

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Portions of Chapter 15 were published in a different form as a novelette in the March 1988 issue of

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Portions of Chapters 9 and 22–24 were published as a novelette in the February 1987 issue of

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The following are the principal characters from the story set in the "present" of the novel:

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flight. Like Alex's uncle, Scott has become obsessed by the Resistance and Christopher Sim.

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had become a “nut” on the subject of Christopher Sim and the Resistance.

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finding Sim’s camp. There is no indication there what happened to Sim.

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The mystery begins to unravel. Alex and Chase decide that whatever the

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had found a Dellacondan warship, but Scott will say no more.

200: 752:), Pub date September 2000, hardback (omnibus edition with 45:

by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise.

779:: Jacket art: Ron Walotsky; Jacket design: Rosemary Kracke 797:: Cover art: Darrell K. Sweet; Cover design: Rita Frangie 733:), Pub date 25 Aug 2000, paperback (omnibus edition with 500:

characters who play significant roles in the back-story.

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on its flight to explore the Veiled Lady star cluster.

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Ascent of Wonder: A Critical Guide to Science Fiction

675:) Pub date February 1989, paperback (First edition) 592:, comparing McDevitt's second novel with his first, 879: 367:reluctance. Scott will not say anything about the 1481: 1064:(2nd ed.). New York: Saint Martin's Press. 1001:Pub date from the Locus Index to Science Fiction 1179:Synopsis by Science Fiction Writers of America 1133:Thermopylae: The Battle that Changed the World 243:, the story of a search by Alex Benedict, the 1199: 936: 654:, an earlier McDevitt novel, under the title 1054: 1026: 997: 995: 993: 478:- Representative of the Ashiyyur on Rimway. 1213: 1206: 1192: 1120:International Speculative Fiction Database 1038:Ascent of Wonder: The Evolution of Hard SF 837:(Fifth Edition) Libraries Unlimited (2004) 79: 1106:Interview with Jack McDevitt (excerpts), 990: 909: 270: 61:Learn how and when to remove this message 711:), Pub date 31 December 1998, paperback 631:Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine 624:Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine 444: 1515:Speculative crime and thriller fiction 1482: 1092:What Fantastic Fiction Do I Read Next? 1032: 697:), Pub date 26 October 1989, paperback 617: 398:They board the ship and find that the 1187: 1019:Pub date from the Amazon U.K. listing 859:"ESP," John Clute and Peter Nichols, 549: 433:is in orbit around Rimway, and safe. 744:2000, UK, Meisha Merlin Publishing ( 725:2000, UK, Meisha Merlin Publishing ( 18: 1061:The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction 951:The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction 861:The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction 722:), Pub date 29 June 2004, paperback 13: 1084: 1079: 661: 14: 1526: 1167: 1156:, University of California Press 1125: 259:of the current human government. 181:310 pp (first edition, paperback) 987:, Entry II-737-739, pp. 298-299. 808: 678:1989, UK, Kinnell Publications ( 420:them. It uses lasers to disable 173:Print (Paperback & Hardback) 36:too long or excessively detailed 23: 1500:American science fiction novels 1013: 1010:The book does not carry an ISBN 686:), Pub date June 1989, hardback 636:Ace Books originally published 1115:Locus Index to Science Fiction 1004: 976: 954:(Updated ed.). New York: 930: 903: 873: 853: 840: 827: 773:: Cover art: Darrell K. Sweet. 764: 449: 255:and challenges the foundation 1: 863:, St. Martin's Press (1993) 820: 626:under the title "Dutchman”. 584:crackpot historical society. 32:This article's plot summary 7: 1495:1989 science fiction novels 801: 703:1989, USA, G. P. Putnam's ( 633:under the title “Sunrise”. 491: 359:, Sim's ship, as a form of 265: 16:1989 novel by Jack McDevitt 10: 1531: 880:Silver, Steven H. (1989). 579:fascination TV shows like 194:(first edition, paperback) 1418: 1383: 1300: 1222: 1058:; Nichols, Peter (1993). 1027:General and cited sources 642:Science Fiction Book Club 572:first contact with aliens 239:novel by American writer 212: 198: 185: 177: 169: 161: 151: 141: 127: 119: 111: 100: 90: 78: 1459:Time Travelers Never Die 1040:. Saint Martin's Press. 791:: Cover art: Danny Flynn 785:: Cover art: Gerry Grace 689:1989, UK, Sphere Books ( 588:Science fiction scholar 395:, Christoper Sim’s own. 85:First edition (1989 p/b) 1505:Novels by Jack McDevitt 1174:Review by Steven Silver 1131:Paul Cartledge (2006), 314: 1154:The Greco-Persian Wars 1110:magazine, October 2005 714:2004, USA, Ace Books ( 667:1989, USA, Ace Books ( 586: 496:The following are all 271:Setting and background 1467:The Cassandra Project 1384:Ancient Shores series 576: 361:psychological warfare 1490:1989 American novels 1408:Doorway to the Stars 1301:Alex Benedict series 1152:Peter Green (1996), 1090:Neil Barron (1998), 795:2004 U. S. Paperback 789:1989 G. B. Paperback 783:1989 G. B. Paperback 771:1989 U. S. Paperback 445:Principal characters 342:Alex researches the 956:St Martin's Griffin 618:Publication history 581:History's Mysteries 75: 1373:Village in the Sky 1234:The Engines of God 850:, Ace Books (2005) 777:1989 SFBC Hardback 550:Critical reception 298:interstellar ships 253:alien civilization 251:and a neighboring 73: 1477: 1476: 1427:The Hercules Text 1135:, Overlook Press 984:Anatomy of Wonder 916:by Jack McDevitt" 886:by Jack McDevitt" 815:Novels portal 651:The Hercules Text 611:Anatomy of Wonder 595:The Hercules Text 225: 224: 162:Publication place 101:Cover artist 74:A Talent for War 71: 70: 63: 1522: 1309:A Talent for War 1208: 1201: 1194: 1185: 1184: 1094:, Gate Research 1075: 1051: 1020: 1017: 1011: 1008: 1002: 999: 988: 980: 974: 973: 946:"McDevitt, Jack" 934: 928: 927: 925: 923: 914:A Talent for War 907: 901: 900: 898: 896: 884:A Talent for War 877: 871: 857: 851: 844: 838: 831: 813: 812: 758:Hello Out There 739:Hello Out There 638:A Talent for War 606:A Talent for War 600:A Talent for War 568:A Talent for War 564:A Talent for War 533:Rashim Machesney 464:Gabriel Benedict 229:A Talent for War 213:Followed by 202: 153:Publication date 105:Darrell K. Sweet 83: 76: 72: 66: 59: 55: 52: 46: 27: 26: 19: 1530: 1529: 1525: 1524: 1523: 1521: 1520: 1519: 1510:Ace Books books 1480: 1479: 1478: 1473: 1414: 1379: 1333:The Devil's Eye 1296: 1290:The Long Sunset 1218: 1212: 1170: 1128: 1087: 1085:Science fiction 1082: 1080:Further reading 1072: 1048: 1029: 1024: 1023: 1018: 1014: 1009: 1005: 1000: 991: 981: 977: 970: 942:Nicholls, Peter 935: 931: 921: 919: 918:. www.eyrie.org 910:Allbery, Russ. 908: 904: 894: 892: 878: 874: 858: 854: 846:Jack McDevitt, 845: 841: 832: 828: 823: 807: 804: 767: 664: 662:Release details 656:Hello Out There 620: 560:Steven H Silver 552: 544:Walford Candles 504:Christopher Sim 494: 452: 447: 385:Rumors of Earth 317: 273: 268: 234:science fiction 170:Media type 154: 132:Science fiction 86: 67: 56: 50: 47: 43:help improve it 40: 28: 24: 17: 12: 11: 5: 1528: 1518: 1517: 1512: 1507: 1502: 1497: 1492: 1475: 1474: 1472: 1471: 1463: 1455: 1451:Infinity Beach 1447: 1439: 1431: 1422: 1420: 1416: 1415: 1413: 1412: 1404: 1396: 1392:Ancient Shores 1387: 1385: 1381: 1380: 1378: 1377: 1369: 1361: 1353: 1345: 1337: 1329: 1321: 1313: 1304: 1302: 1298: 1297: 1295: 1294: 1286: 1278: 1270: 1262: 1254: 1246: 1238: 1229: 1227: 1220: 1219: 1211: 1210: 1203: 1196: 1188: 1182: 1181: 1176: 1169: 1168:External links 1166: 1165: 1164: 1150: 1148:978-1585675661 1127: 1126:Ancient Greece 1124: 1123: 1122: 1117: 1112: 1103: 1086: 1083: 1081: 1078: 1077: 1076: 1070: 1052: 1046: 1028: 1025: 1022: 1021: 1012: 1003: 989: 975: 968: 929: 902: 872: 852: 839: 825: 824: 822: 819: 818: 817: 803: 800: 799: 798: 792: 786: 780: 774: 766: 763: 762: 761: 742: 723: 712: 701: 698: 687: 676: 663: 660: 619: 616: 562:wrote, "While 551: 548: 493: 490: 451: 448: 446: 443: 316: 313: 272: 269: 267: 264: 223: 222: 214: 210: 209: 204: 196: 195: 189: 183: 182: 179: 175: 174: 171: 167: 166: 163: 159: 158: 155: 152: 149: 148: 143: 139: 138: 129: 125: 124: 121: 117: 116: 113: 109: 108: 102: 98: 97: 92: 88: 87: 84: 69: 68: 31: 29: 22: 15: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 1527: 1516: 1513: 1511: 1508: 1506: 1503: 1501: 1498: 1496: 1493: 1491: 1488: 1487: 1485: 1469: 1468: 1464: 1461: 1460: 1456: 1453: 1452: 1448: 1445: 1444: 1440: 1437: 1436: 1435:Eternity Road 1432: 1429: 1428: 1424: 1423: 1421: 1417: 1410: 1409: 1405: 1402: 1401: 1397: 1394: 1393: 1389: 1388: 1386: 1382: 1375: 1374: 1370: 1367: 1366: 1362: 1359: 1358: 1354: 1351: 1350: 1346: 1343: 1342: 1338: 1335: 1334: 1330: 1327: 1326: 1322: 1319: 1318: 1314: 1311: 1310: 1306: 1305: 1303: 1299: 1292: 1291: 1287: 1284: 1283: 1279: 1276: 1275: 1271: 1268: 1267: 1263: 1260: 1259: 1255: 1252: 1251: 1247: 1244: 1243: 1239: 1236: 1235: 1231: 1230: 1228: 1225: 1221: 1217: 1216:Jack McDevitt 1209: 1204: 1202: 1197: 1195: 1190: 1189: 1186: 1180: 1177: 1175: 1172: 1171: 1163: 1162:0-520-20573-1 1159: 1155: 1151: 1149: 1145: 1142: 1138: 1134: 1130: 1129: 1121: 1118: 1116: 1113: 1111: 1109: 1104: 1101: 1097: 1093: 1089: 1088: 1073: 1067: 1063: 1062: 1057: 1053: 1049: 1043: 1039: 1035: 1031: 1030: 1016: 1007: 998: 996: 994: 986: 985: 979: 971: 969:0-312-09618-6 965: 961: 957: 953: 952: 947: 943: 939: 933: 917: 915: 906: 891: 887: 885: 876: 870: 869:0-312-09618-6 866: 862: 856: 849: 843: 836: 833:Neil Barron, 830: 826: 816: 811: 806: 805: 796: 793: 790: 787: 784: 781: 778: 775: 772: 769: 768: 759: 755: 754:Hercules Text 751: 750:1-892065-22-3 747: 743: 740: 736: 735:Hercules Text 732: 731:1-892065-23-1 728: 724: 721: 717: 713: 710: 706: 702: 699: 696: 695:0-7474-0333-3 692: 688: 685: 684:1-870532-09-0 681: 677: 674: 673:0-441-79553-6 670: 666: 665: 659: 657: 653: 652: 645: 643: 639: 634: 632: 627: 625: 615: 613: 612: 607: 603: 601: 597: 596: 591: 585: 582: 575: 573: 569: 565: 561: 557: 547: 545: 541: 538: 534: 530: 528: 527:Leisha Tanner 524: 520: 518: 512: 509: 505: 501: 499: 489: 487: 483: 479: 477: 473: 471: 470:Chase Kolpath 467: 465: 461: 459: 458:Alex Benedict 455: 442: 438: 434: 432: 428: 423: 418: 414: 408: 404: 401: 396: 394: 388: 386: 381: 376: 374: 370: 364: 362: 358: 352: 350: 345: 340: 338: 334: 329: 325: 321: 312: 310: 309:guerrilla war 306: 301: 299: 293: 289: 287: 282: 278: 263: 260: 258: 254: 250: 246: 242: 241:Jack McDevitt 238: 235: 231: 230: 221: 219: 215: 211: 208: 205: 203: 197: 193: 192:0-441-79553-6 190: 188: 184: 180: 176: 172: 168: 165:United States 164: 160: 157:February 1989 156: 150: 147: 144: 140: 137: 133: 130: 126: 123:Alex Benedict 122: 118: 114: 110: 106: 103: 99: 96: 95:Jack McDevitt 93: 89: 82: 77: 65: 62: 54: 44: 39: 37: 30: 21: 20: 1465: 1457: 1449: 1441: 1433: 1425: 1406: 1398: 1390: 1371: 1365:Octavia Gone 1363: 1355: 1347: 1339: 1331: 1323: 1315: 1308: 1307: 1288: 1280: 1272: 1264: 1256: 1248: 1240: 1232: 1223: 1153: 1132: 1107: 1091: 1060: 1037: 1034:Barron, Neil 1015: 1006: 982: 978: 949: 932: 920:. 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