THE LONG-AWAITED CONCLUSION OF THE HEOROT SERIES FROM GENRE LEGENDS LARRY NIVEN, JERRY POURNELLE, AND STEVEN BARNES

WE HAVE MET THE ALIENS--AND THEY ARE US!

Avalon was finally thriving. The cold-sleep colonists from Earth had settled on a verdant, livable world. The fast and cunning predators humans named grendels were under control, and mainland outposts had been established. Humans would have hydroelectric power, some form of civilization. They would survive. But they would not survive as a spacefaring people.

What the colonists were losing fast was the ability to get back to space. But unbeknownst to the planet-bound humans, something was moving out there in the stars, decelerating at a rate impossible for a natural object. Its destination: Avalon. Its probable origin: Earth's Solar System. The passengers it carried would change this world forever.

A TIME OF FIRST CONTACT.

Between the human Starborn and the self-named Godsons who followed on. Between the initial generation of Avalon-born humans and their descendants. And, unbeknownst to either, between humans and the almost ineffably alien species native to their new world. For this world is not done challenging humanity yet.

THE CHALLENGE AND PROMISE OF AVALON ARE ONLY BEGINNING.

About Starborn & Godsons:

". . . this work thoughtfully builds on the vision of the future . . . to the thrilling climax. This excellent series finale sticks the landing."--Publishers Weekly, starred review

". . . gritty, realistic, and exciting storytelling from authors who matched Michael Crichton back in the day for page-turning suspense."--Booklist, starred review

". . . a classic Pournelle story. Each group, Earthborn, Starborn, and Godsons have secrets they are keeping from the others, sometime deliberately, at other times inadvertently. Each group is blinded to some extent, by their biases and beliefs. Each has something the other groups need, but does not realize it. . . . a tale of the strengths and weaknesses of human societies."--The Galveston County Daily News

About prequel The Legacy of Heorot:

"Page-turning action and suspense, good characterization and convincing setting . . . may be the best thing any of those authors has written."--The Denver Post

"Outstanding! . . . The best ever, by the best in the field . . . the ultimate combination of imagination and realism."--Tom Clancy

"Well written, action-packed, and tension filled . . . makes Aliens look like a Disney nature film."--The Washington Post

"Spine-tingling ecological tale of terror."--Locus

About prequel Beowulf's Children:

"Few writers have a finer pedigree than those here . . . As one might suspect, Beowulf's Children is seamless . . . absorbing, substantial . . . masterful novel."--Los Angeles Times

"Panoramic SF adventure at its best."--Library Journal

About Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle:

"Possibly the greatest science fiction novel I have ever read."--Robert A. Heinlein on The Mote in God's Eye

About Larry Niven:

"Larry Niven's Ringworld remains one of the all-time classic travelogues of science fiction--a new and amazing world and fantastic companions."--Greg Bear

"Our premier hard SF writer."--The Baltimore Sun

"The scope of Larry Niven's work is so vast that only a writer of supreme talent could disguise the fact as well as he can."--Tom Clancy

"Niven is a true master."--Frederik Pohl

About Jerry Pournelle:

"Jerry Pournelle is one of science fiction's greatest storytellers."--Poul Anderson

"Jerry Pournelle's trademark is first-rate action against well-realized backgrounds of hard science and hardball politics."--David Drake

"Rousing. . . . The Best of the Genre."--The New York Times

"On the cover . . . is the claim 'No. 1 Adventure Novel of the Year.' And well it might be."--Milwaukee Journal on Janissaries

About Steven Barnes:

"Brilliant, surprising, and devastating."--David Mack

"Sharp, observant and scary."--Greg Bear

"Profound and exhilarating."--Maurice Broaddus, author of The Knights of Breton Court

"Barnes gives us characters that are vividly real people, conceived with insight and portrayed with compassion and rare skill, and then he stokes the suspense up to levels that will make the reader miss sleep and be late for work."--Tim Powers

"[Barnes] combines imagination, anthropology and beautiful storytelling as he takes readers to the foot of the Great Mountain, today known as Mount Kilimanjaro."--Durham Triangle Tribune on Great Sky Woman
About the Author: Larry Niven is the multiple Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author of the Ringworld series, along with many other science fiction masterpieces. With Jerry Pournelle, he is the author of the all-time SF classic The Mote in God's Eye, and subsequent books in the series, as well as the novels in the Heorot series. He lives in Chatsworth, California.

Jerry Pournelle was a master of military science fiction, author of the series of novels about John Christian Falkenberg and his legion of interstellar mercenaries, and many other works, such as Janissaries, Exiles to Glory, High Justice, King David's Spaceship, Starswarm, and others. With Larry Niven he collaborated on a string of bestselling novels, including Lucifer's Hammer, The Mote in God's Eye, Footfall, and many more. He held advanced degrees in psychology, statistics, engineering, and political science, and has was professionally active in all these fields.

Steven Barnes is a New York Times bestselling, Hugo Award-nominated author of Twelve Days among other novels, a screenwriter, and creator of the Lifewriting(TM) writing course, which he has taught nationwide. He recently won an NAACP Image Award as coauthor of the Tennyson Hardwick mystery series with his spouse, Tananarive Due, and actor Blair Underwood.