The Ascendant Stars

By Michael Cobley (Mass Market, 2012)

War erupts in the depths of space...

Battle-ready factions converge above Darien, all with the same objective: to control this newly discovered planet and access the powerful weapons at its heart. Despotic Hegemony forces dominate much of known space and they want this world too, but Darien's inhabitants are determined to fight for their future.

However, key players in this conflict aren't fully in control. Hostile AIs have infiltrated key minds and have an agenda, requiring nothing less than the destruction or subversion of all organic life. And they are near to unleashing their cohorts, a host of twisted machine intelligences caged beneath Darien. Fighting to contain them are Darien's hidden guardians, and their ancient ally the Construct, on a millennia-long mission to protect sentient species. As the war reaches its peak, the AI army is roaring to the surface, to freedom and an orgy of destruction.

Darien is first in line in a machine vs. human war -- for life or the sterile dusts of space.

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- Format: Mass Market
- Price: $9.00 US/$10.00 CAN
- ISBN-13: 9780316214032
- On Sale Date: 11/20/2012
- Publisher: Orbit
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Formats Available: Mass Market, Electronic Book
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Darien is first in line in a machine vs. human war -- for life or the sterile dusts of space.

Michael Cobley was born in Leicester, England, and has lived in Glasgow, Scotland, for most of his life. He has studied engineering, been a DJ and has an abiding interest in democratic politics.

His previous books include the Shadowkings dark fantasy trilogy, and Iron Mosaic, a short story collection. Seeds of Earth and The Orphaned Worlds, books one and two of the Humanity's Fire sequence, are his first full-length foray into space opera.