The Reaches

**Thundering Space Adventure from the Best-Selling Author of Hammer’s Slammers** A thousand years ago, the human empire collapsed. Now mankind is reclaiming the galaxy, and ships hurtle between the stars, hoping to reap the rich opportunities of this new age of trade and exploration. But there are wars springing up, with new tyrants seizing whole planets, while other planets are rebelling against the powers that hold them captive. And lurking in the dark spaces between the stars are pirates, plundering all sides in the conflicts. It is the golden age of space travel, and it is possible for a brave man or woman to become very wealthy-or very dead. At the publisher’s request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management). A violent, hard-nosed swashbuckler, set forth with discernment and skill. — *Kirkus Reviews* Drake uses military language fluently to create vivid combat scenes. — *Publishers Weekly* Hard-hitting SF adventure-a tale that will appeal to fans of military SF. — *Library Journal* A cleverly set up, Poul Anderson-style reprise of the early Elizabethan period, when trade and piracy were synonyms . . . enormously entertaining! — *Detroit News* Vietnam veteran, former lawyer, former bus driver, and now bestselling author, **David Drake** tells a military story like no other. His readers recognize that he can take them where no one else can, with gut-wrenching description that puts them face-to-face with the enemy, and in the midst of the action right on the battlefield. He helped create the audience for mercenary military science fiction with his best-selling Hammer’s Slammers books. Drake graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Iowa, majoring in history (with honors) and Latin. His stint at Duke University Law School was interrupted for two years by the U.S. Army, where he served as an enlisted interrogator with the 11th Armored Cavalry in Vietnam and Cambodia. Drake has a wife, a son, and various pets.