For five centuries, a unified Earth has been the centre, and ruler, of all it surveys: an empire that spans two thousand worlds. It has been unchallenged for three hundred years. The Borsen use strange technology to strike down fleets and planets with terrifying ease. Their inexplicable reserve leads some to suspect that they have a purpose beyond conquest. But all are certain that for the first time in half a millennium, mankind is facing a dire threat. Centuries of bureaucracy and entrenched arrogance lead to grievous losses. Even when a miraculous new technology offers an upper hand, factionalism and jealousy arise to threaten those who use it. Can a visionary commander unravel the mystery that drives the Borsen? Can he prevail against the fear that spreads as losses mount? Can he realise the potentials of those who serve under him in time? A centuries-spanning tale of space warfare told from major and minor viewpoints: the victories and the tragedies, the decisions that make or break civilisations, the resilience of ordinary people striving to cope. Be there when heroes are made and villains fall. Understand the motives of an enemy that seeks to drive humanity to the brink. Using over fifty pieces of carefully-crafted short fiction augmented by comprehensive appendices, this book will take you from the start of the incursion to its end, letting you witness the war while revealing its impacts and revelations from every angle. OpenDyslexic is an open sourced font created to increase readability for readers with dyslexia. The typeface includes regular, bold, italic, and bold-italic styles. Letters have heavy weighted bottoms to indicate direction, along with other features, like wider letter spacing and a unique italic style. Consistently weighted bottoms can also help reinforce the line of text. The unique shapes of each letter can help prevent confusion through flipping and swapping. For more information, visit opendyslexic.org
About the Author: Born in Sussex, UK and has lived there ever since. Had a solitary childhood and a precocious, voracious reading habit that expanded to fit the hours. A broken home in his early teens took him off the 'straight and narrow' and he's never gone back. In the subsequent four decades he's worked at levels from loading bay to boardroom, picking up a few tricks and a couple of stories on the way. Julian's first love has always been fantasy and magic, the blending of ancient and future provided by the science fantasy of Andre Norton and the harrowing dystopias of Mick Farren. He started writing at school, extended into writing RPG scenarios, and thence into bardic storytelling, which allowed his craft to burgeon. Many people said nice things about his work, and repeatedly encouraged him to write. In 2010 he became a staff writer for 365tomorrows.com, in 2011 he published his first books, in 2012 he released more books and the smallest complete role-playing system in the world. In 2013 he became a UK registered publisher and hasn't stopped writing or publishing since. He'd be delighted if you'd care to join him for a tale or two.