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David Drake was attending Duke University Law School when he was drafted. He served the next two years in the Army, spending 1970 as an enlisted interrogator with the 11th armored Cavalry in Viet Nam and Cambodia. Upon return he completed his law degree at Duke and was for eight years Assistant Town Attorney for Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He has been a full-time freelance writer since 1981. His books include the genre-defining and bestselling Hammer’s Slammers series, the RCN series including In the Stormy Red Sky, The Way to Glory, and many more.

#8 in the best-selling RCN military science fiction series.

Master and Commander to the stars. Captain Daniel Leary and master spy Adele Mundy must once again save the Cinnabar Republic despite itself. The jackals are moving in! The barbarians of the outer reaches intend to play both Cinnabar and Cinnabar’s sworn enemy, the totalitarian Alliance, against each other and bring both empires down like an enormous house of cards. The barbarian pirates have commandeered and hot-rodded starships that can outmaneuver even Captain Leary’s trusty RCN corvette. But speed and tech don’t count for everything. The Princess Cecile has the incomparable Daniel Leary and his trusted aide and friend Adele Mundy in command. Faced with such grit, bravery and intelligent misdirection the pirates might find they’ve bitten off more than they can chew.

About David Drake’s “RCN” series:

“[R]ousing old-fashioned space opera.” –Publishers Weekly on the “RCN” series.

“The fun is in the telling, and Mr. Drake has a strong voice. I want more!” –Philadelphia Weekly Press

“[S]pace opera is alive and well. This series is getting better as the author goes along…character development combined with first-rate action and memorable world designs.” –SFReader.com

About David Drake:

“[P]rose as cold and hard s the metal alloy of a tank…rivals Crane and Remarque…” – Chicago Sun-Times

“Drake couldn’t write a bad action scene at gunpoint.” – Booklist

Publishers Weekly

The war between the Republic of Cinnabar and the Alliance of Free Stars ended with RCN Captain Daniel Leary's stunning victory at Cacique, resulting in an uneasy peace. In the eighth offering of the popular RCN series, Leary receives orders to transport a diplomat to Zenobia and orders his communications officer, Adele Mundy, to investigate Palmyra, a semi-barbaric ally that is responsible for securing that sector from piracy. They discover not only that Palmyra is about to invade Zenobia, but that certain rogue RCN officers are actively involved. With the specter of renewed hostilities looming before him, Leary approaches his Alliance counterpart and makes an astounding offer, because "all civilized persons have a duty to stand against barbarians." Drake (As the Tide Rises) deftly weaves a web of political machinations and intrigue that vividly depicts the costs of war. Fans of Patrick O'Brian's Maturin and Aubrey novels will enjoy this intricate, rousing space opera. (Sept.)