Lt. Leary / RCN Books

A disaffected lieutenant and a dissident's daughter team up to protect a neutral planet from invasion by a superpower's fleet

Lt. Daniel Leary commands the Princess Cecile; Signals Officer Adele Mundy has the spy apparatus and skill to crack any database. All they lack are enemies, and fate is about to supply those in abundance!

While the Republic of Cinnabar is at peace with the Alliance, warriors like Lt. Daniel Leary and Signals Officer Adele Mundy must find other work--like escorting a pair of wealthy nobles on an expedition to the back of beyond! The Princess Cecile , the corvette in which they carved their reputations in letters of fire, has been sold as a private yacht, but she still has her guns, her missiles, and her veteran crew. Daniel and Adele will need all of those things as they face winged dragons, an Alliance auxiliary cruiser, jealous lovers, and a mysterious oracle which really does foresee the future. That won't be enough, though, when they penetrate a secret Alliance base and find a hostile fleet ready for a war that will sweep Cinnabar out of a strategically crucial arm of the galaxy. Preventing that will involve skill, courage, and more luck than a sane man could even pray for; and it will require a space battle on a scale that a tiny corvette like the Princess Cecile has no business being involved in. But she'll be in the middle of it anyway, because Daniel, Adele, and their Cinnabar crew would never turn their backs on a fight!

Violence racks Cinnabar. The fleets of the tyrannical Alliance are on the move, and at home class riots threaten to rip apart not only society but the Republic of Cinnabar Navy. Lt. Daniel Leary has earned promotion, but the needs of the Republic and the RCN require that he serve under an officer whose paranoia has already led him to execute crewmen out of hand. Signals Officer Adele Mundy has repeatedly proved her skills and loyalty as Cinnabar's most accomplished intelligence agent, but now elements within the Republic want to draw her into a conspiracy like the one that led to her parent's massacre. Leary and Mundy battle their way from riot-torn streets to spies in an outlying base and an anarchic planet where violence is the only law, but if they succeed at every stage, one test still remains: a space battle against an overwhelming Alliance force. Even for Daniel Leary it will be a difficult fight to win¿and almost impossible to survive.

The tyrannical Alliance continues its war against the Republic of Cinnabar, and Daniel Leary, newly promoted to Commander, and his crew have a new mission: Stop Dunbar's World from falling to an invasion by the planet Pellegrino. Nataniel Arruns, son of the dictator of Pellegrino, has landed with a large contingent, intending to set himself up as the ruling warlord, with the planet's population becoming workers-serfs-of the Pellegrinian overlords. And Dunbar's world has no more than their local police force to oppose him. Leary again commands the corvette Princess Cecile, but on this mission her missile tubes are empty. Only one man is in a position to aid Leary, but the rich and powerful would rather see him fail than succeed in stopping the invasion. Leary must somehow overcome a large entrenched force on an island defended by powerful plasma cannon and shipkilling missiles and backed up by a heavily armed warship in orbit, all while commanding only a small and virtually unarmed spacecraft. But Leary again has the help of Signals Officer Adele Mundy, who can make computer networks do the apparently impossible. Leary, Mundy and the crew of the Princess Cecile have gone up against impossible odds before . . . and their opponents in those victorious missions are still wondering just what hit them.

When the Republic of Cinnabar doesn't have enough battleships to deal with all the crises in its war with the Alliance, it sends the next best thing: Commander Daniel Leary and his friend, the spy Adele Mundy. This time they're off to help the Bagarian cluster in its rebellion against the Alliance, but they'll quickly find that the worst threats to the rebels are the treacherous politicians leading them. Leary and Mundy use electronic espionage, sub-machine guns, and shipkilling missiles to outwit political rivals, put down mutiny, and capture an Alliance fortress. When all else fails, they'll strike for the heart of the Alliance--and then throw their tiny corvette into a major fleet action. A cascade of non-stop action as vivid as only David Drake can write it!

Captain Daniel Leary and Adele Mundy are Back in Action, and the Stakes Have Never Been Higher. First Time in Paperback for This Novel in Best-Selling David Drake’s Popular RCN Space Adventure Series. “Drake improves a classic military sf saga with fast action, wonderfully complex politics, and some of the most insightful characterization of his career.” — Booklist Daniel Leary is Cinnabar's most successful space captain; his friend, Lady Adele Mundy, is its most efficient spy—but they've got their hands full this time as they face: A Cinnabar Senator furious at losing an election—and still powerful enough to make her anger deadly. The boy ruler of a star cluster who thinks he's a god—and who can sign the death warrants of even Cinnabar officials if a mad whimsy tells him to. A world of slaves and escaped slaves, where the most savage beasts in the jungle used to be human. An enemy base that could shrug off attack by powerful battlefleets—but which must fall to a single cruiser if Cinnabar is to survive. From palace to reeking jungle, from gunfights in grimy hangars to the flagship's bridge during a sprawling space battle, Leary and Mundy are in the thick of it again. Watch the galaxy explode— IN THE STORMY RED SKY

NO REST FOR THE WEARY Captain Daniel Leary and his friend, the spy Adele Mundy, have been in the front lines of Cinnabar's struggle against the totalitarian Alliance. Now these galactic superpowers have signed a peace of mutual exhaustion-- But the jackals are moving in! The Republic of Cinnabar was on the verge of collapse under the weight of taxes, casualties, and war's disruption of trade. That the Alliance of Free Stars was in even worse condition helped only because it has made peace possible. Years of war have been hard on Daniel and harder still on Adele, whose life outside information-gathering is a tightrope between despair and deadly violence. Their masters in the RCN and the Republic's intelligence service have sent them to the fringes of human space to relax away from danger. But the barbarians of the outer reaches have their own plans, plans which will bring down both Cinnabar and the Alliance. The enemies of peace include traitors, giant reptiles, and barbarian pirates whose ships can outsail even Daniel Leary's splendid corvette, the Princess Cecile . Unless Daniel, Adele, and their unlikely allies succeed, galactic civilization will disintegrate into blood and chaos. So they will succeed?or they'll die trying!

National Best Seller in hardcover. Brilliant and brave starship captain Daniel Leary and ace spy Adele Mundy return to confront a pirate plot and once again save the Republic of Cinnabar. #9 in the bestselling Republic of Cinnabar Navy space adventure series. Captain Daniel Leary with his friend–and spy–Officer Adele Mundy are sent to a quiet sector to carry out an easy task: helping the local admiral put down a coup before it takes place. But then the jealous admiral gets rid of them by sending them off on a wild goose chase to a sector where commerce is king and business is carried out by extortion and gunfights. With anarchy and rebellion in the air, a rogue intelligence officer plots the war that will destroy civilization and enlists the help of a brute whom even torturers couldn't stomach. And, of course, it’s up to Leary and Mundy to put a stop to the madness. About David Drake’s previous RCN novel, What Distant Deeps: “Drake 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.” – Publishers Weekly About David Drake’s RCN series: “[R]ousing old-fashioned space opera.” – Publishers Weekly “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

LEARY AND MUNDY RETURN in the RCN SERIES. #10 in the nationally best-selling Republic of Cinnabar Navy space adventure series. Cinnabar's chief spymaster is a mother also--and her son is determined to search for treasure in the midst of a civil war. Who better to hold the boy's hand—and to take the blows directed at him—than Captain Daniel Leary, the Republic of Cinnabar Navy's troubleshooter, and his friend the cyberspy Adele Mundy? The only thing certain in the struggle for control of the mining planet Corcyra is that the rival parties are more dangerous to their own allies than to their opponents. Daniel and Adele face kidnappers, hijackers, pirates and a death squad—even before they can get to their real business of ending the war on Corcyra. Only with planetary peace can the boy they're escorting get on with his mission. The boy thinks the treasure he's looking for is a thousand years old. Daniel and Adele know that it's probably a dream— But if the treasure is real, it just might be tens of thousands of years older than anyone imagines, and incalculably more valuable! About David Drake’s previous RCN novel, What Distant Deeps: “Drake 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.” – Publishers Weekly About David Drake’s RCN series: “[R]ousing old-fashioned space opera.” – Publishers Weekly “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

A NEW NOVEL IN THE NATIONALLY BEST-SELLING RCN MILITARY SF SERIES! Leary and Mundy are back in another military science fiction adventure as they undertake a mission to a distant but critical star system. IT'S JUST A REBELLION IN A DISTANT STAR CLUSTER. Captain Daniel Leary thinks that his marriage will allow him to slip into the quiet role of a naval officer in peacetime. His friend, the spy and cybrarian Adele Mundy, is content to be collating data in her library. But high officials of both superpowers are involved! Those who want Daniel and Adele to become involved in the Tarbell Stars claim that only they can prevent a war between the Republic of Cinnabar and its great rival, the Alliance of Free Stars. The conflict is political, but at the sharp end it means blazing warfare and cold-blooded murder. Daniel and Adele will be at the sharp end. The odds in ships and guns are badly in the enemy's favor. Daniel, Adele, and the crew of the Princess Cecile will do everything humanly possible, but that may not be enough against an enemy battleship. And even if Daniel and his companions succeed in battle, they can't be sure whether their employers really wanted them to win—or whether they even want them alive. All they can do is to race forward, hoping to come through into DEATH'S BRIGHT DAY. About David Drake’s previous RCN novel, What Distant Deeps: “Drake 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.” — Publishers Weekly About David Drake’s RCN series: “[R]ousing old-fashioned space opera.”— Publishers Weekly “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 as the metal alloy of a tank…rivals Crane and Remarque…”— Chicago Sun-Times “Drake couldn’t write a bad action scene at gunpoint.”— Booklist RCN series: With the Lightnings Lt. Leary, Commanding The Far Side of the Stars The Way to Glory Some Golden Harbor When the Tide Rises In the Stormy Red Sky What Distant Deeps The Road of Danger The Sea Without a Shore Death's Bright Day

A NEW NOVEL IN THE NATIONALLY BEST-SELLING RCN MILITARY SF SERIES. David Drake, Dean of Military Science Fiction, returns with another entry in his best-selling RCN series. FROM WEALTH AND POWER, TO POVERTY AND INSULTS! Roy Olfetrie planned to be an officer in the Republic of Cinnabar Navy, but when his father was unmasked as a white-collar criminal he had to take whatever he was offered. What is offered turns out to be a chance to accompany Captain Daniel Leary and Lady Adele Mundy as they go off to start a war that will put Roy at the sharp end. Duty snatches Roy from the harem of a pirate chief to a world of monsters, from interstellar reaches in a half-wrecked starship to assassination attempts at posh houses. Roy has the choice of making friends or dying friendless; of meeting betrayal and responding to it; of breaking his faith or keeping it at the risk of his life. Pirates, politics, and spies--and waiting for Roy if he survives all the rest, a powerful warship. The action doesn't slow--nor can Roy, for if he does the only question is which of the many threats will be the one to catch and kill him. But Captain Leary himself has given Roy a chance, and Roy is determined make the most of it—THOUGH HELL SHOULD BAR THE WAY. Praise for Though Hell Should Bar the Way: “ Though Hell Should Bar the Way is vastly entertaining, a tale that demonstrates Drake’s skill as an author, illustrating why Drake is one of the best living science fiction authors today."— The Daily News of Galveston County About David Drake’s RCN series: “[R]ousing old-fashioned space opera.”— Publishers Weekly “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 “Drake 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.” — Publishers Weekly About David Drake: “[P]rose as cold and hard as the metal alloy of a tank…rivals Crane and Remarque…”— Chicago Sun-Times “Drake couldn’t write a bad action scene at gunpoint.”— Booklist RCN series: With the Lightnings Lt. Leary, Commanding The Far Side of the Stars The Way to Glory Some Golden Harbor When the Tide Rises In the Stormy Red Sky What Distant Deeps The Road of Danger The Sea Without a Shore Death's Bright Day Though Hell Should Bar the Way

NEW ENTRY IN DAVID DRAKE'S LANDMARK RCN SERIES ADVENTURES BEYOND THE EDGE OF THE KNOWN UNIVERSE The truce between Cinnabar and the Alliance is holding, and the Republic of Cinnabar Navy is able to explore regions of the galaxy without the explorers being swept up in great power conflict. The Far Traveller is probing sponge space to open routes for Cinnabar traders—and for RCN warships if war breaks out again. But besides astrogation, the Far Traveller is to survey and catalog life forms on the worlds it touches. Harry Harper has just been posted to the Traveller. He's an RCN officer by convention, a scientist by training—and a member of one of leading aristocratic families on Cinnabar by birth. Lieutenant Rick Grenville would rather serve on a warship in the heart of battle, but peace and the whim of the Navy Board have put him on an exploration vessel instead. He finds that the dangers on the fringes of civilization are just as great as those from missiles and gunfire that he expected to face. As internal struggles cause the Alliance to relax its iron grip, regional forces are attempting to increase their own power—and they're not fussy about the means they use. Besides the biological answers that officials on Cinnabar expect the Far Traveller to find, the ship's Director of Science, Doctor Veil, has her own agenda: to learn more about the Archaic Spacefarers who roamed the universe tens of thousands of years before humans reached the stars. The crew of the Far Traveller is poised to clear more of the shadows away from the deep past than ever before in human history—if they survive. At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management). Praise for prequel Though Hell Should Bar the Way: “Though Hell Should Bar the Way is vastly entertaining, a tale that demonstrates Drake’s skill as an author, illustrating why Drake is one of the best living science fiction authors today."—The Daily News of Galveston County About David Drake’s RCN series: “[R]ousing old-fashioned space opera.”—Publishers Weekly “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 “Drake 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.” —Publishers Weekly About David Drake: “[P]rose as cold and hard as the metal alloy of a tank…rivals Crane and Remarque…”—Chicago Sun-Times “Drake couldn’t write a bad action scene at gunpoint.”—Booklist RCN series: With the Lightnings Lt. Leary, Commanding The Far Side of the Stars The Way to Glory Some Golden Harbor When the Tide Rises In the Stormy Red Sky What Distant Deeps The Road of Danger The Sea Without a Shore Death's Bright Day Though Hell Should Bar the Way 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 Vietnam 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 nationally bestselling RCN series including The Sea Without a Shore, Death's Bright Day, and Though Hell Should Bar the Way.