Through three centuries of interstellar travel, intelligent alien life- forms had never been encountered . . . until now.When a scientific team exploring an obscure planet fails to make its regular communications check, the Marines of third platoon are sent to investigate. They prepare for a routine rescue operation, but what they find on Society 437 is a horror beyond description. Only a handful of ragtag pirates who were in the wrong place at the very worst time have survived, and there is little trace of the scientists.What happened to the scientists? Why have the pirates been spared? Gunnery Sergeant Bass and the men of third platoon are about to find out, and the answer carries a terrifying implication for the Marines--and the entire human race.From the Paperback edition.

A bold new contingent—Force Recon—joins the explosive Starfist space epic of marines at war. A Confederation army is besieged on the planet Ravenette, cut off by and facing destruction at the hands of a dozen Secessionist Coalition worlds arrayed against it. The outnumbered and outgunned forces cling precariously to their foothold, dubbed "Bataan" by the desperate men in their fighting bunkers. Reinforcements are on the way, but will they arrive in time? And even if they do, can they match the well-led, highly motivated enemy determined to destroy them in battle? But the Confederation commander holds a wild card, an elite force armed only with what they carry on their backs and in their heads: a small detachment of Marines who lightly go where others fear to tread, the Fourth Force Recon Company. For anyone else this mission would be suicide, but for these Marines, it's just another day in the maelstrom.

Six agents have died hideously trying to penetrate the crime families behind a vast empire of pleasure and debauchery—Now it's up to the Marines to break the circle.Most people will visit Havanagas only in their dreams, for few can afford the exclusive resort planet that recreates ancient worlds and caters to every taste. Witches are burned at the stake in medieval towns while riotous hordes fill Rome's Coliseum to watch gladiators battle. Even the basest of human lusts are satiated by deadly sex acts and a thriving slave trade.The crime bosses' control of Havanagas and its people is brutally effective. Now three Marines from Co. L's 3rd Platoon—masquerading as discharged military buddies on holiday—are going in to break the kingpins' bloody stranglehold. From bordellos and rebellious enclaves to the very pit of the Coliseum filled with deadly beasts, Corporal Pasquin and Lance Corporals Claypoole and Dean face certain death with only their wits and...

The Marines were told it was a simple peasant rebellion–but the mission proved to be far deadlier. . . .Gunny Charlie Bass isn't the only Marine mystified by the order sending the entire 34th to put down a few seditious serfs on planet Kingdom. Rumors swirl of a deadly alien invasion. But few believe that such sentient beings exist. Except Gunny Bass and the Marines of the 3rd platoon, who once fought enemy aliens called Skinks–fierce, fanatical fighters with hideous weapons who attack for no other reason but to kill.Then, while slogging through Kingdom's fetid swamps, the Marines are attacked by awesome unseen weapons that could destroy half a platoon with one shot. Clearly they are facing no normal enemy. And if their adversaries are Skinks, one FIST isn't enough. Third platoon's orders are to penetrate deeper into the bloody jungle hell–and find out what happens when a few good men bite the bullet. . . .

Swift, silent, and deadly–they strike where no one else dares.Fear is the fastest-growing crop on Haulover, a newly colonized planet where someone–or something–is destroying isolated farmhouses. The unseen enemy strikes without warning, then disappears, leaving no stone standing, no trace of families or farm animals. When the Confederation receives a desperate plea for help, it's time to send in the Marines. Impossible missions are a matter of course for Fourth Force Recon's second platoon squads, and the situation at Haulover–with no witnesses and few clues–is no exception. But this assignment turns out to be even tougher and bloodier than usual because the devastation is a ploy–to lure the nine Marines into a trap, and to force them to bust the Confederation's terrible secret wide open. And as for the Skinks lying in ambush on Haulover, they have no idea what trouble is . . . until they go up against a few good Marines.From...

I do declare... Shenanigans are afoot! But never fear, the Pinkertons are on the case. Trek into untamed territory with Pinkerton Detective Miss Kitty Belle and her roguish companion and somewhat reformed card sharp Cheyenne Walker as they take on the wild west one peculiar case at a time. 'Cause without a doubt, Miss Kitty always gets her man! Includes the storiesGreater Crater GremlinsVest of the PecosGoing After YeechiphooieRocky Rolls GoldT'ain't Proper Grass Around HereGlass ShadesThe Witch of El Paso We invite you to enjoy this final collection by late author David Sherman.

"Here are their eulogies to lives dedicated to the fish-wrap business, many of whom, to stretch a metaphor, ended up as obsolete and tossed aside as the fish wrap they churned out."

For Annie and Evan it was love at first sight. To the outside world, Annie was vivacious and charming, a successful broadcaster and writer. But once they start living together, Evan discovers Annie works desperately to hide her all-consuming fears, obsessions and neuroses. And her alcoholism. Evan believes love is forever and will conquer all. But soon Annie's closeted physical and verbal abuse, control and emotional disorders turns his life upside down. Sex, drugs and booze offer little succour but the true nightmare begins when Evan decides he's had enough and finds himself behind bars. He soon discovers the legal system delivers little justice, has its own penchant for abuse and men have few rights.

With its down and dirty depiction of warfare written by men who know what it's like to be under fire, the Starfist saga is a runaway success across America. Now, in the explosive new Starfist adventure, packed with fierce action and danger, Marines at war in future space find themselves pitted against a faceless, insatiable foe bent on destroying them. And that's just for starters.How bad is the upcoming mission facing the battle-hardened Marines of 34th Fleet Initial Strike Team (FIST), the military's unofficial alien first-contact force? Bad enough to make the brass take the unprecedented step of issuing 34th FIST replacements for combat losses before the Marines even leave their home base.In response to a series of unexplained deaths on a lonely outpost on the frontiers of human space, 34th FIST has been dispatched to investigate--and eradicate-- the problem. Beyond that, the information available to Gunnery Sergeant Charlie Bass and his men is...

Semi-Autonomous World Troy The men of 1st Marine Combat Force are in a life-and-death struggle with the Dusters, bird-like aliens who launched a surprise attack on Troy, and vanished the entire Human population. When Corporal John Mackie and his squad from India Company aren't fighting off "human wave" attack after "human wave" attack, they are aggressively patrolling in search of the Dusters, intending to meet and destroy them in their own bases. In space, the remnants of Amphibious Group 17 rescue soldiers and sailors from wounded Navy starships. They begin feeding small, reassembled units to the surface of Troy. As they make planetfall, the soldiers have their first contact with the Dusters even before they reach their target firebase. Soon after, they are engaged in the same kinds of defensive and offensive operations as the Marines. On Earth, the president of the North American Union orders the formation of a field army to be dispatched to Troy to aid the badly outnumbered Marines and soldiers, but have they any hope of arriving in time? Things seem grim for Troy and its defenders as a new Duster fleet arrives and attacks the remaining warships of Task Force 8, in orbit before landing a huge invasion army meant to defeat the Human forces.

“David Sherman writes about Marines with the razor-sharp realism of one of their own.” Jack Campbell, Best-Selling Author, Lost Fleet Series We are not alone! In exploring and colonizing the galaxy, humanity discovers evidence of eighteen sentient species. Seventeen of them had not developed interstellar travel. Those were destroyed by the species that did reach the stars. That space-faring eighteenth decimated the human colony on the Semi-Autonomous World Troy. A Marine Force Recon platoon sent to investigate is wiped out almost to the last man. In reaction, the North American Union assembles the largest army seen since the major wars of the 20th Century. A Marine Corps Combat Force is sent to "Kick in the door," backed up by a four-divison Army corps to take the planet back. The initial landing is unopposed. It isn't until the fleet carrying the Army corps is approaching Troy that the enemy strikes, with devastating effect.