Escape to far-off planets with ten science fiction stories from the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of the Star Wars Thrawn trilogy. Contains two original stories: &“The Needs of the Many&” and &“Challenge Accepted&” Hugo Award–winning author Timothy Zahn presents an original collection of science fiction adventure stories. Some of the works here were previously printed in publications such as The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction and Analog,or in themed collections, but have never appeared together until now . . .The Shadow Stories In &“The Shadows of Evening,&” a seasoned warrior named Turek has dedicated his life to defending colonists from mysterious and debilitating Shadows on a hostile planet. Zahn elaborates Turek&’s story with two sequels, and now concludes the saga with the original story, &“The Needs of the Many.&”The Hive Mind Stories Two Hive Mind starcraft observe Earth from afar and from a superior viewpoint in &“The Challenge.&” They believe that self-destructive competition among humans will prevent this so-called fragmented race from achieving the technological level required to reach the stars. In two sequels, Zahn explores what would happen if humans found a different way to the heavens. Now, with the original story &“Challenge Accepted,&” he brings the series to a climactic end. Two more stories round out the collection. In &“Star Song,&” humans find a unique way to fuel interstellar travel with music, while a diplomatic aide gets caught up in a plot of greed and destruction in &“The Art of War.&” Together, these ten tales promise action, adventure, humor, and more, all from the masterful mind of one science fiction&’s greatest authors.