Prepare for a harrowing ride through the universe by the New York Times–bestselling author of Startide Rising and The Postman. Book Three in the Uplift Storm Trilogy The peaceful existence of six outcast races on Jijo has ended. Ancient enemies, the Jophur, have discovered them, preparing to subject the refugees to their dark, perverted plans. The Jijoans’ only hope is the same ship that accidently led their foes to the planet. The Earthship Streaker, with its crew of uplifted dolphins and a human commander, must somehow lure the Jophur into a chase through space . . . into the unknown. And then into the weird. More than just the fate of Jijo—or that of distant Earth, also suffering a deadly siege—hangs in the balance. Some believe a terrifying prophecy is about to come true, one that involves Streaker’s trove of artifacts coveted by factions throughout all Five Galaxies. As countless white dwarf stars verge on unexpected explosion, all sentient life in the universe appears to be at risk unless someone can save them. Praise for the Hugo and Nebula Award–winning Uplift Saga “The Uplift books are as compulsive reading as anything ever published in the genre.” —The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction “An extraordinary achievement.” —Poul Anderson, award-winning author of Tau Zero,on Startide Rising “An exhilarating read that encompasses everything from breathless action to finely drawn moments of quiet intimacy.” —Locus on The Uplift War “Tremendously inventive, ambitious work.” —Kirkus Reviews on Brightness Reef

Fans of David Brin have come to know the planet Jijo--a nightmarish world ruled by criminals and warmongers. Now, a small band of pilgrims and adventurers have escaped, chased into the inhabited universe. But these newcomers suddenly realize that the fate of galaxies rests on their narrow shoulders, as they are the guardians of a billion-year-old secret that could change the course of civilization.

Aristotle believed that the outermost stars are carried round us on a transparent sphere. There are directions in the universe and a preferred direction of rotation. The sun, moon and planets are carried on different revolving spheres. The spheres and celestial bodies are composed of an everlasting fifth element, which has none of the ordinary contrary properties like heat and cold which could destroy it, but only the facility for uniform rotation. But this creates problems as to how the heavenly bodies create light, and, in the case of the sun, heat. The topics covered in this part of Simplicius' commentary are: the speeds and distances of the stars; that the stars are spherical; why the sun and moon have fewer motions than the other five planets; why the sphere of the fixed stars contains so many stars whereas the other heavenly spheres contain no more than one (Simplicius has a long excursus on planetary theory in his commentary on this chapter); discussion of people's views on the position, motion or rest, shape, and size of the earth; that the earth is a relatively small sphere at rest in the centre of the cosmos.

I am the Emperor of the Nine Layered Heavens of the Myriad Domain! My decree is so vast that in this world, there is no one who dares to disobey it! This was the story of an ordinary boy like Lin Dong growing up to become the Nine Heavens Emperor! Experts were as numerous as the clouds, and they could also be seen how Lin Dong managed to carve a path through countless geniuses and powerhouses! If a beauty falls in love, how could the main character choose?