Witness the beginning of the critically acclaimed Backyard Starship series with these two short stories. When an interstellar thief is pursued across the galaxy for his crimes, he turns to the only planet around for hiding: a tiny backwater world in the middle of nowhere that the natives call Earth. Unfortunately, he happens to land in the midst of the greatest war the world has ever known. An American Corporal by the name of Mark Tudor witnesses a special kind of justice that can only come from the stars. As a Peacemaker descends to wage battle against this invader, Tudor is thrown into the action, and his life is forever changed. Will he embrace his true destiny? Or will he succumb to the fear of the unknown? Experience the origins of the Backyard Starship universe with these two riveting short stories about a young Mark Tudor, grandfather to Van Tudor, and find out exactly how a young World War 1 soldier becomes a legendary Peacemaker.

When Van Tudor returns to his childhood home, he inherits more than the family farm. His grandfather used to tell him fantastic stories of spacemen and monsters, princesses and galactic knights. Little did Van realize, the old man's tales were more than fiction. They were real. Hidden beneath the old barn, Van’s legacy is waiting: a starship, not of this world. With his combat AI, an android bird named Perry, Van takes his first steps into the wider galaxy. He soon finds that space is far busier and more dangerous than he could have ever conceived. Destiny is calling. His grandfather's legacy awaits.

Van left his old life behind, but some things remain the same. Even in space, crime still exists. After taking a Peacemaker job to find missing fuel, Perry finds something far more sinister than simple theft—a voice, crying out in a forge of heat and flame, and the discovery reveals a series of acts so vicious that nothing short of revenge will suffice. Following leads across the stars, Van, Perry, and Torina discover the wealthy elite are doing more than just taking fuel. They’re stealing lives. But it takes money to make justice, and Van has to work. Torina’s land must be restored, and the Dragonet needs new armor, and Van’s sword isn’t going to sharpen itself. So Van throws himself into the life of a Peacemaker, where he discovers that doing his job—and doing it well—makes him a target. He’s got the will. He’s got the sword. And he’s got help. Now all he needs is a little fuel. And maybe a gun or two

The guild is under attack, and Van is right in the middle of it all. When Master Yewlo is abducted by unknown forces, the Peacemakers are thrown into chaos as the rescue mission begins. Finding Yewlo will be hard, but the search reveals secrets the guild might not survive—secrets about a system so corrupt, it will take Van and his team’s best efforts to untangle the truth. And they might not like what they find. On the grimy station known as Halcyon, Van will track and confront thieves who deal in stolen lives, all in order to save a Master who might not have the guild’s best interest at heart. With Sorcerers and Cloaks and every other kind of criminal, Van, Torina, Perry and Icky learn that friends come in all shapes and sizes—and so do enemies. From the depths of space to Iowa, join Van as he fights to save his guild, free stolen lives, and discover that money makes the universe go around—money and lies, that is. And Van will find the truth, no matter what the cost.

There are some things you simply can’t escape. For Van, it’s family. Out among the stars, his cousin, Carter Yost, drags Van and his team into a criminal ring run by the High Doctor- a dangerous con artist with delusions of grandeur. Working from the abandoned world of Pathway, the High Doctor has created a cult, stealing a fortune from the fearful, sick, and scared. If there’s one thing Van hates, it’s a bully, and the High Doctor has his full attention. But in order to crush the criminal cult, Van needs bigger, better armor—and that comes with a price. The rarest metals cost money, and that means doing a few dirty jobs in order to pay for the tools of his trade. Van’s got the will. His team has the skill. Now, he has to find a way. And the way will surely involve war.

When Van gains rank as a Peacemaker, he becomes a bigger target for the criminals scattered among the stars. And he wouldn’t have it any other way. On a distant world under an alien sun, hunters and their companions—the Rovan—bond in a ritual as old as their civilization. But one of the hunters is missing, and Van, along with his growing crew, knows where to look. Climbing up into the rarified air of the super-rich, Van uncovers a new enemy: The Fade. And they are as cruel as the stars are many. A gang of heartless killers, the Fade will stop at nothing in the name of profit. Which is fine with Van, as he’ll stop at nothing in the name of justice. Tracking his quarry across a dozen systems, Van, Torina, Perry and Icky—along with Zenophir, the new technician—will untangle a conspiracy of betrayal and death. As Van soon discovers, the Fade never lose. But they’ve never met Van and his crew.

The Universe is a bloody mess. Time to put on your cleaning gloves. During a routine arrest, Van discovers a stolen spacecraft, its importance far greater than it first appears. Fast, sleek, and beautiful, the ship is a cultural relic from Linulla’s people, and returning their property will set off a chain of events that reveals a new adversary. Rising in the ranks, Van’s confrontation with a pirate leader isn’t just a case of theft, but something far more sinister. And Van’s going to take this case personally. He and his crew will chase the Salt Thieves and their leader in a game that can only have one winner. Will Van rise to the challenge? Can Icky control her temper? Will Perry make Icky wear pants? The answer is more complicated than it seems. And far more dangerous, for that matter, than anything Van has ever done before. But he’s got a new edge on the Moonsword, a new rank, and a new crew as he takes his Dragon to the stars with one thing in mind... Justice. The #1 bestselling science fiction series of the year returns for its sixth entry with Distant Horizons. If you're a fan of classic adventure stories, relatable humor, and a hero that refuses to quit, you'll love the Backyard Starship series.

When the Fafnir responds to a desperate distress call, their act of kindness is turned against them, making Van the most wanted man in the known universe. Targeted by a vicious, charismatic politician and his shadowy partner, Van and his friends are faced with a decision that carries long term consequences—deliver justice. . . or run and hide. The choice is easy. The Fafnir will attack, and criminals will pay regardless of the bounty chasing them across the stars. But first, there’s a little business to take care of in the form of a social event at Milon Estates. Dress is formal, the atmosphere tense, and a choice must be made. And just like Van’s decision to fight, the event on Helso will change his life forever. The crew is willing, and the ship is ready. Now, all Van has to do is avoid the law, apply the law, and dive headfirst into a conspiracy that will play out on the largest stage of all: The Galaxy itself.

Van is a veteran now, and the lessons are getting tougher. But so is he. When a ghost ship arrives in port, filled with the victims of a crime beyond imagination, Van and his crew will be drawn into a chase that goes beyond any star system the Peacemakers know. Beyond Guild borders, the Torus is a gateway to crime and profit beyond imagination. It’ a wild, lawless place with few connections to the civilized stars, but Van and Torina discover a thread that connects the past, the future, and the present in a web of violence that can only be purged by fighting fire with fire. Unfortunately for the enemy, Van has a torch, and he’s willing to use it. From the reaches of space where a secretive race ply their illegal trade, to the halls of Anvil Dark, Van will face his greatest step, and answer his most challenging question. After the Peacemakers, what comes next? And can Van survive it?

Van's next mission has begun, and at the heart of it is the power to save lives. Meanwhile, a hungry galaxy looks to a brilliant young scientist for answers, making her the most wanted person in known space. After years of research, Adayluh Creel perfects a resource to feed sixteen races—or more, all with one golden plant capable of growing on the most hostile worlds. For her efforts, she wants nothing, but savage forces will seek to possess what she would give away for free, thus controlling the food source for billions of people. But Adayluh has powerful allies who know what's at stake, and the fight is on as the Guild, GKU, and other shadowy powers converge on one point, with one goal—save Adayluh, save the people, and end the Sorcerers forever.

The universe is hungry. For power. For money. For war. And—revenge. Stripping osmium from across the stars, thieves will stop at nothing to fuel the nightmarish industry of Stolen Persons, their souls locked away in chips made of the rarest metal known. Among these thieves is Helum Gauss, the visionary criminal whose empire spans a hundred worlds. But his massive corporation, BeneStar, lost—badly—to Van and the Guild, and Gauss won’t take no for an answer. To that end, he’ll hit Van where it hurts the most. Family. Lost among the Stolen Persons, Carter Yost is far from home, angry, and spoiling for a fight, and BeneStar is the perfect method for revenge on Van, the Guild, and the forces of justice. To BeneStar CEO Helem Gauss, murder isn’t a crime. It’s just part of doing business, and with a trillion bonds at stake, Gauss declares war on anyone who stands in his way of absolute authority. BeneStar tried guns. They tried missiles. They tried galactic media, and they still lost. Now, they’ll use an enraged soul captured between life and death, and one last weapon that frightens employees everywhere. The Human Resource Department. Gauss will unleash his most vicious division of bureaucrats—and a league of attorneys whose sole job is to crush opponents by any means necessary. BeneStar will fight in court, in the public forum, or in the depths of space, where laws and missiles can end a Peacemaker’s career forever. The mercenaries and pirates, all armed to the teeth, are an added bonus for BeneStar, whose navy ranks among the most powerful in known space. In a war for control of the hearts and minds of everyone in The Deeps, Van and his crew are going to win—or die trying.

Van and his crew have killed an empire. The problem is the empire doesn’t know it’s dead. Moving among the stars, the Peacemakers are faced with their greatest challenge—removing and evil so vast, it has a presence in every known star system. To that end, they’ll need to move fast. To move fast, they must be mobile, and that means big changes in their tactics. . . and crew. With the help of a shadowy figure known as the Body Thief, Van will continue his policy of justice and freedom for all citizens. Even if they began life on a computer chip. In the deepest reaches of known space, the Fafnir will seek new technologies from old sources, arming their ranks against enemies who use force before reason, and weapons before words. And this time, they’ll have advice from a being who might be as old as the stars themselves—if they can come to an understanding about what it truly means to be alive. Get ready for the 11th entry in the bestselling Backyard Starship series from J.N. Chaney and Terry Maggert.

Helem Gauss is gone, but his legacy lives on. Calamity, the digital plague, is spreading, and where it strikes is both ruthless and random. Fearful of the Earth being ravaged, Van and the crew go on high alert to keep his homeworld free of galactic influence. But that vision is shattered when Tony Burgess captures an alien ship. . . in Wisconsin. And the ship isn’t just a stray workboat. It’s the opening ploy of a group who sees humanity as a business opportunity too big to pass up. Advancing in rank, Van is faced torn between two duties—to his crew, and to his home. Since he isn’t willing to give up the safety of either, he’ll have to find a third way. Unfortunately for the forces against him, that path will include violence.

With his new rank, secrets begin to unfold for Van as war and politics become one and the same. The Fafnir is no longer a mere ship—it’s a force to be reckoned with, but it isn’t complete. One possible answer lies in deep space, in a secret facility funded by an array of allies. But this laboratory creates something far more deadly than a virus or a weapon. It produces ships. Null Stellarium is more than a shipyard. It’s a proving ground, steeped with science and engineering designed to push warships faster than ever before, and armed to confront the growing menace of a universe where everything is influenced by a hidden evil. As Van and his crew grow into their new roles, Perry unlocks a memory that reaches into the very beginning of the Tudor family’s service, nearly a century earlier. But sometimes, the truth is hidden for a reason, and Van must decide—How much does he really want to know? And how far can he take his ship, knowing there’s a price on his head?