WHAT HAPPENED TO THE EMPIRE? The Galactic Empire is in a century-long period of decline. Emperor Augustus VI knows it. Ninety years old, he's seen it happen during his lifetime. He wants to stop it. His problem: none of his advisers sees it, and every measure he takes to stop it fails. Historian James Ardmore sees it, too. Researching it has been his life's work. He submits his three-volume analysis for publication, but it's banned by Imperial censors. Gail Burke sees it up close and personal. An Imperial Marine officer, she's been court-martialed for following Imperial regulations. Now she awaits the outcome of an appeal on the charges. Together can they rescue the Empire from collapse? INTERVIEW WITH RICH WEYAND When does this story occur? The blurb says the Empire is in a century-long decline. EMPIRE: Renewal takes place in the middle of the fourth century of the Galactic Era, about three hundred years after Emperor Trajan died. EMPIRE: Succession left the Empire in good shape, with a good ruler, and measures in place to protect the Throne. Three centuries later, the wheels have started to come off. So what happened? As will often happen in good times, people forgot what got them there. Why some traditions were the way they were. They forgot the lessons of the past and stopped doing the things that had made them successful. The end result of that is decline. Sounds depressing. Oh, it is. Which is why I didn't write a book about the decline. I pick up the story when an Emperor who sees what's going on decides to do something about it. To stop the decline. That's where we pick up our story for this trilogy. The blurb mentions the Emperor, the Historian, and the Marine. I take it that's the Marine on the cover? Yes. Captain Gail Anne Burke. She's one of the main characters of the story. Young, beautiful, intelligent, and devoted to the Empire. She plays a critical role. It looks like you have another new cover artist. Yes, Rotwang Studio, which is Luca Oleastri and his partner. They're based in Italy. I've got him doing all three covers for the Renewal Trilogy. And that's a scene from the book? Oh, yes. Captain Burke ends up being in the right place at the right time to cause a little mayhem.