Got an Amazon gift card from Christmas that’s burnin’ a hole in your pocket? Well, I’ve got something here to relieve the burning sensation.
The Seeds of War – Three Complete Novellas
The Roots of War – Kai and Tishla run a colony world with little food and little chance of success. Then a strange alien named Marq shows up with something called a “potato” that seems to solve all their problems. Until it doesn’t. But Marq has a plan. Simply move their people to two colonies ready-made for settlement. All they have to do is remove these pesky aliens called “hew-mans”.
The Marilynists – Douglas Best has found his backward world of Jefivah three colonies they can call their own. No longer will they be the laughingstock of humanity, the “Appalachia of the Stars.” Just remove the weapons of mass destruction, and the planets are ready to settle. Only when some of the weapons go missing, Best’s only hope of avoiding prison is a cult to Marilyn Monroe.
Gimme Shelter – JT Austin is a spoiled rich kid blessed with good looks and a smooth tongue. So when his parents opt to send him to military school, he opts to leave Earth for greener pastures. Except he winds up on Amargosa, a distant farming colony. Not only does he have to mind his manners around a comely farmer’s daughter, he’s under the suspicion of a local constable who sees himself as a future warlord.
The first three novellas of the Compact Universe series, each story lays a trap for Amargosa that’s sprung at the beginning of The Children of Amargosa.