Crisis at Proxima (Orion's Arm)

Time is running out for the inhabitants of Proxima Centauri. Unsettling discoveries there and at Luyten’s star now threaten both Proxima and Earth, in a new hard science fiction thriller from Travis S. Taylor and Les Johnson.

First contact with the seemingly impossible human civilization at Proxima Centauri is not going well. The Earth ships sent to render aid have not been able to reverse the contagion ravaging their population and, worse, many Proximans are now wondering if the humans from Earth are there for other, not so charitable, reasons. Can the extinction-level disaster faced at Proxima be reversed by the combined ingenuity of scientists from both worlds working together?

Unsettling discoveries in the Proxima Centauri planetary system beg the questions: What if the evil gods depicted in Proxima’s ancient mythologies were real and far more powerful than even the humans from Earth with their late 21st-century technologies? Worse, what if their ancient oppressors never truly left?

Praise for Travis S. Taylor:
“. . . explodes with inventive action.” —Publishers Weekly on Travis S. Taylor’s The Quantum Connection

“[Warp Speed] reads like Doc Smith writing Robert Ludlum . . . You won’t want to put it down.” —John Ringo

Praise for Stellaris: People of the Stars, coedited by Les Johnson:
“. . . a thought-provoking look at a selection of real-world challenges and speculative fiction solutions. . . . Readers will enjoy this collection that is as educational as it is entertaining.” —Booklist

“This was an enjoyable collection of science fiction dealing with colonizing the stars. In the collection were several gems and the overall quality was high.” —Tangent

Praise for Mission to Methone by Les Johnson:
“The spirit of Arthur C. Clarke and his contemporaries is alive and well in Johnson’s old-fashioned first-contact novel, set in 2068. . . . includes plenty of realistic detail and puts fun new spins on familiar alien concepts. . . . There’s a great deal here for fans of early hard SF.” —Publishers Weekly

“With equal parts science fiction and international intrigue. . . . an exciting, fast-paced read that you will not want to put down.” —Booklist

Praise for Rescue Mode by Ben Bova and Les Johnson:
“. . . a suspenseful and compelling narrative of the first human spaceflight to Mars.” —Booklist