Dark Matter

Dark Matter
Ian Douglas

The fifth book in the epic saga of humankind's war of transcendence…An enemy might just have to become an ally . . . in order to save humankindThe United States of North America is now engaged in a civil war with the Earth Confederation, which wants to yield to the demands of the alien Sh'daar, limit human technology, and become a part of the Sh'daar Galactic Collective. USNA President Koenig believes that surrendering to the Sh'daar will ultimately doom humankind.But when highly advanced, seemingly godlike aliens appear through an artificial wormhole in the Omega Centauri Cluster 16,000 light years from Earth, President Koenig is faced with a tremendous choice: continue fighting the Sh'daar . . . or ally with them against the newcomers in a final war that will settle the fate of more than one universe.

Copyright

Harper

An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk (http://www.harpercollins.co.uk)

First published in Great Britain by HarperCollinsPublishers 2014

Copyright © Ian Douglas 2014

Cover Art © Gregory Bridges

Ian Douglas asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Source ISBN: 9780007483778

Ebook Edition © May 2014 ISBN: 9780007483785

Version: 2016-11-17

Praise for IAN DOUGLAS

and his thrilling

STAR CARRIER SERIES!

“The action is full-­blooded and almost nonstop, yet the well-­developed background is surprisingly rich and logical. . . . As immersive as it is impressive.”

Kirkus, starred review for Deep Space

“Douglas knows his SF.”

Publishers Weekly

“Well researched and quite imaginative.”

CNN Online

DEEP SPACE was voted one of the Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Books of 2013 by Kirkus.

Dedication

As always,

throughout the multiverse,

worlds without end,

for Brea

Contents

Cover (#u7a8c0d5c-6f5e-5af4-9fc2-034650256667)

Title Page (#u24c585ec-eb09-525f-b5a8-6df560e8ea53)

Copyright (#u91042af4-5adb-5c86-b31f-bf315f5e855c)

Praise for Ian Douglas (#ua167d55c-00f0-5ad6-838d-1035d8b0bc8b)

Dedication (#u86fc6b63-da30-5a14-a964-39f021602f2a)

Prologue (#ub73610b6-38e6-52ee-a410-7f3e2844c8d0)

Chapter One (#ueabebc14-b35f-5f78-b56c-4e337f8cf57b)

Chapter Two (#u493164f8-45d3-5918-b81b-8e00a970cf24)

Chapter Three (#u626a94c9-3ff3-564e-ba88-d689037eb55a)

Chapter Four (#u8423803f-20a3-534f-af15-603794a1df10)

Chapter Five (#u206697e6-ab50-5d17-a738-551461668a80)

Chapter Six (#u0c0f4bed-1b07-5d90-bf9c-e45e96fe6b4a)

Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)