The Universes of Stephen Goldin

Agents of ISISWelcome to the first great space opera decalogy of the twenty-first century! Agents of ISIS, an update of and an improvement on the old Family d'Alembert seriues, is an epic saga describing the fight by the men and women of the Imperial Special Investigation Service to preserve humanity from the forces of chaos and destruction. The author has expounded on the differences between the Family d'Alemberrt series and the Agents of ISIS series at his blog, The Ingesterie. BOOK 1: Tsar Wars. With humanity scattered across the galaxy on hundreds of worlds, the Empire is the only force for order across the stars. Without it, interstellar conflicts would bring chaos and billions of deaths. But the tsar has been in a coma for five years now, and his grand-niece, the only apparent heir, is only 14 years old. In this hour of crisis, the task of preserving the Empire falls to two untrained--but far from unskilled--agents of the Imperial Special Investigation Service. Can they make a difference against the vast forces arrayed against them? BOOK 2: Treacherous Moon. Hundreds of thousands of people have visited the pleasure moon Vesa and simply vanished without a trace. Is this part of some vast galactic conspiracy? To find out, the Imperial Special Investigation Service dispatches its two best agents to look into the matter--and the shocking truth they reveal leads to a chain of discoveries that eventually threatens the stability of humanity's entire interstellar Empire. BOOK 3: Robot Mountain. By sheer accident, the Imperial Special Investigation Service stumbled across a fiendish plot against the Empire--using a time bomb to blow up the tsaritsa and throw the galaxy into chaos.Now, to learn the truth, its agents must infiltrate a hollow mountain, the lair of a mad robotic genius, while simultaneously protecting her majesty from a hidden assassin. And somewhere, a time bomb is ticking. BOOK 4: Sanctuary Planet. The galaxy's top criminals have not only been getting away from police, they've disappeared from sight entirely. Suspecting something far more sinister than a mere crime wave, the top agents of the Imperial Special Investigation Service delve into the matter--only to discover this is the tip of a galaxy-spanning conspiracy that threatens to undermine the stability of the Empire itself. BOOK 5: Stellar Revolution. A hidden conspiracy is plotting to use the tsaritsa's wedding as the occasion to overthrow the true ruler and start a bloody revolt to take over the throne for themselves. Meanwhile, in the depths of interstellar space, a flotilla of space pirates is gathering. Is it mere coincidence, or a coordinated attack to topple the Empire and seize control of all human-occupied space? The Imperial Special Investigation Service must unravel the plots and thwart these plans before it's too late. BOOK 6: Purgatory Plot. An armed cadre of fundamentalist extremists threatens the security of the interstellar Empire, while uprisings of separatist traitors spark outrage on dozens of planets around the galaxy. The agents of the Imperial Special Investigation Service must find the common thread and de-fang these vipers before the wildfire of revolution engulfs the galaxy. BOOK 7: Traitors' World. Space pirates harass interstellar shipping. On the frozen world of Gulag--where, for centuries,the Empire's worst traitors have been exiled--dangerous plots are hatching. Time is running out for agents of the Imperial Special Investigation Service to save the Empire from the most serious revolt in its centuries-long history. BOOK 8: Counterfeit Stars. Having had its plans thwarted too many times by the Imperial Special Investigation Service, the evil conspiracy declares war directly on the brave men and women who serve in the agency. Impostors sabotage the Service's work, and the Commissar himself falls under suspicion. ISIS must confront itself to prevent being torn apart from within. BOOK 9: Outworld Invaders. For centuries, now, humanity has expanded into space without encountering an alien civilization. Suddenly, the peaceful outlying planet Omicron is attacked by an ominous outside threat--and the Imperial Special Investigation Service finds itself joining forces with the conspiracy it's been battling for years to save mankind from external danger. BOOK 10: Galactic Collapse. Finally the evil conspiracy reveals itself in all its true power, bringing the Empire to its knees. Even the Imperial Special Investigation Service is helpless in the face of the unexpected, overwhelming attack. But the Empire strikes back with all the resources at its disposal--hoping against hope that will be enough to save humanity. See the sss reviews