{"product_id":"grand-central-arena-paperback","title":"Grand Central Arena - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eRyk E. Spoor\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt was supposed to be a simple test flight. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Pilot Ariane Austin was only a last-minute backup on humanity's first faster-than-light voyage--automation was meant to handle everything. But when the \u003ci\u003eSandrisson Drive\u003c\/i\u003e activated, disaster struck. Every automated system failed. The reactor shut down. And a massive, impossible wall appeared before them. Only Ariane's skill as a racing pilot saved the \u003ci\u003eHoly Grail\u003c\/i\u003e from destruction. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Trapped within a colossal structure spanning 20,000 kilometers, Ariane and her crew soon realize they are not alone. This is \u003ci\u003eThe Arena\u003c\/i\u003e--a place where alien civilizations compete for survival, power, and dominance. The only way out? Join a faction... or carve a new one from scratch. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e But \u003ci\u003eThe Arena\u003c\/i\u003e plays by its own rules. One mistake could mean annihilation--not just for the crew, but for all of humanity. With strategist Marc C. DuQuesne, scientist Dr. Simon Sandrisson, and an unyielding determination, Ariane must outthink, outfight, and outmaneuver powerful alien factions--some wielding forces so advanced they seem like magic. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Ariane is bringing the \u003ci\u003eHoly Grail\u003c\/i\u003e home--no matter the cost.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eRyk E. Spoor was born in Omaha, Nebraska, and has lived in South Dakota, Georgia, New York, and Pennsylvania. Severe asthma forced him to spend most of his childhood reading and, by the time he was six, writing. While he began reading fantasy such as Oz and science fiction starting with Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, it was his 5th grade teacher that sent him on the course that would make him a science-fiction author, by lending Ryk a battered copy of E.E. \"Doc\" Smith's Second-Stage Lensmen; this sent him on a reading spree that devoured every science-fiction book he encountered for the next ten years, and instilled in him the conviction that being a science-fiction author was the greatest possible profession anyone could aspire to.At the turn of the 21st century, Ryk succeeded in achieving this ambition by first launching a clever plan to be published through the diabolical strategem of insulting Eric Flint in public. (Note that neither Eric nor Ryk recommend anyone else attempt his strategy.) Subsequently, Eric brought Ryk's work to the attention of Baen Books, culminating in the publication of Digital Knight, and subsequently two stories with Eric Flint (\"Diamonds Are Forever\" and Boundary). His next solo novel Grand Central Arena was released in April 2010, followed in June by the sequel to Boundary, titled Threshold. More recently he has completed release on the Balanced Sword trilogy (Phoenix Rising, Phoenix in Shadow, and Phoenix Ascendant) and released his first self-published novel, Polychrome. His most recent works as of 2018 are the magical girl-based novel Princess Holy Aura, the first volume in a space opera trilogy Demons of the Past, titled Revelation, and the first novel in the Fall of Veils series, titled French Roast Apocalypse.Ryk Spoor is also Research and Development Coordinator for International Electronic Machines (IEM), where he has obtained funding for and directed\/assisted in research into wireless MEMS sensor systems, power harvesting, smart video security systems, and other related fields; he holds several patents in these areas. He lives in Troy, New York, with his wife Kathleen and their four children Christopher, Gabriel, Victoria, and Domenica.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 440\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.89 x 9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e December 17, 2024\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47638603628683,"sku":"9781592116225","price":37.4,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0670\/2579\/7259\/files\/ty5rSb8noq9781592116225.webp?v=1782602125","url":"https:\/\/thetaletrade.com\/products\/grand-central-arena-paperback","provider":"The Tale Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}