Species Imperative Series by Julie E. Czerneda, Rick Wilber

Herself a biologist, Julie E. Czerneda has earned a reputation in science fiction circles for her ability to create beautifully crafted, imaginative, yet believably realized alien races. In Survival, the first novel in her new series, Species Imperative, she draws upon this talent to build races, characters, and a universe which will draw readers into a magnificent tale of interstellar intrigue, as an Earth scientist is caught up in a terrifying interspecies conflict... moreHerself a biologist, Julie E. Czerneda has earned a reputation in science fiction circles for her ability to create beautifully crafted, imaginative, yet believably realized alien races. In Survival, the first novel in her new series, Species Imperative, she draws upon this talent to build races, characters, and a universe which will draw readers into a magnificent tale of interstellar intrigue, as an Earth scientist is caught up in a terrifying interspecies conflict. Senior co-administrator of the Norcoast Salmon Research Facility, Dr. Mackenzie Connor, Mac to her friends and colleagues, was a trained biologist, whose work had definitely become her life. And working at Norcoast Base, set in an ideal location just where the Tannu River sped down the west side of the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Coast was the perfect situation for Mac. She and fellow scientist Dr. Emily Mamani were just settling in to monitor this year's salmon runs when their research was interrupted by the unprecedented arrival of Brymn, the first member of the alien race known as the Dhryn to ever set foot on Earth.Brymn was an archaeologist, and much of his research had focused on a region of space known as the Chasm, a part of the universe that was literally dead, all of its worlds empty of any life-forms, though traces existed of the civilizations that must once have flourished in the region. Brymn had sought out Mac because she was a biologist -- a discipline strictly forbidden among his own people -- and he felt that through her expertise she might be able to help him discover what had created the Chasm. But Mac had little interest in alien races and in studies that ranged beyond Earth, and as politely as she was capable of, she tried to make it clear that she was unwilling to abandon her own work.However, the decision was soon taken out of her hands when a mysterious and devastating attack on the Base resulted in the abduction of Emily, and forced Mac to flee for her life with Brymn and the Earth special agents who were escorting him. Suddenly, it appeared that Earth itself might be under attack by the legendary race the Dhryn called the Ro, the beings they thought might be the destructive force behind the Chasm. Cut off from everything and everyone she knew, Mac found herself in grave danger and charged with the responsibility of learning everything she could that might possibly aid Earth in protecting the human race from extinction... less

Senior co-administrator of the Norcoast Salmon Research Facility, Dr. Mackenzie Connor was a biologist who studied the spawning habits of salmon. Then, last season, just as she and Dr. Emily Mamani were starting their research, they were interrupted by the arrival of Brymn, the first Dhryn to set foot on Earth.And suddenly everything changed for Mac, Emily, Brymn, the human race, and all the member races of the Interspecies Union... moreSenior co-administrator of the Norcoast Salmon Research Facility, Dr. Mackenzie Connor was a biologist who studied the spawning habits of salmon. Then, last season, just as she and Dr. Emily Mamani were starting their research, they were interrupted by the arrival of Brymn, the first Dhryn to set foot on Earth.And suddenly everything changed for Mac, Emily, Brymn, the human race, and all the member races of the Interspecies Union. Base was attacked, Em was kidnapped by the mysterious Ro, Mac nearly lost her life when she and Brymn escaped to the peaceful, isolationist Dhryn home world. But the Dhryn are in the process of abandoning it, hurtling out on an unfathomable path of destruction through civilized space.As the enemy destroys life on planet after planet, the IU organizes a secret Gathering of every being with information on the Dhryn. With the data available there, Mac begins to suspect that the Dhryn's actions may be a response to something simpler and more deadly—the imperative to migrate. But even if Mac is right, can she and her team discover why this is happening and how to halt the Dhryn? less

With the alien Dhryn helplessly following an instinct-driven migratory path through the inhabited spaceways--bringing about the annihilation of other races that lie along the star trail they are following--time is running out for all sentient life forms. Only Dr. Mackenzie Connor and her team stand any chance of solving the deadly puzzle of the Dhryn and the equally mysterious Ro... moreWith the alien Dhryn helplessly following an instinct-driven migratory path through the inhabited spaceways--bringing about the annihilation of other races that lie along the star trail they are following--time is running out for all sentient life forms. Only Dr. Mackenzie Connor and her team stand any chance of solving the deadly puzzle of the Dhryn and the equally mysterious Ro. Are the Ro the universe's last hope of halting the deadly Dhryn migration? Or are they something far more sinister? As the only human accepted by the Dhryn as one of their own, Mac perhaps can intervene and open a line of communication to the Dhryn. And her friend and fellow researcher. Dr. Emily Mamani, may prove key to the process, for she is the only human who has survived possession by the Ro. Can these two biologists solve the riddle of the Dhryn and the Ro before their part of the galaxy becomes as dead as the region known as the Chasm? less

A threat to entire worlds. Where on that scale does one woman fall?Dr. Mackenzie "Mac" Connor’s goal in life is to be left in peace to study her salmon and their migration. She has no interest in the Interspecies Union, space travel, or the mysterious Chasm, an expanse of dead worlds filled with the ruins of alien civilizations. The only cloud on Mac’s horizon is having to meet with the Oversight Committee to defend any research intrusions into the protected zones on shore... moreA threat to entire worlds. Where on that scale does one woman fall?Dr. Mackenzie "Mac" Connor’s goal in life is to be left in peace to study her salmon and their migration. She has no interest in the Interspecies Union, space travel, or the mysterious Chasm, an expanse of dead worlds filled with the ruins of alien civilizations. The only cloud on Mac’s horizon is having to meet with the Oversight Committee to defend any research intrusions into the protected zones on shore.But what Mac wants no longer matters. There’s another, darker, migration underway, this time across space. What created the Chasm has awakened once more, to follow its imperative to feed on living worlds. How can it be stopped?Aliens have asked Mac to find that answer. She knows it may mean sacrificing all she loves, including Earth itself. She’s determined to find another way.But, first, she must survive.The Chasm of the past was only a trial run, for this species intent on replacing all life with its own. And they’ve learned her name. less