Jon & Lobo Series by Mark L. Van Name

Jon Moore: A nanotech-enhanced warrior who wants nothing more than a quiet life and a way back to his strange home world. Lobo: An AI-enhanced Predator-Class Assault Vehicle, a mobile fortress equipped for any environment from the seabed to interstellar space... moreJon Moore: A nanotech-enhanced warrior who wants nothing more than a quiet life and a way back to his strange home world. Lobo: An AI-enhanced Predator-Class Assault Vehicle, a mobile fortress equipped for any environment from the seabed to interstellar space. TWO WOLVES IN A GALAXY OF LARGER PREDATORSJon Moore wanted only to relax on the pristine planet of Macken--but Macken was the secret battleground of two megacorporations, both determined to control the local jump gate and the riches of an undeveloped world. Moore was too valuable a tool not to be used, whether or not he was willing. What the corporations didn't realize was that Moore had a mind of his own and a conscience that wouldn't let him quit until he'd righted the wrong they'd tricked him into making. And Moore had Lobo--or just possibly Lobo had Jon Moore, because this Assault Vehicle had a mind of its own. . . .Finding allies and enemies among terrorist groups and elite mercenaries, gun-runners and the only kind of government possible on a frontier short on rules and long on riches, Jon and Lobo fight to a climax with a corporate army that can't afford to leave any witnesses. Exotic settings, fast action, real tech, mechanically-enhanced animals--and a beautiful woman who's as deadly as a cobra!"One Jump Ahead: " the first novel in the Jon & Lobo series less

Slanted Jack:  a novel that bobs and weaves, takes you on a headlong race through a strange but believable future, and never slows down. The job looks simple enough:  Jon Moore, the nanotech-enhanced, world-weary, soldier of fortune, agrees to help a con man, a friend from a part of his past he’d rather forget, protect a very special young boy.  The deal doesn’t stay simple, as each move Jon and Lobo make results in more danger and more enemies... moreSlanted Jack:  a novel that bobs and weaves, takes you on a headlong race through a strange but believable future, and never slows down. The job looks simple enough:  Jon Moore, the nanotech-enhanced, world-weary, soldier of fortune, agrees to help a con man, a friend from a part of his past he’d rather forget, protect a very special young boy.  The deal doesn’t stay simple, as each move Jon and Lobo make results in more danger and more enemies.  The situation grows even more complicated when a beautiful woman with an unclear agenda joins them in their quest.   The best con man Jon’s ever known, a ruthless gang boss, a heavily armed group of religious fanatics, and an interstellar government out to clean up a dangerous frontier world rush together toward an explosive climax—and Jon and Lobo are caught in the middle.  Slanted Jack: the second novel in the Jon & Lobo series. less

The First Two Novels--One Jump Ahead and Slanted Jack--in the Popular Jon & Lobo SF Adventure Series, Plus the Short Story Which Began the Series, and More—All in One Moderately-Priced Volume with a New Cover Treatment. “Van Name has created a hero worth at least a dozen more novels . . . I want this to be a series. I want to read a new one every year... moreThe First Two Novels--One Jump Ahead and Slanted Jack--in the Popular Jon & Lobo SF Adventure Series, Plus the Short Story Which Began the Series, and More—All in One Moderately-Priced Volume with a New Cover Treatment. “Van Name has created a hero worth at least a dozen more novels . . . I want this to be a series. I want to read a new one every year.” —Orson Scott Card      Jon Moore: A nanotech-enhanced warrior who wants nothing more than a quiet life and a way back to his strange home world. Lobo: An AI-enhanced Predator-Class Assault Vehicle, a mobile fortress equipped for any environment from the seabed to interstellar space. TWO WOLVES IN A GALAXY OF LARGER PREDATORS!       For the first time in a Jon & Lobo book, “My Sister, My Self,” the short story which introduced Jon Moore.      One Jump Ahead: Jon Moore wanted only to relax on the pristine planet of Macken--but Macken was the secret battleground of two megacorporations, both determined to control the local jump gate and the riches of an undeveloped world. Finding allies and enemies among terrorist groups and elite mercenaries, gun-runners and the only kind of government possible on a frontier short on rules and long on riches, Jon and Lobo fight to a climax with a corporate army that can't afford to leave any witnesses. Exotic settings, fast action, real tech, mechanically-enhanced animals—and a beautiful woman who's as deadly as a cobra! Slanted Jack: The job looked simple enough:  Jon agreed to help a con man, a friend from a part of his past he’d rather forget, protect a very special young boy.  But the deal didn’t stay simple, as each move Jon and Lobo made resulted in more danger and more enemies. The best con man Jon’s ever known, a ruthless gang boss, a heavily armed group of religious fanatics, a beautiful woman with a mysterious agenda, and an interstellar government out to clean up a dangerous frontier world rush together toward an explosive climax—and Jon and Lobo are caught in the middle. Plus new introductions by the author, making this a package that every Jon & Lobo fan will want to buy. less

1.      Rave reviews for Mark L. Van Name: ·         “Van Name has created a hero worth at least a dozen more novels . . . I want this to be a series. I want to read a new one every year.” —Orson Scott Card ·         “One Jump Ahead is like well-aged white lightning: it goes down smooth then delivers a kick that knocks you on the floor.” —John Ringo  ·         “Hard real science smoothly blended into action that blazes like a pinball from one exotic setting to another... more1.      Rave reviews for Mark L. Van Name: ·         “Van Name has created a hero worth at least a dozen more novels . . . I want this to be a series. I want to read a new one every year.” —Orson Scott Card ·         “One Jump Ahead is like well-aged white lightning: it goes down smooth then delivers a kick that knocks you on the floor.” —John Ringo  ·         “Hard real science smoothly blended into action that blazes like a pinball from one exotic setting to another. This one is very, very good.” —David Drake ·         “Mark Van Name’s headlong pace of story-telling reminds me a lot of Keith Laumer. . . .  He’s one of the very few modern authors I've seen who can manage that.” —Eric Flint 2.      Van Name is rapidly establishing himself as the next big name in science fiction adventure, and will attract still more enthusiastic reader attention with this novel that will appeal to readers of  other Baen superstars, such as David Drake, John Ringo, and David Weber. 3.      Trade advertising. 4.      Consumer advertising in Locus, more. 5.      Distribution of ARCs to top stores and sales reps. 6.      Teaser chapter in Slanted Jack mass market.   7.      BookSense mailing. 8.      Co-op available.It began as a favor to a woman trying to get away from abusive husband.Jon Moore grew up in a prison laboratory. When he escaped with nothing but his body's nanotech enhancements and more anger than even a long lifetime could wash away, an entire planet died behind him.  Memories of the things he'd done still haunted him; because of them, he often ended up helping those in need. His kindnesses frequently didn't work out well. This one really didn't work out well.  It hurled Jon and Lobo, the intelligent assault vehicle and Jon's only friend, down an accelerating, ever more dangerous spiral involving: ·         Private armies and government covert ops teams ·         A courtesan who always seems a step ahead of him ·         Rival superpowers that define Good in terms of their own advantage and Ethics as whatever doesn't get in the way of their Good ·         And a brilliant, amoral scientist to whom human beings are just more experimental animals--and who might be Lobo’s creator.             Jon and Lobo take the reader on a headlong rush through armed enemies and untrustworthy allies and encounter what just might be the worst danger their partnership will face: the truth. less

#4 in the popular Jon and Lobo military science fiction series.  A nanotechnology-enhanced space warrior must save an army of innocent children who have been brainwashed to serve as a deadly army for interplanetary military attacks. Military SF with an adventurous flourish – Mark Van Name notches a thoughtful and hard-hitting #4 entry in his Jon and Lobo saga.Jon Moore:  nanotech-enhanced, fight-weary soldier-of-fortune.  Assault vehicle Lobo: formerly scrap-heaped A.I... more#4 in the popular Jon and Lobo military science fiction series.  A nanotechnology-enhanced space warrior must save an army of innocent children who have been brainwashed to serve as a deadly army for interplanetary military attacks. Military SF with an adventurous flourish – Mark Van Name notches a thoughtful and hard-hitting #4 entry in his Jon and Lobo saga.Jon Moore:  nanotech-enhanced, fight-weary soldier-of-fortune.  Assault vehicle Lobo: formerly scrap-heaped A.I.-equipped intelligence and weapons platform (spaceship-sized!) of enormous destructive potential.  Hard lessons have forged their friendship into a powerful alliance. Now Moore confronts his own dark past in the form of a band of child soldiers raised to war. He remembers because he was once one of them.  Now his dilemma: to save the children from their own deadly conditioning.  To do so, he may have to lose the battle – and even put his own life on the line without even Lobo to protect him.Note: buying this book can help save a child in war.  The author is donating all of his proceeds from the sale of this book to Falling Whistles to help rehabilitate children in war. To learn more, visit fallingwhistles.com or childrennomore.com.About Mark Van Name:   “Just when I was thinking science fiction might be over, Mark Van Name proves that there are still smart, exciting, emotional sci-fi stories to be told.” –Orson Scott Card on Mark Van Name’s One Jump Ahead.“He’s going to be the guy to beat in the race to the top of SFdom.”  –John Ringo, best-selling creator of the Posleen War series.About the Jon and Lobo series: “…an undeniable page-turner…highly entertaining.”  – Publishers Weekly on Mark L. Van Name’s Slanted Jack“Many twists and turns…outstanding action.”  –Midwest Book Review on Mark L. Van Name’s One Jump Ahead less

Jon and Lobo are back–and enemies on all sides are out to get them.   Haunted by memories of children he could not save, Jon Moore becomes so increasingly self-destructive that even his best friend, the hyper-intelligent Predator-Class Assault Vehicle, Lobo, is worried.  So when Jon receives both a job offer and a message from a woman from his distant past, he and Lobo leap at the welcome diversions.That the job is illegal is the least of their problems... moreJon and Lobo are back–and enemies on all sides are out to get them.   Haunted by memories of children he could not save, Jon Moore becomes so increasingly self-destructive that even his best friend, the hyper-intelligent Predator-Class Assault Vehicle, Lobo, is worried.  So when Jon receives both a job offer and a message from a woman from his distant past, he and Lobo leap at the welcome diversions.That the job is illegal is the least of their problems.  They’re happy to retrieve stolen artifacts from Jon’s quarantined home world, and their fee is high even for a job so highly illegal.  The forces protecting their targets are formidable, and the assault team that’s chasing them is even more dangerous–but Jon and Lobo are used to that.  The scientist Jon and Lobo need for the mission has an agenda of her own, but they’ve faced that problem before.  This time, though, the knowledge that they and the others seek spells doom for Jon. Racing from planet to planet, Jon and Lobo come at last to a world so inhospitable that its statues and monuments outnumber its living inhabitants. Desperate and out of options, they encounter their deadliest challenges yet and must make life-changing decisions from which there truly is No Going Back About Mark L. Van Name:   “Just when I was thinking science fiction might be over, Mark Van Name proves that there are still smart, exciting, emotional sci-fi stories to be told.” –Orson Scott Card on Mark Van Name’s One Jump Ahead   “He’s going to be the guy to beat in the race to the top of SFdom.” –John Ringo, best-selling creator of the “Posleen War” series About the Jon and Lobo series: “[P] owered by breakneck pacing and military-nuanced action and adventure. . .Van Name's focus on character development. . . makes for a much more cerebral–and enriching–read.” –Publishers Weekly “…an undeniable page-turner…highly entertaining.” –Publishers Weekly on Mark L. Van Name’s Slanted Jack“Many twists and turns…outstanding action.”  –Midwest Book Review on Mark L. Van Name’s One Jump Ahead less

At WorldCon and in email, a lot of folks have asked recently about the status of the next Jon & Lobo book. That's more than fair, because in my ideal world the book would have appeared earlier this summer. It did not, however, for a very simple reason: I'm not done with it yet. I'm working on it, but I don't know when I'll finish. I've told this to folks, but otherwise I've stayed mum on the book. That practice is, unsurprisingly, more than a little frustrating to many people... moreAt WorldCon and in email, a lot of folks have asked recently about the status of the next Jon & Lobo book. That's more than fair, because in my ideal world the book would have appeared earlier this summer. It did not, however, for a very simple reason: I'm not done with it yet. I'm working on it, but I don't know when I'll finish. I've told this to folks, but otherwise I've stayed mum on the book. That practice is, unsurprisingly, more than a little frustrating to many people. I've explained before why I try to avoid talking about works in progress, but I also don't mean to be annoying by doing so.After much thought, I've decided to leak one little tidbit about the next book: its title. Though I don't know when I will complete the novel, I do know its name:All the Worlds Against UsNo, I did not miss an apostrophe; I really mean all the worlds of my future. I will also say that the title is rather more true than Jon & Lobo would like. less