Crimson Worlds Successors Series by Jay Allan, Mark Boyett

Earth has been a scarred ruin for three decades, its scattered people struggling to survive amid the poisoned and radioactive wreckage of the final war between its despotic Superpowers. While the people of Earth struggle to survive, out on the frontier, on a thousand worlds, mankind thrives and grows, building new civilizations and looking boldly to the future. But man has never been able to live in peace, and even Earth’s sad fate has failed to slow the call to war... moreEarth has been a scarred ruin for three decades, its scattered people struggling to survive amid the poisoned and radioactive wreckage of the final war between its despotic Superpowers. While the people of Earth struggle to survive, out on the frontier, on a thousand worlds, mankind thrives and grows, building new civilizations and looking boldly to the future. But man has never been able to live in peace, and even Earth’s sad fate has failed to slow the call to war. Most of the colonies lack the industry and economic power to sustain their own armies and navies, and they look to the mercenaries of the Great Companies for aid in time of war. These futuristic condottiere contract themselves to the highest bidder, and the mightiest strike fear into the hearts of all who oppose them. Darius Cain is the leader of the Black Eagles, the most renowned of all the Companies. A military genius, he has led his undefeated warriors from victory to victory. The Eagles command the highest rates of any of the Companies, and leaders bankrupt worlds to pay their price. But amid the ruins of Earth and on planets all across occupied space there are signs of a greater darkness, a force working in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to strike, to launch a final war to reduce all mankind to slavery. As Cain slowly uncovers the truth, he must forge an alliance among old enemies, the other Companies his men have fought for years…and the twin brother he hasn’t seen in a decade. The Crimson Worlds are about to explode into a war that may be mankind’s last. Also By Jay Allan: The Crimson Worlds Series: Marines (Crimson Worlds I) The Cost of Victory (Crimson Worlds II) A Little Rebellion (Crimson Worlds III) The First Imperium (Crimson Worlds IV) The Line Must Hold (Crimson Worlds V) To Hell’s Heart (Crimson Worlds VI) The Shadow Legions (Crimson Worlds VII) Even Legends Die (Crimson Worlds VIII) The Fall (Crimson Worlds IX) War Stories (3 Crimson Worlds Prequels) Gehenna Dawn (Portal Wars I) The Ten Thousand (Portal Wars II) The Dragon's Banner (Pendragon Chronicles I) Now Available for Pre-Order: Into the Darkness (Crimson Worlds Refugees I) Release Date: Jun 23, 2015 less

The Search for Erik Cain...The Superpowers of Earth have fought their final war, leaving Earth a devastated ruin, populated only by scattered groups of survivors living in primitive squalor. Out in space, however, humanity moves forward, and the former colonies of Earth's dead nations are now free from the yoke of the despotic governments that had long ruled over them. For many, it is their first taste of liberty... moreThe Search for Erik Cain...The Superpowers of Earth have fought their final war, leaving Earth a devastated ruin, populated only by scattered groups of survivors living in primitive squalor. Out in space, however, humanity moves forward, and the former colonies of Earth's dead nations are now free from the yoke of the despotic governments that had long ruled over them. For many, it is their first taste of liberty. But a thousand free worlds, varying enormously in wealth and power, cannot long exist in peace, and soon they begin to fight, to seek to bend their neighbors to their wills.Darius Cain is the commander of the Black Eagles, the most feared and renowned of all the mercenary companies that fight the colonies' wars. His veteran warriors have fought dozens of battles, and they have never met their equals. The wealthiest colonies compete to hire the Eagles, for contracting with Cain's warriors is the surest guarantee of victory in any dispute. But there is another power, one whose very existence has been the most closely guarded secret in human history. The Triumvirate. For decades it has operated in the shadows, interfering secretly in the affairs of the former colonies while steadily building an invincible war machine. But the Triumvirate has come to fear the Black Eagles, and the decision has been made. Darius Cain's private army must be destroyed utterly before the final invasion of human space can begin.A message reaches the Black Eagles' base, with evidence that the father he'd thought long dead might still be alive, a captive of the shadowy enemy, held on a planet called Eldaron. Darius Cain is skeptical, a man slow to believe what he is told without incontrovertible proof. But Cain didn't build the greatest military force in human space by being cautious or timid...and even the slightest chance his father is alive compels his course of action. less