The novel “Star Surgeon” by James White was published for the first time in 1963. It’s a fix-up of two stories published in the previous years. It’s the second book in the Sector General series and follows “Hospital Station”.

Dr. Conway must try to treat a patient with very little information about its species, who’s suffering from what appears to be a skin disease. Concerns arise because it appears resistant to any treatment and is unconscious, so it’s impossible to ask it any questions. Tests conducted by the people who found it suggest it was traveling with another member of its species but devoured it.

Dr. Conway finds a solution to the medical problem by going against what appears to be confusing and even contradictory information, obtained in part from other beings who know his patient’s species. What seems like a happy conclusion turns out to be just the beginning of a mission quite different from what Conway is used to, one that brings him into the midst of a situation that could lead to an interstellar war with an empire willing to attack the Hospital Station.

The novel “War of the Marionettes” by Adam-Troy Castro was published for the first time in 2010 in a German edition as “Sturz der Marionetten”. It’s the third novel in Andrea Cort’s series and follows “The Third Claw of God”.

Andrea Cort and the Porrinyards arrive on Vlhan, a planet home to a truly unique sentient species. The Vlhani have displayed extraordinary skills, but no one can fully understand them. In fact, among the other sentient species, very few individuals can even partially understand them. Despite this, many people are interested in their periodic ritual, even though countless Vlhani die each time it’s conducted.

Even by Andrea Cort’s standards, her situation is complex. The request to find a girl who arrived on the planet some time ago to participate in the ritual after physically transforming into a Vlhani doesn’t help. The Vlhani accept Andrea Cort as a friend, but this may prove to be completely useless when their ritual is disrupted by an attack from other Vlhani. This is unprecedented behavior, and, according to the AISource, the Unseen Demons are behind this anomaly.

The novel “Triton” by John Walker was published for the first time in 2020. It’s the first book in The Descendants War series.

The starship Triton picks up a distress call from the Gerdon System, and Captain Rudy Barrington expects the colony that transmitted it to be under attack by pirates. However, the mysterious attackers are equipped with far more powerful weapons than the colonial fleet, and only the intervention of another starship of unknown origin saves the Triton from destruction.

Commander Titus Barnes, who took command of the Triton after Captain Barrington died during the battle, suddenly finds himself dealing with two alien powers. Willing or not, humanity gets embroiled in an interstellar war. The Triton’s first operation after significant technological upgrades involves rescuing two archaeologists who have discovered ancient artifacts.

The novel “Solar Lottery” by Philip K. Dick was published for the first time in 1955.

When Ted Bentley is fired from the Oiseau-Lyre, he’s released from his oath of loyalty to the corporation. When he manages to get a job at the Directorate and pledges loyalty to Reese Verrick, he thinks he’s accomplished something because Verrick is the Quizmaster. However, a new draw has awarded the position of Quizmaster to Leon Cartwright, and this upends the government of humanity.

By law, the new Quizmaster must prepare defenses against the assassin, who will be chosen according to the established rules. The situation is even more complex because Leon Cartwright follows the ideas of John Preston, who wrote a book predicting the existence of a tenth planet, the mythical Flame Disc.