The novel “Zona III: Foundation” by Fred G. Baker was published for the first time in 2023. It’s the third book in the Zona series and follows “Zona II: Sabertooth Uprising”.

Grant Taylor and his group of explorers return to St. Petersburg after their time in Zona. They meet with Boris Ustinov to discuss the status of the foundation created to protect the Zona and how best to keep it secret. Unfortunately, among the people who have received samples of plants that exist only in Zona is Victor Romashin, who wants to exploit them and to do so intends to conduct an independent expedition.

The situation has become complicated but the people who support the secrecy around Zona intend to prevent anyone else from discovering its location. There’s another area where the new expedition can be directed but the dire wolves that inhabit Zona are afraid of it because they’re convinced that there are deadly presences there.

The novel “The Microcolony” by Gordon Williams was published for the first time in 1979. It’s the second book in the Micronauts trilogy and follows “The Micronauts”.

When David Gudenian goes to a tunnel that very few people know about to have some intimacy with Magda Hoessner, he discovers that a fox is dangerously close to the colony. He decides to risk punishment by revealing the danger but his warning is not taken into account and he risks coming to a bad end.

Seeing his situation, David Gudenian decides to rebel and escapes with other people who were prisoners for various violations of the colony’s rules after finding Magda. The new group must venture into a wild territory while in the colony there’s a power struggle. The discovery that Magda is the most important woman in the colony changes everything.

The novel “Pandora’s Star” by Peter F. Hamilton was published for the first time in 2004. It’s the first book in the Commonwealth Saga.

When astronomer Dudley Bose discovers that two stars have disappeared, he sees the possibility of becoming famous in the Intersolar Commonwealth. Observations suggest that the stars have been surrounded by Dyson spheres, and this would indicate the presence of a sentient species.

The two stars are far beyond the borders of the Commonwealth, so there’s no wormhole nearby that allows humans to get there quickly. A starship capable of interstellar travel at speeds greater than the speed of light is designed to be sent to explore the area. Wilson Kime is one of the very few humans with experience in space travel even though his last trip was a few centuries earlier and he’s chosen to command the mission.