The novel “Sandworms of Dune” by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson was published for the first time in 2007. It’s the eighth book in the Dune saga and follows “Hunters of Dune”.

The starship Ithaca continues its journey, which reached a twenty-year duration. Aboard, the project for new gholas continues, though not everyone is in favor. Failures in certain Ithaca systems may be due to a lack of maintenance, but in some cases, there are clear signs of deliberate damage.

On Chapterhouse, Murbella tries to develop a plan that will give humanity hope against the Enemy after discovering the identity of the two mysterious figures. New starships and weapons must be produced, but Face Dancers are ready to sabotage these efforts.

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.