NATIONAL BEST SELLER IN HARDCOVER ADVENTURES BEYOND THE EDGE OF THE KNOWN UNIVERSE The truce between Cinnabar and the Alliance is holding, and the Republic of Cinnabar Navy is able to explore regions of the galaxy without the explorers being swept up in great power conflict. The Far Traveller is probing sponge space to open routes for Cinnabar traders--and for RCN warships if war breaks out again. But besides astrogation, the Far Traveller is to survey and catalog life forms on the worlds it touches. Harry Harper has just been posted to the Traveller. He's an RCN officer by convention, a scientist by training--and a member of one of leading aristocratic families on Cinnabar by birth. Lieutenant Rick Grenville would rather serve on a warship in the heart of battle, but peace and the whim of the Navy Board have put him on an exploration vessel instead. He finds that the dangers on the fringes of civilization are just as great as those from missiles and gunfire that he expected to face. As internal struggles cause the Alliance to relax its iron grip, regional forces are attempting to increase their own power--and they're not fussy about the means they use. Besides the biological answers that officials on Cinnabar expect the Far Traveller to find, the ship's Director of Science, Doctor Veil, has her own agenda: to learn more about the Archaic Spacefarers who roamed the universe tens of thousands of years before humans reached the stars. The crew of the Far Traveller is poised to clear more of the shadows away from the deep past than ever before in human history--if they survive. About To Clear Away the Shadows: " Drake] . . . provides his extensive readership the strong characters and well-crafted storytelling they've come to expect."--Booklist " A]nother entertaining read."--The Daily News of Galveston County Praise for prequel Though Hell Should Bar the Way: "Though Hell Should Bar the Way is vastly entertaining, a tale that demonstrates Drake's skill as an author, illustrating why Drake is one of the best living science fiction authors today."--The Daily News of Galveston County About David Drake's RCN series: " R]ousing old-fashioned space opera."--Publishers Weekly "The fun is in the telling, and Mr. Drake has a strong voice. I want more "--Philadelphia Weekly Press " S]pace opera is alive and well. This series is getting better as the author goes along . . . character development combined with first-rate action and memorable world d