From William Forstchen, the New York Times bestselling author of One Second After, comes Pillar to the Sky, a towering epic to rank with Douglas Preston’s Blasphemy and Michael Crichton’s *Prey... *Pandemic drought, skyrocketing oil prices, dwindling energy supplies and wars of water scarcity threaten the planet. Only four people can prevent global chaos. Gary Morgan—a brilliant, renegade scientist is pilloried by the scientific community for his belief in a space elevator: a pillar to the sky, which he believes will make space flight fast, simple and affordable. Eva Morgan—a brilliant and beautiful scientist of Ukranian  descent, she has had a lifelong obsession to build a pillar to the sky, a vertiginous tower which would mine the power of the sun and supply humanity with cheap, limitless energy forever. Erich Rothenberg—the ancient but revered rocket-scientist who labored with von Braun to create the first rockets and continued on to build those of today.  A legend, he has mentored Gary and Eva for two decades, nurturing and encouraging their transcendent vision. Franklin Smith—the eccentric Silicon Valley billionaire who will champion their cause, wage war with Congress and government bureaucracy and most important, finance their herculean undertaking. The Goddard Space Flight Center—the novel’s pre-eminent hero, it’s enormous army of scientists, engineers and astronauts will design, machine, and build the space elevator. They will fight endless battles and overcome countless obstacles every step of the way. This journey to the stars will not be easy—a tumultuous struggle filled with violence and heroism, love and death, spellbinding beauty and heartbreaking betrayal.  The stakes could not be higher.  Humanity's salvation will hang in the balance.**

Colonel Andrew Keane and his army of Civil War veterans, along with recruits from Rus and Roum, have lost the battle against the Merki and Tugar hordes. To avoid captivity and slaughter, Rus towns including the beloved capital Suzdal must be abandoned, people fleeing by train or by foot to the northern wilderness. Following on the events in TERRIBLE SWIFT SWORD (Lost Regiment #3), the exodus begins, with a new fortress built and preparations for yet further fighting against the savage hordes. Keane has learned from his mistakes, and new battle plans are made to repel the enemy. Their chances of survival are improved thanks to the genius Chuck Fergusen, who comes up with some unexpected and life-saving inventions. The Lost Regiment, with its sympathetic, colorful characters surviving and overcoming seemingly impossible odds, remains one of the most loved and respected American series. “Exciting and moves like a bullet with good characters and battle scenes. . . . An excellent read.” - Analog "With Bill Forstchen, you'll get some of the best adventure writing in years!" 
- Science Fiction Chronicle 

"One of the most intriguing writers today in the field of historical and military science fiction." 
- Harry Turtledove, author of THE GUNS OF THE SOUTH and HOW FEW REMAIN 

on the LOST REGIMENT series: 
"A parallel world novel of majestic sweep and gripping intensity." 
- L. Sprague de Camp, author of LEST DARKNESS FALL and THE ANCIENT ENGINEERS 

"Bill Forstchen is highly respected in the military history community because he is the only one working in the field who understands the operational aspects of war, as well as the tactical and the policy/Strategic levels." - Dr. Dennis Showalter, Past President of the Society for Military History, author of TANNENBERG: CLASH OF EMPIRES William R. Forstchen is the author of over forty books, has a Ph.D. in history from Purdue University and is a Faculty Fellow at Montreat College. His broad spectrum of writing includes science fiction and fantasy, historical fiction, alternate history, several scholarly works, numerous short stories and articles and near-future thrillers ONE SECOND AFTER, ONE YEAR AFTER, THE FINAL DAY, and PILLAR TO THE SKY. **About the Author William R. Forstchen is the author of more than forty books, including the award-winning We Look Like Men of War. He is a professor of history and Faculty Fellow at Montreat College, in Montreat, North Carolina. Forstchen resides near Asheville, North Carolina.