Scott Westerfeld, the acclaimed author of Fine Prey, Polymorph, and Evolution's Darling, follows The Risen Empire with the next thrilling space opera in Succession, the Killing of Worlds. Cut off by an Imperial blockade of the planet, a Rix compound mind has guided a lone Rix commando, Herd, a single warrior backed by the intelligence of an entire planet, and pitted her against the Imperial army in a desperate attempt to break the blockade. Ten light-years away, a deadly game of political intrigue against the Emperor plays out in his war council. One senator suspects the Rix mind has found a hidden weakness, a secret so dangerous to the Emperor that he is willing to countenance the ultimate crime. . . . The killing of worlds.