The Final Key is the completion of the duology Triad, which began with the novel Schism, and which reveals the epic story of how a war of galactic proportions first exploded between two great empires and how the Ruby Dynasty reached maturity.
Schism ended with the Skolian Empire torn asunder by personal conflict within the royal family. With The Final Key, the Skolian Empire comes under all-out assault from its nemesis, the Euban Concord (Traders). They have undermined the Empire via subterfuge and assassination, leaving it ripe for conquest. The Skolian Empire’s only hope? A young woman barely out of her teens who hasn’t even completed her training as a cadet.
Catherine Asaro writes science fiction, fantasy, and romance in six series and three stand-alone novels. The Quantum Rose won the 2001 Nebula Award for Best Novel, and The Spacetime Pool won the 2008 Nebula Award for Best Novella. She grew up near Berkeley, California. She earned a BS degree in chemistry with highest honors from UCLA, an MA degree in physics, and a PhD in chemical physics from Harvard University. She has appeared as a speaker at many places, including Harvard and the National Academy of Sciences. She is a member of SIGMA, a think tank that advises the government as to future trends.
Suzanne Weintraub is an American voice-over artist and audiobook narrator. She earned a bachelor of arts in speech communications and theater from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is married with two daughters, Sophia and Phoebe, and currently resides in Ardmore, Pennsylvania.