A huge battle is about to explode. Composed of 250 assorted civilizations, the Alliance of Worlds is an impressive conglomeration of space-faring races with an extraordinary array of resources. However, the Alliance will soon face its biggest threat-one that might lead to their fall. As two evil forces attempt to eliminate them, a seasoned leader is called to take on this deadly threat at the helm of his new starship, Phoenix. Witness a time of change and war in The Phoenix Rising, the first in a series of science fiction novels set in a distant future. The Phoenix Rising won an Indie Excellence Award Finalist in Science Fiction. Gary Caplan was born in Philadelphia and earned three bachelor's degrees from the University of Pittsburgh, later earning M.D. and M.P.H. degrees. He serves presently as a Colonel and preventive medicine officer in the reserves and has published articles in medical journals. Caplan became interested in reading science fiction and fantasy books at a young age and, after practicing medicine for several years, began to write his own fiction. At first, strictly a hobby, his writing flourished, and he decided to publish both science fiction and sword and sorcery novels in his spare time.