No one wants the city-states of the Eight Worlds to repeat the Terran Collapse by going to war. But when war accidentally breaks out, everyone seeks ways to exploit it for gain. The Landry and Peregoy ruling dynasties see opportunities to grab territory, increase profits, and settle old scores. The downtrodden underclasses use war to fuel rebellion. And suddenly ambitious heirs across the Eight Worlds can finally topple their elders' regimes-- or try to. The key to victory and peace lies with two unlikely allies: Philip Anderson, a philosopher who seeks only the transcendent meaning of universal physics; and Tara Landry, the spoiled and defiant youngest granddaughter of an ancient dynasty. First Tara accidentally discovers an eleventh stargate. Next, Philip figures out how to use it. Now everything is about to change for the Eight Worlds-- for through the gate lies a planet of danger and mystery. Will what lies beyond lead to the ultimate collapse of civilization or to a new transcendent order? The answer lies somewhere behind the Eleventh Gate!--Goodreads.com