Books with author Timothy Zahn

Fourteen-year-old Jack Morgan has been through a lot. His parents died years ago, and since his Uncle Virgil was killed, Jack has been alone. But he does have a friend now, named Draycos . . . if you can call a golden-scaled draconic K'da poet-warrior a friend.The two friends both have scores to settle. Draycos must find and expose those behind a vast conspiracy against his people, and Jack is desperate to thwart the men who framed him for a crime he didn't commit. Alone, Draycos, who must bond with a host or die, is dead; Jack, on his own, is sunk. Together, they might have a chance. Especially when Draycos, who can slip onto Jack's skin like a living tattoo, uses some of his special talents. They know mercenaries helped launch the ambush that destroyed Draycos's advance team, but when Jack joined up with one such group to get information on the identities of those involved, he and Draycos were nearly killed before they escaped--empty-handed. They also know an alien Brummga was involved. Now, the only way they can get the information they need is for Uncle Virge to "sell' Jack into slavery on a rich Brummga's estate . . . and hope he can crack their computer without getting caught.Jack thought the mercenary life was hard, until he met Brummgan slavemaster Grazen and tasted life in his high-security compound. If he and Draycos can just survive the experience, they might find a clue that can help in their quests for justice.

Dragon and Thief, the first novel in the Dragonback series, was named an American Library Association Best Book For Young Adults. The second novel, Dragon and Soldier is another fast-paced, compulsively readable SF adventure featuring an odd couple of reluctant partners on an unusual quest.Draycos, a golden-scaled draconic K'da poet-warrior, was on a scout fleet ship when it was attacked, with him the lone survivor. Forced to find a new symbiotic humanoid host, he found Jack Morgan. Jack has been on his own, making his way by shipping interstellar cargo on the ship he's inherited from his Uncle Virgil, a con-man and thief who met with a fatal accident. Draycos has vowed to uncover those behind a vast conspiracy to wipe out his people, while Jack is determined to find out who framed him for a crime he didn't commit. Virgil, who survives as "Uncle Virge" in the ship's computer, is against their plan. But Draycos once saved Jack's life, so Jack feels an obligation to this strange creature who can slip onto the boy's skin, pressing against it like a living tattoo. Knowing that mercenaries were involved in the ambush that killed Draycos's fleet, Jack enlists in a mercenary outfit that practically enslaves adolescent recruits.But the soldier's life isn't exactly what Jack had bargained for, especially when a mysterious girl is recruited into his group. Strange things are happening, and people and events are not always as they seem.