R.M. Meluch sold her first short story at age seventeen, and now has more than fifteen published novels. She has worked on an archaeological dig in Israel, hacked a piece off the Berlin Wall, and tracked Alexander the Great around Greece and Egypt. She currently lives in Pound Ridge, New York with a white wolfdog.

Earth's space forces, spearheaded by the United States, have long been at war with the forces of the Palatine Empire, a neo-Roman culture that broke away from Earth's control long ago. The pride of the U.S. space fleet is the battle-class starship, the U.S.S. Merrimack, commanded by Captain John Farragut. But when the alien life-form known as the Hive--a biological force whose only imperative is to seek and devour--begins wreaking destrution aross the galaxy, the Romans are forced to turn to Earth for help. But can these two longtime enemies keep from fighting each other long enough to destroy the Hive and save mankind?

Tour of the Merrimack: Volume Two contains the third and fourth books, The Sagittarius Command and Strength and Honor, of R.M. Meluch's thrilling and acclaimed Tour of the Merrimack series.
 

"Nostalgia-minded readers who yearn for the days of Doc Smith's Lensman books will enjoy the third of Meluch's barely modernized space opera series. Assassinations, the threat of civil war, and a canonically evil villain all keep things hopping in this fast-paced space adventure."

"Fast action, hairbreadth escapes, and Meuch's facility for humor in an astonishing range of situations incumbent on military life become the order of the day. Whether you favor the marines, the pilots, or the Romans, a fine yarn to chuckle along with, just like the previous Tour of the Merrmiack adventures."

"Vaguely reminiscent of Robert A. Heinlein's Starship Troopers (specifically, the relentless alien antagonists and the over-the-top, gung-ho characters), The Myriad is light-hearted, fast-paced fun. This novel will prove thoroughly enjoyable to fans of military science fiction authors like David Weber and David Drake."