The struggle for human freedom continues as Merlin Athrawes and a handful of extraordinary human beings stand in the path of the Church of God Awaiting, which controls most of Safehold and has decreed the destruction of Charis and its young queen Sharleyan of Chisholm and her consort, young Cayleb Ahrmahk.

When her world is destroyed by planet pirates and her family is slaughtered, former commando leader Alicia DeVries turns pirate herself, steals a cutting-edge ship from the Empire, and launches a campaign to seek revenge on those responsible.

In David Weber's By Heresies Distressed, the battle for the soul of the planet Safehold has begun. The Kingdom of Charis and the Kingdom of Chisholm have joined together, pledged to stand against the tyranny of a corrupt Church. The youthful Queen Sharleyan of Chisholm has wed King Cayleb of Charis, forging a single dynasty, a single empire, dedicated to the defense of human freedom. Crowned Empress of that empire, Sharleyan has found in Cayleb's...

Those on the side of progressing humanity through advanced technology have finally triumphed over their oppressors.The unholy war between the small but mighty island realm of Charis and the radical, luddite Church of God's Awaiting has finally come to an end. However, even though a provisional veil of peace has fallen over human colonies, many secrets of Safehold's past still remain unearthed. With new alliances forged and old regimes fractured, Merlin--the...

Hiding secret agendas from their subjects throughout a terrible war in the Charisian Empire, the Emperor and his inner circle of advisors launch a desperate counter-attack against a corrupt Church of God Awaiting that is complicated by a discovery in theChurch's Zion Temple.

With humankind reduced to a single colony on the world of Safehold, the human rulers of the planet, in an effort to preserve the remnants of their industrial civilization, build a religion designed to hide the colony by keeping its society medieval.