Here's what Shards of the Exalted Dream gets you:

GUNSTAR AUTOCHTHONIA: The Exalted fought the Primordials for rulership of the world. The Exalted lost. They retreated to the world-body of Autochthon and fled the Spiral of Creation, the great cosmos crafted by the Primordials. The supremacy of Solar medicine and artifice has made his disease manageable and Lunar hunting parties brutally massacre gremlins and Apostates alike. The Sidereal Exalted use the stolen Loom of Fate to maintain the Grand Design of Autochthon and coordinate the squadrons of Dragon-Blooded Voidfighter pilots. Throughout the Octet, the Alchemical Exalted maintain the peace and enforce the law and order of the Solar Deliberative... or plot revolution against its tyranny. Exalts and mortals alike are caught up in the political machinations and intrigues of the Deliberative.

Meanwhile, the Daystar hunts Autochthonia without rest, followed by the swarms of Kimbery, Dragon-Blooded Akuma bred from the Terrestrials who could not flee Creation and the shintai forms of the Infernal Exalted crafted by the Primordials thanks to the knowledge they gleamed from the Sun's mind after he abandoned his Chosen. The Void holds unknown dangers that threaten Autochthonia as it travels through space and mines entire planets bare. Soulsteel Voidfighters piloted by the Abyssal Exalted fly through space, but no one knows their purpose.

The exile of Autochthon and the Exalted Host nears its end. The Exalted have spent millennia crafting the Great Maker's souls and welding armour and Essence weapon to the immense outer shell of his body in order to craft the Gunstar. Once the work is complete, they will return to Creation with the ultimate war engine.

Gunstar Autochthonia is a story of high-power science-fiction. Character creation is generous with Backgrounds and First Age character creation rules are optional for Storytellers who want to use them. Players can play diplomats, soldiers, mad scientists, generals, Gundam pilots or any other role imaginable regardless of which Exaltation they have (if they have one at all). The setting assumes that the Infernal Exalted are antagonists, but they can be played as protagonists if they decide to betray their Primordial masters or if the Storyteller decides to flesh out the Primordials' side of the setting. The charms of the Empyreal Chaos serve as the chapter's capstone.

HEAVEN'S REACH: While Gunstar Autochthonia delivers Battlestar Galactica and Gundam, Heaven's Reach provides the Star Wars, Star Trek, Firefly, Banner of the Stars and Mass Effect brand of science-fiction. Centuries ago, nanotechnology became picotechnology and then femtotechnology. Humans used this technology to manipulate Essence motes and create the Exalted. The Lunars came first, then the Dragon-Blooded elite soldiers, followed by the Sidereal "chaos computing terminals" and the Solars, humans chosen as companions for the stellar intelligences, Stellar Intelligences, immense constructs with advanced AIs who were designed to maintain the stellar empire of humanity... until they rebelled. Their destruction ravaged the galaxy, leaving behind the system-spanning black holes called Tomb-Stars. Eventually, the Stellar Intelligences were defeated. Their programs were diminished and they were banished beyond known space. The Solars ruled for a time, but their rule became increasingly unstable and threatened the future of the Central Empire. The Lunars, Sidereals and Dragon-Blooded decided to overthrow the Solars. Some willingly went into Exile, others had to be killed. With the Solars replaced, the Central Empire achieved some semblance of peace and stability.

Or maybe that's just what the semi-tyranny of His Divine Lunar Presence wants people to think.

Lunars rule the Central Empire with the help of the Dragon-Blooded trade clans. Meanwhile, the Lunars of the Long War faction reject the decadence of their Imperial cousins and build their forces in the frontier world so that they can hunt down the Stellar Intelligences and end them permanently. The Sidereals maintain the Grand Celestial Mountain, a computer complex that is networked with thousands of manses across the known worlds and Ronin Sidereals who reject the boredom of the Grand Celestial Mountain keep watch over areas that aren't connected to the network. These Sidereals are actually respected by the information spirits of the Mountain and I would say that Heaven's Reach does a better job of setting the tone for a Sidereal game than Manual of Exalted Power: Sidereal does. The Solars are reappearing with greater frequency in the frontier world beyond the Central Empire's reach and so are the Abyssals, Solars corrupted by the Tomb-Stars. The Deathlords are briefly present as Death Avatars, but they are only manifestations of the Tomb-Stars' will. They no longer hold the Abyssals in leash, something which benefits Abyssals greatly. The Infernal Exalted were cut because of space limitations, but they're fairly easy to include. The Yozis are still out there and obtaining their power is just a question of finding them. I recommend Event Horizon (1997) and the Silver Surfer to anyone looking for inspiration.

Heaven's Reach describes a few alien species and planets, but most of the work is up to the Storyteller. Heaven's Reach can have thousands of species scattered across millions of planets or it can be a human-only game that takes place in a single system or planet. It all depends on what the Storyteller and the players want. It also includes a few mundane and artifact star ships, while the book's Appendix provides general rules for dreadnoughts and other massive vehicles. Exalts are capped at Essence 5, which greatly increases the threat of the Stellar Intelligences and weapons of mass destruction and removes the problem of super-powered Elders. Although Heaven's Reach and Gunstar Autochthonia are meant to be two different settings, it shouldn't be hard to adapt pieces of one to the other.

BURN LEGEND: The setting of fighting games and anime. Exaltation is the reward given to those who walk the path of martial arts and it's attainable by anyone who knows how to make a fist. The basic setting is modern Earth, but it's easily adaptable to any historical or fictional context. Character creation focuses on combat and everything else is handled by Backgrounds: Roll Contacts if you want to gather information and roll Magic if you want to bind an angry spirit. Combat is based on Rock-Paper-Scissors. There are several categories of Techniques and nearly all Techniques trump Techniques of a specific category automatically. If victory isn't automatic, the two fighters roll the ensuing Clash. Once victory is determined, damage is rolled and applied. There's a little more to it than that, but the basic principle is to guess the category of the opponent's next Technique and to choose the right Technique to counter it. The traditional system transparency is done away with.

The book includes techniques for the demonic Akuma, the Infernal Yamajin, the Dragon-Blooded Ryuujin, the Lunar Okami, the Abyssal Shinigami and the Solar Mugen. Players who would rather play mortal fighters have a selection of mundane martial art styles to choose from. Exaltations provide a wide range of benefits that create different play styles in addition to their supernatural techniques. For example, the Mugen and Akuma can purchase certain techniques at a reduced experience cost if they know a related mundane style. Burn Legend is a solid setting for people who want to play a game that feels like Exalted without having to deal with the complex and oft-troublesome mechanics. It's also useful for people who want to play anything from Mortal Kombat to Avatar: The Last Airbender (the Ryuujin are practically designed for this purpose).

THE MODERN AGE: The Modern Age is Creation with 21st century technology. Like Heaven's Reach, Exalts are capped at Essence 5, so all those nuclear missile silos are actually a cause for concern. Lunars have stalked the world for years, but Dragon-Blooded super-soldiers are a recent addition attributed to genetic engineering. Gods are still around, but they're rare and illegal unless they're attached to some religious organization as a guardian angel.

The Modern Age is a difficult setting to review because the whole thing is just a cover for a conspiracy. I could describe the default conspiracy suggested by the chapter, but I know some people won't like it and I don't want to give the wrong impression, so I'm just going to quote the book: "What's important in this shard isn't that the [REDACTED] rule, but that the truth is hidden." Storytellers are encouraged to replace the default suggestion with anything they find more interesting.

I particularly like the way each Exaltation's place within the shard is described. Each type of Exalt gets a few paragraphs to describe its role in the setting, but they also get a paragraph that describes their place in the narrative. For example, Sidereals are suited for police procedurals, spy dramas and psychological thrillers, among a few other things. These paragraphs really set the tone of the setting and provide excellent suggestions for both Storytellers and players who want to better understand what the Exalted actually do in the Modern Age shard.

THE APPENDIX: This is where most of the rules are. These include the Drive and Firearms Abilities used in Heaven's Reach and Modern Age. Characters of the appropriate Caste can replace one of their Caste Abilities with Drive or Firearms, so no one gets 6 Caste Abilities. It also includes rules for hacking, which is covered by Lore, as well as modifications to the Sail Ability that adapt it to space flight, aviation or nautical sailing as appropriate to the setting and character. Space flight is the default in Heaven's Reach, but characters can take an appropriate specialization to fly planes or sail boats as well. it also includes simplified rules for Sidereal Astrology in settings without the Loom of Fate as well as alternate Resonance rules for settings without the Neverborn. These can be adapted to the default Exalted setting. It also includes rules for chases. These can be adapted to car chases, flight or foot races.

The Appendix also has statistics for guns, blasters, cannons, modern armor, motorcycles, cars and planes, both mundane and Artifacts. It also includes rough guidelines for artillery bombardments.

The book ends with Drive, Firearms and hacking charms. Being Ability-based, Solars, Abyssals, Sidereals and Dragon-Blooded get the most charms while Lunars, Alchemicals and Infernals get the least. Sidereals also get new Colleges for the Drive and Firearms abilities.

Overall, I strongly recommend this book for Exalted fans. Some of the mechanics can easily be ported to the default setting and it's a great inspiration. Lunars, Sidereals and Abyssals benefit greatly from their reinterpretations and many of the NPCs mentioned throughout the book can be adapted to the main setting.

And if nothing else, it's a good read.

Chapter 1 focuses on the history of the Guild, starting with the heroism of Brem Marst, whose victorious Cold War against the Scarlet Empress cemented the Guild's future. Next is the structure of the guild, its administrators, merchants, craftsman and labor contractors and the way they're distributed in a hierarchy that spans four directions. This is followed by short descriptions of the slave and drug trades. This is followed by a description of the Guild's membership requirements and of the process through which a Guildsman can become hierarch. Roughly half a page is dedicated to addressing Exalts and other supernatural beings who would attempt to join the Guild's ruling council. The chapter ends by demonstrating how the Guild manages to deal with Exalts on its own terms.

Chapter 2 describes how the Guild operates in the Threshold, starting with the East and looping back through the South, West and North. Each section describes the caravans used by the Guild in that particular direction, from the normal caravans of the East to the mammoth-drive caravans of the North, as well as goods and merchant lords unique to each direction. The second chapter also introduces the voyageurs, intrepid adventures who brave dangerous areas to bring back rare and expensive items for the Guild. The only thing missing from this section is the Guild's trade with the Blessed Isle.

Chapter 3 describes the interactions between the Guild and the supernatural. Trade with Raksha and Demons is incredibly dangerous, but also incredibly profitable for those who are careful, smart and diplomatic enough to pull it off. When these deals go right, they can make a merchant's career, but when they go wrong, the consequences can be horrific. The Sidereals monitor the Guild to make sure their deals with the Fair Folk don't threaten the fabric of Creation, but they mostly leave it alone. All of the Maidens have taken an interest in the Guild's operations... except Saturn. The Lunars respect the Guild because it opposes the Realm and they hate it because of its parasitic nature. They solved this balance by mostly ignoring it until it gets in their way. Merchants use lavish funerals to bring their wealth into the Underworld, but the Guild does not easily deal with the dead. The Timeless Order of Manacle and Coin governs the trade of the dead and they are an unsettling force. It was originally formed by the ghost of an Eclipse Caste Solar, but its leadership now includes many other undead horrors, including the lingering soul of Brem Marst himself.

Chapter 4 deals with the Guild's handling of turnover and promotions. It describes some of the Guild's hierarchs, merchants, craftsmen and administrators. It talks about the Guild's philosophy of economics and the requirements for Factorhood. It describes how the Guild fights back when impeded by gods or the Fair Folk. It describes the artifacts, spells and thaumaturgical rituals - including new rituals provided in the book - used by the most wealthy, paranoid and prudent merchants to protect themselves from magical influence and spying. The chapter ends with short blurbs describing the Guild's end at the hands of the Solar Exalted (it doesn't go well for them), the Abyssals (it goes much worse) or how the Guild can acquire Exalted allies to protect itself and survive the coming chaos.

These chapters are filled with evocative descriptions of characters and locales, engaging anecdotes and plot hooks that should prove themselves to all storytellers, even those whose campaigns don't focus on the Guild. The Guild is spread throughout the threshold and beyond and its actions have even farther-reaching consequences.

The book's crowning achievement, however, is the Creation-Ruling Mandate provided in the Appendix. These rules allow for the management of any type of organization a player or ST can think of. Highly flexible and context-sensitive, they provide hard rules for any action an organization might take while leaving the ST enough leeway to apply his judgment as necessary. Although it was designed to play out bureaucratic management and the course of an entire war, the system can easily be adapted to other areas. With a few tweaks to the roll intervals, small adjustments to a few Charms and a little creativity, it can be used to express tactical warfare. With certain modifications, it can also be used to replace the current Craft rules, or it can be used with Investigation to conduct large-scale experiments. The Creation-Ruling Mandate makes it possible to write a Realm Legion up as a single organization, or it can be used to break the legion down into all its fangs, scales, talons, wings, dragons and field forces divided between its main, support and auxiliary forces and describe how all of these units interact with each other and with the legion as a whole, all depending on the Storyteller's needs.

CoCD: Autochthonia is a must-have for any Exalted campaign that expects to visit Autochthonia at some point.

Chapter 1 provides details about the Autochthonian classes and sub-classes, the place of romance and religion in society and describes the way Tunnel Folk live outside Alchemical cities. The best part is the section on Voidlords, which provides different approaches and plot hooks that storytellers can use to include Voidlords in their stories, either as misguided reformists, nihilists looking for a way out of Autochthon's cancerous entrails or complete monsters.

Chapter 2 describes Caslat and Yugash. It provides details on Caslat's economy, both legal and illegal, industry and major cities and specific elements of its national culture. The section on Yugash focuses its recent history, the Elemental War and Project Razor, which is meant to breach the Seal of Eight Divinities and open the way to Creation. It also provides broad description of municipal charms, but doesn't give any details. The Magnanimous Disperser Array is a superweapon that destroyed a mile-long stretch of land, the Munifactory is Arat's artifact workshop and the Resonant Chorus of Harmegis diverts sound away from the industrial sectors so that workers aren't permanently rendered deaf.

If you're running Exalted and one of your players wants to play an Infernal or you plan on having Infernals in the campaign at some point, the Broken-Winged Crane is a must-have. The section on Heretical Charms alone is well worth the price.