The stories were well written, and I couldn't put them down."- San Francisco Book Review"The stories were varied, captivating, enthralling and quiteimmersivein one notable case... and it was not uncommon for my legs tofallasleep because I sat reading too long and lost circulation."- KIWIreviews.nzVolume One of the "Awkward Stories" collection.You can read most of the story 'Black Prince' for FREE! Just click 'Look inside' on the Amazon (Kindle edition) book cover!An excerpt:He noticed a movement out of the corner of his eye. He looked down and beheld the shadow of a cat, moving on the white of the wall.“Heh, Kitty,” he said aloud, turning and searching for the original. He scanned along the top of his fence.There was no cat.Damn things move too fast, he thought, and looked back at the wall.The shadow was still there.He looked back at the fence, then again at the wall in a doubletake.Still there was no cat, anywhere. And now he realised – there was no angle that could have put a cat’s shadow on the wall. Not in that way.Fear. A pulse of it hit him, surprising him and leaving him breathless. An icy chill had crept down his back and he felt his hair standing up, his heart pounding. In the back-room of his mind a voice had whispered ...• Black PrinceA disillusioned man's life is turned upside-down when he walks out his back gate one night. What he finds cannot be there, cannot have stayed hidden for so long, and cannot be so smart ...• The Ghost Of René MagritteA team has nearly achieved full-realism Virtual Reality, directly interfaced to the nervous system. But one of the team discovers that, when push comes to shove, reality isn't what we expect.• Come Silent Winged SleepTwo homicide detectives are drawn into an investigation, following a shocking incident. They soon find what lies behind it is far more frightening than random violence, or terrorism. And to make matters worse, now their supposed allies seem to be keeping secrets.Here are five 'long' stories, by Australian author Jonathan Swords-Holdsworth.These tales embrace both the new genre of 'Slipstream' and of hard, near-future Science Fiction. They speculate on subjects from electronics and bio-tech to deep metaphysics, and cover locations from Australia, Europe and Asia to beyond our world - as they pull you into the unexpected.

    Before much information is unraveled, unusual beings and powerful devices create an onslaught of confusion about the mysterious invasion... Fargo has to give it her all to uncover and stop humanity's dire new threat.-----------------------------------Check out www.authorpatkelley.com for other works and spoiler-free, self-critiquing reviews.-----------------------------------Other books in this universe:(1. INDIGO 99)2. EXOWORLDS APART3. ECCENTRICITY4. ROUGH TRANSITION-----------------------------------

    In this anthology, you'll find stories and essays about artificial intelligence, androids, faster-than-light travel, and the extension of human life. You'll read about the future of human institutions and culture. But these literary works are more than just a reprisal of the classical elements of science fiction and futurism. At their core, each of these pieces has one consistent, repeated theme: us.Contents:Introduction (Visions of the Future (2015)) • essay by J. Daniel BattThe Shoulders of Giants (2000) / shortstory by Robert J. SawyerGift of a Useless Man (1979) / shortstory by Alan Dean FosterLight and Shadow [Skolian Short Fiction • 6] (1994) / novelette by Catherine AsaroLungfish [Existence] (1986) / novelette by David BrinThe Birth of the Dawn (2015) / shortfiction by Nicole Sallak AndersonThe Weathermakers (1966) / novelette by Ben BovaLast Day of Work (2015) / shortfiction by Douglas RushkoffI'm a What? (2015) / shortfiction by Frank WhiteThe Listeners [The Listeners] (1968) / novelette by James E. GunnThe Emperor of Mars [Near Space] (2010) / novelette by Allen SteeleLunar One (2015) / shortfiction by Jasper T. ScottMy Father's Singularity (2010) / shortstory by Brenda CooperA Delicate Balance (2012) / shortstory by Kevin J. AndersonMore Than the Sum of His Parts (1985) / shortstory by Joe Haldeman Lazarus Rising (1982) / shortstory by Gregory BenfordUnit 574 (2015) / shortfiction by Clayton R. RawlingsPersistence (2015) / shortfiction by Keith WileyThe Boy Who Gave Us the Star (2015)s / shortfiction by J. Daniel BattThe Etiology of Infomania (2015) / shortfiction by Chris Hables GrayWater (2013) / shortstory by Ramez NaamLooking Forward: Dialogs with the Artilects (2015) / shortfiction by Frank W. SudiaTeleporter (2015) /shortfiction by Jim TankersleyThe Spa (2015) / shortfiction by Donald MacleanThe Automated Ones (2015) / shortfiction by Hugh HoweyAfterword (Visions of the Future (2015) • essay by David Brin .

    Six years in the making, bigger, better, more than one character, more than one adventure, painstaking technical accuracy, and a vast saga for today, not decades in the future. Follow an eclectic crew of multi-dimensional characters through the trials, tribulations and challenges – personal, political, emotional, and technical – of planning, financing, preparing for, and executing a two and a half year mission to Mars utilizing today’s technology; nothing to be invented, no twenty-year lead times, and nothing that defies the laws of physics.“Gates has created a story that doesn’t indulge in sci-fi fantasy. Rather, it’s a piece of memorable and enthralling ‘tech-fic’ with a human heart that careers along on an adventure that was unthinkable only a decade ago.” (David Woods, author “How Apollo Flew to the Moon”)

    2This book is not stand-alone.An EXPANSION SET for Falaha’s Journey: A Spacegirl’s Account in Three Movements (Falaha’s Journey Books 1-3); combined into a full serial novel in a single volume (Falaha’s Journey Book 3.5).Falaha has grown and her transformation also encompasses a transition from a young girl into a young woman. This is an explicit, at times graphic, story of a young woman exploring the depths of pleasure, of mind, body and heart. But she isn’t going on that journey alone…Vol­ume Con­tents:Pro­logue: Wel­come to Adult­hood (Episode #1)Seven years have passed since the war ended. Commander now has her hands and head full with social, household and ship matters. Her loyal first spouse has to do something to help her release steam… and to remind her with a stern yet loving hand that she has entered adulthood.Part One: This Lonely, Lonely Space­man (Episode #2)Nine years have passed since the war ended. Commander has her hands and head full with social, household and ship matters, finding comfort and burning passion in the arms of her insatiable first spouse. Now his father has returned from the Hunter clean-up… to a conspiracy of epic proportions that threatens Commander’s peace and Orewen’s courtship plans.Part Two: The Man in a Box (Episode #3)Kinky, inappropriately funny and strictly immodest, one mountain man’s journey to enlightenment.Deep in the Kjrrn Mountains of Medas, a certain young man runs away from himself… only to find he is face to face with a mysterious massive creature that walks the mountains on misty nights and is somehow tied to his existence. The encounter forces the young man to look for the creature and seek out the answers its emergence may hold.Falaha’s Journey Into Pleasure is a story of recovery, family life, spicy romance and sex, with more insights into the Danna culture and personalities of the characters, also things left unexplored, and side questions left unanswered in the main book. This is a precious time of peace before another calamity.Length: approx. 71 000 words.Publisher's Note: This serial novel includes graphic sexual scenes (M/F, MFM, M/M, MMFM), polyamory, and light elements of BDSM.