It seemed the planet-wrecking pirates were invincible. But they made a big mistake when they raided ex-commando leader Alicia DeVries' quiet home work, tortured and murdered her family, and then left her for dead. Alicia decided to turn "pirate" herself, and stole a cutting-edge AI ship from the Empire to start her vendetta. Her fellow veterans think she's gone crazy, the Imperial Fleet has shoot-on-sight orders. And of course the pirates want her dead, too. But Alicia DeVries has two allies nobody knows about, allies as implacable as she is: a self-aware computer, and a creature from the mists of Old Earth's most ancient legends. And this trio of furies won't rest until vengeance is served.In Fury Born is a greatly expanded new version of David Weber's popular novel Path of the Fury, which has gone through six large printings in its original mass market edition. David Weber has added considerable new material, revealing the earlier life of Alicia DeVries before she embarked on her mission of vengeance, and illuminating the universe of the original story. The result is a novel with almost twice the wordage of the original, and a must-buy for all David Weber fans.

    His dream for humanity nearly accomplished, the emperor hands over the reins of power to his warmaster, Horus, and heads back to Terra. But is Horus strong enough to control his fellow commanders and continue the emperor's grand design?

    Thousands of autonomous computer programs, or daemons, make our networked world possible, running constantly in the background of our lives, trafficking e-mail, transferring money, and monitoring power grids. For the most part, daemons are benign, but the same can't always be said for the people who design them. Matthew Sobol was a legendary computer game designer—the architect behind half-a-dozen popular online games. His premature death depressed both gamers and his company's stock price. But Sobol's fans aren't the only ones to note his passing. When his obituary is posted online, a previously dormant daemon activates, initiating a chain of events intended to unravel the fabric of our hyper-efficient, interconnected world. With Sobol's secrets buried along with him, and as new layers of his daemon are unleashed at every turn, it's up to an unlikely alliance to decipher his intricate plans and wrest the world from the grasp of a nameless, faceless enemy—or learn to live in a society in which we are no longer in control. . . . Computer technology expert Daniel Suarez blends haunting high-tech realism with gripping suspense in an authentic, complex thriller in the tradition of Michael Crichton, Neal Stephenson, and William Gibson.

    After a brief but violent civil war between the two planets, the genetically engineered survivors begin a new wave of colonization, spreading across the galaxy. Everything is looking up for the human race... until the colonies encounter the Qu, technologically advanced aliens on a religious mission to remake the universe. Although humans fight valiantly, the Qu easily overpower humanity; as punishment, the aliens decide to genetically modify the survivors, turning most of them into mindless, animalistic creatures before departing.

    She tells him seven stories of human/android interaction in order to reveal the secret behind humanity's fall. The story takes place centuries in the future, where the diminished populations of humans live uncultured lives in their own colonies. They resent the androids, who have built themselves a stable and cultural society. In this brutal time, our main character travels from colony to colony as a “storyteller,” one that speaks of the stories of the past. One day, he is abducted by Ibis, an android in the form of a young girl, and told of the stories created by humans in the ancient past.The stories that Ibis speaks of are the 7 novels about the events surrounding the announcements of the development of artificial intelligence (AI) in the 20th to 21st centuries. At a glance, these stories do not appear to have any sort of connection, but what is the true meaning behind them? What are Ibis' real intentions?

    Jela is a top-of-the-line of soldier who realizes the peril and persuades a talented space ship pilot named Cantra yos’Phelium to help what humans remain to escape to an alternate reality with unpopulated, but livable, star systems: the Liaden® universe!  Crystal DragonCantra is revealed to be no merely a great pilot, but a genetically engineered aelantaza, or assassin and spy whose specialty is taking on the entire personality of her “cover,” so much so that she believes it herself.  She remakes herself, as only a aelantaza can, and infiltrates the scholarly towers on the university world of Landomist where she narrowly avoids being killed in scholarly conflicts.  There she liberates the scholar Liad dea’Syl, along with the equations for escape stored inside his head.  Once in her new domain, Cantra creates a hereditary alliance to protect her child by Jela – to be known (and become legendary) as Clan Korval.Balance of TradeYoung Jethri Gobelyn is a young Terran, working on his family's trading spaceship.  Jethri has ambition, and he sets out to make a name for himself in the time-honored fashion of his family by investing in a trading scheme with what he takes to be a bona fide Liaden® master trader.  But when Jethri discovers he’s been had, Jethri must master the intricacies of Liaden society, which include many formal rules and regulations of behavior, to regain his place – and face – within the clan.   About the Liaden Universe® series:“Every now and then you come across an author, or in this case, a pair, who write exactly what you want to read, the characters and personalities that make you enjoy meeting them. . . . I rarely rave on and on about stories, but I am devoted to Lee and Miller novels and stories.” —Anne McCaffrey“These authors consistently deliver stories with a rich, textured setting, intricate plotting, and vivid, interesting characters from fully-realized cultures, both human and alien, and each book gets better.” –Elizabeth Moon“[T]he many fans of the Liad universe will welcome the latest…continuing young pilot Theo Waitley’s adventures.” – Booklist on Saltation“[A]ficionados of intelligent space opera will be thoroughly entertained. . .[T]he authors' craftsmanship is top-notch.” –Publishers Weekly on Lee and Miller’s popular Liaden® thriller, I Dare

    Upon this tactical foundation, Drake uses historical metaphor to provide a rich and detailed future-history that is both unique and strangely familiar. The characters that make up the Hammer’s Regiment are neither cartoon heroes nor propaganda villains; rather they are competent professionals engaged in a deadly business. The inevitable conflicts between policy, necessity, and human nature are often at the forefront of the Slammers narratives, and it is this rich fusion of elements that makes Drake’s Slammers fiction instantly identifiable and utterly compelling. The Hammer’s Slammers series is some of the most important and influential work in military SF. The Vietnam War made indelible marks on the science fiction genre, and Drake’s service with the Blackhorse Regiment during the war gives his fiction a unique perspective. It is this perspective that is sometimes lacking in military SF, and one that makes Drake’s work so important to the science fiction genre as a whole. This three-volume set collects all the Slammers short fiction and novels into a set of uniform editions, and presents a new, previously uncollected piece of fiction in each volume. This second volume collects the first four Slammers novels, At Any Price (1985), Counting the Cost (1987), Rolling Hot (1989) and The Warrior (1991). The novella “A Day of Glory” was written for this volume, and has been uncollected prior to the publication of tihs volume.

    With eight short stories and novellas--including three original to this collection--Galactic North imparts the centuries-spanning events that have produced the dark and turbulent world of Revelation Space.

    She more than proves her mettle when a diplomatic assignment and a scientific expedition both turn dangerous.

    Taking the Three Laws of Robotics literally, Prime Intellect makes every human immortal and provides instantly for every stated human desire. Caroline finds no meaning in this life of purposeless ease, and forgets her emptiness only in moments of violent and profane exhibitionism. At turns shocking and humorous, Prime Intellect looks unflinchingly at extremes of human behavior that might emerge when all limits are removed.

    He’s regained consciousness, found he has all of his faculties back and a whole lot more. Originally published in Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine in 1991.Approx. 2 Hours

    Experience the sweeping tale of good and evil, of myth and magic, of innocence and power-and witness the tragic transformation of Anakin Skywalker from mere slave to one of the greatest, most powerful, and feared villains of the galaxy: Darth Vader. "The path has been placed before you, Anakin.The choice to take it must be yours alone." On the barren desert world of Tatooine, young Anakin Skywalker toils by day and dreams by night . . . of traveling the stars to worlds he's only heard of in stories. When Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi, cross paths with Anakin, it marks the beginning of the drama that will become legend. Courageous to the point of recklessness, Anakin comes of age in a time of great upheaval. The attempted assassination of Senator Padme Amidala thrusts the Republic close to the edge of disaster-and brings Anakin and Padme into a secret romance as intense as it is forbidden. As combat escalates across the galaxy, the stage is set for an explosive endgame. Tormented by unspeakable visions, Anakin edges closer to the brink of a decision with profound ramifications. It remains only for Darth Sidious to strike the final staggering blow against the Republic-and to ordain a fearsome new Sith Lord: Darth Vader. THE PHANTOM MENACEby Terry Brooks, based on the story and screenplay by George Lucas ATTACK OF THE CLONESby R. A. Salvatore, from a story by George Lucas and a screenplay by George Lucas and Jonathan Hales REVENGE OF THE SITHby Matthew Stover, based on the story and screenplay by George Lucas

    As combat escalates across the galaxy, and Darth Sidious remains one step ahead of his pursuers, the stage is set for an explosive endgame. Tormented by unspeakable visions, Anakin edges closer to the brink of a galaxy-shaping decision, while Darth Sidious plots to strike the final staggering blow against the Republic–and to ordain a fearsome new Sith Lord: Darth Vader.Once the most powerful Knight ever known to the Jedi Order, Anakin becomes Darth Vader, a disciple of the dark side, a lord of the dreaded Sith, and the avenging right hand of the galaxy’s ruthless new Emperor. As a few surviving Jedi lead a charge on a Separatist stronghold, the deadliest threat still rests in the swift and lethal crimson lightsaber of Darth Vader–behind whose brooding mask lies a shattered heart, a poisoned soul, and a cunning, twisted mind hell-bent on vengeance. For the handful of scattered Jedi hunted across space, survival is imperative if the light side of the Force is to be protected and the galaxy reclaimed. LABYRINTH OF EVILby James LucenoREVENGE OF THE SITHby Matthew Stover, based on the story and screenplay by George LucasDARK LORDThe Rise of Darth Vaderby James Luceno

    The new edition is introduced by Adam Thirwell.With eighteen novels over four decades – from ‘The Drowned World’ in 1962 to his final novel ‘Kingdom Come’ in 2006 – J.G. Ballard is known as one of Britain’s most celebrated and original novelists.However, during his long career he was also a prolific writer of short stories; in fact, many people consider that he is at his best in the short-story format. These highly influential stories have appeared in magazines such as New Worlds, Amazing Stories and Interzone, and in several separate collections, including ‘The Terminal Beach’, ‘The Venus Hunters’, ‘Vermilion Sands’, ‘Low-Flying Aircraft’ and ‘Myths of the Near Future’.Set out in the original order of publication and frequently the point of conception for ideas he further developed in his novels, these stories provide an unprecedented opportunity to see the imagination of one of Britain’s greatest writers at work. This edition is part of a new commemorative series of Ballard’s works, featuring introductions from a number of his admirers (including Robert Macfarlane, Iain Sinclair, James Lever and Ali Smith) and brand-new cover designs from the artist Stanley Donwood.

    An alien civilization on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, different camps start forming, planning to either welcome the superior beings and help them take over a world seen as corrupt, or to fight against the invasion. The result is a science fiction masterpiece of enormous scope and vision.

    The first ship, with over 3,000 people onboard, arrived without incident and remained in orbit while a team of technicians went down to the surface to prepare for the colonists’ arrival. Soon afterwards, all communication with Earth mysteriously ceased. It took six years for Earth finally to send a rescue mission to Betelgeuse in order to find out what had happened a small mission, with a reduced crew of only three: two astronauts and young Kim, now 24, who had just finished her biology studies on Earth. Once more, she would be swept into a series of events, often tragic and extraordinary, that would eventually change her life forever. After the six months she would spend on Betelgeuse, world of green canyons, she would never be the same person again.

    He is the perfect candidate to become the world's next supervillain.That is why he ends up at H.I.V.E., handpicked to become a member of the incoming class. The students have been kidnapped and brought to a secluded island inside a seemingly active volcano, where the school has resided for decades. All the kids are elite; they are the most athletic, the most technically advanced, and the smartest in the country. Inside the cavernous marble rooms, floodlit hangars, and steel doors, the students are enrolled in Villainy Studies and Stealth and Evasion 101. But what Otto soon comes to realize is that this is a six-year program, and leaving is not an option.With the help of his new friends: an athletic martial-arts expert; a world-famous, beautiful diamond thief; and a spunky computer genius -- the only other people who seem to want to leave -- can Otto achieve what has never been done before and break out of H.I.V.E.?

    Here's how it is -- in a universe filled with hearts and minds as cold and dark as the reaches of space, one small Firefly-class starship named Serenity takes its ragtag crew of mercenaries, outlaws, and fugitives in search of a job, any job, that'll earn them enough cash to afford that most elusive commodity -- peace.Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, unveils a previously unknown chapter in the lives of his favorite band of space brigands in the prequel to the Serenity feature film -- the blockbuster followup to Whedon's cult-hit TV show Firefly.

    Included are stories by Al Feldstein, Bill Gaines and others with art by legendary illustrators such as Wally Wood, Harvey Kurtzman, Joe Orlando, Jack Kamen, Feldstein and others from the first six issues of this pivotal comic book title. Find out what made EC among the most influential comic book lines ever in this complete and newly re-colored collection. This volume reprints the first six complete issues (24 stories) of the comic book Weird Science, originally published in 1950, and features science fiction and fantasy stories, flying saucers, aliens, other worlds, space travel, similar to the first science fiction movies of the same period.

    Twelve thousand years into the future, the human race has spread across the galaxy to hundreds of terraformed worlds. The effects of the Fall have been diminished by the Great Intervention, and peace and contentment reign under the gentle rule of the Assembly. But suddenly, almost imperceptibly, things begin to change. On the remotest planet of Farholme, Forester Merral D’Avanos hears one simple . . . "lie." Slowly a handful of men and women begin to realize that evil has returned and must be fought. What will this mean for a people to whom war and evil are ancient history? Thus begins the epic that has been described as “If C. S. Lewis and Tolkien had written Star Wars.” "The Shadow and Night" was previously published in two volumes: "The Shadow at Evening" and "The Power of the Night."

    But his greatest test will come when he returns to Earth. Relativity means that everey time he returns home after a few months' tour of duty, centuries have passed on Earth, making him and his fellows ever more isolated from the world for whose future they are fighting.FREEWhen Mandella returns for the last time he finds humanity has evolved into a group mind called Man. Living a dull life in an autocratic and intrusive society, missing the certainties of combat and feeling increasingly alienated, the veterans plan an escape. But when their ship starts to fail, their journey becomes a search for the unknown.PEACE2043. The Ngumi War rages, fought by 'soldierboys', indestructible machines operated remotely by soldiers hundreds of miles away. Julian Class is one of those soldiers, and for him war is truly hell. But he and his companion, Dr Amelia Harding, have discovered something that could literally take the universe back to square one. For Julian, the discovery isn't so much terrifying as tempting...

    Having severed themselves from their homeworld, they survived the perilous voyage across the stars to wash ashore on a distant planet, there to begin the civilization that would one day flower into the Romulan Star Empire. Now, after millennia of wars and conquests, that empire is decaying from within, surrendering its noble heritage to reckless ambition, abandoning honor for kidnapping and murder. The corruption is so great that the Rihannsu's finest military officer -- Commander Ael t'Rllaillieu of the warbird Bloodwing -- believes she can save her people only by joining forces with her greatest enemy: Captain James T. Kirk of the Starship Enterprise™. Meanwhile, on the Romulan homeworld, a Federation deep-cover agent has been posing as a household servant named Arrhae i-Khellian -- but her operation takes a strange turn when a captured Starfleet officer is brought to her home . . . The lives of Ael, Arrhae, and the crew of the Enterprise come together in these astonishing adventures -- originally published in four volumes: My Enemy, My Ally; The Romulan Way; Swordhunt; and Honor Blade -- that will challenge everything you thought you knew about the Romulans.

    . . ARTHUR CLARKE, MOVE OVER.''-Isaac AsimovInherit the Stars:When they found the corpse in a grave on the Moon, wearing a spacesuit of unfamiliar design, his identity was a complete mystery. Analysis showed that the deceased was 50,000 years old-meaning that he had somehow died on the Moon before the human race even existed.The Gentle Giants of Ganymede:On another moon, Jupiter's Ganymede, still another mystery: a wrecked spaceship, which had been there for millennia, and was obviously designed for beings larger than the humans of Earth. The mystery seemed insoluble until another ship, manned by the same humanoid giants arrived, and were very surprised to find humans inhabiting their Solar System. . . .BEGIN THE CELEBRATED ''GIANTS'' SERIES WITH TWO COMPLETE NOVELS BY A MASTER OF SCIENCE FICTION WITH REAL SCIENCE!At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (DRM Rights Management).

    But there's something even more interesting than the remarkable movies: the woman working behind the counter.

    An aged Queen Victoria rules. The threat of anarchy hovers in the air. A new kind of evil lurks in the back alleys of Whitechapel. Enter Jacynda Lassiter, a Time Rover on a mission find an overdue tourist' and return him to 2057 before he changes history. Victorian London is a dangerous place for the unwary. Mysterious shape-shifters haunt the streets, making friend and foe indistinguishable. When a fellow Time Rover is murdered, Jacynda's mission becomes personal. Can she trust the two gentlemen who come to her aid, or do they harbor their own dark secrets? In a few days, Jack the Ripper will add to his bloody legacy. But old Jack isn't the only threat in Whitechapel. Unless Jacynda can outwit a madman, her Victorian sojourn will rewrite history and end at the point of a blade.

    Short story collection by the critically acclaimed author of Revelation Space and Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days.

    Wells’s War of the Worlds to Ray Bradbury’s Martian Chronicles to the fiction of “cyberpunks.” In addition to enthralling readers with breathtaking narratives and dazzling the imagination with mind-bending glimpses of possible futures, the best science fiction asks essential questions: What does it mean to be human? Are we alone in the universe, and what does it mean if we’re not?Esteemed professor Michael D.C. Drout traces the history of science fiction in this series of stimulating lectures. From Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein to today’s cutting- edge authors, Drout offers a compelling analysis of the genre, including a look at hard-boiled science fiction, the golden age of science fiction, New Wave writers, and contemporary trends in the field.14 Lectures on 7 Audiocassettes.

    In that split second, defined paradoxically by both salvation and loss, they will destroy the world and then restore it. Much had come before, and much would come after, but nothing would color their lives more than that one, isolated instant on the edge of forever.IN A SINGLE MOMENT…Leonard McCoy, displaced in time, saves a woman from dying in a traffic accident, and in so doing alters Earth's history. Stranded in the past, he struggles to find a way back to his own century. But living an existence he was not meant to, he will eventually have to move on, and ultimately face the shadows born of his lost life.IN A SINGLE MOMENT…Leonard McCoy, displaced in time, is prevented from saving a woman from dying in a traffic accident, allowing Earth's history to remain unchanged. Returning to the present, he encounters a medical mystery he is committed to solving. But the echoes of an existence he never lived haunt him, and the specter of a premature death will bring him full circle to the shadows he has never faced.

    Hutchins. Read by the author.For more information, please visit http://www.jchutchins.netThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License.

    To explore, to seek out what lay beyond the close and comfortable, every explorer had to embrace danger. And as they did so, what arose was a mystical bond, a passion for the ships that carried them. From the very first time humans dared to warp the fabric of space, escaping from the ashes of the third World War, they also created ships. These vessels have become the icons of mankind's desire to rise above the everyday, to seek out and make the unknown known. And these ships that travel the stellar seas have stirred the same passions as the ones that floated in the oceans. While every captain has wished that their starship could be outfitted in the same manner as the sailing ship H.M.S. Beagle -- without weapons -- that proved untenable. From the start, Starfleet realized that each vessel, due to the limited range of the early warp engines, must be able to stand alone against any attack. Thus arose the idea, taken from the days of wooden sailing ships, that every Starfleet vessel must stand as a ship of the line. Through the actions of their captains and crews, countless starships have taken on that role. Here we remember some of those ships and their heroic crews. In celebration of the fortieth anniversary of Star Trek, here for the very first time collected together are the spectacular images from the highly successful and acclaimed Star Trek: Ships of the Line calendars. Gloriously rendered, each of these illustrations was created exclusively for Pocket Books. With text by Michael Okuda (The Star Trek Encyclopedia), the story of each of these valiant starships comes to life.

    Max Brooks, driven by the urgency of preserving the acid-etched first-hand experiences of the survivors from those apocalyptic years, traveled across the United States of America and throughout the world, from decimated cities that once teemed with upwards of thirty million souls to the most remote and inhospitable areas of the planet. He recorded the testimony of men, women, and sometimes children who came face-to-face with the living, or at least the undead, hell of that dreadful time. World War Z is the result. Never before have we had access to a document that so powerfully conveys the depth of fear and horror, and also the ineradicable spirit of resistance, that gripped human society through the plague years.Ranging from the now infamous village of New Dachang in the United Federation of China, where the epidemiological trail began with the twelve-year-old Patient Zero, to the unnamed northern forests where untold numbers sought a terrible and temporary refuge in the cold, to the United States of Southern Africa, where the Redeker Plan provided hope for humanity at an unspeakable price, to the west-of-the-Rockies redoubt where the North American tide finally started to turn, this invaluable chronicle reflects the full scope and duration of the Zombie War.Most of all, the book captures with haunting immediacy the human dimension of this epochal event. Facing the often raw and vivid nature of these personal accounts requires a degree of courage on the part of the reader, but the effort is invaluable because, as Mr. Brooks says in his introduction, "By excluding the human factor, aren't we risking the kind of personal detachment from history that may, heaven forbid, lead us one day to repeat it? And in the end, isn't the human factor the only true difference between us and the enemy we now refer to as 'the living dead'?"Note: Some of the numerical and factual material contained in this edition was previously published under the auspices of the United Nations Postwar Commission.

    The heavens have been silent since - until a derelict space probe hears whispers from a distant comet. Something talks out there: but not to us. Who to send to meet the alien, when the alien doesn't want to meet? Send a linguist with multiple-personality disorder, and a biologist so spliced to machinery he can't feel his own flesh. Send a pacifist warrior, and a vampire recalled from the grave by the voodoo of paleogenetics. Send a man with half his mind gone since childhood. Send them to the edge of the solar system, praying you can trust such freaks and monsters with the fate of a world. You fear they may be more alien than the thing they've been sent to find - but you'd give anything for that to be true, if you knew what was waiting for them.

    All robots must follow the three laws, but that leaves room for a surprisingly wide range of unexpected outcomes...THE THREE LAWS OF ROBOTICS1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.2. A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.

    Alone, she adopts a tigra cub, a tiger-like carnivore native to Ararat, and names him Samson. It’s the least she can do, given she killed his mother.Tigras have special talents. Unlike their Earth counterparts, they can stand erect, and do it comfortably. As Samson matures, he demonstrates an even more astonishing skill, one that places serious doubts on the accuracy of the planetary survey that opened Ararat for colonization. Soon Jeena finds herself caught up in the last thing she wants—a war between a group of religious fanatics and a culture that is their diametric opposite—as Samson discovers the truth about his people, one that had been kept secret from the beginning. A truth that will change the galaxy forever.

    Time seems to slow as the clock ticks down. Pan-Con Airlines Captain Rayford Steele prepares for a flight to London with beautiful flight attendant Hattie Durham. Meanwhile, Nicolae Carpathia elimates any obstacles in his path to power. As the newly appointed President of Romania, Nicolae is invited to speak before the U.N. Without warning, millions disappear and are welcomed into the unspeakable presence of God. Read by Jerry Sciarrio. 7 CD's 8 Hrs.

    Justine Larbalestier has collected 11 key stories--many of them not easily found, and all of them powerful and provocative--and sets them alongside 11 new essays, written by top scholars and critics, that explore the stories' contexts, meanings, and theoretical implications. The resulting dialogue is one of enormous significance to critical scholarship in science fiction, and to understanding the role of feminism in its development. Organized chronologically, this anthology creates a new canon of feminist science fiction and examines the theory that addresses it. Daughters of Earth is an ideal overview for students and general readers.Content: 1. The Fate of Poseidonia - Clare Winger Harris, 19272. The Conquest of Gola - Leslie F. Stone, 19313. Created He Them - Alice Eleanor Jones, 19554. No Light in the Window - Kate Wilhelm, 19635. The Heat Death of the Universe - Pamela Zoline, 19676. And I Awoke and Found Me Here on the Cold Hill Side - James Tiptree Jr., 19717. Wives - Lisa Tuttle, 19768. Rachel in Love - Par Murphy, 19879. The Evening and the Morning and the Night - Octavia E. Butler, 198710. Balinese Dancer - Gwyneth Jones, 199711. What I Didn't See - Karen Joy Fowler, 2002

    As star empires clash, these epic wars are won and lost by BattleMechs, 30-foot-tall humanoid metal titans bristling with lasers, autocannons and dozens of other lethal weapons; enough firepower to level entire city blocks. Your elite force of MechWarriors drives these juggernauts into battle, proudly holding your faction s flag high, intent on expanding the power and glory of your realm. At their beck and call are the support units of armored vehicles, power armored infantry, aerospace fighters and more, wielded by a MechWarrior's skillful command to aid him in ultimate victory. Will they become legends, or forgotten casualties? Only your skill and luck will determine their fate! October of 2006 sees the unveiling of a whole new look and presentation for Classic BattleTech. The basic rules and concepts of the game have not changed: thirty-foot tall metal titans of doom piloted by feudal MechWarrior knights firing lightning bolts, coherent lasers and autocannons in an orgy of destruction across a futuristic landscape of thousands of worlds. These concepts have made Classic BattleTech/MechWarrior one of the most successful science fiction lines ever created, spawning millions of sold MechWarrior PC games, almost a hundred full-length novels, more than ten million sold MechWarrior: Dark Age Collectable Miniatures Game figures, comic books, toys, a cartoon, virtual reality centers, over five-thousand fan-based websites and more. Yet it all began with the original board game, which still conveys all the best the universe has to offer, presented in a whole new way with the publication of the first in a new series of core rulebooks, Total Warfare. TOTAL WARFARE The product of more than twenty years of gaming experience, Total Warfare presents the rules of the Classic BattleTech game system as never before. For the first time, all the rules for various units that have a direct impact

    Not officially a "Liaden Universe® Adventure", Calamity's Child is SRM Publisher's first chapbook of 2006 and features two Sharon Lee and Steve Miller stories ...one is the off-the-beaten track Liaden Universe® novelette "Sweet Waters," which appeared in magazines in both the UK and the US (3SF and Absolute Magnitude), and the second is "Night at the Opera," a fantasy-mystery first seen in the critcally acclaimed Rosemary Edghill anthology Murder by Magic in October of 2004.

    To the Federation, they are the Romulans. By any name they are adversaries as formidable as they are inscrutable. Self-exiled from Vulcan in ages past, they retain an ancient martial philosophy and a code of conduct that has sustained them through centuries of hardship, warfare, and thwarted ambition.Now their empire is gearing for war once again. Armed with the revolutionary Sunseed technology, which can destabilize entire stars, a Romulan vessel is warping toward the heart of the Federation. Its target: Earth's sun.But this offensive comes at a perilous time, as a growing number of Romulan worlds are joining a revolution -- one led by the renegade Commander Ael t'Rllaillieu of the warbird "Bloodwing," with the aid of Captain James T. Kirk of the "Starship Enterprise(TM)" and the Hamalki physicist K's't'lk, the Federation's foremost authority on Sunseed technology. As the threat to Earth looms ever larger, "Bloodwing" and "Enterprise" lead an armada toward the Romulan homeworld for a final reckoning that will decide the future of the Rihannsu people.Cover Artist: Tom Hallman

    But Danny and Colin 13 are changing. Danny moves at the speed of light, Colin is surprisingly strong. Their parents, the lost generation of superhumans, have watched and waited for these changes. So have others who will do anything to stop them.

    When the Yuuzhan Vong invasion force sweeps into the galaxy, the Mandalorians find they’re on the wrong side–fighting for an alien culture that will bring about the end of their own.Now Fett has to choose between his honor and the survival of his people. Since he’s a practical man, he’s determined help the resistance beat the Yuuzhan Vong–even if it means working with a Jedi agent. Trouble is, no one trusts a man with Fett’s reputation. So convincing the New Republic that they’re fighting on the same side is a tall order. Denounced as traitors, Fett’s Mandalorians need to stay one step ahead of their Yuuzhan Vong paymasters–and the Republic who sees them as collaborators with the most destructive enemy the galaxy has ever faced. . . .

    Now, the young heir to the Kzinti patriarchy is forced into a desperate wilderness exile as his empire cracks and the contentious Great Prides attempt to rip one another apart while facing war with humanity.

    Revealing the dark secrets of the alien races of 'Warhammer 40,000', this illustrated guide also looks at the workings of the shadowy Ordos Xenos.

    Things look grim for the would-be couple, but Pug has a secret power up his sleeve that may just turn the tide in his favor!

    The life of a Free Trader was all junior crew member Krip Vorlund knew. That life ended at a beast show on Yiktor when Vorlund was strangely attracted to the owner of the show animals, a delicate and mysterious woman named Maelen. Too soon Vorlund learned the nature of Maelen's sorcery, too soon he is caught up in the struggle over the fate of a world.... But his soul would remain his own.Exiles of the Stars: The galactic trade ship Lydis is making a run to the planet Thoth when a civil war lands her in a battle of ancient powers and nameless evil, with a Forerunner treasure at its heart. The crew seems normal-until you look closely at two of its members: Krip Vorlund, a man who walks in a body not his own, and his pet, a four-legged beast hiding the mind of Maelen the Moon Singer, a woman whose esper powers can save them all-or bring them to eternal destruction.Publisher's Note: Moonsinger has appeared separately as Moon of Three Rings, and its sequel, Exiles of the Stars. This is the first time the complete saga has appeared in one volume.

    Everything about him is average; his only claim to fame is that he won a contest and now owns an obsolete but fully equipped space suit. One day, he's walking around his back yard testing it out, when a voice comes over the talkie & the next thing he knows, he's onboard a spaceship heading for the very place he dreams about. But this is no dream. For Kip has been captured by a race of monstrous yet highly advanced aliens who see humans as untrained animals...and a good source of protein...."Starship Troopers": In a far future where military service is voluntary, even discouraged, there is of course a catch: enlist or forfeit full citizenship. Basic training is made particularly harsh so that only those of the highest character will survive. But the logic of this escapes Johnnie Rico, an ordinary kid from a wealthy family. Thinking he's joining a peacetime army, the 18-year-old signs up on a whim and becomes a soldier in the Mobile Infantry where his sergeant tells him, We'll make a man of you or kill you trying. To Johnnie's surprise, he gets through the toughest boot camp in the Universe...just in time to be sent into battle against mankind's most terrifying enemy."Podkayne of Mars": Podkayne Fries is a thoroughly modern young Marswoman with a timetable for success based on one goal to be the first female starship captain & she has her strategy all mapped out. So when she gets a chance to travel to Earth with her Uncle Tom, a distinguished elder statesman, Poddy jumps at it...despite the fact that her obnoxiously brilliant kid brother, Clark, is coming along as well. What Poddy doesn't realize is that her uncle is the official Ambassador Plenipotentiary from Mars to the Three-Planets Conference & that certain parties will stop at nothing to gain control of his vote. (Features both the first published ending and Heinlein's original ending.)

    With this exclusive omnibus, the third in our series, the SFBC gathers three more of these classic tales, adventures set on a brutal world where fierce green warriors roam the dead sea bottom and red men rule a civilization of decaying splendor.A Fighting Man of Mars: When a nobleman's daughter is abducted at the point of a gun that can disintegrate metal, it portends great danger for the empire of Helium. To rescue the woman he loves and locate the source of the gun, Hadron of Hastor must run the gauntlet of giant Martians, man-eating apes and a xenophobic city where he is sentenced to "The Death" - a place of roiling horror that will carry him to the weapon's mad inventor...and a surprising twist of fate.Sword of Mars: John Carter hires on as bodyguard to Fal Sivas, a scientist who steals ideas from other inventors and then has them killed. Sivas' greatest invention - a spaceship run by a mechanical brain - come in handy when Carter's wife, Dejah Thoris, is taken hostage on a moon of Mars. There, inside a castle built of precious gems, the Carters' fate may be sealed...unless they can foil invisible foes, cannibalistic cat-men and a powerful guild of assassins.Synthetic Men of Mars: In a vat on an island in the Toonolian Marshes, a grand experiment has gone awry. Ras Thavas, the Master Mind of Mars, has learned the secret of growing humans from a single cell, but now these invulnerable warriors have taken control and cloned an army to conquer the world. As John Carter and young warrior Vor Daj discover, the only thing worse than a monster that cannot die is a giant writhing mass of them - a grotesque mutation that will grow to consume everything in its path.

    The Riftwar Saga, an epic tale that critics have hailed as "second only to the Lord of the Rings", continues on! Pug discovers he has a hidden power as a Magician Apprentice as the countdown to Riftwar looms closer.

    Together, the books form a challenging examination of what it means to be human.

    She and her companion, Guardian, have lived alone on the remote planet Isis since the death of her parents. Now, colonists from an overcrowded and polluted Earth have landed and are settling in the valleys. Olwen fears these new inhabitants may ruin her world forever, and it seems she may be right. Years later, in Hughes’ sequel, The Guardian of Isis, the planet remains pristine and remote, even after the arrival of settlers from Earth. Over time, the settlers have abandoned the technological knowledge of their ancestors and replaced it with myth. But one young man seeks the truth, and he soon gets the chance to find it.The final chapter in the Trilogy, The Isis Pedlar, brings the devious Michael Joseph Flynn and his daughter, Moira, to Isis. Michael’s magic firestone, his strangely delicious ambrosia, and his mysterious Forever Machine are beguiling to the humble members of the Isis community. Only Moira can expose this smooth-talking pedlar for the charlatan that he is. But will she be able to do it in time to save the simple agricultural community?

    Here, family intrigue and relationships are set against the turbulent and crime-ridden backdrop of Mega-City One.

    Included here are the works of masters of the form and of bright new talents, including: Neal Asher, Paolo Bacigalupi, Stephen Baxter, Elizabeth Bear, Chris Beckett, David Gerrold, Dominic Green, Daryl Gregory, Joe Haldeman, Gwyneth Jones, james patrick Kelly, Jay Lake and Ruth Nestvold, Ken MacLeod, Ian McDonald, Vonda N. McIntyre, David Moles, Steven Popkes, Hannu Rajaniemi, Alastair Rynolds, Robert Reed, Christ Roberson, Mary Rosenblum, William Sanders, Bruce Sterling, Michael Swanwick, Harry Turtledove, Peter Watts and Derryl Murphy, Liz Williams, and Gene Wolfe.Supplementing the stories are the editor's insightful summation of the year's events and list of honorable mentions, making this book both a valuable resource and the single best place in the universe to find stories that stir the imagination, and the heart.Contents xi • Acknowledgments (The Year's Best Science Fiction Twenty-Third Annual Collection) • essay by Gardner Dozoisxiii • Summation: 2005 • essay by Gardner Dozois1 • The Little Goddess • [India 2047] • (2005) • novella by Ian McDonald32 • The Calorie Man • [The Windup Universe] • (2005) • novelette by Paolo Bacigalupi55 • Beyond the Aquila Rift • (2005) • novelette by Alastair Reynolds81 • Second Person, Present Tense • (2005) • novelette by Daryl Gregory98 • The Canadian Who Came Almost All the Way Back From the Stars • (2005) • shortstory by Ruth Nestvold and Jay Lake (aka The Canadian Who Came Almost All the Way Home From the Stars)115 • Triceratops Summer • (2005) • shortstory by Michael Swanwick125 • Camouflage • [The Great Ship Universe] • (2005) • novella by Robert Reed171 • A Case of Consilience • (2005) • shortstory by Ken MacLeod181 • The Blemmye's Strategem • (2005) • novelette by Bruce Sterling205 • Amba • (2005) • novelette by William Sanders229 • Search Engine • (2005) • novelette by Mary Rosenblum244 • Piccadilly Circus • (2005) • shortstory by Chris Beckett258 • In the Quake Zone • (2005) • novella by David Gerrold331 • La Malcontenta • (2005) • shortstory by Liz Williams338 • The Children of Time • (2005) • shortstory by Stephen Baxter350 • Little Faces • (2005) • novelette by Vonda N. McIntyre376 • Comber • (2005) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe384 • Audubon in Atlantis • [Lost Continent of Atlantis] • (2005) • novella by Harry Turtledove422 • Deus Ex Homine • (2005) • shortstory by Hannu Rajaniemi433 • The Great Caruso • (2005) • shortstory by Steven Popkes447 • Softly Spoke the Gabbleduck • [Polity Universe] • (2005) • novelette by Neal Asher465 • Zima Blue • (2005) • shortstory by Alastair Reynolds481 • Planet of the Amazon Women • (2005) • novelette by David Moles503 • The Clockwork Atom Bomb • (2005) • shortstory by Dominic Green518 • Gold Mountain • [Celestial Empire] • (2005) • shortstory by Chris Roberson532 • The Fulcrum • (2005) • novelette by Gwyneth Jones554 • Mayfly • (2005) • shortstory by Peter Watts and Derryl Murphy565 • Two Dreams on Trains • (2005) • shortstory by Elizabeth Bear571 • Angel of Light • (2005) • shortstory by Joe Haldeman578 • Burn • (2005) • novella by James Patrick Kelly651 • Honorable Mentions: 2005 • essay by Gardner Dozois

    So when a vigilante dubbed 'The Fry Guy' starts to systematically kill the scum of the city by somehow microwaving their brains, they don't see him as a serial killer, they see him as an implement of justice.

    Earth is on the verge of war with a vastly superior alien race. A lone man races against time and a host of enemies to find the one object that can save our planet and our people from alien enslavement...A sheep.That's right, a sheep. And if you think that's the most surprising thing about this book, wait until you read Chapter One. Welcome to The Android's Dream.For Harry Creek, it's quickly becoming a nightmare. All he wants is to do his uncomplicated mid-level diplomatic job with Earth's State Department. But his past training and skills get him tapped to save the planet--and to protect pet store owner Robin Baker, whose own past holds the key to the whereabouts of that lost sheep. Doing both will take him from lava-strewn battlefields to alien halls of power. All in a day's work. Maybe it's time for a raise.Throw in two-timing freelance mercenaries, political lobbyists with megalomaniac tendencies, aliens on a religious quest, and an artificial intelligence with unusual backstory, and you've got more than just your usual science fiction adventure story. You've got The Android's Dream.

    He must endure many tests set out for him by the Great Spirit of the Entrepreneurs, Soté, before he can officially become a successful business owner and realize his dream of sailing around the world. These tests are symbolic of obstacles encountered by adult entrepreneurs in the real world.It is set in the mystical city of Nessibus, a metropolis, whose streets radiate with the energy of commerce. The true adventure begins when Tyler arrives at a magical high rise building. Each floor in the magical building takes the reader to another world where reality and imagination fuse. Tyler encounters many adult figures in the magical building who are portrayed as animals with traits characterizing their professions—an octopus real-estate agent who’s always on her cell phone, a monkey attorney who likes to be paid in bananas, and a polar bear CPA who knows his way through crunching numbers, to name a few. Tyler’s peers are other children of Nessibus with various skills and talents who each tell their own story of becoming entrepreneurs in separate books. These stories make up the Future Business Leaders’ Series. The plots of the various books interweave as the characters become suppliers, customers, and referrals for one another, emphasizing the power of networking and its influence over one’s business success.Winner in the 2007 Excellent Books Category from the Prestigious iParenting Media.

    From their home world of Macragge, into the dreaded Eye of Terror and beyond, Graham McNeill's prose rattles like gunfire and brings the Space Marines to life like never before.

    The mysterious alien Benefactors who healed the planet also offered "uplift" to our dolphins and gorillas. The dolphins turned them down. The gorillas said yes. As a result, we're now sharing our world with language-using, tool-making simians. Tensions are inevitable, in both directions, but it's gradually working out.Decades later, teenage cadet Robin Plotnik has been assigned to Fist of Earth, a defense station high above Earth, keeping watch against further attacks by the interstellar Horde. Robin's a spacecraft mechanic-in-training, apprenticed to Chief "Mac" Gimbensky, a cranky but basically benign gorilla with issues of his own.Fist of Earth is a challenging place to grow up. Robin and Mac maintain fighter craft for the all-woman "Barbarian Squadron", which constantly competes for prestige with the other squadrons based on Fist of Earth. Robin's trying to romance a young librarian, and he's far from sure he knows what he's doing. Most of all, he's constantly struggling to figure out his moody, mercurial boss.Then he and his best friend become entangled in a burgeoning scandal over betting on the squadrons' standings. And just when things look like they've hit rock bottom, the worst thing imaginable arrives at Fist of Earth: an efficiency expert from Earth, determined to reorganize Robin's hard-won life, and the whole squadron system, out of existence.Fresh and engaging, crammed with likeable characters and science-fictional inventiveness, Grease Monkey is like a classic "Heinlein juvenile" in sequential-art mode.Introduction by Kurt Busiek, author of Astro City

    With conditions in America deteriorating, the Bentley family decides to take advantage of the recently discovered method for reaching the stars. They sign a contract with a corporation in return for partial financing of their venture to a new world. But as they travel on the space trails, they gradually discover that all is not right about the expedition they’re on. When the discrepancies finally come to a head, they find the corporation has deceived all the immigrants. Regardless, there is no turning back, for the leaders of the expedition have outsmarted themselves. Out of food, lost in the labyrinth of the space trails, beset by denizens of the ‘ways, with only a slim chance of survival, the Bentley family and their fellow immigrants press on, driven by the same indomitable spirit their forebears showed while conquering a new continent. Author's preferred edition.

    He really has his work cut out for him when an expert mentions that Buffalodogs are thermogenic...

    Few authors have matched the versatility and stylishness of Walter Jon Williams. His genre-defining novels have received wide critical acclaim and captured the rapt attention of fans worldwide. He has been nominated for every major SF award. The Green Leopard Plague and Other Stories contains nine bleeding-edge tales showcasing Williams’ flexibility, power-chord storytelling, and engagingly human and post-human characters. From Walter Jon Williams, author of more than twenty novels, including This Is Not a Game, Implied Spaces, and the definitive cyberpunk novel Hardwired, comes The Green Leopard Plague and Other Stories, a stunning collection of short fiction including the Nebula Award-winning stories “Daddy’s World” and “The Green Leopard Plague,” and featuring an introduction by Charles Stross, plus in-depth story notes.

    16 tracks from the third concept album in the series, which The All Music Guide says "is a prog rock opera on par with anything that Rush or Queensrche ever released." Songs include: Always & Never * Apollo I: the Writing Writer * Keeping the Blade * Mother May I * The Suffering * Wake Up * Welcome Home * Willing Well IV: The Final Cut * and more. PARENTAL ADVISORY FOR EXPLICIT LYRICS.

    The Republic of the Carolinas and the Virginia Freestate have already fallen to the invading Mosul, a ravening, barbaric horde led by an evil fundamentalist priesthood. Only the Kingdom of Albany, with aid from the Norse Alliance of Britain and Scandinavia, remains free to continue the struggle.Against the hellspawn controlled by the Mosul stands The Four, a supernatural entity comprised of four youngsters from disparate backgrounds: Argo, the back-country hick; Jesamine, the slave-concubine; Raphael the Hispanian cannon-fodder conscript; and Cordelia, the spoiled aristocrat. Together, they alone have managed to combat the Mosul's Dark Things.The army of Albany moves south to attempt to free Virginia and The Four go along in support. The battle engages cavalry, infantry, and artillery -- but the Mosul have other weapons in their arsenal, and as The Four try desperately to protect their comrades from other-worldly foes, they catch fleeting glimpses of two albino children, the White Twins. Even the enigmatic Yancey Slide has no clue as to what kind of threat the twins may represent.

    It’s a fascinating future, and Jude’s personal story is involving.” —Rich Horton, Locus MagazineJude Plane is not your typical teenage boy, even among the other kids in his cloistered religious enclave. He belongs to the Machinist Guild, a group that forbids the use of any technology more advanced than a doorknob. But advanced technology can be hard to avoid when you live in an overlooked corner of Netherview Station—a giant wheel in space, twelve light-years from earth.Jude wants to live an obedient life, whatever that means, but his resolve is put to the test when his abusive father sends him to work outside the enclave, unloading freight at the station’s hub. There Jude will make friends stranger than any he’s ever known, and will find himself confronted by choices he never imagined. But will he solve the biggest mystery of all—the mystery of who he is?Originally published in Asimov's Science Fiction, this novella was shortlisted for the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award, and the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award.“An intelligent, well-crafted piece. . . . Shunn’s elaborate details about the religious rules and philosophies of this group form thought-provoking parallels with some of today’s funda­men­talist religious groups. It would not surprise me if this tale eventually finds a place in someone’s year’s best science fiction anthology.” —Jeff Cates, Tangent“A well-considered examination of a basic SF concern: the clash of differing technological levels, and how this (especially now) can cause the lower-tech culture to retreat into funda­men­talism. . . . Shunn gets a lot of good satirical digs in, and a contemporary dilemma is penetratingly illuminated.” —Nick Gevers, Locus Magazine

    But space has its own perils, and soon David and his crew are fighting not just for the colonists' lives, but for their own survival.A novella originally published in the June 2006 edition of Analog Science Fiction and Fact, America's longest-running science fiction magazine, Puncher's Chance is an exciting and cautionary tale about the dangers—and necessities—of travelling to other worlds, and how extreme circumstances make cooperation possible between even the bitterest of adversaries.

    Discerning fans around the world have followed "Toxie's" adventures through four films, an animated feature, a Saturday-morning cartoon series, comic books, action figures, and more. His name has been used by everyone from the Environmental Protection Agency to the U.S. Army to PETA; he appears in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade; and his creator, Lloyd Kaufman, is claimed as an influence by directors like Peter Jackson and Quentin Tarantino. Now Kaufman has set aside his video camera and unleashed his twisted brilliance on the artistic form of Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Faulkner, and Mitch Albom. And to put it simply, Kaufman has blown those jokers out of the water. Readers who dare to crack the spine of this book will experience the gamut of human emotion (and then some): laughter, tears, and perhaps even vomiting and spontaneous ejaculation. With more girl-on-girl action than an episode of Springer, more blood-soaked bad taste than an After School Special, and with special "guest narrators" such as J. D. Salinger and Oliver Stone, The Toxic Avenger oozes hilarity on every page.

    From up and coming writer Rick Remender and artist Carlos Rafael, along with series cover artist Dave Dorman, with special cover artist Talent Caldwell, joined by inker extraordinaire Batt and colorist Dean (Punisher) White.

    Her story of coming-of-age in a harsh and unyielding environment became a fan-favorite book around the world.The entire critically-acclaimed Little White Mouse series is collected into a 448 page Omnibus Edition, including a new 4 page framing story prequel by series creator PAUL SIZER, and artistic contributions from artistic legends GEOF DARROW (Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot, Shaolin Cowboy), DAVE JOHNSON (100 Bullets), LADRONN (Hip Flask), CHRIS SPROUSE (Tom Strong), JEFF MOY AND W.C. CARANI (Legion of Super Heroes), MARK CRILLEY (Akiko, Miki Falls), MARK PAULIK (Chumba webcomic), MATT FEAZELL (Cynicalman), KARL ALTSTAETTER (Deity), JANE IRWIN (Vogelein, Clockwork Game), PAM BLISS (Paradise Valley Comics), JASON HOWARD (Trees, Wolfman, Super Dinosaur) and many others, this is the definitive collection for long-time fans and first time readers. Little White Mouse is rated YOUTH (7 and up) and is recommended for ALL AGES.

    First an amusement park and museum, then a celestial motif for the whole town. Con artists and embezzlers, tourists and kooks, all get caught up in the frenzy, some hoping to make a quick buck, others seeking a spiritual message from beyond the stars. Ride along on this irreverent adventure that reveals Colorado mountain culture at its most outrageous, and where just about everybdy shares in the madness of money, murder, and mayhem.

    The late Frankie Thomas, who died just as this book was going to press, thrilled a generation of future fans and writers as Tom Corbett, Space Cadet, in the early days of television. L.A. Con IV, the 2006 World Science Fiction Convention, selected Frankie as its Special Guest, and this book of stories about space cadets, each and every one of them inspired by Frankies acts of derring-do on the small black-and-white screens of the very early 1950s, is the conventions and Fandoms tribute to him.In these pages youll find stories by L.A. Con IVs Writer Guest of Honor Connie Willis, plus Mercedes Lackey, Harry Turtledove, Kevin J. Anderson, David Brin, Larry Niven, Mike Resnick, Gregory Benford & Elizabeth Malartre, Kristine Kathryn Rusch & Dean Wesley Smith, Josepha Sherman, Todias Buckell, Craig Miller, Ralph Roberts, Kay Kenyon, Catherine Asaro, Stephen Leigh, Nick DiChario, Michael Burstein, Barry Malzberg, Brad Sinor, John DeChancie, and the book concludes with a novella by David Gerrold. Before he died, Frankie wrote down some of his experiences as a young actor portraying Tom Corbett, and they are included here as well.The cover art is by L.A. Con IVs Artist Guest of Honor James Gurney.Contents:Introduction by Mike Resnick --Foreword: Tom and me by Frankie Thomas --Need to know by Mercedes Lackey --First flight by Nancy Kress --Harry, Larry, Barry & Frankie by Mike Resnick --The academy of humanity by Nick DiChario --D.A. by Connie Willis --Log entry by Kevin J. Anderson --Echoes of pride by Catherine Asaro --Monkey girl by Josepha Sherman --Someone is stealing the great throne rooms of the galaxy by Harry Turtledove --Logistics by Ralph Roberts --Tall enough for Navy by Kay Kenyon --They also serve by Stephen Leigh --Riders of the hidden trail by Dean Wesley Smith & Kristine Kathryn Rusch --The gorgon's head by Elizabeth Malartre & Gregory Benford --Redemption in the quantum foam by Michael A. Burstein --These, the inheritors by Barry N. Malzberg --Washed out by Craig Miller --Boomer by John DeChancie --A proper farewell by Bradley H. Sinor --Eloquent elepents pine away for the moon's crystal forests by David Brin --The silver streak by Tobias S. Buckell --Cadet Amelia by Larry Niven --Turtledome by David Gerrold.

    Nintendo's Official Player's Guide will help you explore the deepest secrets of FINAL FANTASY V Advance and see the Light Warriors through their journey. Detailed breakdown of all 26 jobs! Complete walkthrough with maps! Strategies for every boss battle! GBA-exclusive dungeons revealed! Complete strategy for FINAL FANTASY V Advance for Game Boy Advance!

    So a secret weapon was created to preserve the status quo-the Morphodite. A bioengineered and laboratory-raised super assassin, the Morphodite was designed to scent out and destroy subversive conspiracies. A unique being, it can change its sex, identity, and even its genetic code as a defense. But its creators did not foresee that this untraceable, powerful assassin would morph into a true revolutionary hero-that would turn against the police state that created it.

    The Borealis is slowly falling apart as the Protectorate funnels its massive resources into the border wars and keeping the outlaying systems in line, as insurrections break out. Shadows and Light by Stephanie Burkhart Although used as a controlled -- and controlling -- substance in the Borealis prisons, Uudon is a powerfully addictive drug. Abuse runts rampant, and the violence that has been directly linked to Uudon use is staggering. Nowhere is this more true than on Borealis, where the poor and forgotten will do nearly anything for this drug that will take away the sharp edge of their pain and supposedly make life a little easier to live... until they need their next fix. If they can't get it, their hazed world turns into hell... and depending on their degree of addition -- death may follow. Over the years, the Rebellion has successfully infiltrated every level of the TPP and has slowly been chipping away at their power from their very foundations. Elijah Kess has been aboard Borealis for nearly half a cycle, working as a lieutenant on the Enforcer squad, and gathering information. B So, when he starts suspecting someone is poking around about the Uudon trade on the ship, he has no idea that person has been sent by the Rebellion and his own family. Elijah and Persephone are both strong willed people, and both think they know the best way to handle things... as they trip over each other at every turn, they have to decide to either work together -- or shoot each other -- whichever comes first. Liberty's Flight by Esther Mitchell B Libby ended up on the Borealis after her attempt to escape her brutal and domineering husband was thwarted by a freighter captain with ice-blue eyes and a dangerous energy. Desperate to find something better for her young daughter, Nala, she thought she was doing the right thing. Now, she's stuck in hell. She works as a bar wench in one of the many bars on the station, but if she can't find another way to live, she may have to give in to the demands of Jake "Skins" Ruby and join his working girls. When Sam, the mysterious freighter captain from her past, rescues her from a bar brawl and offers to help rescue her daughter from her ex-husband's plots to use the girl to his own ends, Libby finds the 'something better' she always wanted. Purpose. Now, the three of them just need to get off the Borealis alive. Bleu Lies by Shea McMaster Commander Kal Raines began questioning the wisdom and guidance of the TPP when they exiled him to the Borealis. But, he's loyal if nothing else. Since then, he's questioned every choice he's made in the name of the TPP. Summer Merriweather has worked for the Rebellion under many names and in many situations, and now she's on Borealis. When Summer crosses his path, she brings even more choices into question and Kal sees his loyalties have been thrown to the feet of swine. When he realizes he has the chance to help in the ultimate overthrow of the TPP… he stands and the precipice and must either step back or jump. Step back, and let the Rebellion die… Jump… and join Summer in an ongoing, stealthy battle to strengthen the rebellion and perhaps someday overthrow the TPP.

    ...or your own?

    MalzbergThe Candidate • (2006) • short fictionHenry James, This One's for You • (2005) • short storyDate with Destiny • (1991) • noveletteWindows • (2004) • short storyCombinations • (1986) • short fictionNothing Ever Happens in Rock City • (2001) • short storyThe Mission • (2004) • short storyMelville on Iapetus • (1983) • short storyThe Far Shore • (1982) • short storyIn the Tower • (1987) • noveletteWhistle • (1989) • short storyValkyrie • (1991) • short storyAct of God • (2004) • short storyIgnition • (2005) • short storyLighthouse • (2006) • short story with Michael SharaCollaboration For "Lighthouse", With Michael Shara • (2006) • essay with Michael SharaThe Big Downtown • (2005) • novellaWhere Do You Get Those Crazy Ideas? • (1999) • essayInfinity Beach • essayWhy We Should All Be Reading Science Fiction • essayBlundering Through • essayA Golden Dozen: Twelve Stories To Demonstrate to Reluctant Seniors What They're Missing • (2000) • essayScience Fiction: An Eye on Tomorrow • (2003) • essayInterview, conducted by Thomas Harbach for PHANTASTISCH 2004 • (2005) • interview of • interview with Thomas HarbachCelebrating Jack McDevitt • (2003) • essay by Michael BishopBibliography • essay by uncredited

    proudly presents their all-new Galactica series, Making its debut with this special #0 issue featuring an original story - with a "dynamite cliffhanger" ending - that leads into the ongoing series! Pak is an exclusive writer for Marvel Comics, but has carved out this series for D.E. and he's turning out a comic that fans both new and old are going to love. And we're so sure they're going to love it, that this introductory issue is available for just one thin quarter! And what would this issue be without a red-hot Photo cover featuring the beautiful Cylon, "Number Six!" PLUS: A Special preview of Brett Matthews and John Cassaday's Lone Ranger comic book series from D.E.! Featuring an art cover by Steve (Civil War) McNiven, shipped in a 50/50 ratio with the photo cover version. Future covers by Michael Turner, Billy Tan, and other high-profile artists to be announced!

    The Art and Science of Stanislaw Lem provides an inter-disciplinary analysis of his influence on Western culture and the creative partnering of art and science in his fiction and futorology by American and European scholars who have defined Lem scholarship. Rather than analyzing Lem solely as a science fiction writer, the contributors examine the larger themes in his work, such as social engineering and human violence, agency and consciousness, Freudianism and the creative process, evolution and the philosophy of the future, virtual reality and epistemological illusion, and science fiction and socio-cultural policy. This unique collection also includes "Smart Robots," a previously unpublished essay by Lem. Contributors include Peter Butko (Southern Mississippi), Istvan Csicsery-Ronay Jr (DePauw), Katherine Hayles (California at Los Angeles), Jerzy Jarzebski (Jagiellonian, University Cracow), Michael Kandel (Modern Language Association), Stanislaw Lem, Paisley Livingston (Lingnan University, Hong Kong), Krzysztof Loska (Jagiellonian University), and Peter Swirski (Hong Kong).

    

    Part of the 'Early Bird Earth Science' series, this book provides the reader with a thorough explanation of what minerals are, how minerals make rocks, how to describe and study minerals, and how people use minerals in their everyday lives.

    SIMAK VOLUME 2 by Clifford D. Simak, edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne, iIntroduction by Barry N. Malzberg. Seattle, WA; Darkside Press; 2006. 1st edition hardcover. Voted a Grand Master Award by SFWA, Clifford D. Simak was also honored with the Life Achievement Award from HWA and won numerous other awards during his distinguished career. While his novels have seen numerous reprints, a comprehensive collection of his short fiction has never been offered before. This is the second of a projected twelve-volume series which will at long last gather all of the short fiction of Clifford D. Simak into book form. Physician to the Universe provides the same delightful blend of old favorites and rare, previously unreprinted pieces that made Eternity Lost such a hit with fans. Noted author Barry N. Malzberg has provided the introduction. Included in this volume are: New Folks' Home, Small Deer, The Birch Clump Cylinder, Gunsmoke Interlude, Shadow Show, Crying Jag, Mutiny on Mercury, Worrywart, Infiltration, The Reformation of Hangman's Gulch, Horrible Example, Physician to the Universe; Story Notes

    Their problems arise when it transpires that the planet Earth has disappeared...

    Humanity has spread to the stars, but the far-flung Arc Systems chafe under the tight control of the Exarchs, post-humans whose domination of ftl technology gives them unsurpassed power. On the asteroid colony Bedlam, the Exarchate is represented by Isaac Forge Deangelis, whose takeover effectively left Deputy Councelor Melilah Awad without a job. Now she forages the huge habitat’s abandoned core, while working openly to undermine Deangelis’ rule.Though cognitively and technologically superior, the Exarchate has not yet chosen to supplant the Cells – VOIDships whose function is to sweep navigational hazards from the trade routes between systems. But when one such Cell docks at Bedlam, bringing with it a mysterious alien artifact, all hell breaks loose. Geodesica, as the find becomes known, promises rapid transfer between systems, which could give humans the advantage they need to bring down the Exarchate.Now a handful of allies – including Cell pilot Palmer Eogan, who is no longer quite human, and Melilah Awad, the woman he’d loved 150 years ago – are about to risk everything to unlock the secrets of Geodesica. And what they find will be far more dangerous than anyone – human or post-human – could imagine.Includes Ascent and Descent.

    Beam Piper (1904-64), an engineer turned science fiction writer. Little Fuzzy and Graveyard of Dreams belong to his famous "Terrian Federation" series. Time Crime belongs to Piper's tales of various agents of the "Paratime Police" as they work to prevent tyranny and war across the timelines. Genesis and Operation RSVP show the author's mind at work outside the confines of either series. One of the year's greatest reading bargains.

    "Boldly Go Where No One Has Gone Before"· Complete campaign walkthroughs spanning three generations of legendary Starfleet captains.· Maps for all campaign, skirmish, and multiplayer missions.· Strategies for commanding a fleet of starships.· Tactics for all classes of starships.· Complete stats for all Federation, Klingon, Romulan, and Borg warships

    Several of the stories appeared in small press magazines, such as An Elemental Tale and Dancer for the World's Death, so will have been read by few, while one of them - The Silver Paladin - is in print for the first time.

    Shesshie Kosmoto makes the first daring move of her life when she answers his ad for a nanny, leaving the orphanage where she was raised to travel to a distant star system. Set in the far reaches of space, Mercenary Heart is the tale of a war weary man and an adventure deprived woman. It's a riotous ride to a pleasure planet. It's the journey of a man searching for peace in a universe filled with conflict, a woman striving to define her own worth, and a group of friends whose bonds of love are stronger than even they realized

    The story takes place on the same world as in the books Midworld and Mid-Flinx, but otherwise has no direct connection to the series. The story was published in the anthology "Forbidden Planets", edited by Martin Kaye.

    Selected from those published in 2005.

    From the fleets of the Dilgar to the very latest from the Interstellar Alliance, this is a veritable catalogue of ships from all the races of the galaxy, complete with descriptions and game statistics, all updated for the second edition rules.

    On the surface, her rescuers find their resources stretched to the limit by the pitiless and unpredictable conditions of a totally alien environment. The Lion of Comarre presents the far-flung future where one city of extraordinary means was built on Earth--Comarre--and it is rumored to still exist. None but a few know of its location. A young man with great prospects and no worries goes on a hunt for the fabled city, and what he finds is something mankind has only dreamed of.

    Taking the part of close advisors to President Santiago, they will experience the full horror of his assassination first hand as they attempt to halt the inevitable. Described as The West Wing meets Babylon 5, The Final Flight of Santiago is not to be missed!

    Justin Ackeman learns that the end of the world is the beginning of a new one for him as he sets off on a path of self-discovery. Able to shape reality with the power of his mind, he learns that there are always terrible consequences for unbridled power.

    The second in Mongoose Publishing's series of crucial vessel plans for the Babylon 5 roleplaying game, this one focuses on the Narn's G'Quan battle cruiser.

    

    This volume explores this theme, combining landmark stories from science fiction's golden age with new stories:Give Me Liberty - (2003) - Martin H. Greenberg and Mark TierVisions of Liberty - (2004) - Martin H. Greenberg and Mark Tier...And Then There Were None - (1951) - Eric Frank RussellCommittee of the Whole - (1965) - Frank HerbertGadget vs. Trend - (1962) - Christopher AnvilHistorical Note - (1951) - Murray LeinsterMonument - (1961) - Lloyd Biggle, Jr.Second Game - (1958) - Katherine MacLean and Charles V. De VetThe Ungoverned - (1985) - Vernor VingeThe Weapon Shop - (1942) - A. E. van Vogt

    For eons the Shadows and Vorlons have fought each other across the universe. With the younger races as their tools and pawns, entire races and civilizations have risen, fallen and disappeared from history as the age-old rivalry of these ancient and powerful beings plays out. Now, in Babylon 5: Darkness and Light their histories, technologies, motivations, and secrets are exposed in unparalleled depth.

    Translated from the Swedish by Johannes Göransson. "If Vicente Huidobro met Georges Bataille on a Waste Management(R) truck, the result might be something akin to Johan Jonson's COLLOBERT ORBITAL, the new manifesto of 'the waste-disposal-working-class.' At times soaring across 'aerospatiality, ' at others existentially grounded in 'an overheated world factory' of 'all work, all healthcare, all logistics, ' Jonson's linguistic propulsions and dynamic formal innovations challenge 'a victorious bourgeois poetry order' to, once again, rearticulate verse experimentation to the politics and poetics of working a day job."--Mark Novak

    Now, for the first time in any game system, Traveller players can explore this rich setting. GURPS Traveller: Interstellar Wars covers the 200 years of war and change as the ancient Vilani empire falls to the upstart Terrans. This is an official GURPS Fourth Edition sourcebook for the Traveller universe. It includes a detailed timeline, along with rules for starship design, interstellar trade, exploration, ship-to-ship combat, and tailoring characters to the last days of the First Imperium. * Traveller is the classic science fiction roleplaying universe, and GURPS Fourth Edition is the perfect system for it. * Live through the history! This book allows fans to explore a key era in the development of the Traveller universe, never before explored. * The Traveller universe is adaptable to many styles of play - the potential campaigns are virtually unlimited.

    In the wake of the 2004 Presidential election the citizens of America take matters into their own hands, and secession becomes reality. In this volume of fiction, you will find tales that address the question: what if the blue states left the republic? What if the greatest country in the world split-up? What would this mean for the rest of the world? How would the parts of the former USA fair in a new world where theyʼre no longer the single superpower? What would this startling future hold? Read stories by Paul Di Filippo, Robert Lopresti, Tara Kolden, Douglas Lain, Carole McDonnell, Gene Stewart, C.J. Henderson, Cody Goodfellow, Edward J. McFadden III, David Bartell, J. Stern, Patrick Thomas, Ruth Nestvold & Jay Lake, K.M. Praschak, Michael Jasper, Erin Fitzgerald, Paul G. Tremblay, Darby Harn, and Seth Lindberg. Join these authors as they let their frustrations seethe, and discover the new world order

    Whites are discriminated against, relegated to shantytowns and allowed to do only menial labor under segregation laws that are beginning to amount to little more than slavery. As conditions grow worse, white volunteers are worked to death in mine pits and the tar sands, where conditions are so brutal that serving as test subjects on alien planets begins to sound better than anything on earth, no matter what the danger.