Here is a society as complex and troubled as any on our world, peopled with unforgettable characters struggling to become fully human. For the disgraced revolutionary Abberkam, the callow "space brat" Solly, the haughty soldier Teyeo, and the Ekumen historian and Hainish exile Havzhiva, freedom and duty both begin in the heart, and success as well as failure has its costs.CONTENT Betrayals Forgiveness Day A Man of the People A Woman's Liberation Notes on Werel and YeoweIn this stunning collection of four intimately interconnected novellas, Ursula K. Le Guin returns to the great themes that have made her one of America's most honored and respected authors.

    This great work is set on a huge generation starship in the same future as the classic Book of the New Sun (also available in two volumes from Orb).Gene Wolfe's Book of the Long Sun tetralogy ranks as one of the greatest literary achievements of 20th-century science fiction. Litany of the Long Sun, comprising the first two books in the series, is suffused with looming transcendence and theophany. Wolfe takes familiar speculative fiction tropes and embeds them in a tale so complex and wonderful that readers may find themselves wondering whether what they're reading is science fiction, fantasy, or something different altogether. Or whether it matters.The story of Patera Silk, a devout priest whose destiny is wrapped up with the gods he serves, takes place within the Whorl, a vast, cylindrical starship that has traveled for generations and is crumbling into disrepair. Through a strange and amazing series of events, Silk finds himself descending to base thievery, running afoul of a notorious crime lord, befriending a cyborg soldier, and encountering at least one of the gods of Mainframe.But when Silk encounters the Outsider, who may be a God of a very different sort, all his beliefs are shaken to the core, and his life swiftly takes a messianic turn. In a rousing climax, Silk becomes the reluctant leader of a political rebellion against the corrupt Ayuntamiento, who rule the city-state of Viron.It is not necessary to have read Wolfe's Book of the New Sun series, which takes place many centuries earlier, to enjoy the Long Sun novels, but keen-eyed readers will find many clues as to the origin of the Whorl and its gods in those stories. Further, although Wolfe's reputation for literary precision and trickery is well deserved, the Long Sun series (which continues in Epiphany of the Long Sun) is one of the more accessible places to start appreciating the author's treasures. --Therese Littleton

    Skandranon Rashkae is perhaps the finest specimen of his race, with gleaming ebony feathers, majestic wingspan, keen magesight and sharp intelligence. Courageous, bold, and crafty, Skan is everything a gryphon should be. He is the fulfillment of everything that the Mage of Silence, the human sorcerer called Urtho, intended to achieve when he created these magical beings to be his champions, the defenders of his realm--a verdant plain long coveted by the evil mage Maar.Now Maar is once again advancing on Urtho's Keep, this time with a huge force spearheaded by magical constructs of his own--cruel birds of prey ready to perform any evil their creator may demand of them. And when one of Urtho's Seers wakes from a horrifying vision in which she sees a devastating magical weapon being placed in the hands of Maar's common soldiers, Skandrannon is sent to spy across enemy lines, cloaked in the protective of Urtho's powerful Spell of Silence.

    30 color photos.ContentsThe Creation of Water • (1994) • short storyTwilight in the Cupboard • (1994) • short storyAmok Harvest • (1994) • short storyTheory of Tension • (1994) • short storyBack to Nature • (1994) • short storyInternal Inspection • (1994) • short storyMetropolis II • (1994) • short storyIn the Oligocenskie Gardens • (1994) • short storyEurope • (1994) • short storyFever • (1994) • short storyAttack at Dawn • (1994) • short story; interior artwork is a variant of the cover artSusan • (1993) • short storyBetween Heaven and Hell • (1994) • short storyShed of Rebellion • (1994) • short storyTo Each His Own • (1994) • short storyEruption • (1993) • short storyThe Inquisition • (1994) • short storyBeneath the Dunes • (1994) • short storyThe Silence • (1994) • short storyDarkness Falls on the River • (1994) • short storyParadise • (1994) • short storyExpress Delivery • (1994) • short storyThe Agitators • (1994) • short storyTruancy at the Pond • (1994) • short storyAmmonite • (1994) • short storyBase • (1994) • short storyForaging in the Field • (1994) • short storyTraffic Prohibited • (1994) • short storyAfternoon with the Bros. Grimm • (1994) • short storyThe Cosmic Barnyard • (1994) • short storyUnder the Landscape • (1994) • short storyEllison Wonderland • (1994) • short storyPlease Don't Slam the Door • (1994) • short storyAfterthoughts • (1994) • essay

    The first edition was nominated for a World Fantasy Award. This second edition, available for the first time in paperback, includes 300 new entries. When the first edition was published, Science Fiction Age said: "Lexicon Urthus makes a perfect gift for any fan of [Wolfe's] work, and from the way his words sell, it appears that there are many deserving readers out there waiting." Gary K. Wolfe, in Locus, said: "A convenient and well researched glossary of names and terms. . . . It provides enough of a gloss on the novels that it almost evokes Wolfe's distant future all by itself. . . . It can provide both a useful reference and a good deal of fun." Donald Keller said, in the New York Review of Science Fiction: "A fruitful product of obsession, this is a thorough . . . dictionary of the Urth Cycle. . . . Andre-Driussi's research has been exhaustive, and he has discovered many fascinating things . . . [it is] head-spinning to confront a myriad of small and large details, some merely interesting, others jawdropping."

    Now in the first volume of the series sequel, she continues the same storyline, returning readers to a war-torn Valdemar in preparation to confront an ancient Eastern Empire--ruled by a monarch whose magical tactics by be beyond any sorcery known to the western kingdoms.

    The beauty and peril of technology and the passion and penalties of conviction merge in narratives that are by turns dark, satiric, and introspective. Among these bold storylines: a seemingly humanized monster from John Carpenter’s The Thing reveals the true villains in an Antarctic showdown; an artificial intelligence shields a biologically enhanced prodigy from her overwhelmed parents; a deep-sea diver discovers her true nature lies not within the confines of her mission but in the depths of her psyche; a court psychologist analyzes a psychotic graduate student who has learned to reprogram reality itself; and a father tries to hold his broken family together in the wake of an ongoing assault by sentient rainstorms. Gorgeously saturnine and exceptionally powerful, these collected fictions are both intensely thought-provoking and impossible to forget.Contents"The Things""The Island" "The Second Coming of Jasmine Fitzgerald""A Word for Heathens""Home""The Eyes of God" "Flesh Made Word""Nimbus""Mayfly" (with Derryl Murphy) "Ambassador""Hillcrest vs. Velikovsky""Repeating the Past""A Niche""Outtro: En Route to Dystopia with the Angry Optimist"

    But for the isolated community of Bridelow, his removal is a sinister sign—a danger to the ancient spiritual tradition. In the weeks approaching the Celtic feast of the dead, tragedy strikes again and again in Bridelow. And, as zealots challenge an older, gentler faith, the village faces a natural disaster unknown since the reign of Henry VII.

    It not only won both the Hugo and Nebula, but also the HOMer award and the SF Chronicle Poll and was a nominee for the Locus Award and the Sturgeon Award. It was also nominated for a number of international awards, winning the Ignotus and the Universitat Polytechnica Awards in Spain, the Prix Ozone Award in France and the Futura Award in Croatia.In the far future, eons after the demise of Humanity and its far-flung galactic empire, a group of alien archeologists visits Earth to uncover the secret of the dead race’s initial overwhelming success and its ultimate death.Digging through layers of archeological strata at Olduvai Gorge, they discover seven unique artifacts, each related to a different era of humanity’s history and each telling a unique story about humankind’s strengths and weaknesses. But are they prepared for their final discovery, which will change their worlds forever?

    Robotech -- the saga continues! In three separate novels -- "Battlehymn," "Force of Arms" and "Doomsday" -- collected in one volume for the first time, readers can follow the struggles and triumphs of the Robotech Defense Force, led by the brilliant but unorthodox Captain Gloval, as they fight against the alien Zentraedi, then fight alongside their former enemies for mutual assured survival!From the Paperback edition.

    Tolkien's mythical world of Middle-earth. Redrawn by artist John Howe from the original map created by Christopher Tolkien, it is beautifully decorated with scenes from The Lord of the Rings.

    Collected for the first time in one volume, you'll find GENESIS, BATTLE CRY, and HOMECOMING--three electrifying futuristic adventures that let loose the Robotech Defense Force against the most fearsome conquerers in the universe.From the Paperback edition.

    Bryan Cholfin

    Contents:•Wayfinder's Story • [Book of Lost Swords] • (1992) • novel by Fred Saberhagen •Shieldbreaker's Story • [Book of Lost Swords] • (1994) • novel by Fred Saberhagen

    Contents:•The Fourth Book of Lost Swords: Farslayer's Story • (1989) • novel by Fred Saberhagen •The Fifth Book of Lost Swords: Coinspinner's Story • (1989) • novel by Fred Saberhagen •The Sixth Book of Lost Swords: Mindsword's Story • (1990) • novel by Fred Saberhagen

    Hartwell 43 • Nine Lives • (1969) • novelette by Ursula K. Le Guin 61 • Light of Other Days • [Slow Glass] • (1966) • shortstory by Bob Shaw 68 • Rappaccini's Daughter • (1844) • novelette by Nathaniel Hawthorne 86 • The Star • (1955) • shortstory by Arthur C. Clarke 91 • Proof • (1942) • shortstory by Hal Clement 103 • "It's Great to Be Back!" • [Future History] • (1947) • shortstory by Robert A. Heinlein 116 • Procreation • (1983) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe 122 • Mimsy Were the Borogoves • (1943) • novelette by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore [as by Lewis Padgett ] 144 • Davey Jones' Ambassador • (1935) • novelette by Raymond Z. Gallun 166 • The Life and Times of Multivac • (1975) • shortstory by Isaac Asimov 174 • The Singing Diamond • (1979) • shortstory by Robert L. Forward 180 • Down & Out on Ellfive Prime • (1979) • novelette by Dean Ing 196 • Send Me a Kiss by Wire • (1985) • shortstory by Hilbert Schenck 208 • The Xi Effect • (1950) • shortstory by R. S. Richardson [as by Philip Latham ] 222 • A Descent into the Maelstrom • (1841) • shortstory by Edgar Allan Poe (aka A Descent into the Maelström) 233 • Exposures • (1981) • shortstory by Gregory Benford 243 • The Planners • (1968) • shortstory by Kate Wilhelm 254 • Beep • (1954) • novelette by James Blish 278 • Drode's Equations • (1981) • novelette by Richard Grant 288 • The Weather Man • (1962) • novella by Theodore L. Thomas 313 • Transit of Earth • (1971) • shortstory by Arthur C. Clarke 323 • Prima Belladonna • [Vermilion Sands] • (1956) • shortstory by J. G. Ballard 333 • To Bring in the Steel • (1978) • novelette by Donald Kingsbury 360 • Gomez • (1954) • novelette by C. M. Kornbluth 377 • Waterclap • (1970) • novelette by Isaac Asimov 398 • Weyr Search • [Dragonriders of Pern] • (1967) • novella by Anne McCaffrey 434 • Message Found in a Copy of Flatland • (1983) • shortstory by Rudy Rucker 442 • The Cold Equations • (1954) • novelette by Tom Godwin 459 • The Land Ironclads • (1903) • novelette by H. G. Wells 474 • The Hole Man • (1974) • shortstory by Larry Niven 484 • Atomic Power • (1934) • shortstory by John W. Campbell, Jr. [as by Don A. Stuart ] 494 • Stop Evolution in Its Tracks! • (1988) • shortstory by John Sladek 499 • The Hungry Guinea Pig • (1930) • shortstory by Miles J. Breuer, M.D. 514 • The Very Slow Time Machine • (1978) • novelette by Ian Watson 528 • The Beautiful and the Sublime • (1986) • novelette by Bruce Sterling 547 • "The Author of the Acacia Seeds" and Other Extracts from the Journal of the Association of Therolinguistics • (1974) • shortstory by Ursula K. Le Guin (aka The Author of the Acacia Seeds and Other Extracts from the Journal of the Association of Therolinguistics) 553 • Heat of Fusion • (1984) • shortstory by John M. Ford 564 • Dolphin's Way • (1964) • shortstory by Gordon R. Dickson 576 • All the Hues of Hell • (1987) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe 585 • Occam's Scalpel • (1971) • novelette by Theodore Sturgeon 600 • giANTS • (1979) • shortstory by Edward Bryant 612 • Time Fuze • (1954) • shortstory by Randall Garrett 616 • Desertion • [City] • (1944) • shortstory by Clifford D. Simak 627 • Kyrie • (1968) • shortstory by Poul Anderson 635 • The Person from Porlock • (1947) • shortstory by Raymond F. Jones 651 • Day Million • (1966) • shortstory by Frederik Pohl 656 • The Cage of Sand • (1962) • novelette by J. G. Ballard 672 • The Psychologist Who Wouldn't Do Awful Things to Rats • (1976) • novelette by James Tiptree, Jr. 689 • In the Year 2889 • (1889) • shortstory by Jules Verne (aka La Journée d'un journaliste américain en 2890 1891 ) 700 • Surface Tension • [Pantropy] • (1952) • novelette by James Blish 724 • No, No, Not Rogov! • [The Instrumentality of Mankind] • (1959) • shortstory by Cordwainer Smith 737 • In a Petri Dish Upstairs • (1978) • novelette by George Turner 758 • With the Night Mail • (1905) • novelette by Rudyard Kipling 788 • The Longest Science-Fiction Story Ever Told • (1966) • shortstory by Arthur C. Clarke 790 • The Pi Man • (1959) • shortstory by Alfred Bester 803 • Relativistic Effects • (1982) • novelette by Gregory Benford 818 • Making Light • (1981) • shortstory by James P. Hogan 826 • The Last Question • (1956) • shortstory by Isaac Asimov 835 • The Indefatigable Frog • (1953) • shortstory by Philip K. Dick 843 • Chromatic Aberration • (1984) • novelette by John M. Ford 864 • The Snowball Effect • (1952) • shortstory by Katherine MacLean 873 • The Morphology of the Kirkham Wreck • (1978) • novelette by Hilbert Schenck 892 • Tangents • (1986) • shortstory by Greg Bear 904 • Johnny Mnemonic • (1981) • shortstory by William Gibson 917 • What Continues, What Fails . . . • (1991) • novelette by David Brin 937 • Mammy Morgan Played the Organ, Her Daddy Beat the Drum • (1990) • novella by Michael F. Flynn 967 • Bookworm, Run! • (1966) • novelette by Vernor Vinge 989 • Appendix: Another Path Through the Book (The Ascent of Wonder: The Evolution of Hard SF) • (1994) • essay by Kathryn Cramer

    Ackerman and Jean Stine. Featuring classic stories by: Ray Bradbury, H.P. Lovecraft, Arthur C. Clarke, Philip K. Dick, Roger Zelazny, H.G. Wells, John W. Campbell Jr., Robert Sheckley, George Langelaan, John Varley, Philip Francis Nowlan, Harry Bates, Raymond F. Jones, Ib Melchior, Ray Faraday Nelson, and Barry Longyear.

    To start with, in a newly Christianized Ireland, monks do battle with a devilish monster that has killed a river. All the water in this collection, from rivers to lakes, conceal dangers that men and women would best avoid. Ready to tempt Ireland’s new conquerors — humankind— supernatural forces hide beneath waves, in bogs, in the very land, waiting. With his usual inventiveness, Michael Scott juxtaposes the old and the new, the ancient and modern, showing that in everyday situations, the curses of Ireland’s mythic past lie imp–like, threatening destruction.

    

    by E.W. StoryFlowering Mandrake by George TurnerBlue Venom by Rosaleen LoveThe Caress by Greg EganThe Miocene Arrow by Sean McMullenThe Soap Bubble by Sean WilliamsLand's End by Leanne FrahmMnemonic Plague by Bill DoddsRain From the New God by Simon BrownThe Listener by Yvonne RousseauThe Magi by Damien BroderickThe Last Lion in Africa is Dead by Geoffrey MaloneyThrough the Waters That Bind by Shane DixKay & Phil by Lucy SussexJubilee by Wynne WhitefordThe Quiet Redemption of Andy the House by Terry DowlingMPR Crusoe by Frank BryningMy Sister, Cristeta, Who is Magic by Paul VoermansKill Me Once by Sue IsleDesired Dragons by Stephen DedmanThe Flick Went That-Away by Paul CollinsMoon Watcher Breaks the Bones by Chris SimmonsHousekeeping by Amos T. FairchildWelcome to the World by Edith SpeersThe Man Who Snatched Marilyn's Body by Kurt von TrojanCrowd Control by Ian McAuley HailsAt Rain's Grey Remembering by Dirk StrasserSoul Horizon by Carole NomarhasCrash Jordan in the Art World of Drongo by Jeff Harris

    Here are eleven of her finest stories, surprising tales in which the impossible becomes real, the real becomes impossible, and strangeness lurks at every turn.The end of the world comes not with a bang but a series of whimpers over many years in "The Last of the Winnebagos."The terror of pain and dying gives birth to a startling truth about the nature of the stars, a principle known as the "Schwarzschild Radius."In "Spice Pogrom," an outrageous colony in outer space becomes the setting for a screwball comedy of bizarre complications, mistaken identities, far-too-friendly aliens--and even true love.The last of the Winnebagos --Even the queen --Schwarzschild radius --Ado --Spice pogrom --Winter's tale --Chance --In the late Cretaceous --Time out --Jack --At the Rialto