Best of
Speculative-Fiction

2009

Shades of Grey


Jasper Fforde - 2009
    In a society where the ability to see the higher end of the color spectrum denotes a better social standing, Eddie Russet belongs to the low-level House of Red and can see his own color—but no other. The sky, the grass, and everything in between are all just shades of grey, and must be colorized by artificial means. Eddie's world wasn't always like this. There's evidence of a never-discussed disaster and now, many years later, technology is poor, news sporadic, the notion of change abhorrent, and nighttime is terrifying: no one can see in the dark. Everyone abides by a bizarre regime of rules and regulations, a system of merits and demerits, where punishment can result in permanent expulsion. Eddie, who works for the Color Control Agency, might well have lived out his rose-tinted life without a hitch. But that changes when he becomes smitten with Jane, a Grey, which is low-caste in this color-centric world. She shows Eddie that all is not well with the world he thinks is just and good. Together, they engage in dangerous revolutionary talk.

Title Fight


Scott Sigler - 2009
    Lethal human contender Chiyal “The Heretic” North wants to be the greatest fighter of all time, but to get that title he has to take it from aging intergalactic heavyweight champion Korak the Cutter. Korak, undefeated in the ring and the hero of his Quyth race, knows the time has come to hang it up, but he also knows his legacy will be forever tarnished if he doesn’t take this one last fight.With millions of dollars at stake, Chiyal and Korak have to handle sponsors, high-tech corner crews, managers with agendas of their own, and evade the influence of gangster and fight-fixer Gredok the Split-Head.In this winner-take-all tale, Wallace and Sigler deliver blows so severe you’ll need a standing eight-count between every episode. The bell will ring, the blood will fly, but only one fighter can leave with the galactic heavyweight belt.

The Definitive H.P. Lovecraft


H.P. Lovecraft - 2009
    Lovecraft's best works central to his 'Cthulhu mythos.' Although Lovecraft's (1890-1937) readership was limited during his life, his reputation has grown over the decades, and he is now regarded as one of the most influential horror writers of the 20th century. This book is DRM free and includes at active table of contents for easy navigation.• The Nameless City• The Festival• The Colour out of Space• The Call of Cthulhu• The Dunwich Horror• The Whisperer in Darkness• Dreams in the Witch-house• The Haunter of the Dark• The Shadow over Innsmouth• The Shadow out of Time• At the Mountain of Madness• The Case of Charles Dexter Ward• Azathoth• Beyond the Wall of Sleep• Celephais• Cool Air• Dagon• Dream House• Ex Oblivione• Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and His Family• From Beyond• He• Herbert West: Reanimator• Hypnos• Imprisoned with the Pharaohs• In the Vault• Medusa's Coil• Memory• Nyarlathotep• Pickman's Model• Poetry of the Gods• The Alchemist• The Beast in the Cave• The Book• The Cats of Ulthar• The Crawling Chaos• The Descendant• The Doom That Came to Sarnath• The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath• The Evil Clergyman• The Horror at Martin's Beach• The Horror at Red Hook• The Hound• The Lurking Fear• The Moon Bog• The Music of Erich Zann• The Other Gods• The Outsider• The Picture in the House• The Quest of Iranon• The Rats in the Walls• The Shunned House• The Silver Key• The Statement of Randolph Carter• The Strange High House in the Mist• The Street• The Temple• The Terrible Old Man• The Thing on the Doorstep• The Tomb• The Transition of Juan Romero• The Tree• The Unnamable• The White Ship• Through the Gates of the Silver Key• What the Moon Brings• Polaris• The Very Old Folk• DarknessThis unexpurgated edition contains the complete text with errors and omissions corrected.

Three Worlds Collide


Eliezer Yudkowsky - 2009
    It grew, as such things do, into a small novella. On publication, it proved widely popular and widely criticized. Be warned that the story, as it wrote itself, ended up containing some profanity and PG-13 content.

Tunneling to the Center of the Earth: Stories


Kevin Wilson - 2009
    "Grand Stand-In" is narrated by an employee of a Nuclear Family Supplemental Provider—a company that supplies "stand-ins" for families with deceased, ill, or just plain mean grandparents. And in "Blowing Up On the Spot," a young woman works sorting tiles at a Scrabble factory after her parents have spontaneously combusted.Southern gothic at its best, laced with humor and pathos, these wonderfully inventive stories explore the relationship between loss and death and the many ways we try to cope with both.

Everything Matters!


Ron Currie Jr. - 2009
    Alone in this knowledge, he comes of age in rural Maine grappling with the question: Does anything I do matter? While the voice that has accompanied him since conception appraises his choices, Junior's loved ones emerge with parallel stories-his anxious mother; his brother, a cocaine addict turned pro-baseball phenomenon; his exalted father, whose own mortality summons Junior's best and worst instincts; and Amy, the love of Junior's life and a North Star to his journey through romance and heartbreak, drug-addled despair, and superheroic feats that could save humanity. While our recognizable world is transformed into a bizarre nation at endgame, where government agents conspire in subterranean bunkers, preparing citizens for emigration from a doomed planet, Junior's final triumph confounds all expectation, building to an astonishing and deeply moving resolution. Ron Currie, Jr., gets to the heart of character, and the voices who narrate this uniquely American tour de force leave an indelible, exhilarating impression.

Store of the Worlds: The Stories of Robert Sheckley


Robert Sheckley - 2009
    Today, as the new worlds, alternate universes, and synthetic pleasures Sheckley foretold become our reality, his vision begins to look less absurdist and more prophetic. This retrospective selection, chosen by Jonathan Lethem and Alex Abramovich, brings together the best of Sheckley’s deadpan farces, proving once again that he belongs beside such mordant critics of contemporary mores as Bruce Jay Friedman, Terry Southern, and Thomas Pynchon.

The Best of Gene Wolfe: A Definitive Retrospective of His Finest Short Fiction


Gene Wolfe - 2009
    Gene Wolfe, of whom The Washington Post said, “Of all SF writers currently active none is held in higher esteem,” has selected the short fiction he considers his finest into one volume.  There are many award winners and many that have been selected for various Year’s Best anthologies among the thirty-one stories, which include: “Petting Zoo,” “The Tree Is My Hat,” “The Island of Dr. Death and Other Stories,” “The Hero as Werewolf,” “Seven American Nights,” “The Fifth Head of Cerberus,” “The Detective of Dreams,” and “A Cabin on the Coast.” Gene Wolfe has produced possibly the finest and most significant body of short fiction in the SF and fantasy field in the last fifty years, and is certainly among the greatest living writers to emerge from the genres.  This is the first retrospective collection of his entire career.  It is for the ages.Contents11 • The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories • [Archipelago] • (1970) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe23 • Afterword (The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories) • essay by Gene Wolfe25 • The Toy Theater • (1971) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe30 • Afterword (The Toy Theater) • essay by Gene Wolfe31 • The Fifth Head of Cerberus • (1972) • novella by Gene Wolfe76 • Afterword (The Fifth Head of Cerberus) • essay by Gene Wolfe78 • Beech Hill • (1972) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe83 • Afterword (Beech Hill) • essay by Gene Wolfe84 • The Recording • (1972) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe86 • Afterword (The Recording) • essay by Gene Wolfe88 • Hour of Trust • (1973) • novelette by Gene Wolfe112 • Afterword (Hour of Trust) • essay by Gene Wolfe114 • The Death of Dr. Island • [Archipelago] • (1973) • novella by Gene Wolfe158 • Afterword (The Death of Dr. Island) • essay by Gene Wolfe159 • La Befana • (1973) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe162 • Afterword (La Befana) • essay by Gene Wolfe163 • Forlesen • (1974) • novelette by Gene Wolfe201 • Afterword (Forlesen) • essay by Gene Wolfe202 • Westwind • (1973) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe208 • Afterword (Westwind) • essay by Gene Wolfe209 • The Hero as Werwolf • (1975) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe221 • Afterword (The Hero as Werwolf) • essay by Gene Wolfe222 • The Marvelous Brass Chessplaying Automaton • (1977) • novelette by Gene Wolfe236 • Afterword (The Marvelous Brass Chessplaying Automaton) • essay by Gene Wolfe237 • Straw • (1975) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe243 • Afterword (Straw) • essay by Gene Wolfe244 • The Eyeflash Miracles • (1976) • novella by Gene Wolfe291 • Afterword (The Eyeflash Miracles) • essay by Gene Wolfe292 • Seven American Nights • (1978) • novella by Gene Wolfe331 • Afterword (Seven American Nights) • essay by Gene Wolfe333 • The Detective of Dreams • (1980) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe346 • Afterword (The Detective of Dreams) • essay by Gene Wolfe347 • Kevin Malone • (1980) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe355 • Afterword (Kevin Malone) • essay by Gene Wolfe356 • The God and His Man • (1980) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe360 • Afterword (The God and His Man) • essay by Gene Wolfe361 • On the Train • [Redwood Coast Roamer] • (1983) • shortfiction by Gene Wolfe362 • Afterword (On the Train) • essay by Gene Wolfe363 • From the Desk of Gilmer C. Merton • (1983) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe367 • Afterword (From the Desk of Gilmer C. Merton) • essay by Gene Wolfe368 • Death of the Island Doctor • [Archipelago] • (1983) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe372 • Afterword (Death of the Island Doctor) • essay by Gene Wolfe373 • Redbeard • (1984) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe377 • Afterword (Redbeard) • essay by Gene Wolfe379 • The Boy Who Hooked the Sun • (1985) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe381 • Afterword (The Boy Who Hooked the Sun) • essay by Gene Wolfe382 • Parkroads—A Review • (1987) • shortfiction by Gene Wolfe384 • Afterword (Parkroads—A Review) • essay by Gene Wolfe385 • Game in the Pope's Head • (1988) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe390 • Afterword (Game in the Pope's Head) • essay by Gene Wolfe391 • And When They Appear • (1993) • novelette by Gene Wolfe408 • Afterword (And When They Appear) • essay by Gene Wolfe409 • Bed and Breakfast • (1996) • shortfiction by Gene Wolfe (variant of Bed & Breakfast)426 • Afterword (Bed and Breakfast) • essay by Gene Wolfe427 • Petting Zoo • (1997) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe431 • Afterword (Petting Zoo) • essay by Gene Wolfe433 • The Tree Is My Hat • (1999) • novelette by Gene Wolfe452 • Afterword (The Tree Is My Hat) • essay by Gene Wolfe454 • Has Anybody Seen Junie Moon? • (1999) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe464 • Afterword (Has Anybody Seen Junie Moon?) • essay by Gene Wolfe466 • A Cabin on the Coast • (1984) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe475 • Afterword (A Cabin on the Coast) • essay by Gene Wolfe

Seeker's Bane


P.C. Hodgell - 2009
    But when she is placed in the Women's Halls and expected to become a normal, quiet Kencyr lady, normal and quiet are not what the Women's Halls are going to get. Shadow Guild Assassins, ghosts, and other strange beings are soon after her, sprung not only from her own adventurous past but from the tragic, mysterious events that nearly annihilated her family in her father's time."To Ride a Rathorn: "Jame's adventures continue as she arrives at the randon military college Tentir to face cut-throat competition and find even more buried, poisonous family secrets. The Kencyr have a phrase, "to ride a rathorn," referring to a task too dangerous either to accomplish or to give up. This is true for Jame both figuratively, given her military career in a college which no Highborn girl has ever attended before, and literally, in that she is being stalked by one of these murderous, ivory-clad creatures whose mother she killed and who is now after her blood. All in all, Jame's school days are shaping up to be anything but golden.

Island of Fog


Keith Robinson - 2009
    Atmospheric and mysterious, ISLAND OF FOG is the story of eight children living in a dismal, perpetually foggy community on an island just off the north east coast of America.Increasing curiosity leads these 12-year-olds to question what lies "Out There" beyond the fog. Is the world really as dead as their parents insist? Are they truly the last surviving humans on the planet? Or are the children the subject of a dark scientific experiment?When the friends begin to experience frightening physical changes, they realize that their parents are keeping secrets. And when a stranger arrives on the island, it seems clear that the world beyond the fog can't be as dead as they've been led to believe. Convinced of a conspiracy, the children resolve to find out the truth once and for all... and discover a secret far greater than they could have imagined.

Purple and Black


K.J. Parker - 2009
    Hardly surprising, then, that Nico should want to fill the major offices of state with the only people he knew he could trust, his oldest and closest friends.But there's danger on the northern frontier, and Nico daren't send a regular general up there with an army, for fear of a military coup. He turns to his best friend Phormio, who reluctantly takes the job.Military dispatches, written in the purple ink reserved exclusively for official business, are a miserable way for friends to keep in touch, at a time when they need each other most. But there's space in the document-tube for another sheet of paper.Cover illustration by Vincent Chong

Seasons of War


Daniel Abraham - 2009
    Otah, Khai of the Winter City of Machi, has tried for years to prepare his people for a future in which the andat can no longer be safely harnessed. But his warnings have been ignored, and now it's too late. A ruthless, charismatic Galtic general believes he has found a way to strip the andat of their power. If he is wrong, Galt will be destroyed. If he is right, the Khaiem will fall. Only one thing is certain: conflict is inevitable, and Otah and his old friend and enemy the disgraced poet, Maati, must fight a desperate battle to protect their cities from slaughter. These two men, bound together by shadow and betrayal, will bring the world to the edge of a cataclysm unlike anything either side had imagined. For if the cost of war is high, the price of peace may be unimaginable ...

The Island


Peter Watts - 2009
    

Conversations with Octavia Butler


Octavia E. Butler - 2009
    Winner of both the Nebula and Hugo Awards as well as a MacArthur "genius" grant, the first for a science fiction writer, Butler created worlds that challenged notions of race, sex, gender, and humanity. Whether in the postapocalyptic future of the Parable stories, in the human inability to assimilate change and difference in the Xenogenesis books, or in the destructive sense of superiority in the Patternist series, Butler held up a mirror, reflecting what is beautiful, corrupt, worthwhile, and damning about the world we inhabit. In interviews ranging from 1980 until just before her sudden death in 2006, "Conversations with Octavia Butler" reveals a writer very much aware of herself as the "rare bird" of science fiction even as she shows frustration with the constant question,"How does it feel to be the only one?" Whether discussing humanity's biological imperatives or the difference between science fiction and fantasy or the plight of the working poor in America, Butler emerges in these interviews as funny, intelligent, complicated, and intensely original.

A Star Curiously Singing


Kerry Nietz - 2009
    He is property, bought and paid for in an Earth under sharia law. All faiths but one have been banned. And the rule of the great Imam is supreme. As a debugger, Sandfly has an implant in his head that connects him to the world's technology-and doles out mental shocks to keep him obedient. All he wants is to fix bots and avoid shocks Now he's been called into Earth orbit. The masters have a new spacecraft-one capable of interstellar flight. On its maiden voyage, the only robot on board went mad and tore itself apart. Why? Better question: does it pose any risk to humans? When Sandfly reviews the bot's final moments, he perceives something unexpected. Something impossible. As Sandfly pieces together the clues, a trap spreads beneath his feet. If he solves the mystery, he may doom himself. And if he fixes the robot, he may shatter his world. Suspenseful, unique, and awash in cyberpunk jive, A Star Curiously Singing presents a bleak future that might be closer than we think.

The Warble


Victoria Simcox - 2009
    Simply put, her school life is miserable. But things are about to change when Kristina receives an unusual Christmas gift; she suddenly finds herself mysteriously transported to the land of Bernovem, home of dwarfs, gnomes, fairies, talking animals and the evil Queen Sentiz.In Bernovem, Kristina not only fits in, she’s honored as “the chosen one” the only one who can release the land from Queen Sentiz’s control. But it’s not as simple as it seems. To save Bernovem, she must place the gift she was given, the famous “Warble,” in its resting place. To accomplish this, she must travel through the deep forest, climb a treacherous mountain, and risk capture by the queen’s “zelbocks” before she reaches her destination. Guided by her new fairy friends, Clover and Looper and by Prince Werrien, a teenage boy, as well as an assortment of other characters, Kristina sets off on a perilous journey that not only tests her strength but her heart.

Circle Series Visual Edition: Black, Red, and White Graphic Novels


Ted Dekker - 2009
    Two worlds. One Story. Now in a stunning, four color visual edition. Nothing is as it seems when dreams and reality collide. Black - A virulent evil has been unleashed upon the people of the earth. The only man who can stop it is Thomas Hunter, an unlikely hero whose life is stretched between two worlds. Red - In one world, Thomas Hunter is a battle-scarred general commanding an army of primitive warriors. In the other, he's racing to outwit sadistic terrorists intent on creating global chaos.

The Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction: Sixtieth Anniversary Anthology


Gordon Van GelderM. Rickert - 2009
    This retrospective volume includes "All Summer in a Day,” Ray Bradbury’s lasting tale of what happened on one special day; "Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes, describing what happened to Charlie Gordon when he was made into a genius; "Harrison Bergeron," Kurt Vonnegut’s absurdist cautionary tale of mandatory equality; and "The Electric Ant" by Philip K. Dick, concerning what Garson Poole learned after the accident that hospitalized him. This remarkable collection also features some of the most highly acclaimed, award-winning authors, including Neil Gaiman, Harlan Ellison, Shirley Jackson, Peter S. Beagle, Karen Joy Fowler, Ursula K. Le Guin, Theodore Sturgeon, and Roger Zelazny. Hand-picked by the magazine’s current editor, this is an unmatched assemblage of appealing, first-rate fiction.ContentsIntroduction by Gordon Van Gelder"Of Time and Third Avenue" by Alfred Bester"All Summer in a Day" by Ray Bradbury"One Ordinary Day, with Peanuts" by Shirley Jackson"A Touch of Strange" by Theodore Sturgeon"Eastward ho!" by William Tenn"Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes"Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut"This Moment of the Storm" by Roger Zelazny"The Electric Ant" by Philip K. Dick"The Deathbird" by Harlan Ellison"The Women Men Don't See" by James Tiptree, Jr."I See You" by Damon Knight"The Gunslinger" by Stephen King"The Dark" by Karen Joy Fowler"Buffalo" by John Kessel"Solitude" by Ursula K. Le Guin"Mother Grasshopper" by Michael Swanwick"macs" by Terry Bisson"Creation" by Jeffrey Ford"Other People" by Neil Gaiman"Two Hearts" by Peter S. Beagle"Journey into the Kingdom" by M. Rickert"The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate" by Ted Chiang

Songs of the Dying Earth: Stories in Honour of Jack Vance


George R.R. MartinMike Resnick - 2009
    Martin and Gardner Dozois, with the full cooperation of Jack Vance, his family, and his agents, suggest a Jack Vance tribute anthology called Songs of the Dying Earth, to encourage the best of today's fantasy writers to return to the unique and evocative milieu of The Dying Earth, from which they and so many others have drawn so much inspiration, to create their own brand-new adventures in the world of Jack Vance s greatest novel.Half a century ago, Jack Vance created the world of the Dying Earth, and fantasy has never been the same. Now, for the first time ever, Jack has agreed to open this bizarre and darkly beautiful world to other fantasists, to play in as their very own. To say that other fantasy writers are excited by this prospect is a gross understatement; one has told us that he'd crawl through broken glass for the chance to write for the anthology, another that he'd gladly give up his right arm for the privilege that's the kind of regard in which Jack Vance and The Dying Earth are held by generations of his peers.

Tales of the Red Panda: The Crime Cabal


Gregg Taylor - 2009
    But when they join with the murderous might of some of the masked man's deadliest foes, can even the Red Panda match the strength of... The Crime Cabal? Written in the breathless style of the classic "Hero Pulps" of the 1930s and 40s, Tales of the Red Panda: The Crime Cabal presents the masked protectors of Depression-Era Toronto in a pulse pounding conflict with gangsters, racketeers, corrupt officials and power-mad supervillains. The heroes from "The Red Panda Adventures"; a popular full-cast audio drama podcast in the style of the adventure programs of radio's golden age here make the leap into pulp prose in spectacular style. This story is a self-contained adventure; you needn't have heard a single episode of Decoder Ring Theatre's long-running audio drama series to enjoy the thrills, mystery and adventure... but fans of the series will take special delight, as the story fits neatly within the series continuity. If you love classic adventure stories, mystery men, pulp fiction and golden age superheroics, you won't want to miss Tales of the Red Panda: The Crime Cabal!

Homestuck, Act 1: The Note Desolation Plays


Andrew Hussie - 2009
    

Writers Workshop of Horror


Michael Knost - 2009
    It includes solid advice, from professionals of every publishing level, on how to improve one's writing skills. The volume edited by Michael Knost includes contributions by a dream-team of nationally known authors and storytellers, many Bram Stoker Award winners. Contributors to this work include#58; Clive Barker, Joe R. Lansdale, F. Paul Wilson, Ramsey Campbell, Thomas F. Monteleone, Deborah LeBlanc, Gary A. Braunbeck, Brian Keene, Elizabeth Massie, Tom Piccirilli, Jonathan Maberry, Tim Waggoner, Mort Castle, G. Cameron Fuller, Rick Hautala, Scott Nicholson, Michael A. Arnzen, J.F. Gonzalez, Michael Laimo, Lucy A. Snyder, Jeff Strand, Lisa Morton, Jack Haringa, Gary Frank, Jason Sizemore, Robert N. Lee, Tim Deal, Brian Yount, Brian J. Hatcher, and others. Here is what certain industry publications have already said about this exceptional project#58; "A veritable treasure trove of information for aspiring writers--straight from the mouths of today's top horror scribes!" --Rue Morgue Magazine. "Packing more knowledge and sound advice than four years' worth of college courses . . . It's focused on the root of your evil, the writing itself." --Fangoria Magazine.

Complete Works of Homer


Homer - 2009
    The Illiad and The Odyssey

Marque and Reprisal, Part 1


Elizabeth Moon - 2009
    Now the lessons she learned in that trial by fire are about to pay off - because this time, the war has come to her. Someone has launched a full-throttle offensive against Vatta Transport Ltd., Ky's father's interstellar shipping empire. In short order, most of Ky's family is killed, and subsequent attacks sever vital lines of communication, leaving Ky fighting, in every sense, to survive. Ky is determined to identify the ruthless mystery enemy and avenge her family's name, but she needs not only firepower but information. And she gets both in spadesfrom the band of stranded mercenaries she hooks up with; from her black-sheep cousin, Stella, who has been leading a secret life; and from Stella's roguish ex-lover, Rafe. Together they struggle to penetrate the tangled web of political intrigue that is wreaking havoc within InterStellar Communications, on whose effective operation their own livelihoodsand perhaps livesdepend. But the infighting proves to be infectious, and it isn't long before Ky's hired military muscle are turning their suspicions on the enigmatic Rafe, whose wealth of knowledge about ISC's clashing factions and startling new technologies has begun to make him smell like a rat...or a mole. With swift, violent destruction a very real possibility, the last thing Ky needs is a crew divided against itselfand she's prepared to take whatever measures are necessary to ensure that Vatta stays in business, as well as in one piece. What she is not prepared for is the shocking truth behind the terrorand a confrontation with murderous treachery from a source as unexpected as it is unrelenting.

Kelland


Paul G. Bens Jr. - 2009
    Or perhaps it begins later, with a devoutly Catholic child with the voice of an angel who is troubled by visions both sacred and profane. Or perhaps later still, with a couple drifting apart following a tragedy. Kelland appears to them all in the guise of a small boy, a lover, a priest...Kelland is an enigma, a puzzle, and an almost imperceptible presence. Kelland is violence, sorrow, and joy. Kelland is the common thread tying five disparate strangers together.

Archelon Ranch


Garrett Cook - 2009
    Je suis un homme... In an overgrown, primeval, jungle-city state, Bernard is a test subject for science experiments. His father and Professor Sagramour have been injecting him with hallucinogenic mud and reality affirming drugs so that one day man will be immune to the insanity inducing, zombifying sentient green mud that is choking the suburbs. But Bernard is beginning to display side effects. Experiencing greater and greater levels of Objectivity cause his consciousness to become one with entities as diverse as pterosaurs and martinis. In the mind of the tyrannosaurus he hears the call of Archelon Ranch, a primal paradise like no other. Will Bernard's unique talents be enough to get him out of the senseless prehistoric cyberpunk city or will dinosaurs, Sagramour's Standardizers and the desire to lose himself in other entities be too much?

Returning My Sister's Face and Other Far Eastern Tales of Whimsy and Malice


Eugie Foster - 2009
    In these dozen stories of adventure and magic from the Orient, a maiden encounters an "oni" demon in the forest, a bride discovers her mother-in-law is a fox woman, a samurai must appease his sister's angry ghost, strange luck is found in a jade locket, and dark and light are two sides of harmony.A striking debut collection from Eugie Foster.

Being of the Field


Traci Harding - 2009
    She believes there is an ocean of microscopic vibrations connecting everything in the universe to every other universe - an inter-dimensional field theory.Unbeknownst to Taren, her research and hidden psychic talents are the reason she is called on by the prestigious AMIE space project to investigate an ocean planet and its strange light phenomena.However, there are conflicting agendas within the organisation and she is the only one who begins to suspect that foul play might be afoot ...

American Fantastic Tales


Peter Straub - 2009
     I. Terror and the Uncanny From Poe to the Pulps 768 pp. II. Terror and the Uncanny From the 1940s to Now 744 pp. Featuring: Charles Brockden Brown, Washington Irving, Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Robert W. Chambers, Kate Chopin, Lafcadio Hearn, F. Marion Crawford, Ambrose Bierce, Henry James, Edith Wharton, Ellen Glasgow, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Robert E. Howard, H. P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, Robert Bloch, John Collier, Tennessee Williams, John Cheever, Jack Finney, Shirley Jackson, Paul Bowles, Ray Bradbury, Charles Beaumont, Vladimir Nabokov, Harlan Ellison, Richard Matheson, Isaac Bashevis Singer, John Crowley, Joyce Carol Oates, Stephen King, Michael Chabon, Steven Millhauser, Brian Evenson, Kelly Link, and dozens more. "An encompassing and essential voyage to the dark side of the moon of American literature and a stupendous, spellbinding reading experience waiting to be had." - Jonathan Lethem

Objects of Worship


Claude Lalumière - 2009
    Capricious gods rule a world of women. Zombies breed human cattle. The son of a superhero must decide between his heritage and his religion. Young lovers worship a primordial spider god. The apocalyptic rebirth of the god of the elephants . . .

Selections from Fragile Things, Volume 6


Neil Gaiman - 2009
    . . . In a Hugo Award�winning story, a great detective must solve a most unsettling royal murder in a strangely altered Victorian England. . . . Two teenage boys crash a party and meet the girls of their dreams�and nightmares. . . . These marvelous creations and more showcase the unparalleled invention and storytelling brilliance�as well as the terrifyingly dark and entertaining sense of humor�of the incomparable Neil Gaiman. By turns delightful, disturbing, and diverting, Fragile Things is a gift of literary enchantment from one of the most original writers of our time.

EVER


Blake Butler - 2009
    Within the psychic architecture that is EVER, Blake Butler explores the way bodies swell and contract, going from skin to house and back again. And the way houses too shrink to fit us first like clothing and then like skin and then tighter still. The result is a strange, visionary ontological dismemberment that takes you well beyond what you'd ever expect--Brian Evenson. Blake Butler is a daring invigorator of the literary sentence, and the room-ridden narrator of his debut novella, EVER, nerves her way into a hallucinative ruckus of rousing originality--Gary Lutz. In EVER--as in, indicating any time in the past or future--light is entropic; 'the sky could lift your skin off'; domestic rituals are anamorphotic mind fucks granting 'no exit method'; and doors won't open even when you don't try...--Miranda Mellis.

The Hole in the Sky


Barbara A. Mahler - 2009
    When an unusual visitor appears and transports them to a land ensnared in a terrible curse - a curse that only Kaela can break - her mother's words become all too real.

Fugue State


Brian Evenson - 2009
    From sadistic bosses with secret fears to a woman trapped in a mime’s imaginary box, and from a post-apocalyptic misidentified Messiah to unwitting portraitists of the dead, the mind-bending world of this modern-day Edgar Allan Poe exposes the horror contained within our daily lives.

The Death of Arthur


Jason Loborik - 2009
    Uther ignores Gaius' warning, that the creature's bite is always fatal, and sends Arthur and his knights out to kill it. The beast knocks Arthur unconscious and bites his shoulder. As Arthur's life hangs in the balance, Merlin must travel to the Isle of the Blessed and there strike a potentially fatal bargain with the sorceress, Nimueh. The young warlock is the only one who can save Arthur - but at what cost?

Eyes Like Sky and Coal and Moonlight


Cat Rambo - 2009
    EYES LIKE SKY AND COAL AND MOONLIGHT brings together twenty stories from the extraordinary talent of fantasy author Cat Rambo. Here are tales from seaport city of Tabat, both before and after the sorcerous wars that destroyed the Old Continent. Here are alchemical explanations for failed blind dates. Here you'll find a dryad, the last great elephant, and an uneasy blur of humanity. Cat Rambo doesn't simply amaze and delight, she restores wonder to her readers with every page. You won't simply believe that pigs can fly, you'll question why you ever doubted the premise at all.Contents:Eight Letters of Wonder • essay by Michael LivingstonHer Eyes Like Sky, and Coal, and MoonlightThe AccordionI'll Gnaw Your Bones, the Manticore SaidHeart in a BoxIn the Lesser Southern IslesUp the ChimneyThe Silent FamiliarEvents at Fort PlentitudeThe Dew Drop Coffee LoungeNarrative of a Beast's LifeEagle-Haunted Lake SammammishSugarA Key Decides Its DestinyThe Towering Monarch of His Mighty RaceIn Order to ConserveRare Pears and GreengagesA Twine of FlameThe Dead Girl's Wedding MarchWorm WithinMagnificent Pigs

The Worth of a Shell


M.C.A. Hogarth - 2009
    Twice in our lives we may change from one to another. A change we accept with grace... or resignation. It was our way. ...until one female defied all tradition: Dlane Ashoi-anadi, revolutionary, intentionally childless, runaway. This is not her story. This is mine. I am Thenet Reña-eperu, female-guardian, voice of orthodoxy... and Dlane's first and dearest companion. This is the tale of how we changed each other... and how that changed everything.

Farscape, Vol. 1: The Beginning of the End of the Beginning


Rockne S. O'Bannon - 2009
    Featuring the first issues of the 'Farscape' comic series, this collection includes a bevy of bonus material for both hardcore 'Scapers and new fans alike.

Bone Shop


T.A. Pratt - 2009
    Pratt published by Bantam Spectra from 2007-2009, including Blood Engines, Poison Sleep, Dead Reign, and Spell Games. Bone Shop explores Marla's early days in the city of Felport and her rise to power. Originally serialized online from June-October 2009, available as an e-book for the first time.

Rotten Little Animals


Kevin Shamel - 2009
    Intelligence is a universal disease, but never fear... Rotten Little Animals just may be the cure we've been praying for." - Cody Goodfellow, author of Radiant Dawn and Silent Weapons For Quiet Wars. "Looney Tunes amped up on cocaine, sex and soft, silky fur and feathers. Shamel's debut is wildly entertaining and destined to become an instant bizarro classic." - Gina Ranalli "This book has three of my favorites things: Kittens, Zombies, and Snuff Films." - Jeff Burk "It begins as a zombie film, transforms into a deranged puppet show, and ends with a car chase. If you ever wondered what a Pixar exploitation film would be like, you need Rotten Little Animals." - Cameron Pierce "Written with the humor of Adult Swim, but with enough psychological profundity to matter. Shamel is a bright motherfucker!" - Forrest Armstrong Animals are people too! And that is messed up. So they have independent cinema. See what happens when an animal film crew kidnap a human boy and make a movie of the abduction. Read things about Nature that just aren't natural. Fear your pets from this day forward. With zombie-cat attacks, gun-blasting massacres, drugged-out puppet shows, exploding car chases, camera-chickens, bat acrobats, wild sex, martini parties and torture-ROTTEN LITTLE ANIMALS is a crazy ride through the underground animal film scene and on to the Big Time.

Mama Fish


Rio Youers - 2009
    When Patrick's curiosity about Kelvin leads him into a bizarre and tragic series of events, Patrick gets much more than he bargained for.

Asleep


Wendy Raven McNair - 2009
    Micah's odd emotionless behavior, rigid posture, and vacant eyes are mysteries sending mixed messages to Adisa. When a flash of lightning sends a tree crashing down on her, Adisa is shocked to see Micah actually flying to her rescue!In an instant, Adisa is in his arms, looking up at the sky over his shoulder as they fly parallel to the ground. Micah shifts, shielding her completely with his body. As the tree explodes against Micah's back, Adisa feels him shudder with the impact and the air fills with wood chips and sawdust. Miraculously, they aren't smashed into the ground. They safely continue flying.Micah finally begins to open up to Adisa about his secret life as a super being and she discovers another shocking secret… Micah burns for her--literally as well as figuratively.ASLEEP is a superhero teen love story set in modern day Atlanta that's filled with humor, mystery, romance, and suspense.

Lifelode


Jo Walton - 2009
    Campbell Award for Best New Writer and the World Fantasy award. From the introduction by Sharyn November: "Lifelode is what one might call domestic fantasy, set in a quiet farming community—but it's also about politics, God and religion, sexual mores, the make-up of a family, and how people change over time. There is magic, humor, and lots of good food."

Doug Bradley's Spinechillers, Vol. 1


Doug Bradley - 2009
    Lovecraft 29:41 The Open Window (1914) - Saki 9:13 The Beast With Five Fingers (1919) - William Harvey 59:30

The Song and the Sorceress


Kim Vandervort - 2009
    Vandervort imbues each of the novel's scenes with a fine sense of historical detail, from costumes to courtly behavoir, even as she builds a plausible world of magic...Vandervort's dynamic characters, surprising story turns, and unabashed romance will leave readers eager to follow the continued adventures of this sword-wielding princess." The Song and the Sorceress, by Kim Vandervort, the first book in the series: Journey with nineteen-year-old Ki'leah Alrhiane Del'Sivahr, who flees an isolated life as High Princess of Si'vad to escape an arranged marriage and run away with the Palace Bard. When he fails to meet her, fate sweeps Ki'leah into an alliance with a band of men and women known as the Fey-Velahr. Despite her doubts and inadequacies, Ki'leah soon discovers that she is a useful accessory to the quest, a vital member-for she alone possesses information, carefully guarded within the lore of her royal ancestors, that could unlock the mystery....

Swords from the West


Harold Lamb - 2009
    Because lives and kingdoms often rested on the edge of a sword blade, it was a time when a bold heart and a steady hand would see you far—so long as you watched your back. Here, for the first time, are all seventeen of Harold Lamb’s uncollected crusader stories in one volume. Read now of the fall of kingdoms and the fate of doomed men, of desperate battles and brave comrades, of shrewd maids and scheming nobles. Join Nial O’Gordon, a young crusader riding deep into Asia to forget his past. Venture forth with Sir Robert of Antioch to cross blades with the Mongol hordes. Join King Richard the Lionhearted for his last battle. Stand firm beside Sir John and his Arab friend Khalil against a band of traitors. And sail out with Michael Bearn on a mission of vengeance, as he risks his life to bring down a sultan and his kingdom.

Scimitar Moon


Chris A. Jackson - 2009
    With that oath, their lord, Captain Bloodwind, would build a nation of pirates. He doesn't want much, after all... just everything. And what he cannot have, he will destroy. The only man to ever stand against him, the legendary seamage Orin Flaxal, paid that price. But his orphaned daughter, Cynthia, has plans of her own, and revenge is top on her list. She is no warrior, and thanks to Bloodwind's murder of her parents, she will never be a seamage. But she has one family trait that nobody can destroy: she can build ships, like her grandfather did. She will build ships that no corsair can match, and use them to starve the pirate nation to death. And with the help of a bedraggled seasprite, a crippled old sailor and a retired ship's cook, who could stand against her? But Bloodwind has spies and assassins in every port, and Cynthia's new ships would make fine additions to his pirate fleet. Meanwhile, Odea, goddess of the sea, has her own plans for Cynthia Flaxal. So when Cynthia's ships finally set sail, both Captain Bloodwind and Odea are ready.

Sweet Tomb


Trinie Dalton - 2009
    After a fire burns down her gingerbread house, she leaves the forest and ventures out to discover the world. Along the way she encounters a self-mutilating puppet, tastes meat for the first time, and falls in love with Death, a skeletal woman with a shoe fetish.

The Year of Silence


Kevin Brockmeier - 2009
    

Sword and Sorcery


Jacqueline Rayner - 2009
    Old secrets, long hidden, are stirring and the king is afraid for his only son. The black knight seems invincible and Merlin senses that only magic can stop him...

The Translated Man and Other Stories


Chris Braak - 2009
    Only a drug-addicted detective and a young man with a gift for mathematics have the means to solve an enigmatic murder--a murder that may be the key to saving Trowth from certain destruction.A new edition of this book is available! Sure, it's a dollar more, but it also includes three short stories--check out The Translated Man and Other Stories.

The Shadow Seer


Fran Jacobs - 2009
    When the king's grandson falls deathly ill, the Seer's legends are brought to light once again by Prince Candale's saviour, a witch named Mayrila. She not only believes Candale to be the the fulfillment of long-forgotten prophecies but the Shadow Seer himself...

Heroes in the Wind: From Kull to Conan


Robert E. Howard - 2009
    Howard's swashbuckling fantasy stories feature the adventures of the enigmatic Conan: a free barbarian from distant Cimmeria who ventures into the splendid kingdoms of the south to find his fortune in the lost eons of the Hyborian Age between the sinking of Kull's Atlantis and the dawn of history.

The Woman Who Thought She Was a Planet and Other Stories


Vandana Singh - 2009
    In the title story, a woman tells her husband of her curious discovery: that she is inhabited by small alien creatures. In another, a young girl making her way to college through the streets of Delhi comes across a mysterious tetrahedron. Is it a spaceship? Or a secret weapon?The first Indian female speculative fiction writer, Singh has said that her genre is a “chance to find ourselves part of a larger whole; to step out of the claustrophobia of the exclusively human and discover joy, terror, wonder, and meaning in the greater universe.” A revolutionary voice in fantasy writing, Singh brings her passion for discovery to these stories, and the result is like nothing of this world.Contents:Hunger (2007)Delhi (2004)The Woman Who Thought She Was a Planet (2003)Infinities (2008)Thirst (2004)Conservation Laws (2008)Three Tales from Sky River: Myths for a Starfaring Age (2004)The Tetrahedron (2005)The Wife (2003)The Room on the Roof (2002)A Speculative Manifesto (2008) essay

Fairy with a Gun: The Collected Terrorbelle


Patrick Thomas - 2009
    Those in the know will tell you the best offense is TERRORBELLE: FAIRY WITH A GUN. Praise for Terrorbelle:"There is nothing petite and sweet about Terrorbelle... this bad-ass faerie earns her name, with or without a gun! If you like your action with a twist of humor, check out the work of Patrick Thomas." - Danielle Ackley-McPhail, editor of the award-winning Bad-Ass Faeries"Sick Day" was one of my favorites; I give it a 5. With characters pulled from mythology, fairytales, and legends, each proved more interesting than the last. The plot was resourceful, the pace exhilarating, and the style of writing was entertaining." - Bloody Mary, Horror Web

Carnageland


David W. Barbee - 2009
    They want your planet, they want your money, and they won't stop until they have it all. Invader 898 is about to embark on his first assignment, but when he is sent to a backwoods planet on the far side of the universe, he's stranded with millions of fairy tale whores, pornographic fables, and magical hermaphrodites. Armed only with his Doomshooter and the strange singing trumpet betwixt his legs, 898 must complete his mission while resisting the temptations of the fantasy creatures. For an invader, victory means promotion and failure means the pink slip of death. Carnageland is a perverted odyssey of sci-fi and fantasy, shaken and stirred so that only one may emerge alive.

Tempting the Gods: The Selected Stories of Tanith Lee, Volume One


Tanith Lee - 2009
    A short story collection by the award-winning author of The Birthgrave and The Silver Metal Lover, the first installment of a two-volume series.

Mages


Katherine Gilraine - 2009
    Armed with little more than their powers, their wits, and their experience, they have to contain the threat - but nothing is as it seems. As they hit the ground, they find that they're left with more questions than answers, and a perilous procedure may either pay off with great possibilities or cost them everything. For Arriella, Shourron II, and Makkian, the battle is just getting started. Break time's over.

Long Juju Man


Nnedi Okorafor - 2009
    A ghost can run faster than me. No, Iwon’t run.’Ngoli has heard many stories about Long Juju Man from her grandfather. But she is not prepared for her first meeting with him in the forest, or for the strange friendship which follows.

Stargate Atlantis: Impressions


Scott K. Andrews - 2009
    I suppose you could say I'm trying to tell its story Plagued by blackouts, painting strange pictures in his sleep, Major Evan Lorne begins to fear that he's losing his mind. Has the stress of life in the Pegasus galaxy pushed him over the edge? Then, when Atlantis itself begins to behave strangely, the Major wonders if something else entirely is going on. But with his behaviour becoming increasingly erratic, who can he trust? And can the soldier convince his colleagues that the answer lies in his paintings?

Personal Effects: Sword of Blood


J.C. Hutchins - 2009
    When his cheerful elderly patient Gertrude “Spindle” Spindler completes her latest quilt and informs Zach that a 30-year-old "grand design of nine" has just concluded, Zach’s curiosity is piqued ... and he soon embarks on a quest to unwind the meaning of the woman's cryptic phrase.He isn't expecting a descent into a world filled with mystery and ruthless subcultures -- and he isn't expecting to be haunted by Spindle's coy clues. What is The Great Blade of Blood? What are The Charred? What is the grand design of nine? And who is the dark-skinned stranger stalking Zach at every turn, threatening his life?The answers may lie in Spindle's granddaughter, a willowy self-proclaimed psychic named Hen. But Zach soon discovers that Hen may be crazier than the patients he treats ... and the treasure he's pursuing may be more dangerous -- and deadly -- than he ever imagined.Personal Effects: Sword of Blood is a podcast-exclusive novella written by J.C. Hutchins, author of the 7th Son trilogy. It is a prequel to Hutchins' print novel debut, Personal Effects: Dark Art.

The Saint Perpetuus Club of Buenos Aires


Eric Stener Carlson - 2009
    300 copies.(Out of print)...from the publisher's website:Hidden away in the pages of an old copy of Lives of the Saints in a strange second-hand bookshop is a diary brimming with heresy and claims of supernatural powers. When civil servant Miguel Ibañez stumbles across it he at first believes it to be the ravings of a mad man. But what if it is true? What if the anonymous author has really learned the secrets of controlling time? Could Miguel acquire the same skills and thereby correct the incongruities in his own life? Trapped in a mediocre job at a forgotten Ministry, his marriage falling apart, Miguel desperately searches for more hidden entries. He is led on an increasingly frantic chase through the bookstores, abandoned buildings and dark subways of Buenos Aires. Miguel's obsession brings him to the doors of the Saint Perpetuus Club, a secret society that holds the key to the salamanca, the cave where the Devil grants all wishes . . . for a price. The deeper Miguel goes, the more he wonders whom he can trust. His wife, his friends, his old philosophy professor? Perhaps they are all members of the Club? Is Miguel willing to risk his life, even his immortal soul, to uncover the secrets of The Saint Perpetuus Club of Buenos Aires? The Saint Perpetuus Club of Buenos Aires is a sewn hardback novel of 233 pages with silk ribbon marker, head and tailbands, and d/w. Limited to 300 copies. ISBN 978-1-905784-16-5

Siggy and Amber


Doug MacLeod - 2009
    Siggy knows, because he's seen it. And now the mysterious, non-blonde Amber want to see it too.Should Siggy take Amber to Tallis Point? On the good side, he might end up with a girlfriend. On the bad side, he might explode. It's a tough decision.Funny, touching, and outrageous, Siggy and Amber is Doug MacLeod at his very best.

The Twain Shall Meet


J. Guevara - 2009
    Insight with bite.

The Swordsman


Mel Keegan - 2009
    On the canals and in the the forest's dark heart lurk unimaginable threats. The bo'zhe, the Lappai, barbarians from Saihabara and the unknowable forces of Nimmenwald Deep.At the crux of the vortex is Michael Sebastian d'Astaghir. Haughty, moody, tortured by the goblins of memory, Seb is in terrible jeopardy when old companion Luc Redmayne witnesses a streetfight. The "hired sword" comes to the citadel as Seb's bodyguard, and with the fresh eyes of a stranger, the shrewdness of a warrior and the help of a young gypsy shaman, Jack uncovers a hotbed of treasonous magic.When he, Seb, Luc and Janos Zaparasti unlock the secret of the Basilisk ring, they unleash the very forces they have feared, in this wholly original gay fantasy from long-time favorite Mel Keegan.

Atomic Robo, Vol. 3: Shadow From Beyond Time #1


Brian Clevinger - 2009
    Atomic Robo's dull night of studying for a physics exam is interrupted by a duo from Nikola Tesla's past with a dire message: the imminent doom of all life in the universe! Guest starring Charles Fort, Howard Philips Lovecraft, and the Tunguska Incident. This is steampunk science fiction at its finest!

Discovery


William Hayashi - 2009
    The Darkside Universe is a speculative world which tells the tale of what happens in the United Sates of America when the country discovers that African Americans have been secretly living on the backside of the moon since before Neil Armstrong arrived.The story combines politics, intrigue, science and romance into a compelling, character-driven tale that both men and women are praising. The action begins in a science lab at the University of Chicago and takes the reader through the power corridors of Washington, D.C., an all Black women's college in the Atlanta suburbs, outside Iraq's no-fly zone, and in a secret underground government installation in a remote region of Utah.The characters are varied and three-dimensional, the kinds of people readers have more than likely met in their own lives, who provide the action that drives a plot that's never been read before.

Potions and Poison


Jacqueline Rayner - 2009
    Somehow Merlin must help Gaius find a cure and save his friend. But before long Merlin is poisoned too! Prince Arthur sets off to find the antidote, but is he walking into a trap?

Slaves To The Empowered: Volumes Of Lagéyan Lore (Volume 1)


Jeremiah Cain - 2009
    It conveys the difficult decisions and sinister allies these people must make simply to survive. This epic fantasy introduces us to the world of Lageya, a world of illicit magick and warring cultures, where seven, self-proclaimed 'divine' kingdoms maintain rule by crushing all others. The empowered keep the Gellic Nation to fulfill certain services, thus these enslaved must obey when ordered to eliminate a malevolent cult in lands filled with wicked and sexual activities. But good and evil are not always as they seem, and when the light betrays you, a greater ally can be found in the dark. --Contains some adult language and situations.

Song Of Eidolons


Jessica McHugh - 2009
    She is well spoken, extremely well read, and highly ambitious for love, but it is not those qualities that make her so unique. It's not even because in twenty-two years of life, she has never set foot outside of her grandfather's house. What makes her so unique is the truth behind a mysterious secret that has made her the target of a clandestine Order called the Orisanima. As wondrous as it is heartbreaking, Song of Eidolons follows Delaney's journey of enlightenment as she struggles to peel back the layers of deceit to discover the amazing truth about her origins.

Unmasked II: More Erotic Tales of Gay Superheroes


Eric SummersStephen Osborne - 2009
    those hunky, horny superheroes from Unmasked: Erotic Tales of Gay Superheroes (2007), who fulfilled your every dream and desire with their magnificent strength, their super abilities, and their charming personalities. And, we've recruited a few more to our erotic justice league of sorts to save you from those equally sexy villains. In addition, the popular and hilarious Kosher Man returns and discovers two Hebrew heroes who come to his rescue in "Kosher Man Gets Porked" by Milton Stern. Just like the first edition, Unmasked II delivers with a punch, a swoon, a whoosh, and quite a few giggles, and the sex is darn right hot as well. This is the most fun you will have while reading erotica because what is more fun than sexy superheroes? UNMASKED II: MORE EROTIC TALES OF GAY SUPERHEROES features erotic fiction from Armand, Derrick Della Giorgia, Erastes, Evan Gilbert, Gerrard Jones, Jamie Freeman, Jay Starre, Kale Naylor, Logan Zachary, Milton Stern, Owen Keehnen, Rob Rosen, Ryan Field, Sedonia Guillone, Stephen Osborne,Stephen Osborne, Tom Cardamone, Troy Storm, and Wayne Mansfield

The Last Paladin 2: Courage and Faith


Vaughn R. Demont - 2009
    When a vampyr threatens his liege, though, Lennox is forced to take the next step in his training far sooner than expected. Can Lennox survive the ordeal armed with little more than courage and faith?

The Fall


J.M. Snyder - 2009
    Unfortunately, love is a forbidden emotion among angels, and their sin costs one of them his wings.This short but powerful story was first available for free from the author's website, then published by Ruthie's Club. It is available as a stand-alone e-book and appears in the author's collection, OTHER WORLDS THAN THESE.

Firemaggot


Barbara Hambly - 2009
    Dead rock ‘n’ roll stars, deserted palatial ranchos in Ventura County, Los Angeles in the mid-80s, and strange tiny monster-spawn that Joanna Sheraton’s cat drags home to the house she and Antryg Windrose have just bought in Tarzana… Antryg has to be doing something while he’s hiding out in LA.

The Fiction Writer: Get Published, Write Now


Nina Munteanu - 2009
    Packed with real examples and practical exercises, this Guide is written by someone who had to learn it all the hard way over many years and wants to give YOU a break. This is YOUR shortcut to getting published.

The Lords of Harbendane


Mel Keegan - 2009
    This is a season for sheer survival. Rogan Dahl and Tristan Carlin meet by chance and are caught up in the storm of events leading to the greatest battlefield of their time. Their meeting is the pivot-point around which the future revolves, for both Harbendane and their own lives, as they're enmeshed in an illicit love affair which could mean death.

The Dylan Dog Case Files


Tiziano Sclavi - 2009
    There's no such thing as the walking dead. Monsters are all in your imagination. We tell ourselves these things to make us feel safe at night, to give us strength against the unknown. But there are things in the dark that can hurt us. Just ask Dylan Dog, an ex-cop who now battles against evil as a "nightmare investigator", Dylan Dog is unlike any private eye you've ever met. If creatures from beyond the unknown are after you, and if you can hire him, he just might save your life.

A is for Alien


Caitlín R. Kiernan - 2009
    From the wastelands of Mars to the streets of a late 21st-century Manhattan, from the moons of Europa and Saturn to an iceless Antarctica, these tales bring an acclaimed author's trademark brand of the eco-gothic to bear on what it means to be human and the paths that may face mankind only a little farther along.

A Book of Endings


Deborah Biancotti - 2009
    Crawford Award.Locus Recommended Reading for 2009Honourable Mention, Best Horror of the Year Vol 2 by Ellen Datlow40 Books from 2009 That You Should Read – SF SignalSix Suicides – Winner Best Short Fiction, Australian Shadows AwardSix Suicides and A Book of Endings – shortlisted for Ditmars

Blood Vow (The Three Lands)


Dusk Peterson - 2009
    But what will he do when the enemy becomes his friend?Thrust into exile and pain, young Andrew has no choice but to accept the friendship of the very person he had vowed to kill. When he returns with his friend to his homeland fifteen years later, though, he finds himself in a land of conflicting loyalties . . . where a vengeful god awaits him.This novel can be read on its own or as part of The Three Lands, a fantasy series set in a multicultural world where conflicts over law and spirituality provide opportunities for friendship, and for betrayal.

The Castle Omnibus


Steph Swainston - 2009
    Their immortality, conferred on them by the emperror can be taken away if they lose a challange to be part of the circle of 50. Jant, the emperor's drug-addicted messanger, the only man who can fly, tells the story of mankinds savage fight for survival in a uniquely imagined, beautiful fantasy world.

MAGICAL MOONLIGHT


E.R. Bryant - 2009
    But living their lives without revealing the secret of their heritage to the humans around them, that was another thing altogether.

The Colossus of Ylourgne and Three Others


Clark Ashton Smith - 2009
    This small volume collects four classic fantasies: "The Colossus of Ylourgne," "The Dark Eidolon," "The Charnel God," and "The Abominations of Yondo."

Fire in the Stone: Prehistoric Fiction from Charles Darwin to Jean M. Auel


Nicholas Ruddick - 2009
    Nicholas Ruddick explains why prehistoric fiction could not come into being until after the acceptance of Charles Darwin's theories, and argues that many early prehistoric fiction works are still worth reading even though the science upon which they are based is now outdated. Exploring the history and evolution of the genre, Ruddick shows how prehistoric fiction can offer fascinating insights into the possible origins of human nature, sexuality, racial distinctions, language, religion, and art. The book includes discussions of well-known prehistoric fiction by H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, J.-H. Rosny A�n�, Jack London, William Golding, Arthur C. Clarke, and Jean M. Auel and reminds us of some unjustly forgotten landmarks of prehistoric fiction. It also briefly covers such topics as the recent boom in prehistoric romance, notable prehistoric fiction for children and young adults, and the most entertaining movies featuring prehistoric humans. The book includes illustrations that trace the changing popular images of cave men and women over the past 150 years.

Ménage à 20, Tales with a hook


Carlos J. CortesMichael Keyton - 2009
    The perils of love; the perils of hell. Ghosts, TV, and human sacrifice. What do they all share? A group of writers, published and unpublished, with no other goal but to make you gasp in shock. Thirty stories, twenty writers. Prepare to get hooked.

Mythangelus


Storm Constantine - 2009
    In Mythangelus, all of her stories with an angelic theme, or inspired by angel mythos, are collected for the first time. This includes two Wraeththu stories, 'By the River of If Only' and 'Paragenesis' - as the Wraeththu novels were originally inspired by magical angelic legends. Included too are 'Fireborn', and 'The Feet, They Dance', pieces that were written while Storm was working on her Grigori trilogy, which are tales inspired by the myths of the Fallen Angels and the Nephilim. 'A Change of Season' is the short story that eventually became the opening chapters of 'Stalking Tender Prey', the first in the Grigori series, and 'Heir to a Tendency' features the lead Grigori character of Peverel Othman, years before his feet led him to Little Moor and the events of the first novel. From the fairy tale lore of 'Spinning for Gold' and 'Living with the Angel' to the more science fiction oriented 'The Green Calling', and the dark urban fantasy of 'Return to Gehenna', these stories are among the most sumptuous and vivid from the imagination of the celebrated Shadow Priestess of Fantasy.

The City & the City


China Miéville - 2009
    But as he investigates, the evidence points to conspiracies far stranger and more deadly than anything he could have imagined.Borlú must travel from the decaying Beszel to the only metropolis on Earth as strange as his own. This is a border crossing like no other, a journey as psychic as it is physical, a shift in perception, a seeing of the unseen. His destination is Beszel’s equal, rival, and intimate neighbor, the rich and vibrant city of Ul Qoma. With Ul Qoman detective Qussim Dhatt, and struggling with his own transition, Borlú is enmeshed in a sordid underworld of rabid nationalists intent on destroying their neighboring city, and unificationists who dream of dissolving the two into one. As the detectives uncover the dead woman’s secrets, they begin to suspect a truth that could cost them and those they care about more than their lives. What stands against them are murderous powers in Beszel and in Ul Qoma: and, most terrifying of all, that which lies between these two cities.Casting shades of Kafka and Philip K. Dick, Raymond Chandler and 1984, The City & the City is a murder mystery taken to dazzling metaphysical and artistic heights.

After the Flood


Shane Joseph - 2009
    David Arthurs, born after the Flood, tries to save his Humanitarian city state of Tolemac-located somewhere in the former North America-from sinking into sin and destruction as the forces of Capitalism sweep in from across the waters of neighbouring New Eden. How is he to overcome the forces of evil when his father and founder of Tolemac, Samson, is having an affair with the beautiful New Eden exile Delia Stone, when media-manipulated local elections oust David from political office, and when a drug cartel is poisoning the minds and bodies of the youth in the once peaceful island state? And more importantly, when, for the first time, David finds himself succumbing to temptations of the flesh that were outlawed during the founding of Tolemac but never eradicated from the human genetic code. After the Flood poses the question: "If mankind was granted a new slate to create Utopia, could it?"

The Purloined Boy


C.R. Wiley - 2009
    R. Wiley, is a work of fantasy literature for young adults. In parts dark and grotesque, in others luminous and inspiring; it could be described as R. L. Stine meets Plato. It begins with the question, Where do all those children on the milk cartons go? It provides the answer through the eyes of one of those children, a boy named Trevor Upjohn, the purloined boy.

Valiant


Mike Tucker - 2009
    His fighting skills are impressive but Merlin suspects that dark magic is involved. With Prince Arthur next in line to fight, time is running out for Merlin to prove that evil is afoot.

Tales Of Hans Christian Andersen


Hans Christian Andersen - 2009
    This collection contains 13 of his very best stories including 'The Princess and the Pea', 'Thumbelina' and 'The Ugly Duckling'.

Doctor Who: The Drowned World


Simon Guerrier - 2009
    But, in an old house in Ely, Sara Kingdom lives on…To the Elders of this ruined world, Sara is a ghost, a phantom that must be excised. She must prove her right to exist, and she does so with stories. Stories of a time when she travelled the universe with an ancient Doctor and his heroic companion Steven inside a magical space/time ship called the TARDIS.And one story in particular could make a difference. The one about their trip to a world covered in water, where a human expedition is being wiped out. It’s a battle to survive, as the travellers face the horrors of the drowned world…