It can be read in ten minutes. Please don't purchase this expecting a novel for your dollar.This story was written in a small cafe on the corner of Bleeker and Grove in New York City on Tuesday, May 27th. The idea came to me yesterday while walking across the Brooklyn Bridge. I saw the locks on several of the small cables on the bridge. I remembered my time in both London and Paris, taking pictures of all the love locks on bridges there. And I thought about all the couples those locks represent. I wondered how many are still together.Maybe this story isn't worth your dollar. If I could price a work on Amazon for less, I would. It is what it is. I hope this will be the first of many short pieces that I write and publish in a single day while recording what I'm thinking and where I am when I write them. For those who take the plunge, I hope you get your money's worth. Thank you for all of your support.-Hugh

    Presenting Ken Liu’s “The Plague” a new short story from Nature magazine’s Futures series about a meeting between a girl whose skin has been replaced with plague and a man from the Dome who doesn’t understand her.

    Most victims die, others experience physical or psychic changes: aces have useful powers, deuces minor maybe entertaining abilities, jokers uglified, disabled, relegated to ghettos.

    Misfits, eccentrics, pranksters, nonconformists... and professional killers without peer. Mercenaries for hire in a war-torn world, the Red Hats always seem to end up fighting for sides that are more righteous than strong, for clients who are more desperate than wealthy, in circumstances that are more exciting than survivable. In this, the first excerpt from the chronicles of the Red Hats, as told by their self-appointed historian, the sorcerer called Watchdog, the company faces an armed and armored war machine that threatens to crush a free republic beneath its steel tread. Originally anthologized in 2013, "The Effigy Engine" is a black powder fantasy of magic, musketry, and mercenary banter from internationally best-selling fantasist Scott Lynch, creator of Locke Lamora and the Gentleman Bastard Sequence. "The Effigy Engine" appears here for the first time in a standalone digital edition, with a new introduction from the author.

    In 2047, a first manned mission to Mars ended in tragedy. Thirty years later, a second expedition is preparing to launch. As housekeeper of the hotel where two of the astronauts will give their final press statements, Emily finds the mission intruding upon her thoughts more and more. Emily's mother, Moolie, has a message to give her, but Moolie's memories are fading. As the astronauts' visit draws closer, the unearthing of a more personal history is about to alter Emily's world forever.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

    Where rats grow big and sweat falls in rain. There's a stranger in town, a stranger with claws and a penchant for killing assassins. Finding him is the job of Inspector Alex McLeod, detective, disfigured war veteran and reluctant widower. Some days are worse than others on the Slab but this one's going to be a gem.

     Through themes of duty, honor, and fortitude under fire, New York Times best-selling author S. M. Stirling presents thirteen stories of military men and women pushed to the point where myth and technology collide. Showcasing Stirling’s trademark military action, jargon-heavy dialogue, and conflictdriven storytelling, these thrilling tales of alternate histories, apocalyptic futures, and hard-driving military Science Fiction demonstrate why Stirling has long been a fan favorite. Ice, Iron, and Gold, the first short fiction collection by S. M. Stirling, features “Something for Yew,” an original novella set in Stirling’s Emberverse (Dies the Fire) and “Riding Shotgun to Armageddon,” a short story set within the universe of his Nantucket series (Island in the Sea of Time). An essential collection for Stirling fans and a perfect introduction for new readers, Ice, Iron and Gold gathers together evocative and insightful tales certain to thrill, shock, and astound.

    Where scientists and schoolgirls, fair folk and Romans, intergalactic bandits, utopian revolutionaries, and intrepid orphans solve crimes, escape from monstrous predicaments, consult oracles, and hover over volcanoes in steam-powered airships. In Steampunk!, fourteen masters of speculative fiction, including two graphic storytellers, embrace the genre's established themes and refashion them in surprising ways and settings as diverse as Appalachia, Ancient Rome, future Australia, Canada's Muddy York Toronto, and alternate California. Get a preview of the anthology by sampling one of these inventive tales for free - Cory Doctorow's "Clockwork Fagin," in which orphans use the puppet of a dead man to take control of their lives.

    Irwin has a dilemma, however, the world has turned cold and he has no idea how long it will last. When faced with freezing to death, can he dare to burn "his friends" and how will he choose which will be used to keep him alive. This short story originally appeared in "The End: Visions of Apocalypse" edited by N.E. White. I wrote it the weekend I learned of Ray Bradbury's death and is a homage to this master of science fiction.PRAISE FOR MICHAEL J. SULLIVAN'S WORK“This epic fantasy showcases the arrival of a master storyteller.” — Library Journal on Theft of Swords“A delightful, entertaining and page-turning read that reminds us just how enjoyable, and how good The Riyria Revelations series is. A must-buy for all fantasy lovers.” — The Founding Fields on Rise of Empire“Heir of Novron is the conclusion to the Riyria Revelations, cementing it in a position as a new classic of modern fantasy: traditional in setting, but extremely unconventional in, well, everything else.” — Drying Ink on Heir of Novron“Snappy banter, desperate stakes, pulse pounding sword play, and good old fashioned heroics are all on full display here.” — 52 Book Reviews on The Crown Tower“The Rose and the Thorn is full of mystery, adventure, betrayal and just plain awesome.” — Fantasy Faction on The Rose and the Thorn“This is social science fiction that H.G. Wells or Isaac Asimov could have written, with the cultural touchstones of today. A modernized classic, Hollow World is the perfect novel for both new and nostalgic science fiction readers.” — Staffer’s Book Reviews on Hollow World

    In these previously unpublished gems, Vonnegut’s originality infuses a unique landscape of factories, trailers, and bars—and characters who pit their dreams and fears against a cruel and sometimes comically indifferent world.Here are stories of men and machines, art and artifice, and how ideals of fortune, fame, and love take curious twists in ordinary lives. An ambitious builder of roads, commanding an army of bulldozers, graders, and asphalt spreaders, fritters away his free time with miniature trains—until the women in his life crash his fantasy land. Trapped in a stenography pool, a young dreamer receives a call from a robber on the run, who presents her with a strange proposition. A crusty newspaperman is forced onto a committee to judge Christmas displays—a job that leads him to a suspiciously ostentatious ex-con and then a miracle. A hog farmer’s widow receives cryptic, unsolicited letters from a man in Schenectady about “the indefinable sweet aches of the spirit.” But what will she find when she goes to meet him in the flesh?These beautifully rendered works are a testament to Vonnegut’s unique blend of observation and imagination. Like a present left behind by a departed loved one, While Mortals Sleep bestows upon us a shimmering Kurt Vonnegut gift: a poignant reflection of our world as it is and as it could be.

    In the wake of the Dropsite Massacre, the shattered Legions are still prepared to bring the fight to Warmaster Horus and his traitorous allies. On the doomed forge world of Cavor Sarta, two veteran warriors of the Imperium strike deep into the heart of the Dark Mechanicum’s territory. With bolter and blade ready to cut down any who cross their path, they will seek out the enemy’s most valued asset: the mysterious ‘Kryptos’...

    But when he orders his own ship in for the killing blow, the hot pursuit turns into a potentially more dangerous situation. One with implications for the entire Confederation.

    Become entranced with the basic struggle of good vs. evil as you travel to a galaxy far, far away.

    Although people hoped and prayed peace had come, they were wrong. Across the gulf of space, plans were being drawn for a return, but before they could bear fruit a terrible discovery was made deep in Holmburgh Wood, one that would tear a family apart and shock the world.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

    A short story about Indigo & Drew's mated life. Timeline: Takes place around the same time as Shards of Hope.This story can be found on Nalini Singh's official website.