But beneath the freckles and red hair--not to mention dirt--are a pair of wide green eyes that awaken previously unknown feelings. And before she knows it, she finds herself buying the strange small boy named Flinx.Just another mouth to feed, say Mother Mastiff's second thoughts, but she stops resenting her inexplicable purchase when she witnesses Flinx's psychic influence on the customers of her rattletrap gift-shop. She even lets him keep Pip, the brightly hued--and deadly--Alaspinian mini-drag Flinx finds...and with whom he bonds as if they were of one mind. For as time goes by, Mother Mastiff comes to love the boy as her own, nurturing him, teaching him everything she knows--and hoping he'll survive into adulthood.That may prove more dicey than she'd care to admit. By the age of sixteen, Flinx is as lithe, quick and quiet as any jungle cat--traits that make him a superb thief and con-artist. But far more deadly than his affinity for the Commonwealth underworld is his unknown history, a past destined to rear its head in terrifying ways, sending him on a wild journey in search of his true self.In For Love of Mother-Not, the renegade group of scientists responsible for Flinx's psychic gifts scheme to get him back--by holding hostage the only person he ever truly care for: Mother Mastiff. In The Tar-Aiym Krang, Flinx must find an ancient otherworldly device that could hold the key to his true nature--or become the deadliest weapon in the Commonwealth. And in Orphan Star, Flinx comes closer than ever to learning about his biological parents--and a family tie to power that can either strengthen or destroy them.

    A horde of beasts known only as the scourge has ravaged the land, leaving only the village of Terreas to survive. Hemmed in on all sides by the scourge, the denizens of Terreas eke out a lonely existence, trying to survive in a land that is all but dead. Jasen Rabinn is a teenage boy trapped in Terreas but with a mind rooted outside the boundaries of his village. He longs for adventure, and when the mysterious Baraghosa – a sorcerer of a sort not native to Luukessia – comes to Terreas, a chain of events is set in motion that will carry Jasen beyond his simple town. To adventure. To danger. To his destiny.

    1) is a print anthology of 17 short stories previously published via BattleCorps, and an 18th, previously unpublished story (Destiny's Challenge) that continues the story of one of the others.It also includes a Foreword by the editor, Loren L. Coleman, how BattleCorps came into being; an "About the authors" section at the end; and a collection of BattleMech illustrations in the back. StoriesA Race to the End (Loren L. Coleman)Damage Control (Ilsa J. Bick)Eight Nine Three (Steven Mohan Jr.)Isolation's Weight (Randall N. Bills)Destiny's Call (Loren L. Coleman)Poison (Jason M. Hardy)The Immortal Warrior at the Battle of Vorhaven (Kevin Killiany)Ghost of Christmas Present (Michael A. Stackpole)Zeroing In (Robert Thurston)For Want of a Nail (Dan C. Duval)Art of the Deal (Loren L. Coleman)McKenna Station (Kevin Killiany)Echoes in the Void (Randall N. Bills)The Longest Road (Blaine Lee Pardoe)The Back Road (Louisa M. Swann)Commerce Is All (Steven Mohan, Jr.)En Passant (Phaedra M. Weldon)Destiny's Challenge (Loren L. Coleman)

    This new double volume from Subterranean Press stands squarely in that distinguished tradition, offering a pair of colorful, fast-paced stories from the reigning master of the intergalactic space opera: Alastair Reynolds. Thousandth Night, the genesis for the epic novel House of Suns, is quintessential Reynolds. A visionary account of intrigue, ambition, and technological marvels set within a beautifully realized far-future milieu, it combines world-class storytelling with a provocative meditation on the mystery, grandeur, and inconceivable immensity of the universe.The masterful novella Minla s Flowers features Merlin, a familiar figure to Reynolds s readers. Diverted by technical difficulties to a planet known as Lecythus, Merlin finds himself forced to play a part in the moral and military dilemmas of a world on the verge of extinction.

    This collection of evocative and powerful poems from the pages of his phenomenal bestseller Dune echoes the richness found in Herbert's epic sagas of sandworms and mystical power struggles on the planet Arrakis.

    Now, in The Year's Best Science Fiction: Thirty-Fourth Annual Collection, the very best SF authors explore ideas of a new world. This venerable collection brings together award-winning authors and masters of the field. With an extensive recommended reading guide and a summation of the year in science fiction, this annual compilation has become the definitive must-read anthology for all science fiction fans and readers interested in breaking into the genre.

    Now it's time for her to take her father's place in the world - and pay for his sins. Seth is a doctor as good with a gun as he is with a scalpel. He knows a lot about the preternatural, but he's not saying why. And he's the new Voice of God's only chance of survival. This collection contains the first three books of The Mage Craft Series, amounting to over 210,000 words. About Cast in Angelfire As a half-angel, half-human mage, Marion Garin is the most powerful witch in the world. She’s been embroiled in preternatural politics since childhood and navigates the factions with ease. Or so she’s been told. Unfortunately, she’s lost her memory, and now Marion doesn’t know much of anything. Casting magic? Forget about it. It’s not an accident, either. Someone powerful wanted to take Marion out of preternatural politics, and they succeeded. She’s told that a man named Seth Wilder could help, but she’ll have to find him first. He’s been missing for years. Marion needs to track Seth down and fix her memory before her unknown enemy finishes the job… * * * About Cast in Hellfire Marion Garin is the teenage daughter of Metaraon, the former Voice of God. Now she's also the steward of the Winter Court, which has been in anarchy since a revolution five years earlier. Problem: Marion still doesn't remember anything that happened before two weeks ago. Seth Wilder has a lead on her memories. Whoever stole them and sold Marion's essence to a demon lord in Sheol. Marion wants to help steal them back, even though that means abandoning the Winter Court to war. And Seth can't seem to tell Marion no. He wants Marion nearby. Very nearby. Possibly in his teeth. See, Seth has this little problem where he's developing a killing urge, and it seems to be centered primarily on the half-angel girl who adores him. It conflicts with everything Seth believes himself to be: a moral man, a doctor who heals instead of hurts. Yet he's obsessed with Marion. She wants her memories, and he wants her to have them as much as he wants her blood. They'll work together to make Marion whole, come hell or high water. Even if it means war. Even if it means Seth might hurt Marion. And damned be the consequences... * * * About Cast in Faefire Marion Garin, the Voice of God, is due to marry the Prince of the Autumn Court by the end of the week - assuming that the world's preternatural leadership doesn't have anything to say about it. They plan to strip Prince ErlKonig of his title, ensuring that Marion can't form a god-forbidden treaty with the angels. Still injured from his final fight in Sheol, Seth Wilder is seeking a way to stay alive. If he dies, he'll lose more than his life - he'll be slave to the gods' whims for all eternity. He's ready to take drastic steps. Maybe even make a bargain with the vampires. But what the gods want, they get. And they don't appreciate being defied.

    Only after they form the most unlikely alliance, do the would-be dragonslayers and a group of rogue dragons work together to unlock an insidious curse from the farthest reaches of time in an effort to save the dragons from the curse, and the world from the dragons.This new omnibus edition collects the novels The Rage, The Rite, and The Ruin to present the entire Year of Rogue Dragons saga under one cover.

    Winner of the Hugo and World Fantasy Awards.Contents:"Come into animal presence / Denise Levertov --Buffalo gals, won't you come out tonight --Three rock poems: Basalt --Flints --Mt. St. Helens/ Omphalos --Mazes --Wife's stories --Five vegetable poems --Torrey pines reserve --Lewis and Clarke and after --West Texas --Xmas over --Crown of Laurel --Direction of the road --Vaster than empires and more slow --Seven bird and beast poems --What is going on in the Oaks --For Ted --Found poem --Totem --Winter downs --Man eater--Sleeping out --White donkey --Horse camp --Four cat poems --Tabby Lorenzo --Black Leonard in negative space --Conversation with a silence --For Leonard, Darko, and Burton Watson --Schrodinger's cat --"Author of the Acacia seeds" and other extracts from the journal of the journal of the association of Therolinguistics --May's lion --Eighth elegy, from "Duino elegies" of R.M. Rilke --She unnames them."A spirited, gracefully polemical introduction and the final story, "She Unnames Them", frame this collection of fiction and poetry, placing it in a natural but unsentimental light. These are not really "talking animal" stories: they are about human apprehension of natural creation (including rocks and plants) and the relations this apprehension governs; or, how communication makes communities. Seven of ten stories and seven of 19 poems having already been published, while a couple of pieces read like working drafts. Among the best pieces is the title story; like many of the others, it works its effect through a reversal of the usual (human) point of view."--Library Journal.

    In Worlds, Worlds Apart, and Worlds Enough and Time, the acclaimed Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author of The Forever War imagines a near future rife with exhilarating and terrifying possibilities, when hundreds of thousands of human beings have abandoned the Earth’s surface to live in man-made habitats orbiting the troubled planet.   Haldeman’s science fiction saga follows Marianne O’Hara, a young inhabitant of the World known as New New York, from her arrival on Earth as a student who becomes seduced by radical politics, through her coming of age amid the Worlds’ war and the habitats’ devastation, and ultimately to Marianne’s emergence as a leader—and possibly the last hope of the human race as it heads toward the stars.   Stephen King said of the first book in Haldeman’s trilogy, “There are scenes in Worlds I will remember forever.” These gripping novels will enthrall anyone interested in the future—that of our planet and of the human race.

    Set on a far future Earth moving toward extinction under a slowly dying sun, these baroque tales of wonder have exerted a profound influence on generations of writers. One of those writers is Dan Simmons, who acknowledges that influence in spectacular fashion in The Guiding Nose of Ulfant Banderoz, an informed and loving act of literary homage.The narrative begins at a critical moment in the Dying Earth's history, a moment when signs and portents indicate that the long anticipated death of the planet is finally at hand. Against this backdrop, Simmons's protagonist--Shrue the diabolist--learns of the death of Ulfant Banderoz, ancient magus and sole proprietor of the legendary Ultimate Library and Final Compendium of Thaumaturgical Lore. Determined to possess its secrets, Shrue sets out in search of the fabled library, guided by the severed nose of the deceased magician. The narrative that follows tells the story of that quest, a quest whose outcome will affect the fate of the entire dying planet.The result is a hugely engrossing novella filled with marvels, bizarre encounters, and an array of astonishing creatures--the pelgranes, daihaks, and assorted elementals of Jack Vance's boundless imagination. Written with wit, fidelity, and grace, and rooted in its author s obvious affection for his source material, The Guiding Nose of Ulfant Banderoz is something special, a collaborative gem in which the talents and sensibilities of two master storytellers come powerfully--and seamlessly--together.

    

    This omnibus collects three tales of savage warfare and heroism on the frontline.

    And in Castle Royale, it seemed he'd found both his fortune and his true love, the beautiful Princess Solinde. But could a penniless orphan hope to claim such a royal treasure? And in a land where witches were burned and the court magician looked on Alaric with suspicion, did he dare remain for long?For Alaric had a magical power which, in the blink of an eye, could transport him any place his mind could recall, a power that revealed itself at the first hint of danger. And for Alaric, Castle Royale held more danger than he could imagine...

    He is also dead broke. His vast knowledge and magical skills are unfortunately matched by his talent for making powerful enemies and alienating friends.With rent past due and a decent meal becoming an issue of some importance, he accepts an offer of work from Lt. Karrin Murphy of the Chicago PD Special Investigation Unit – a force tasked to deal with the strange cases no one else wants to get involved with, let alone attempt to solve.Harry finds himself pitted against a multitude of supernatural bad guys in this exciting collection – demons, poltergeists, sorcerers, trolls, vampires, werewolves, and even an evil faerie godmother can’t keep a good wizard down!