They're wrong. Sent undercover to set up a covert intelligence operation on Earth's remotest space station, Drew Townsend finds himself managing a crew of brilliant mavericks, making friends with the most feared warriors in the galaxy, and feeling more at home in the controlled insanity of Daisy Hub than he ever did on Earth. Then he learns the truth about his mission there, and it's time to choose. In the coming interplanetary conflict, which side will Daisy Hub be on? Like the clues of a cryptic crossword, each book set in the Sic Transit Terra universe contains a puzzle – perhaps a riddle, perhaps a maze or an anagram – and in each case, the answer to the smaller puzzle brings the reader and characters one step closer to solving a much larger and more important one. The Genius Asylum is ‘1 Across’ – it initiates a multi-book story arc that addresses one of the great mysteries of life: Why are we humans the way that we are? "THE GENIUS ASYLUM is smart, gripping, and breakneck. I'd wait for the movie, except I don't want to wait: I want to read more! A convincingly realized future, smartass cynical policing at its best, and a thorough romp! More, please!" – Ed Greenwood, creator of The Forgotten Realms A list of comparative titles: The Stainless Steel Rat by Harry Harrison Pandora's Star (Commonwealth Saga #1) by Peter F. Hamilton Friday by Robert A. Heinlein The Warlock in Spite of Himself by Christopher Stasheff Magic Kingdom for Sale SOLD by Terry Brooks The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein The Warrior’s Apprentice (Vorkosigan Saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold

    Naiad, the home world, is a frozen ball, but the colonists persevere and expand through wormholes to remote systems.Navigating the time-space anomalies requires Axis-ships. The expensive vessels are constructed by corporations, and remote worlds are claimed by the companies for their valuable ores and gases.The corporations and Naiads are at odds with each other, and their lives are made more complicated by the arrival of strangers in an alien ship.To understand the nature of the unusual vessel coasting toward Beta Two, the director of operations orders the kidnapping of specialists from other mining worlds. Entire families are scooped up, but two siblings, Escher and Allie, evade capture.Hiding deep below the domes’ surfaces, the siblings are befriended by the orphans of miners. The young mickies don’t possess identification chips or cids, which would identify them as citizens.The gang of mickies and the siblings strike a deal to help each other. Each group is determined to reach Naiad. The mickies seek citizen status and freedom, and Escher and Allie want help rescuing their parents.The beleaguered group’s hastily derived plans bury them in criminal complications. When all appears lost, a second alien vessel exits the dark. The hull is similar to the ship at Beta Two, and these strangers seek their enemies.

    The slaves stole an ore carrier and escaped, and after failing at trade, desperation and hatred drove them to piracy. John was a hugely successful pirate, until forced to confront the horrors committed by his men. He grabs a ship and a bag of gems, and runs away, determined to regain his self-respect. Pursued by his former colleagues, he flees across man-settled space. Along the way, he learns that his ship is much more than a simple yacht, deals with a stowaway girl, almost accidentally buys an orbital scrap yard, finds himself responsible for a beautiful young woman, fights off a pirate attack, falls in love, makes a friend, and learns that his refuge has been invaded by another planet. John, now Cale, and his friends plan to use derelicts from his scrap yard to free his sanctuary planet. But can a bunch of resurrected hulks really defeat a planetary fleet? And just what IS a Privateer, anyway?

    Another tale tells of the heroic exploits of “sysadmins”—systems administrators—as they defend the cyberworld, and hence the world at large, from worms and bioweapons. And yes, there’s a story about zombies, too.

    When one of the aliens unexpectedly shows up in a Los Angeles tavern, bartender Ed Frazer awakes the next morning with the strangest hangover of his life. Ed barely remembers taking the pills offered by the alien; each pill flooding his brain with the knowledge of an alien profession ... spaceship captain ... teleporter .... translator ... but Ed can't remember how many pills he took, or if the confusing overload of information in his head shadows the terrible secret of their mission. Hugo Award Nominee

     WELCOME TO THE SLAB. A vast orbiting slum where rats grow big, sweat falls in rain and the gene-spliced come in all shapes and sizes. Slab City Blues - There's a stranger on the Slab, a stranger with very sharp 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 today is going to be a gem. A Song for Madame Choi - An old enemy embroils Inspector Alex McLeod in the hunt for a kidnapped girl. With no leads he finds himself reluctantly seeking help from drug dealer and fellow war veteran Madame Choi. But can he really trust her? A Hymn to Gods Long Dead - Inspector Alex McLeod, recently suspended for excessive force and nurturing a growing addiction to bourbon, has been reduced to tending bar when an improbably beautiful vampire comes to him with a bizarre theory: there’s a killer on the Slab, a killer with a liking for recreating ancient myth, in bloody and spectacular fashion. But who exactly is this vampire, and how does she know so much? And what kind of killer can walk through security systems without a trace, leaving deadly traps for those hunting him? The Ballad of Bad Jack - The Asteroid Belt, home to mining corporations and those who prefer to live beyond the heavily policed habitats of Earth orbit – the perfect hunting ground for Bad Jack, captain of the Dead Reckoning and the most feared pirate in the solar system. About to embark upon the biggest job of his career, Jack finds himself in need of a specialist, but is unaware his latest recruit has a new face, a new name and an agenda of his own. Chief Inspector Alex McLeod has been reset to war mode, and things are about to get very ugly. The fourth story in the Slab City Blues series, The Ballad of Bad Jack is an all-action future-crime thriller from the best-selling author of the Raven’s Shadow trilogy. An Aria for Ragnarok - Alex McLeod has a score to settle. Back on the Slab and newly promoted to head of Special Homicide, Alex decides it’s time to finally bring down Mr Mac - his longest-standing enemy and the most powerful criminal kingpin in the Confederation of Autonomous Orbiting States. But, before the hunt can begin he finds himself lumbered with the inconvenient and spectacularly bloody murder of a famous industrialist. A swift but violent resolution to the case raises more questions than it answers and Alex’s inability to tolerate a mystery soon uncovers a far greater threat than he has ever faced before. Ragnarok is coming. To stop it, Alex must call on the help of both friends and foes, as well as placing himself in an alien and hostile environment: it’s time for a return visit to Planet Earth.

    KornbluthThe Human Equations - Dave CreekThe Gun - Philip K. DickNot Stupid Enough - George H. ScithersJackpot - E.C. TubbThe Killing Streets - Colin HarveyCharon’s Curse - John GlasbyMoon Dive - Sydney J. BoundsThe Hunted Heroes - Robert SilverbergNight of the Squealers - Michael McCarty and Mark McLaughlinChaos - John Russell FearnAnd Happiness Everlasting - Gerald WarfieldSeeds of Invasion - Philip E. HighThe 7th Order - Jerry SohlMonkey on his Back - Charles V. De VetThe Calm Man - Frank Belknap LongAlien Still Life - John Gregory BetancourtA Question of Courage - J.F. BoneAngels and Moths - Costi GurguSecond Landing - Murray LeinsterThe Einstein-Rosen Hunter-Gatherer Society - George S. WalkerWind - Charles L. FontenayStar Mother - Robert F. YoungThe Sky Is Falling - Lester Del ReyLittle Fuzzy - H. Beam Piper

    Somerset Maugham (Novels, Short Stories, Plays and Travel Sketches)" is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents.William Somerset Maugham (1874 - 1965) was a British playwright, novelist and short story writer. He was among the most popular writers of his era and reputedly the highest paid author during the 1930s.Table of Contents:Novels: Liza of Lambeth (1897)The Making of a Saint (1898)The Hero (1901)Mrs Craddock (1902)The Merry-go-round (1904)The Bishop's Apron (1906)The Explorer (1908)The Magician (1908)The Canadian (The Land of Promise) (1914)Of Human Bondage (1915)The Moon and Sixpence (1919) Short Story Collections:Orientations (1899)The Punctiliousness of Don Sebastian A Bad Example De AmicitiaFaithThe Choice of AmyntasDaisyThe Trembling of a Leaf: Little Stories of the South Sea Islands (1921)The PacificMackintoshThe Fall of Edward BarnardRedThe PoolHonoluluRainEnvoiPlays:A Man of Honour (1903)Lady Frederick (1912)The Explorer (1912)The Circle (1921)Caesar's Wife (1922) East of Suez (1922)Travel Sketches:The Land of the Blessed Virgin: Sketches and Impressions in Andalusia (1905)On a Chinese Screen (1922)

    All that stood in their way was a man on Deald's World named Benno Tallant, about as lousy a candidate for hero as one could imagine: junkie, looter, coward, betrayer. So the retreating Earth forces made him the last man on Deald's World. They surgically implanted a cataclysmic bomb in his body, turned him loose, and let the Kyben hunt him down. SEE BENNO RUN. RUN, BENNO, RUN LIKE HELL.

    Tired, weak, and nearly broken under the weight of his guilt, he wanders the streets waiting for death to catch up to him. But when he is beset by bandits, he gains a new perspective. Maybe he doesn't have to feel guilty about feeding, after all.Theron - Theron travels by ship to his long ago home of Athens, Greece. He soon discovers the Council of Thirteen has put a price on his head so large every Bachiyr in the city will try to collect it, which leads to a very tense reunion with an old lover.The Ugliest Thing, by Daniel Arenson - Just what is it about the image in the telescope that makes people lose their sanity? Is it worth the risk to see for yourself?Also included is a preview of 61 A.D., the thrilling sequel to David's 2010 horror bestseller, 33 A.D.

    Ballard. The Venus Hunters. London: Gollancz, 1986. First hardcover edition, first printing. Octavo. 142 pages.

    

     In the year 12039, Monads rule the planet. As the sole descendants of humanity, they've brought civilization far beyond what it once was before homo sapiens went extinct. When they clone their first full-grown human, dissent explodes over the man known as "Six." Created in a lab, he's the first living human to walk the Earth since the extinction event centuries ago. With no memory of who he is or where he comes from, Six struggles to find his place within a society where some see him as a threat to their way of life. Some Monads don't want the human race to continue at all. When Six is framed for a murder he didn’t commit, he’s cast out of Monad civilization and forced to confront the harsh world that lies beyond. Six must piece together his past and rediscover his true identity while he grapples with survival in a world that has evolved beyond his own existence. If you like A.G. Riddle or Nick Webb, then you'll love The Ancestor, the first installment in The Ancestor Trilogy. Buy your copy of The Ancestor today and let the adventure begin!

    A time machine's lesson comes too late. Christmas trees save a lost soul's life. Ten million people live in one man's breath. ...Or Midnight: Murder returns to an infamous moor. Asylum workers find what is worse than insanity. A shunned grave's secrets gain fatal exposure. Nighttime terrors turn all too real. These and other stories comprise a compilation of bittersweet warmth and creeping horror, subtle illumination and dark vistas. Gregory Miller's Scaring the Crows is a genre-spanning collection of short fiction at its finest. Read it at noon...or midnight.