And nowhere is Bester funnier, speedier, or more audacious than in these seventeen short stories—two of them previously unpublished—that have now been brought together in a single volume for the first time.Read about the sweet-natured young man whose phenomenal good luck turns out to be disastrous for the rest of humanity. Find out why tourists are flocking to a hellish little town in a post-nuclear Kansas. Meet a warlock who practices on Park Avenue and whose potions comply with the Pure Food and Drug Act. Make a deal with the Devil—but not without calling your agent. Dazzling, effervescent, sexy, and sardonic, Virtual Unrealities is a historic collection from one of science fiction's true pathbreakers.CONTENTS:Disappearing ActOddy and IdStar Light, Star Bright (1953)5,271,009 (1954)Fondly Fahrenheit (1954)Hobson's Choice (1952)Of Time and Third Avenue (1952)Time is the Traitor (1953)The Men Who Murdered Mohammed (1958)The Pi Man (1959)They Don't Make Life Like They Used To (1963)Will You Wait? (1959)The Flowered Thundermug (1964)Adam and No Eve (1941)And 3 1/2 to GoGalatea Galante (1979)The Devil Without Glasses

    This year's magnificent harvest--gathered, as always, by acclaimed award-winning editors and anthologists David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer--offers glimpses of worlds and tomorrows that would have been inconceivable just a few years ago. Brilliant, bold, unusual, and soaring flights into the hitherto unforeseen yet increasingly possible future, Year's Best SF 15 offers truly breathtaking stories by some of speculative fiction's brightest lights, includingStephen BaxterNancy KressAlastair ReynoldsGeoff RymanBruce SterlingPeter WattsRobert Charles WilsonGene Wolfeand others.Contents xiii • Introduction (Year's Best SF 15) • essay by David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer 1 • Infinities • (2008) • novelette by Vandana Singh 35 • This Peaceable Land; or, The Unbearable Vision of Harriet Beecher Stowe • (2009) • novelette by Robert Charles Wilson 65 • The Unstrung Zither • (2009) • novelette by Yoon Ha Lee 91 • Black Swan • (2009) • novelette by Bruce Sterling 119 • Exegesis • (2009) • shortstory by Nancy Kress 125 • Erosion • (2009) • shortstory by Ian Creasey 141 • Collision • (2009) • shortstory by Gwyneth Jones 155 • Donovan Sent Us • (2009) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe 173 • The Calculus Plague • (2009) • shortstory by Marissa Lingen [as by Marissa K. Lingen ] 181 • The Island • (2009) • novelette by Peter Watts 222 • One of Our Bastards Is Missing • (2009) • novelette by Paul Cornell 251 • Lady of the White-Spired City • (2009) • shortstory by Sarah L. Edwards 271 • The Highway Code • (2009) • novelette by Brian Stableford 292 • On the Destruction of Copenhagen by the War-Machines of the Merfolk • (2009) • shortstory by Peter M. Ball 299 • The Fixation • (2009) • shortstory by Alastair Reynolds 318 • In Their Garden • (2009) • shortstory by Brenda Cooper 328 • Blocked • (2009) • shortstory by Geoff Ryman 349 • The Last Apostle • (2009) • shortstory by Michael Cassutt 373 • Another Life • (2009) • novelette by Charles Oberndorf 407 • The Consciousness Problem • (2009) • shortstory by Mary Robinette Kowal 427 • Tempest 43 • (2009) • novelette by Stephen Baxter 447 • Bespoke • (2009) • shortstory by Genevieve Valentine 457 • Attitude Adjustment • (2009) • shortstory by Eric James Stone 470 • Edison's Frankenstein • (2009) • novelette by Chris Roberson

    A. Corey’s New York Times bestselling Expanse series is available in this collection* — includes a brand new novella. Now a major television series.Contents:Drive (2012)The Butcher of Anderson Station (2011)The Churn (2014)Gods of Risk (2012)The Vital Abyss (2015)Strange Dogs (2017)Auberon (2019)Memory’s Legion (2022)*does not include The Last Flight of the Cassandra

    There are princesses dancing with dead suitors, a knight in love with an official of exotic lineage, and fortune’s fool stealing into the present instead of the future. In one mesmerizing tale, a time-traveling angel is forbidden to intervene in Cotton Mather’s religious ravings, while another narrative finds a wizard seduced in his youth by the Faerie Queen and returning the treasure that is rightfully hers. Bewitching, bittersweet, and deeply intoxicating, this collection draws elements from the fables of history and re-creates them in startlingly magical ways.

    Elliott is a highly-compelling voice in genre fiction, an innovative author of historically-based narratives set in imaginary worlds. This first, retrospective collection of her short fiction is the essential guide to Elliott's shorter works. Here her bold adventuresses, complex quests, noble sacrifices, and hard-won victories shine in classic, compact legends. In "The Memory of Peace," a girl's powerful emotions rouse the magic of a city devastated by war. Meeting in "The Queen's Garden," two princesses unite to protect their kingdom from the blind ambition of their corrupted father. While "Riding the Shore of the River of Death" a chieftain's daughter finds an unlikely ally on her path to self-determination. Elliott's many readers, as well as fantasy fans in search of powerful stories featuring well-drawn female characters, will revel in this unique gathering of truly memorable tales.

    Unabashedly classic in the great tradition of Asimov and Clarke, Liu Cixin's science-fiction is firmly rooted in the cosmic. “[most] literature has always left me with the impression of indulging an intense anthropocentric narcissism. […] In the world of literature, the Sun exists for no other reason than to illuminate the pure, unadulterated countryside, the Moon has no other reason to shine than to cast the shadows of the seaside lovers, [but] if the universe is the Sahara, then all that makes the Earth a grain of gold within it, is that a particular bacteria called humanity clinging to its surface.” Liu Cixin uses the unique perspective of science-fiction to take us on a journey into this majestic, desolate cosmos. He gives us the chance to reacquaint ourselves with the fundamental truth that in the face of a vast universe we are no more than a speck of dust; That the Earth is just another celestial body – And an extremely vulnerable one at that. The flash of a gamma-ray burst or the blast of a nearby supernova could, at any moment, reduce our cherished home to nothing but ashes.It can be terrifying to contemplate the end of our world and stories that describe such destruction can be disturbing. At the same time however, they can leave us feeling not only entertained, but exhilarated and inspired. Maybe, they can even give us a chance to renew our love of life. Most stories found in the “The Wandering Earth” collection take us to a sci-fi vision of Earth's end. But here, there are no Hollywood aliens, descending from the depths of space to blow up our cities. In these futures, the dangers humanity faces are much stranger and whimsical than that. The unexpected calamities that befall his richly detailed worlds are only eclipsed by humanity's epic, but always plausible, attempts to escape destruction.In all this peril and doom, Liu Cixin always feels for humanity. His stories are full of a deep love for all of Earth's peoples. But even this love does not escape reflection and even ridicule when viewed through his unrelenting cosmic lens. No matter how dearly one loves the Earth, humanity and all its cultures, there is no avoiding the cold, hard truth that they mean absolutely nothing when viewed against the vastness of the universe. But even an infinite universe could not change the simple fact that we are worthy of love, that we need love. It is this twist that lies at the very heart of the stories in this collection.Table of Contents 1 The Wandering Earth 2 Mountain 3 Of Ants and Dinosaurs 4 Sun of China 5 The Wages of Humanity 6 Curse 5.0 7 The Micro-Age 8 Devourer 9 Taking Care of Gods 10 With Her Eyes 11 The Longest Fall

    When light destroys shadows, darkness does not gain in density elsewhere. When shadows steal over earth and across the sky, darkness is not diluted. Featuring an Introduction by Aliette De Bodard, Conservation of Shadows features a selection of short stories from Yoon Ha Lee.Content"Ghostweight" (2011)"The Shadow Postulates" (2007)"The Bones of Giants" (2009)"Between Two Dragons" (2010)"Swanwatch" (2009)"Effigy Nights" (2013)"Flower, Mercy, Needle, Chain" (2010)"Iseul's Lexicon" (2013)"Counting the Shapes" (2001)"Blue Ink" (2008)"The Battle of Candle Arc" (2012) "A Vector Alphabet of Interstellar Travel" (2011)"The Unstrung Zither" (2009) "The Black Abacus" (2002)"The Book of Locked Doors" (2012)"Conservation of Shadows" (2012)

    Fierce or fearful, they are courageous and honorable—occasionally unscrupulous and tainted—but all warriors worthy of the name!CONTENTSwords & Sorcery"Northern Chess" by Tanith Lee"Anukazi's Daughter" by Mary Gentle"Become a Warrior" by Jane Yollen"The Sea Troll's Daughter" by Caitlin R. Kiernan"Joenna's Axe" by Elaine Isaak"Love Among the Talus" by Elizabeth Bear"Soul Case" by Nalo HopkinsonJust Yesterday"The Girls from Avenger" by Carrie Vaughn"In the Loop" by Ken Liu"Dying with her Cheer Pants On" by Seanan McGuire"Prayer" by Robert ReedSomewhere between Myth & Possibility "England Under the White Witch" by Theodora Goss"The Lonely Songs of Laren Dorr" by George R.R. Martin"The Knight of Chains, the Deuce of Stars" by Yoon Ha LeeSpace Aria"Boy Twelve" by Jessica Reisman"The Application of Hope" by Kristine Rusch"Not That Kind of War" by Tanya Huff"Naratha's Shadow" by Sharon Lee & Steve MillerWill No War End All War?"Eaters" by Nancy Kress"And Wash Out by Tides of Ware" by An Owomoyela"Hand to Hand" by Elizabeth Moon"They Tell Me There Will be No Pain" by Rachael Acks"Wonder Maul Doll" by Kameron Hurley"The Days of the War, as Red as Blood, as Dark as Bile" by Aliette de Bodard

    Catherynne M. Valente, the New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making and other acclaimed novels, now brings readers a treasure trove of stories and poems in The Bread We Eat in Dreams.In the Locus Award-winning novelette “White Lines on a Green Field,” an old story plays out against a high school backdrop as Coyote is quarterback and king for a season. A girl named Mallow embarks on an adventure of memorable and magical politicks in “The Girl Who Ruled Fairyland—For a Little While.” The award-winning, tour de force novella “Silently and Very Fast” is an ancient epic set in a far-flung future, the intimate autobiography of an evolving A.I. And in the title story, the history of a New England town and that of an outcast demon are irrevocably linked.The thirty-five pieces collected here explore an extraordinary breadth of styles and genres, as Valente presents readers with something fresh and evocative on every page. From noir to Native American myth, from folklore to the final frontier, each tale showcases Valente’s eloquence and originality.Table of Contents:The ConsultantWhite Lines on a Green FieldThe Bread We Eat in DreamsThe Melancholy of MechagirlA Voice Like a HoleThe Girl Who Ruled Fairyland—For a Little WhileHow to Raise a MinotaurThe Shoot-out at Burnt Corn Ranch Over the Bride of the WorldMouse KoanThe Blueberry Queen of Wiscasset In the Future When All’s WellFade to WhiteAeromausRed EnginesThe Wolves of BrooklynOne Breath, One StrokeKallistiThe WeddingThe Secret of Being a CowboyTwenty-Five Facts About Santa ClausWe Without Us Were ShadowsThe Red GirlAquaman and the Duality of Self/Other, America, 1985The RoomSilently and Very FastWhat the Dragon Said: A Love Story

    Subterranean Press bundles together all of their John Scalzi titles into one easy-to-buy special this November:How I Proposed To My Wife: An Alien Sex StoryAn ElectionJudge Sn Goes GolfingQuestions for a SoldierThe Sagan DiaryThe Tale of the WickedThe God EnginesYou're Not fooling Anyone When You Take Your Laptop to the Coffee Shop

    Odd is a tale of how an ordinary man profited from an extraordinary time paradox when he stops to help a man seemingly lost and confused, and then learns the reasons why.Stitch in Time concerns an elderly lady reflecting on a lost love and, thanks to her sons' experiments with time, finally discovering the reason why her lover abandoned her so many years ago.Oh Where, Now, is Peggy MacRafferty? is a social satire on Hollywood glamour in which a bright, individual young Irish woman becomes part of the celebrity circuit, and loses all that makes her special in the process of becoming a star.Random Quest combines romance and parallel universes.A Long Spoon is the story of how a demon is summoned by mistake and the lengths the couple that invoked him have to go to get rid of him without losing their souls in the bargain.

     From the first short story Haldeman ever sold, "Out of Phase," to "A Separate War," which revisits a character from his classic novel The Forever War, to his personal favorite, "For White Hill," based on a Shakespeare sonnet, this collection will take readers on a journey through a writer's growth from struggling artist to one of the premier voices of his generation. And notes on the stories at the end of the volume gives first-hand insight into the wit and wisdom that went into each of Haldeman's works.Contentsix • Meet Joe Haldeman • essay by Connie Willisxv • Introduction: The Secret of Writing (A Separate War and Other Stories) • essay by Joe Haldeman1 • A Separate War • [Forever War] • (1999) • novelette by Joe Haldeman36 • Diminished Chord • (2005) • shortstory by Joe Haldeman44 • Giza • (2003) • shortstory by Joe Haldeman49 • Foreclosure • (2005) • shortstory by Joe Haldeman61 • Four Short Novels • (2003) • shortstory by Joe Haldeman69 • For White Hill • (1995) • novella by Joe Haldeman111 • Finding My Shadow • (2003) • shortstory by Joe Haldeman127 • Civil Disobedience • (2005) • shortstory by Joe Haldeman135 • Memento Mori • (2004) • shortstory by Joe Haldeman139 • Faces • (2004) • shortstory by Joe Haldeman152 • Heartwired • (2005) • shortstory by Joe Haldeman155 • Brochure • (2000) • shortstory by Joe Haldeman157 • Out of Phase • (1969) • shortstory by Joe Haldeman173 • Power Complex • (1972) • novelette by Joe Haldeman215 • Fantasy for Six Electrodes and One Adrenaline Drip • shortstory by Joe Haldeman261 • Notes on the Stories (A Separate War and Other Stories) • essay by Joe Haldeman270 • Copyrights

    Exotic aliens. Far-flung planets. Fifteen fabulous tales that will thrill and surprise you, some chosen from previous BEYOND THE STARS volumes, and some brand new. Come along as these award-winning authors sweep you along on adventures as broad as the universe and as deep as their imagination. Welcome to the Best of Beyond the Stars!

    Collected in a mini-book format, here--for the first time in print--are six of her quirky, wry, engaging best:In -The Fermi Paradox Is Our Business Model, - aliens reveal the terrible truth about how humans were created--and why we'll never discover aliens.-As Good as New- is a brilliant twist on the tale of three wishes, set after the end of the world. -Intestate- is about a family reunion in which some attendees aren't quite human anymore--but they're still family.-The Cartography of Sudden Death- demonstrates that when you try to solve a problem with time travel, you now have two problems.-Six Months, Three Days- is the story of the love affair between a man who can see the one true foreordained future, and a woman who can see all the possible futures. They're both right, and the story won the 2012 Hugo Award for Best Novelette.And -Clover, - exclusively written for this collection, is a coda to All the Birds in the Sky, answering the burning question of what happened to Patricia's cat.

    Novellas, longer than short stories but shorter than novels, are a rich and rewarding literary form that can fully explore tomorrow’s technology, the far reaches of the future, thought-provoking imaginings, fantastic worlds, and entertaining concepts with the impact of a short story and the detailed breadth of a novel. Gathering a wide variety of excellent SF and fantasy, this anthology of “short novels” showcases the talents of both established masters and new writers.Contents (alphabetical order by author last name):“In Her Eyes” by Seth Chambers (The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Jan/Feb 2014)The Churn: An Expanse Novella by James S. A. Corey (Orbit)“Where the Trains Turn” by Pasi Ilmari Jääskeläinen (translated by Liisa Rantalaiho) (Tor.com, 15 November 2014)Yesterday’s Kin by Nancy Kress (Tachyon Publications)“Claudius Rex” by John P. Murphy (Alembical 3: A Distillation of Three Novellas, eds. Schoen & Dorrance)“The Things We Do For Love” by K. J. Parker (Subterranean Press Magazine, Summer 2014)“The Mothers of Voorhisville” by Mary Rickert, (Tor.com, 30 Apr 2014)“The Lightning Tree” by Patrick Rothfuss (Rogues, eds. Martin & Dozois)Dream Houses by Genevieve Valentine (Dream Houses WSFA/ Wyrm Publishing)