The scientists are rescued by a mysterious society whose inhabitants are wholly incapable of murder, assault, rape, or any other form of aggression. Protected by a river made of liquid hate, the descendants of Quetzalia’s original human colonists have devised a strange techno-religion that has in turn engendered a culture of total pacifism.While Burne undertakes to rid the planet of the savage and menacing brain-eaters that flourish beyond the utopia’s walls, Francis cultivates his romantic feelings for Tez Yon, the Quetzalian surgeon who saved his life. But the entomologist’s obsession with Tez’s soul leads him down a dark and twisted path, in time confronting him with a terrible dilemma. Should he murder the woman he loves to save a society he abhors?

    Buoyed up by bubbling foam it steadily rose. Single units in an obscene abrogation of normal order divided and made two. Two became four and four, eight. Endlessly supplied with food, each unit absorbed nutrient and in a soft, ancient certainty fulfilled its only purpose — to multiply, to extend and to multiply... "In the Coburg Street control room of the London Underground system, there was a full emergency... In a dozen tunnels, trains ground down to a halt. Hordes of terrified commuters made their way anxiously along dark, musty tunnels to the lights and safety of the next station. There were minor explosions, fires, and the failure of a million wires and cables. As the dissolution of plastic proceeded and accelerated in rate, the elegant order of the system gradually turned into complete chaos. "On the surface, in the freezing December air, the smell of the rotting plastic began to hang permanently in the air. A cloying, wet, rotting smell similar to the smell of long-dead flesh. It filled streets and homes, basements and factories. Traffic lights failed, causing irresolvable jams.... The breakdown of plastic spread into Broadcasting House.... A gas main with polypropylene seals on its pressure regulators erupted into flame.... Plastic cold-water pipes softened, ballooned, and burst, flooding into shops, homes, and restaurants. "Slowly and inexorably, the rate of dissolution increased; failures occurred in increasing succession until, within forty-eight hours, the centre of London had become a freezing chaos without light, heat, or communication."

    This is a science fiction adventure story set on a terraformed Mars in the far future from the award-winning author of 'Eternal Light'.

    But Form Change has its darker aspects, ranging from unautorized experimentation on human subjects to a threat to the very essence of humanity - a SIGHT OF PROTEUS.Sheffield has written a thrilling novel of pursuit and unveiling in a world where the froms of humanity are practically boundless - until one man breaks an unbreakable law; until an alien force looses itself upon the world - and a planet that exploded sixteen million years ago delivers its final legacy...

    As the final ship of Project Starseed makes its landing on the dead star, the colonists venture out to search the area, only to discover something shocking hidden in the ice.

    [A Beowulf Shaeffer Story] A human spaceship pilot accepts an offer to guide a cramped (but very fast) experimental alien ship to the center of the galaxy on a promotional stunt--but what he finds at the core is much more important than just publicity.

    Only most of the green-horns who came to try didn't find out until after they got there. Chris Jackson was no exception. He put everything he owned and could borrow into this, and he'd be ruined if he failed. His only chance meant going into Tycho - where three expeditions had already disappeared. He could try, but would he come out again?

    His spells can strike terror in the hearts of even his most powerful enemies. But the enemy he faces now is like none he has ever seen before. The stranger has come from nowhere and is ignorant of even the most basic principles of magic. But the stranger has an incredibly powerful magic of his own. There is no room in Shoogar's world for an intruder whose powers match his own, let alone one whose powers might exceed his. So before the blue sun can cross the face of the red sun once more, Shoogar will show this stranger just who is boss.

    Rather, it suddenly wanted to stop thinking about them. The public was scared. Throughout all human history, the most horrifying of all ideas has been the idea of something which was as intelligent as a man, but wasn't human.The first sounds came at midnight, a plaintive keening from an unknown voice in the vastness of uncharted space. Within hours the whole world had heard the strange, unearthly music--and the panic had begun.Were the sounds a plea for help? From whom? From where? Or were they a command too terrible to think about? No one knew: And in billions of earth-bound minds the horror grew...For how could man, who had not yet claimed the moon, defy a challenge from the stars?And hours later, to the ears of a helpless world, the second message came. . .And Earth's days were numbered.

    In the groundbreaking Amber books, he turned to fantasy, creating one of the most beloved series of all time.Sadly, Roger Zelazny was taken from us too soon. But his genius blazes on—not only in his own enduring fiction, but also in the work of fellow authors influenced by his example and touched by his friendship. Now twenty-five of those writers—including some of the most acclaimed names in SF and fantasy—come together to pay tribute to Roger Zelazny with original stories evoking the magic and wonder of his own best work.

    Here are stories that go beyond space and time.Contentsix • Introduction: Science Fiction is Alive and Well • (1996) • essay by David G. Hartwell1 • Think Like a Dinosaur • (1995) • novelette by James Patrick Kelly29 • Wonders of the Invisible World • (1995) • shortstory by Patricia A. McKillip45 • Hot Times in Magma City • (1995) • novella by Robert Silverberg111 • Gossamer • [Xeelee] • (1995) • shortstory by Stephen Baxter135 • A Worm in the Well • (1995) • novelette by Gregory Benford169 • Downloading Midnight • (1995) • novelette by William Browning Spencer203 • For White Hill • (1995) • novella by Joe Haldeman261 • In Saturn Time • (1995) • shortstory by William Barton283 • Coming of Age in Karhide • [Hainish] • (1995) • novelette by Ursula K. Le Guin309 • The Three Descents of Jeremy Baker • (1995) • shortstory by Roger Zelazny321 • Evolution • (1995) • novelette by Nancy Kress353 • The Day the Aliens Came • (1995) • shortstory by Robert Sheckley369 • Microbe • [Elysium Cycle] • (1995) • shortstory by Joan Slonczewski387 • The Ziggurat • (1995) • novella by Gene Wolfe

    Slonczewski uses her expertise as a biologist to create a novel of postnuclear ecology, which is at the same time a political science fiction novel and a tale of alien invasion.

    Yet tow races shared it with no love between them. The Raski were the first people, the Yurth the late comers.This is the story of Elossa, the Yurth girl who followed the Call that every Yurth sensitive must follow when the time came. And this is the story of Stans, the Raski, who had to achieve manhood by blood rite against the hated Yurth.This is a novel of a world where ancient injustice had been done and never righted, where brooding evil and age-old vengeance awaited peace-makers-- and of two who brought this terror down upon their own heads.

    Hartwell demonstrates the amazing depth and power of contemporary speculative fiction, showcasing astonishing short stories from some of science fiction's most respected names as well as exciting new writers to watch. In this anthology, prepare to travel light years from the ordinary into a tomorrow at once breathtaking, frightening, and possible with some of the greatest tales of wonder published in 2012.At the publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management software (DRM) applied.

    Contains:Introduction"A Dead Singer" (1974) novelette"The Greater Conqueror" (1963) novelette"Behold the Man" (1966) novella"Good-Bye, Miranda" (1964) short fiction"Flux" (1963) novelette"Islands" (1963) short story"Waiting for the End of Time..." (1970) short story