It was going to be one heck of a photo shoot.

    A story set in the far antiquity of Bakker's fictional world world of Eärwa, the setting for his Prince of Nothing and Aspect Emperor series.

    At the urging of Whorl’s religious leader, Patera Silk, the people left the ship for an uncertain future on Blue – a world already inhabited by the inhumi, blood-drinking aliens who take human form.Now The Book of the Short Sun carries the story forward to the years after the great exodus, to let Horn, narrator of the earlier work, tell his own story.Horn and his family have made a decent life for themselves on Blue, though crime, pollution and poverty have become so rampant in the city of New Viron that he is called upon to find Patera Silk. Horn must go to the still-orbiting Whorl and convince his old friend and mentor to return to Blue, for the legendary hero is the only one who can restore order and lead them to prosperity. But Horn isn’t even sure Silk still lives.Setting sail in a small boat, the aging Horn embarks on a long and difficult journey across the planet, trying to get to the Whorl. With the undine Seawrack, his adopted inhumi son, Krait, and his eldest son, Sinew, Horn makes it to the last working lander – only to be highjacked to the jungles of Green, where the inhumi imprison the passengers as slaves. There, he encounters the mysterious alien Neighbors who were once native to Blue, but whom the inhumi have all but exterminated. Horn joins their fight for freedom, is fatally wounded… and finds himself on another world, wearing a different body.As his inability to find Silk weighs heavily on his mind, Horn is further tormented by the fact that his new body bears a striking resemblance to the lost Caldé. In the end, he will have to answer a troubling question: has he truly failed in his sworn task, or has he become the very man he sought?Includes:On Blue's WatersIn Green's JunglesReturn To The Whorl

    Here are 25 stories (plus a bonus interview with best-selling author George R.R. Martin) by some of the field's greatest authors. Included are:THE TRUE DARKNESS, by Pamela SargentPERMANENT FATAL ERRORS, by Jay LakeADJUSTMENT TEAM, by Philip K. DickROBOTS DON’T CRY, by Mike ResnickNO GREAT MAGIC, by Fritz LeiberESCAPE HATCH, by Brenda W. CloughBACKLASH, by Winston K. MarksTHE PICK-UP, by Lawrence Watt-EvansPOPULATION IMPLOSION, by Andrew J. OffuttWAY DOWN EAST, by Tim SullivanTHROUGH TIME AND SPACE WITH FERDINAND FEGHOOT: 28, by Grendel BriartonTO INVADE NEW YORK, by Irwin LewisTHEY WERE THE WIND, by C.J. HendersonSTOPOVER, by William GerkenCONSEQUENCES OF STEAM, by Michael HemmingsonOUTSIDE LOOKING IN, by Mark E. BurgessDEAD WORLD, by Jack DouglasNEFERTITI'S TENTH LIFE, by Mary A. TurzilloQUICKSILVER, by Lonni LeesAFTER ALL, by Robert ReginaldTHE BARBARIANS, by Algis BudrysEX MACHINA, by Cynthia WardMONKEY ON HIS BACK, by Charles V. De VetTHE SURVIVORS, by Tom GodwinTHROUGH TIME AND SPACE WITH FERDINAND FEGHOOT: 99, by Grendel BriartonSPEAKING WITH GEORGE R.R. MARTIN: Interview conducted by Darrell SchweitzerAnd don't forget to search this ebook store for "Wildside Megapack" to see more entries in this series, covering classic authors and subjects like mysteries, science fiction, westerns, ghost stories -- and much, much more!

    Sam and the Devil Dogs may be relaxing in Tarna, but it’s not by choice—they’d rather be employed than resting up. When a dangerous job offer comes from “the old man,” Sam takes the Devil Dogs and their newest recruit, Dawson, on a perilous hunt to capture an unidentified warjack before their rival Steelheads or the horrific Cryx make a claim on the never-before-seen technology.Whether their mission will be worth the risk remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: Sam and the Devil Dogs will do whatever it takes to bring home The Devil’s Pay.

    In the process, she learns something new about how to fight the alien invaders, but she must also remember that revenge is not the way of the Jedi - even which it seems the only way to fight the enemy.

    Each publication of Hill is beautiful textured, deliciously scary, and greeted with the sort of overwhelming critical acclaim that is rare for works of skin-crawling supernatural terror. Read on if you dare to see what all the well-deserved hoopla is about.

    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.

    The word is out that the legendary city of Danvar has been found, and every diver, brigand, and pirate with a sarfer is racing to find it. But out in the dunes there's only one inarguable fact... The sand don't care, and it never did. Dunes Over Danvar is a short story set in New York Times Bestselling Author Hugh Howey's world of SAND, and is written and published with the permission of Hugh Howey.

    

    Includes Robert Silverberg's "How It Was When The Past Went Away"; "The Eve of RUMOKO" by Roger Zelazny and "We All Die Naked" by James Blish.

    Tom Swan is not a professional soldier. He's really a merchant and a scholar looking for remnants of Ancient Greece and Rome - temples, graves, pottery, fabulous animals, unicorn horns. But he also has a real talent for ending up in the midst of violence when he didn't mean to. Having used his wits to escape execution, he begins a series of adventures that take him to street duels in Italy, meetings with remarkable men - from Leonardo Da Vinci to Vlad Dracula - and from the intrigues of the War of the Roses to the fall of Constantinople.

    Blaine Kendricks thinks the strangers have come to Shadow Hollers to trade, but he is dead wrong, and as the invasion proceeds, he is recruited by a magician to participate in a dangerous game.

    Micco Hagan has been charged with pairing up the last of Earth's survivors based on genetics for optimal survival of the species. He can't resist the opportunity to be with his dream girl, Rena Gates. Though she rejected him before the Earth ended, he hopes now she'll find a soft spot for him.In the time before, Rena thought Micco had only come on to her to win a bet. She never expected them to be rescued together, or to be eventually partnered. Unable to resist following orders, she discovers they have a lot more going for them than DNA matching. The sex is explosive, but can it eventually grow into love?Good with his HandsParanormal Erotic RomancePhotographer Teresa Kelley is on assignment to shoot old ghost towns and desert scenery. What she doesn't anticipate is that scenery including the delicious Max Draper. The sizzling desert sun isn't the only thing heating up the abandoned mining town when the hot, muscled and oh so sexy mechanic offers to give her a hand. Dusty floorboards and ghost tales aside, Teresa finds herself on the other end of the lens when she and Max are caught in flagrante delicto by an unexpected...assistant.Arrested DesiresFuturistic RomanceX Quadrant, Baida Proper, Earthbase 5792461Juliana Harrison is in serious need of saving. When her neglectful husband abandons her along with their marriage, she's stunned--though she knows she shouldn't be. The man was a jerk and she'll be better off without him. However, just when she thought he could sink no lower, he puts a restraining order on her, claiming she's been threatening his life just so he can take their Earthbase home.Officer Maverick Perkins looks like he's stepped right out of the past and right into her life. Like everything else on the Earthbase of Baida Proper the police style is what she liked to think of as retro-Earth, based of the twentieth century as it was back on the planet Earth--except of course for the obvious, like squad cars that hover not drive and guns that fire lasers not bullets. Unfortunately, Maverick has been sent to evict her. He's the last person she'd expect to come to her rescue. Yet somehow, he manages to turn what should have been a terrible experience into something Juliana will never want to forget.Faire JusticeParanormal RomanceFinding herself undercover as a serving wench at a Renaissance Faire, FBI Agent and mild psychic Leda Williams isn't planning to partake in any role-playing games. She's there to find a mace-wielding serial killer, which isn't easy with everyone around her pretending to be in character. Not only does the entire village fit the Medieval-obsessed profile, but she's already been propositioned by a few of the knights. Clearly, sexual harassment wasn't around in the Middle Ages. But, when she sees the delectably gorgeous, magically seductive tournament champion, Sir Calum, Leda realizes there might be one knight she wouldn't mind getting into character for.Rating: Contains graphic sexual content, adult language, and violence. Intended for adults 18 years and older.

    Dick award and was optioned by Hollywood. He followed this up with two further novels continuing the adventures of Takeshi Kovacs - BROKEN ANGELS and WOKEN FURIES. He also wrote two further standalone SF novels, MARKET FORCES and BLACK MAN (which won the Arthur C. Clarke award).All five of these novels are collected here as the perfect introduction to Richard's work, or a welcome reminder of his power as a writer. Richard has also written two computer games (CRYSIS 2 and SYNDICATE), comics for MARVEL and is currently working on a fantasy trilogy comprising OF THE STEEL REMAINS, THE COLD COMMANDS, THE DARK DEFILES.