Even today, machines that mimic human thinking surround us. As the intellectual feats of computing machines grow more and more astounding, will there be a day when their apparent intelligence approaches, or even surpasses, that of human beings? And what if these machines then become conscious, self-aware?In this latest title in the acclaimed Future Chronicles series of speculative fiction anthologies, thirteen authors confront the question of the Singularity: that point of time when A.I. becomes more than simply a human construct. From machine awareness to omniscience, these original short stories explore that territory where human intelligence comes face-to-face with what is either its greatest hope, or its greatest threat.The A.I. Chronicles features stories by bestselling author David Simpson (the Post-Human series), Prix Aurora winner Julie Czerneda (In the Company of Others), plus eleven more of today's top authors in speculative and science fiction.

    Robots vs. Fairies is an anthology that pitches genre against genre, science fiction against fantasy, through an epic battle of two icons. On one side, robots continue to be the classic sci-fi phenomenon in literature and media, from Asimov to WALL-E, from Philip K. Dick to Terminator. On the other, fairies are the beloved icons and unquestionable rulers of fantastic fiction, from Tinkerbell to Tam Lin, from True Blood to Once Upon a Time. Both have proven to be infinitely fun, flexible, and challenging. But when you pit them against each other, which side will triumph as the greatest genre symbol of all time?There can only be one…or can there?

     Kurt Desmond and Cassie Atwood are private investigators in the sleepy oceanside slum of Seaside Heights, CA. That is, until a stranger comes to town with an offer too good to refuse. But everything in this life comes with strings, and the pair soon find themselves embroiled in a 10,000 year old conspiracy that will reveal the origin of modern civilization. If they survive that long...

    Who is the man he kills, the woman he shoots, and what is the Eden Plague? Fleeing the shadowy Company, Daniel turns to fellow soldiers. He fights back, seeks the woman, and wants answers. A secret threatens world stability and a conspiracy could change everything.

    With "Year's Best SF 17, " acclaimed, award-winning editors and anthologists David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer demonstrate the amazing depth and power of contemporary speculative fiction, showcasing astonishing stories from some of the genre's most respected names as well as exciting new writers to watch. Prepare to travel light years from the ordinary into a tomorrow at once breathtaking, frightening, and possible, with tales of wonder from: Elizabeth Bear Gregory Benford Neil Gaiman Nancy Kress Michael Swanwick and others.Contentsxi • Introduction (Year's Best SF 17) • essay by David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer1 • The Best Science Fiction of the Year Three • (2011) • shortfiction by Ken MacLeod16 • Dolly • (2011) • shortstory by Elizabeth Bear34 • Altogether Elsewhere, Vast Herds of Reindeer • (2011) • shortstory by Ken Liu48 • Tethered • (2011) • shortfiction by Mercurio D. Rivera73 • Wahala • (2011) • shortfiction by Nnedi Okorafor96 • Laika's Ghost • (2011) • novelette by Karl Schroeder128 • Ragnarok • (2011) • poem by Paul Park140 • Six Months, Three Days • (2011) • novelette by Charlie Anders [as by Charlie Jane Anders ]163 • "And Weep Like Alexander" • (2011) • shortfiction by Neil Gaiman169 • The Middle of Somewhere • (2011) • shortfiction by Judith Moffett195 • Mercies • (2011) • novelette by Gregory Benford220 • The Education of Junior Number 12 • [Machine Dynasties] • (2011) • shortfiction by Madeline Ashby246 • Our Candidate • (2011) • shortstory by Robert Reed261 • Thick Water • (2011) • shortfiction by Karen Heuler281 • The War Artist • (2011) • shortstory by Tony Ballantyne294 • The Master of the Aviary • (2011) • shortfiction by Bruce Sterling323 • Home Sweet Bi'ome • (2011) • novelette by Pat MacEwen346 • For I Have Lain Me Down on the Stone of Loneliness and I'll Not Be Back Again • (2011) • shortstory by Michael Swanwick364 • The Ki-anna • (2011) • novelette by Gwyneth Jones388 • Eliot Wrote • (2011) • shortstory by Nancy Kress403 • The Nearest Thing • (2011) • novelette by Genevieve Valentine430 • A Vector Alphabet of Interstellar Travel • (2011) • shortstory by Yoon Ha Lee438 • The Ice Owl • (2011) • novella by Carolyn Ives Gilman

    Exploration, alien invasions, genetic engineering, and artificial intelligence--it’s all here. Blast off with these adventures by New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling authors. Star Nomad by Lindsay Buroker In this fast-paced space adventure, Captain Alisa Marchenko must brave sadistic savages, fearsome cyborgs, and brutal pirates to steal a ship so she can find her way home. Starship Eternal by M.R. Forbes When a critical injury leaves Space Marine Captain Mitchell "Ares" Williams having visions of a lost starship and an alien invasion, he thinks he's going insane... He isn't. Icarus by Matt Verish Cole Musgrave’s dream of interstellar travel has become a nightmare. When a delivery is compromised aboard a classified cargo vessel, the unorthodox captain finds himself embroiled in a deadly assignment that will alter his life forever. Attack on Phoenix by Megg Jensen Two hundred years ago, an interplanetary expedition crashed on a deserted planet. Catching the attention of the dragzhi, an aggressive alien species, they found themselves in a war they were doomed to lose ... unless Torsten Vikker, a soldier who’d rather read than fight, can find a way to save them. Archangel Down by C. Gockel Commander Noa Sato doesn’t believe in aliens. She’s too busy trying to save the lives of millions and her own skin to ponder the existence of “others.” Fortunately for Noa, aliens believe in her. Destroyer by Chris Fox One maverick captain, an unlikely crew, and an aging vessel are all that stand between humanity and the Eradication. Space Carrier Avalon by Glynn Stewart Avalon was the first and most legendary of the Castle Federation's space carriers, but she is now old and obsolete. Accepting the inevitable, she is sent on a final flag-showing tour. But war clouds gather and this final tour will be anything but quiet. Symphony of War by David Adams Lieutenant Marcus Servus and his soldiers, a penal legion, stand against insectoid boogeymen from another galaxy. Marcus has a gift. An edge against the monsters: he hears music. Songs in his head guide him, granting him knowledge and foresight, a weapon against the alien hordes. But who plucks the strings? Allies and Enemies: Fallen by Amy J. Murphy Purpose-bred soldier of the Regime, Commander Sela Tyron is as subtle as a hammer. To hammers, any problem can look like a nail, but solutions aren’t always that easy. When Sela encounters a son she is forbidden to know, falls in love with a man who is clearly off-limits, and is abandoned on a planet of insurrectionists, things get complicated.

    Her startling and powerful works have redefined the boundaries of contemporary science fiction. Here in one volume are twelve of her greatest stories, including double award-winner "Fire Watch," set in the universe of Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog, in which a time-traveling student learns one of history's hardest lessons. In "A Letter from the Clearys," a routine message from distant friends shatters the fragile world of a beleaguered family. In "The Sidon in the Mirror," a mutant with the unconscious urge to become other people finds himself becoming both killer and victim. Disturbing, revealing, and provocative, this remarkable collection of short fiction brings together some of the best work of an incomparable writer whose ability to amaze, confound, and enlighten never fails.Contents:Fire Watch (1982)Service for the Burial of the Dead (1982)Lost and Found (1982)All My Darling Daughters (1985)The Father of the Bride (1982)A Letter from the Clearys (1982)And Come from Miles Around (1979)The Sidon in the Mirror (1983)Daisy, in the Sun (1979)Mail-Order Clone (1982)Samaritan (1978)Blued Moon (1984)

    What was once known as the Wasteland is now controlled by the Annaran Covenant, a theocracy that rules with an iron fist.To the east of the Covenant lies the Red Wild, the abode of the human Elekai. Each side believes that their Goddess, Annara, has called for the other's extermination -- a prophecy that will be fulfilled during the end of days, known as the Second Darkness.Living in the Covenant's capital of Colonia, seventeen-year-old Shanti Roshar discovers she has the ability to speak to dragons -- and when she catches the eye of the Covenant's Hunters, her life will never be the same.Note: The Xenoworld Saga is a follow-up series to The Wasteland Chronicles. Start that series for free here: amzn.com/B00AJF2130

    Anderson also authored several works of fantasy, historical novels, and a prodigious number of short stories. He received numerous awards for his writing, including seven Hugo Awards and three Nebula Awards. This volume collects 8 classic stories:WITCH OF THE DEMON SEAS (1951)DUEL ON SYRTIS (1951)SECURITY (1953)SENTIMENT, INC. (1953)THE SENSITIVE MAN (1954)THE CHAPTER ENDS (1954)THE VALOR OF CAPPEN VARRA (1957)INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION (1963)And if you enjoy this volume, don't forget to search your favorite ebook store for "Wildside Press Megapack" to see the more than 170 entries in the MEGAPACK™ ebook series, covering science fiction, fantasy, horror, mysteries, westerns, classics -- and much, much more!

    Ben Rollins, head of Harvard's exoplanet research team, is told by NASA after being dragged out of bed in the middle of the night. His first instinct is to call his daughter, Jessica, who's vacationing in Italy with his wife. "Something's coming," he tells them. "A hundred times the mass of the sun. We can't see it, don't know what it is yet, but they're calling it Nomad--and in just months, the Earth may be destroyed."But what is it? And how did they miss detecting it until now? In a frantic race against time, Dr. Rollins must unravel Nomad's secrets. A mysterious clue surfaces in his old research papers from the end of the Cold War, more than thirty years earlier...The world erupts into chaos as the end approaches--and Ben discovers that his wife and daughter are trapped in Europe. The key to humanity's survival rests in the final answers Dr. Rollins pieces together, in the midst of his desperate scramble across continents to find his family before Nomad swallows the planet.MORE ABOUT NOMADA story of family and redemption set amid a brand new category of cataclysm--all the more plausible and terrifying as the science behind it is vetted by a team of world-class astrophysicists from CERN, SETI, the Keck Observatory and more. It even has its own simulation video, included at the end of the book.

    Add it to your cart NOW because it is available for a limited time! FANS OF DYSTOPIAN FICTION -> 9 TITLES FROM 10 INCREDIBLE AUTHORS! Do you love post-apocalyptic stories? This is the End 2 will keep you reading for days. Get this collection now. It includes 9 titles from 10 of today's best-selling writers of dark fantasy. *This anthology contains scenes of graphic violence that are intended for adults and may be offensive to sensitive readers. Some titles in the anthology are the first book in a series, and others are standalone novels (review average and count accurate as of May 1st, 2014). This is the End includes:~DEAD: Steve's Story by T.W. Brown (4.6 stars on 19 reviews)~The Forgotten by Jacqueline Druga (4.5 stars on 12 reviews)~Love and Decay Volume One: Season 1 by Rachel Higginson (4.6 stars on 47 reviews)~The Last to Fall by Glynn James (4.3 stars on 15 reviews)~Timecaster by J.A. Konrath (3.9 stars on 109 reviews)~After: First Light by Scott Nicholson (3.4 stars on 51 reviews)~Zombie Patrol (Walking Plague Trilogy #1) by J.R. Rain and Elizabeth Basque (4.1 stars on 76 reviews)~Breakers by Edward W. Robertson (4.4 stars on 455 reviews)~The Seventh Seal by J. Thorn (3.0 stars on 105 reviews) Any fan of "28 Days", "I Am Legend", or "The Walking Dead" will love This is the End 2! Scroll up and grab this anthology right NOW and you will be glad that you did.

    Graham, the head of IT, has done many unsavory things in his life but everyone has a line they won't cross. He just found his. With only his best friend, Wallis and a dying electrician, Grace, to stand by him, he is left with one clear and final choice. Does he do what is right or what the rules say he should? It is a race against time for the trio against the impersonal might of Silo One. Their only choice? Going Dark.

    Now, in The Year's Best Science Fiction: Thirty-Third 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 of short stories has become the definitive must-read anthology for all science fiction fans and readers interested in breaking into the genre.

    And one scientist is willing to kill to find it… Dorian Anino thought her research would change the world. The discovery of the so-called “hero-gene” taught her and her team that it was possible for some humans to have incredible strength, speed, and agility. But when Dorian discovers that the gene only expresses in people on the brink of death, her team can’t help but be disappointed. Except for Dorian’s protégé, who opts to poison the water supply to unearth more heroes…Luc Gray is a hero through and through. But when the squadron leader loses a pilot and then his position in quick succession, he has no idea what to do next. Without a mission, he jumps at an assignment from Dorian to investigate the pilot’s death. But when the mission puts him in grave danger, Luc is about to find out just how much of a hero he is…To defeat a scientist who wants to play god, Dorian may just have to create her own team of heroes…On a Pale Ship is the first book in a new series in the Privateer Tales universe, a set of military sci-fi space operas. If you like amazing tech, superhuman abilities, and interstellar action, then you’ll love Jamie McFarlane’s powerful tale. Buy On a Pale Ship to unlock your inner hero today!

    "Tank Farm Dynamo" sure tried! What if we found the nerve, the spirit and daring to use every resource -- including those that NASA simply threw away? An unabashedly old-fashioned hard SF story with science and technology as central, problem-solving players... plus a real twist.