Book picks similar to
Future on Fire by Orson Scott Card


science-fiction
short-stories
fiction
anthology

Famous Science-Fiction Stories: Adventures in Time and Space


Raymond J. HealyWilly Ley - 1946
    HeinleinForgetfulness (1937) by John W. Campbell, Jr.Nerves (1942) by Lester del ReyThe Sands of Time (1937) by P. Schuyler MillerThe Proud Robot (1943) by Henry KuttnerSeeds of the Dusk (1938) by Raymond Z. GallunBlack Destroyer (1939) by A. E. van VogtSymbiotica (1943) by Eric Frank RussellHeavy Planet (1939) by Milton A. RothmanTime Locker (1943) by Henry KuttnerThe Link (1942) by Cleve CartmillMechanical Mice (1941) by Eric Frank RussellV-2: Rocket Cargo Ship (1945) essay by Willy LeyAdam & No Eve (1941) by Alfred BesterNightfall (1941) by Isaac AsimovA Matter of Size (1934) by Harry BatesAs Never Was (1944) by P. Schuyler MillerQ.U.R. (1943) by Anthony BoucherWho Goes There? (1938) by John W. Campbell, Jr.The Roads Must Roll (1940) by Robert A. HeinleinAsylum (1942) A. E. van VogtQuietus (1940) by Ross RocklynneThe Twonky (1942) by Henry Kuttner & C. L. MooreTime-Travel Happens! (1939) essay by A. M. PhillipsRobot's Return (1938) by Robert Moore WilliamsThe Blue Giraffe (1939) by L. Sprague de CampFlight into Darkness (1943) by J. Francis McComasThe Weapons Shop (1942) by A. E. van VogtFarewell to the Master (1940) by Harry BatesWithin the Pyramid (1937) by R. DeWitt MillerHe Who Shrank (1936) by Henry HasseBy His Bootstraps (1941) by Robert A. HeinleinThe Star Mouse (1942) by Fredric BrownCorrespondence Course (1945) by Raymond F. JonesBrain (1932) by S. Fowler Wright

Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fiction and Illusions


Neil Gaiman - 1998
    and anything is possible. In this, Gaiman's first book of short stories, his imagination and supreme artistry transform a mundane world into a place of terrible wonders -- a place where an old woman can purchase the Holy Grail at a thrift store, where assassins advertise their services in the Yellow Pages under "Pest Control," and where a frightened young boy must barter for his life with a mean-spirited troll living beneath a bridge by the railroad tracks. Explore a new reality -- obscured by smoke and darkness, yet brilliantly tangible -- in this extraordinary collection of short works by a master prestidigitator. It will dazzle your senses, touch your heart, and haunt your dreams.

Looking for Jake


China MiévilleCristina Jurado - 2003
    Now from this brilliant young writer comes a groundbreaking collection of stories, many of them previously unavailable in the United States, and including four never-before-published tales–one set in Miéville’s signature fantasy world of New Crobuzon. Among the fourteen superb fictions are“Jack”–Following the events of his acclaimed novel Perdido Street Station, this tale of twisted attachment and horrific revenge traces the rise and fall of the Remade Robin Hood known as Jack Half-a-Prayer. “Familiar”–Spurned by its creator, a sorceress’s familiar embarks on a strange and unsettling odyssey of self-discovery in a coming-of-age story like no other.

Murasaki


Robert Silverberg - 1992
    Murasaki is completely based in hard science and what we know of the Murasaki star system--which actually exists. Authors Poul Anderson and Frederik Pohl painstakingly constructed the working mechanics of a real star system, projecting the atmosphere, geology, chemistry, flora, and fauna of the two planets on which the work is set. They and four more of America's best science fiction authors--known for their "hard" speculative fiction--used Pohl and Anderson's essays (included as appendixes to this book) as source material to create this amazing story of the earliest human explorations of the twenty-third century--an epic tale of discovery, conflict, and resolution told by the masters of imaginative writing. Murasaki, star HD 36395...where the gristmill of Darwinism produced two vastly different alien ecologies on two closely revolving planets, circling each other since scouring lightning storms stirred them to life billions of years ago. The two planets are Genji, violent and reckless, filled with a variety of winged life; and Chujo, a cooling world of ancient, crumbling cities, slowly going through its glacial death throes. Both planets are host to intelligences that are strange in ways Man can only guess at...and the planets have an eerie connection that will soon come to fruition after the first human explorers arrive. Exceeding light-speed for twenty years and decelerating by plasma exhaust drive, the first ship bearing humans arrives at Murasaki. The wealth, pride, and future of nations depend upon the outcome as the first contact team sets foot on a Murasaki-system world--while the hope of mankind, a planet capable of supporting human life, awaits the first explorer to touch the strangely colored alien soil.... Intricately detailed, epic in scope, startling in its implications, Murasaki is destined to become a classic novel of world-building--combining rousing adventure, informed speculation, and a bold prophetic vision.

The Mammoth Book of Time Travel SF


Mike AshleyChristopher Priest - 2013
    It also raises questions about whether we understand time, and how we perceive it. Once we move outside the present day, can we ever return or do we move into an alternate world? What happens if our meddling with Nature leads to time flowing backwards, or slowing down or stopping all together? Or if we get trapped in a constant loop from which we can never escape. Is the past and future immutable or will we ever be able to escape the inevitable?These are just some of the questions that are raised in these challenging, exciting and sometimes amusing stories by Kage Baker, Simon Clark, Fritz Leiber, Christopher Priest, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Robert Silverberg, Michael Swanwick, John Varley and many others.

All My Sins Remembered


Joe Haldeman - 1977
    The only problem is that the Confederacion needs him as one of its twelve Prime Operators for its secret service, the TBII. The TBII wants him as a spy, thief & assassin. It's not, of course, a problem for the Confederacion, which simply uses immersion therapy & hypnotic personality overlay for Otto's training, then sends him out in deep cover, encased in plastiflesh, on a variety of dangerous missions on a number of bizarre worlds. But for him, it's a different matter: what he has to witness & what he's forced to do take a terrible toll. Always he returns to his original self--his conscience stabbed by the memory of all those he'd killed in the service of interstellar harmony.

Prayers to Broken Stones


Dan Simmons - 1990
    An old-fashioned barbershop is the site of a medieval ritual of bloody terror.... During a post-apocalyptic Christmas celebration, a messenger from the South brings tidings of great horror.... From a ghostly Civil War battlefield to a combat theme park in Vietnam, from the omnipotent brain of an autistic boy to a shocking story of psychic vampires, journey into a world of fear and mystery, a chilling twilight zone of the mind.

More Than Honor


David Weber - 1998
    Weber is joined in Honor's universe by two leading science fiction writers, David Drake and S.M. Stirling.

Mirrorshades: The Cyberpunk Anthology


Bruce SterlingJames Patrick Kelly - 1986
    Fans and critics call their world cyberpunk. Here is the definitive "cyberpunk" short fiction collection.Contents:The Gernsback Continuum (1981) by William GibsonSnake-Eyes (1986) by Tom MaddoxRock On (1984) by Pat CadiganTales of Houdini (1981) by Rudy Rucker400 Boys (1983) by Marc LaidlawSolstice (1985) by James Patrick KellyPetra (1982) by Greg BearTill Human Voices Wake Us (1984) by Lewis ShinerFreezone (1985) by John ShirleyStone Lives (1985) by Paul Di FilippoRed Star, Winter Orbit (1983) by William Gibson and Bruce SterlingMozart in Mirrorshades (1984) by Bruce Sterling and Lewis Shiner

Doctor Who: Eleven Doctors, Eleven Stories


Eoin ColferCharlie Higson - 2013
    Eleven Doctors, eleven stories, eleven unique interpretations of the Doctor, his terrifying alien enemies and his time-travelling adventures.

Eye


Frank Herbert - 1985
    Also included is an introduction by Herbert describing his personal feelings about the filming of David Lynch's movie version of Dune; Herbert's own favorite short story, Seed Stock and tales from throughout his career, some never before collected.

The New Weird


Ann VanderMeerHal Duncan - 2008
    Assembling an array of talent, this collection includes contributions from visionaries Michael Moorcock and China Miéville, modern icon Clive Barker, and audacious new talents Hal Duncan, Jeffrey Ford, and Sarah Monette. An essential snapshot of a vibrant movement in popular fiction, this anthology also features critical writings from authors, theorists, and international editors as well as witty selections from online debates.ContentsIntroduction: The New Weird: “It’s Alice?” by Jeff VanderMeer“The Gutter Sees the Light That Never Shines” by Alistair Rennie“Watson’s Boy” by Brian Evenson“Cornflowers Beside the Unuttered” by Cat Rambo“Jack” by China Miéville“In the Hills, the Cities” by Clive Barker“Forfend the Heaven’s Rending” by Conrad Williams“Locust-Mind” by Daniel Abraham“Tracking Phantoms” by Darja Malcolm-Clarke“Constable Chalch and the Ten Thousand Heroes” by Felix Gilman“The Lizard of Ooze” by Jay Lake“Festival Lives: Preamble: An Essay” by Jeff VanderMeer and Ann VanderMeer“At Reparata” by Jeffrey Ford“Immolation” by Jeffrey Thomas“The Art of Dying” by Darja Malcolm-Clarke“Whose Words You Wear” by K. J. Bishop“The Neglected Garden” by Kathy Koja“Letters from Tainaron” by Leena Krohn“The Luck in the Head” by M. John Harrison“Crossing Cambodia” by Michael Moorcock“Death in a Dirty Dhorti” by Paul Di Filippo“All God’s Chillun Got Wings” by Sarah Monette“The Braining of Mother Lamprey” by Simon D. Ings“The Ride of the Gabbleratchet” by Steph Swainston“A Soft Voice Whispers Nothing” by Thomas Ligotti“European Editor Perspectives on the New Weird: An Essay” by Martin Šust, Michael Haulica, Hannes Riffel, Jukka Halme, Konrad Walewski“The New Weird: I Think We’re the Scene” by Michael Cisco“New Weird Discussions: The Creation of a Term” by various authors

Nano Comes to Clifford Falls: And Other Stories


Nancy Kress - 2008
    The narratives reveal many forms of artificial intelligence including a persecuted slave in "Computer Virus," a controlling force of the universe in "Mirror Image," or even one that's entirely indifferent to humans in "Savior." From the center of the galaxy to the swamps of Earth, all 13 inventive tales offer a trademark mix of hard science fiction interacting with flawed humanity.

Songs of the Dying Earth: Stories in Honour of Jack Vance


George R.R. MartinMike Resnick - 2009
    Martin and Gardner Dozois, with the full cooperation of Jack Vance, his family, and his agents, suggest a Jack Vance tribute anthology called Songs of the Dying Earth, to encourage the best of today's fantasy writers to return to the unique and evocative milieu of The Dying Earth, from which they and so many others have drawn so much inspiration, to create their own brand-new adventures in the world of Jack Vance s greatest novel.Half a century ago, Jack Vance created the world of the Dying Earth, and fantasy has never been the same. Now, for the first time ever, Jack has agreed to open this bizarre and darkly beautiful world to other fantasists, to play in as their very own. To say that other fantasy writers are excited by this prospect is a gross understatement; one has told us that he'd crawl through broken glass for the chance to write for the anthology, another that he'd gladly give up his right arm for the privilege that's the kind of regard in which Jack Vance and The Dying Earth are held by generations of his peers.

The Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Volume 2


Gordon Van GelderGeorge Alec Effinger - 2014
    The magazine jumpstarted the careers of bestselling authors such as Roger Zelazny, Bruce Sterling, and Jane Yolen and continues to champion bold new crossover talents including Paolo Bacigalupi and Ken Liu. Now drawing upon F&SF's impressive history of classic and contemporary tales, this extraordinary companion anthology revisits and expands upon sixty-five years' worth of top-notch fiction. These broad-ranging, award-winning tales appeal to readers of genre fiction and beyond, exploring alternate history, time travel, urban fantasy, virtual reality, modern myth, horror, interstellar travel, epic fantasy, mystery, and space opera. Contents "The Third Level" by Jack Finney "Fondly Fahrenheit" by Alfred Bester "The Cosmic Charge Account" by C. M. Kornbluth "The Anything Box" by Zenna Henderson "The Prize of Peril" by Robert Sheckley "---All You Zombies---" by Robert A. Heinlein "Green Magic" by Jack Vance "The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth" by Roger Zelazny "Narrow Valley" by R. A. Lafferty "Sundance" by Robert Silverberg "Attack of the Giant Baby" by Kit Reed "The Hundredth Dove" by Jane Yolen "Jeffty Is Five" by Harlan Ellison "Salvador" by Lucius Shepard "The Aliens Who Knew, I mean, Everything" by George Alec Effinger "Rat" by J. P. Kelly "The Friendship Light" by Gene Wolfe "The Bone Woman" by Charles de Lint "The Lincoln Train" by Maureen McHugh "Maneki Neko" by Bruce Sterling "Winemaster" by Robert Reed "Suicide Coast" by M. John Harrison "Have Not Have" by Geoff Ryman "The People of Sand & Slag" by Paolo Bacigalupi "Echo" by Liz Hand "The New York Times at Special Bargain Rates" by Stephen King "The Paper Menagerie" by Ken Liu