The mission comes with a warning: a graveyard world awaits him. But so do those left behind—hopeless and unbeautiful wastes of humanity who should have died out eons ago. After all this time, there’s no telling how they’ve devolved. Steel yourself, soldier. Get in. Get out. And try not to stare.N. K. Jemisin’s Emergency Skin is part of Forward, a collection of six stories of the near and far future from out-of-this-world authors. Each piece can be read or listened to in a single thought-provoking sitting.

    Though most of Earth has already been evacuated, it’s Samantha’s job to catalog plant samples for the survivors’ unknowable journey beyond.Preparing to stay behind and watch the world end, she makes a final human connection.As certain doom hurtles nearer, the unexpected and beautiful potential for the future begins to flower.Veronica Roth’s Ark is part of Forward, a collection of six stories of the near and far future from out-of-this-world authors. Each piece can be read or listened to in a single thought-provoking sitting.

    Yes, it will be dangerous, frequently brutal, and often devastating. But it’s also savagely funny, deliriously strange, and absolutely brimming with adventure.In these edgy, unexpected tales, a body-hopping mercenary avenges his pet elephant, and an orphan falls in love with a sentient starship. Fighters ally to power a reality-bending engine, and a swamp-dwelling introvert tries to save the world—from her plague-casting former wife.So come meet Kameron Hurley in the future. The version she's created here is weirder—and far more hopeful—than you could ever imagine.

    An alternate history short story looking at decisions and consequences, and what it takes to pull the trigger.Winner of the 2020 Hugo Award for Best Short Story.

    Thomas and Michael Damian ThomasHenosis / short story by N. K. JemisinClearly Lettered in a Mostly Steady Hand / short story by Fran WildeThough She Be But Little / short story by C.S.E. CooneyDown and Out in R'lyeh / novelette by Catherynne M. ValenteFandom for Robots / short story by Vina Jie-Min PrasadAt Cooney's / novelette by Delia ShermanGhost Town / short story by Malinda LoMy Voice-Over Life / essay by Sophie AldredLet Me Tell You / essay by Cecilia TanI'm Not the Only One: Why Wonder Woman Doesn't Need to Stand Alone in Order to Stand Tall / essay by Sarah KuhnResistance 101: Basics of Community Organizing for SF/F Creators and Consumers— Volume Four: "Don't Let Him Catch You With Your Work Undone"—Activism for the Long Haul / essay by Sam J. Miller and Jean RiceChangeable Skins, Consummate Catchphrases / essay by Sabrina VourvouliasToo Much Dystopia? / poem by Jo WaltonBirth, Place / poem by Brandon O'BrienA Lovesong from Frankenstein's Monster / poem by Ali TrottaThe Golem of the Gravestones / poem by Gwynne GarfinkleInterview: C. S. E. Cooney / interview by Julia RiosInterview: Delia Sherman / interview by Julia Rios

    A space opera adventure set in a distant future where an undercover agent has to go behind enemy lines to recover a lost ship and a possible traitor.

    In 2047, a first manned mission to Mars ended in tragedy. Thirty years later, a second expedition is preparing to launch. As housekeeper of the hotel where two of the astronauts will give their final press statements, Emily finds the mission intruding upon her thoughts more and more. Emily's mother, Moolie, has a message to give her, but Moolie's memories are fading. As the astronauts' visit draws closer, the unearthing of a more personal history is about to alter Emily's world forever.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

    There's just one problem. She's dead. An experimental technology might buy her some time. Even if it works, will it be enough to save her? Length: 5,000 words, a short story Genre: near future hard SF, drama Market: written for adults (no sex, no violence, occasional mild/moderate profanity) Get it now or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!

    The novella “A Necessary Being” showcases Octavia E. Butler’s ability to create alien yet fully believable “others.” Tahneh’s father was a Hao, one of a dwindling race whose leadership abilities render them so valuable that their members are captured and forced to govern. When her father dies, Tahneh steps into his place, both chief and prisoner, and for twenty years has ruled without ever meeting another of her kind. She bears her loneliness privately until the day that a Hao youth is spotted wandering into her territory. As her warriors sharpen their weapons, Tahneh must choose between imprisoning the newcomer—and living the rest of her life alone. The second story in this volume, “Childfinder,” was commissioned by Harlan Ellison for his legendary (and never-published) anthology The Last Dangerous Visions™. A disaffected telepath connects with a young girl in a desperate attempt to help her harness her growing powers. But in the richly evocative fiction of Octavia E. Butler, mentorship is a rocky path, and every lesson comes at a price. The award-winning author of science fiction classics Parable of the Sower and Kindred bestows these compelling, long lost gems “like the miraculous discovery that the beloved book you’ve read a dozen times has an extra chapter” (Los Angeles Review of Books). Harlan Ellison and Dangerous Visions are registered trademarks of the Kilimanjaro Corporation. All rights reserved.

    An image of humankind escaping into space. An image of human merchants trading and cheating, of human tyrants capturing the Varvax, Tenasi, and Hommar. Images of wars, of fighting, of a paradise destroyed."Oddly enough, the ones who made first contact were an outdated, nearly bankrupt phone company. Second contact was made by the United Governments Military when they accidentally shot down a Tenasi ambassadorial vessel. The Phone Company negotiated Earth out of danger following the Tenasi incident. The Phone Company had brought FTL communication to humankind.And Phone Company operative Jason Write has sworn to keep the galaxy safe from the barbaric humans who would ruin the Elysium that the galactic races currently enjoy.

    Now, in "Overtime," the Laundry is on a skeleton staff for Christmas—leaving one bureaucrat to be all that stands between the world and annihilation by the Thing That Comes Down Chimneys. Written especially for Tor.com's holiday season, Charles Stross's novelette is a finalist for the 2010 Hugo Award. Charles Stross is the Hugo-winning author of some of the most acclaimed novels and stories of the last ten years, including Singularity Sky, Accelerando, Halting State, the "Merchant Princes" series beginning with The Family Trade, and the story collections Toast and Wireless.

     Featuring new fiction by Ursula Vernon, John Chu, Chinelo Onwualu, Naomi Kritzer, Hiromi Goto, and K.M. Szpara, reprinted fiction by Carlos Hernandez, essays by Javier Grillo-Marxuach, Sarah Gailey, Sam J. Miller, Sarah Pinsker, Mimi Mondal, David J. Schwartz, Kelly McCullough, LaShawn M. Wanak, Yamile Saied Méndez, and DongWon Song, poetry by Roshani Chokshi, Sonya Taaffe, Betsy Aoki, and Theodora Goss, interviews with John Chu and Hiromi Goto by Julia Rios, a cover by Galen Dara, and an editorial by Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas.

    The Last Banquet of Temporal Confections is a Tor.com Original from fantasy author Tina Connolly.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

    New issues are released on the first Tuesday of every month. Extra large Customer Appreciation issue! TABLE OF CONTENTS FICTION The Tomato Thief—Ursula Vernon The Open-Hearted—Lettie Prell Soursop—Chikodili Emelumadu Bones of the World—Jennifer Hykes That Lucky Old Sun—Carrie Cuinn Razorback—Ursula Vernon Kutraya’s Skies—Dave Creek Riding Atlas—Ferrett Steinmetz Paper Tigers (Novel Excerpt)—Damien Angelica Walters NONFICTION Interview with Ursula Vernon—Andrea Johnson Interview with Chikodili Emelumadu—Andrea Johnson Interview with Lettie Prell—Andrea Johnson Interview with Matt Davis, Cover Artist—Russell Dickerson An Exploration of Racism in Heart of Darkness—Lucy A. Snyder POETRY RX-200 Series: It’s Everything You Need—Samson Stormcrow Hayes Upside of the Cataclysmic Meteor—Zebulon Huset The Doctor’s Assistant—Anton Rose In the Far Future, Billy Experiences the Most Powerful Drug Known to Man—Greg Leunig Automaton—Bianca Spriggs Maxwell’s Demon—Annie Neugebauer Various Kinds of Wolves—J.J. Hunter Editorial Words from the Editor-in-Chief — Jason Sizemore

    Le Guin, an icon in American literature, collected for the first time in one breathtaking volume.Ursula K. Le Guin has won multiple prizes and accolades from the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters to the Newbery Honor, the Nebula, Hugo, World Fantasy, and PEN/Malamud Awards. She has had her work collected over the years, but never as a complete retrospective of her longer works as represented in the wonderful The Found and the Lost.CONTENT "Vaster Than Empires And More Slow" "Buffalo Gals, Won’t You Come Out Tonight" "Hernes" by Ursula K. Le Guin "The Matter Of Seggri" "Another Story Or A Fisherman Of The Inland Sea" "Forgiveness Day" "A Man Of The People" "A Woman’s Liberation" "Old Music And The Slave Women" "The Finder" "On The High Marsh" "Dragonfly" "Paradises Lost"This collection is a literary treasure chest that belongs in every home library.