One Sheriff. And all the action one Spaceport can't hold. Darklanding is the wild, wild west of known space. Sheriff Thaddeus Fry will never completely leave the battlefields of Centauri Prime. His new assignment, the Sheriff's office of Darklanding, could be a do-nothing job, or it could get him killed. The first thing he learns is that his predecessor's headquarters were bombed, creating the vacancy that led to his appointment. The Company Man, is not who he expected, to say the least. His new accommodations are right in the center of Darklanding's misfits. He finds one native of Ungwilook willing to talk to him and tries to make him a deputy. What really matters on Darklanding, are the mines. Faced with a dangerous collapse that could kill hundreds of workers, he leaps into action and gets the story of Darklanding started. Fans of Firefly, Bonanza, and Tombstone will love this new series. Join us today and every 18 days, you’ll get a new episode of Darklanding.

    The crew of the Edison suddenly find themselves fighting for their lives - and amongst the chaos, Taniya will discover that she's not the only member of the crew with a secret . . .

    Subterranean Press is proud to publish The Sagan Diary, a long novelette that for the first time looks at the worlds of the Hugo-nominated Old Man's War and its sequel The Ghost Brigades from the point of view of Lieutenant Jane Sagan, who in a series of diary entries gives her views on some of the events included in the series... and sheds new light into some previously unexplored corners. If you thought you knew Jane Sagan before, prepare to be surprised.

     Author's note: This story was previously published as ENTER THE DEATH CIRCUS. EPISODE 1: When love is crime, who will save the guilty? After falling in love and fathering a child, a young criminal refuses to voluntarily throw himself into a lake of fire to gain his community's forgiveness. So he's sentenced to death and sold to the owner of a spaceship that buys criminals like him. But the ship and its crew are not quite what they appear to be.

    The aim of the editors was to collect stories which emphasize plot, character, science, originality and believability in equal measure, not only to entertain readers but also to educate and to return the sense of wonder of the Golden Age to a new generation of 21st Century readers.Contents:Blue afternoon that lasted forever / Daniel H. Wilson --Slow unfurling of truth / Aliette de Bodard --Thunderwell / Doug Beason --Circle / Liu Cixin --Old timer's game / Ben Bova --Snows of yesteryear / Jean-Louis Trudel --Skin Deep / Leah Petersen & Gabrielle Harbowy --Lady with fox / Gregory Benford --Habilis / Howard Hendrix --Play's the thing / Jack McDevitt --Every hill ends with sky / Robert Reed --She just looks that way / Eric Choi --SIREN of Titan / David DeGraff --Yoke of inauspicious stars / Kate Story --Ambiguous nature / Carl Frederick --Maldelbrot bet / Dirk Strasser --Recollection / Nancy Fulda.

    We find traces of man-like things--but, suddenly, man appears, far too much developed to be the "next step" in a well-linked chain of evolutionary evidence. Perhaps something like the events of this story furnishes the answer to the riddle.

    "The green hills of Earth" is the fascinating tale of the Blind Singer of the Spaceways, a legend from Marsopolis to the Jovian asteroids. Jake Pemberton is a "Space jockey" on the regular run from Earth to the moon-- when disaster strikes, it takes guts to ride his ship home safely.~~~Warner Audio Publishing : 2145.Duration: 70 mins.Reader: Colin Fox.

    The planet publically shuns intercourse, branding women as wicked for even talking about sexual urges. Then a man unlike any she’s ever seen stumbles through her door—literally. Even his disheveled appearance doesn’t stop her from wanting to strip bare and place her body in his talented hands.Created solely for pleasure, Eland is a level-three Shareem. Rough, edgy, commanding. Oh, the things he could teach Jeanne…if he can stay alive long enough.

    The question is: will there be any humans left when the aliens arrive? NASA scientist Claire Montague is a single mother in her thirties who’s leading a special team near Washington, DC, assigned to handle the approaching spaceship and report their findings to President Al Douthart. News of the impending ET encounter spreads after a tumultuous National Security Council meeting, causing social, economic, and political upheaval around the world. Just as governments are beginning to calm the chaos of their countries, thousands of unexplained red dots appear on the ground all over the globe. As the countdown continues, Claire and her colleagues struggle to make sense of the mysterious dots and determine what the extraterrestrials’ plan is once they arrive on Earth. But as the questions go unanswered and global tensions erupt into violence, President Douthart wonders who will be more harmful in the end—humans or aliens? Red Dot is a thought-provoking sci-fi thriller complete with a remarkable cast of characters and an intriguing portrayal of alien life. Expect the unexpected and you’ll still be surprised.

    Even if you're jaded with time-travel (Dinosaurs? Again?) you'll find something new in these pages. Included are:THE CHILDREN'S ROOM, by Raymond F. JonesSIDETRACK IN TIME, by William P. McGivernGEORGE ALL THE WAY, by Richard WilsonABSOLUTELY NO PARADOX, by Lester del ReyTHE HOHOKAM DIG, by Theodore PrattGUARANTEED TENURE, by H.B. FyfeTHROUGH TIME AND SPACE WITH FERDINAND FEGHOOT: 42, by Grendel BriartonNEVER GO BACK, by Charles V. de VetTHE ANCESTRAL THREAD, by Emil PetajaTHE SONS OF JAPHETH, by Richard WilsonMEDDLER, by Philip K. DickTHE MAN WHO LIKED LIONS, by John Bernard DaleyFLAME FOR THE FUTURE, by William P. McGivernDINOSAUR GOES HOLLYWOOD, by Emil PetajaTIME OUT FOR TOMORROW, by Richard WilsonREMEMBER THE ALAMO! by R. R. FehrenbachGUN FOR HIRE, by Mack ReynoldsTHROUGH TIME AND SPACE WITH FERDINAND FEGHOOT: 63, by Grendel BriartonIf you enjoy this volume of classic stories, don't forget to search your favorite ebook store for "Wildside Press Megapack" to see the 220+ other entries in this series, science fiction, fantasy, horror, mysteries, westerns -- and much, much more!

    Anderson's The Saga of Shadows: The Dark Between the StarsThis is a slightly edited extract from the first quarter of The Dark Between the Stars, corresponding to chapters 1-2, 6-7, 11-12, 17-19, 22-23, 27-28, 37.

    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.

    "It'll be great.""No, it won't," I said, although I'd lost this fight hours ago, and I knew it."It'll be brilliant," said Vic, for the hundredth time. "Girls! Girls! Girls!" He grinned with white teeth.

    Clarke-nominated author Yoon Ha Lee comes a collection of stories set in the world of the best-selling Ninefox Gambit. Showcasing Lee’s extraordinary imagination, this collection takes you to the very beginnings of the hexarchate’s history and reveals new never-before-seen stories.

    Perhaps one day they would send a message to Earth, calling them to new worlds. Even if they did, any response would take thousands of years to arrive. But no matter what would happen, Ah Quan would always hold to his parents living in a country called China. He would hold to that small village in the dry West of that country. And he would hold to the small road of that village, the road on which his journey began.This is a sentimental work by Liu Cixin. The story's narrative unfolds against the accurate and fully realized background of a modern China —A country where bustling cities, the super rich and a cutting edge aerospace industry can be found next to remote villages, an impoverished peasantry and the most basic forms of labor. Through a long line of dramatic and colorful lucky breaks our protagonist crosses this chasm, climbing the rungs from an absolute nobody, a peasant boy whose greatest dream is a full stomach, to become a lone hero, dedicated to the cause of space exploration. Though many regard his destiny a tragedy, he himself welcomes the glorious deadly mission. Realized in natural language and vivid imagery, the “Sun of China” full of heroism and bitter-sweet melancholy. Which is to say nothing of the guest appearance by a well-known luminary that is sure to leave you astonished.China Galaxy Science Fiction Award of 2002.