Collection of fantasy stories set against a common backdrop. First in series, followed by Magic in Ithkar 2, Magic in Ithkar 3, and Magic in Ithkar 4. Contents: Prologue, essay by Robert Adams; The Goblinry of Ais, by Lin Carter; To Take a Thief, by C. J. Cherryh; Jezeri and Her Beast Go to the Fair and Find More Excitement Than They Want, by Jo Clayton; Fletcher Found, by Morgan Llywelyn; Well Met in Ithkar, by Patricia Mathews; Esmene's Eyes, by Ardath Mayhar; Swamp Dweller, by Andre Norton; Qazia and a Ferret-Fetch, by Judith Sampson; For Lovers Only, by Roger C. Schlobin; Dragon's Horn, by J. W. Schutz; Homecoming, by Susan Shwartz; The Prince Out of the Past, by Nancy Springer; Cold Spell, by Elisabeth Waters; Biographical Notes.

    Includes:Jim Shepard’s "Tedford and the Megalodon"Glen David Gold’s "The Tears of Squonk, and What Happened Thereafter"Dan Chaon’s "The Bees"Kelly Link’s "Catskin"Elmore Leonard’s "How Carlos Webster Changed His Name to Carl and Became a Famous Oklahoma Lawman"Carol Emshwiller’s "The General"Neil Gaiman’s "Closing Time"Nick Hornby’s "Otherwise Pandemonium"Stephen King’s "The Tale of Gray Dick"Michael Crichton’s "Blood Doesn’t Come Out"Laurie King’s "Weaving the Dark"Chris Offutt’s "Chuck’s Bucket"Dave Eggers’s "Up the Mountain Coming Down Slowly"Michael Moorcock’s "The Case of the Nazi Canary"Aimee Bender’s "The Case of the Salt and Pepper Shakers"Harlan Ellison’s "Goodbye to All That"Karen Joy Fowler’s "Private Grave 9"Rick Moody’s "The Albertine Notes"Michael Chabon’s "The Martian Agent, a Planetary Romance"Sherman Alexie’s "Ghost Dance"

    Hartwell 43 • Nine Lives • (1969) • novelette by Ursula K. Le Guin 61 • Light of Other Days • [Slow Glass] • (1966) • shortstory by Bob Shaw 68 • Rappaccini's Daughter • (1844) • novelette by Nathaniel Hawthorne 86 • The Star • (1955) • shortstory by Arthur C. Clarke 91 • Proof • (1942) • shortstory by Hal Clement 103 • "It's Great to Be Back!" • [Future History] • (1947) • shortstory by Robert A. Heinlein 116 • Procreation • (1983) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe 122 • Mimsy Were the Borogoves • (1943) • novelette by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore [as by Lewis Padgett ] 144 • Davey Jones' Ambassador • (1935) • novelette by Raymond Z. Gallun 166 • The Life and Times of Multivac • (1975) • shortstory by Isaac Asimov 174 • The Singing Diamond • (1979) • shortstory by Robert L. Forward 180 • Down & Out on Ellfive Prime • (1979) • novelette by Dean Ing 196 • Send Me a Kiss by Wire • (1985) • shortstory by Hilbert Schenck 208 • The Xi Effect • (1950) • shortstory by R. S. Richardson [as by Philip Latham ] 222 • A Descent into the Maelstrom • (1841) • shortstory by Edgar Allan Poe (aka A Descent into the Maelström) 233 • Exposures • (1981) • shortstory by Gregory Benford 243 • The Planners • (1968) • shortstory by Kate Wilhelm 254 • Beep • (1954) • novelette by James Blish 278 • Drode's Equations • (1981) • novelette by Richard Grant 288 • The Weather Man • (1962) • novella by Theodore L. Thomas 313 • Transit of Earth • (1971) • shortstory by Arthur C. Clarke 323 • Prima Belladonna • [Vermilion Sands] • (1956) • shortstory by J. G. Ballard 333 • To Bring in the Steel • (1978) • novelette by Donald Kingsbury 360 • Gomez • (1954) • novelette by C. M. Kornbluth 377 • Waterclap • (1970) • novelette by Isaac Asimov 398 • Weyr Search • [Dragonriders of Pern] • (1967) • novella by Anne McCaffrey 434 • Message Found in a Copy of Flatland • (1983) • shortstory by Rudy Rucker 442 • The Cold Equations • (1954) • novelette by Tom Godwin 459 • The Land Ironclads • (1903) • novelette by H. G. Wells 474 • The Hole Man • (1974) • shortstory by Larry Niven 484 • Atomic Power • (1934) • shortstory by John W. Campbell, Jr. [as by Don A. Stuart ] 494 • Stop Evolution in Its Tracks! • (1988) • shortstory by John Sladek 499 • The Hungry Guinea Pig • (1930) • shortstory by Miles J. Breuer, M.D. 514 • The Very Slow Time Machine • (1978) • novelette by Ian Watson 528 • The Beautiful and the Sublime • (1986) • novelette by Bruce Sterling 547 • "The Author of the Acacia Seeds" and Other Extracts from the Journal of the Association of Therolinguistics • (1974) • shortstory by Ursula K. Le Guin (aka The Author of the Acacia Seeds and Other Extracts from the Journal of the Association of Therolinguistics) 553 • Heat of Fusion • (1984) • shortstory by John M. Ford 564 • Dolphin's Way • (1964) • shortstory by Gordon R. Dickson 576 • All the Hues of Hell • (1987) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe 585 • Occam's Scalpel • (1971) • novelette by Theodore Sturgeon 600 • giANTS • (1979) • shortstory by Edward Bryant 612 • Time Fuze • (1954) • shortstory by Randall Garrett 616 • Desertion • [City] • (1944) • shortstory by Clifford D. Simak 627 • Kyrie • (1968) • shortstory by Poul Anderson 635 • The Person from Porlock • (1947) • shortstory by Raymond F. Jones 651 • Day Million • (1966) • shortstory by Frederik Pohl 656 • The Cage of Sand • (1962) • novelette by J. G. Ballard 672 • The Psychologist Who Wouldn't Do Awful Things to Rats • (1976) • novelette by James Tiptree, Jr. 689 • In the Year 2889 • (1889) • shortstory by Jules Verne (aka La Journée d'un journaliste américain en 2890 1891 ) 700 • Surface Tension • [Pantropy] • (1952) • novelette by James Blish 724 • No, No, Not Rogov! • [The Instrumentality of Mankind] • (1959) • shortstory by Cordwainer Smith 737 • In a Petri Dish Upstairs • (1978) • novelette by George Turner 758 • With the Night Mail • (1905) • novelette by Rudyard Kipling 788 • The Longest Science-Fiction Story Ever Told • (1966) • shortstory by Arthur C. Clarke 790 • The Pi Man • (1959) • shortstory by Alfred Bester 803 • Relativistic Effects • (1982) • novelette by Gregory Benford 818 • Making Light • (1981) • shortstory by James P. Hogan 826 • The Last Question • (1956) • shortstory by Isaac Asimov 835 • The Indefatigable Frog • (1953) • shortstory by Philip K. Dick 843 • Chromatic Aberration • (1984) • novelette by John M. Ford 864 • The Snowball Effect • (1952) • shortstory by Katherine MacLean 873 • The Morphology of the Kirkham Wreck • (1978) • novelette by Hilbert Schenck 892 • Tangents • (1986) • shortstory by Greg Bear 904 • Johnny Mnemonic • (1981) • shortstory by William Gibson 917 • What Continues, What Fails . . . • (1991) • novelette by David Brin 937 • Mammy Morgan Played the Organ, Her Daddy Beat the Drum • (1990) • novella by Michael F. Flynn 967 • Bookworm, Run! • (1966) • novelette by Vernor Vinge 989 • Appendix: Another Path Through the Book (The Ascent of Wonder: The Evolution of Hard SF) • (1994) • essay by Kathryn Cramer

    There is an openness to experiment and pushing boundaries, combined with the classic desire to read about space ships and dragons, future technology and ancient magic, and the places where they intersect. Contemporary science fiction and fantasy looks to accomplish the same goal as ever—to illuminate what it means to be human. With a diverse selection of stories chosen by series editor John Joseph Adams and guest editor N. K. Jemisin, The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2018 explores the ever-expanding and changing world of SFF today, with Jemisin bringing her lyrical, endlessly curious point of view to the series’ latest edition.Rivers Run Free / Charles Payseur --Destroy the City With Me Tonight / Kate Alice Marshall --You Will Always Have Family: A Triptych / Kathleen Kayembe --Justice Systems in Quantum Parallel Probabilities / Lettie Prell --Loneliness is in Your Blood / Cadwell Turnbull --The Hermit of Houston / Samuel R. Delany --The Last Cheng Beng Gift / Jaymee Goh --Brightened Star, Ascending Dawn / A. Merc Rustad --The Resident / Carmen Maria Machado --The Greatest One-Star Restaurant in the Whole Quadrant / Rachael K. Jones --Tasting Notes on the Varietals of the Southern Coast / Gwendolyn Clare --Don't Press Charges and I Won't Sue / Charlie Jane Anders --Church of Birds / Micah Dean Hicks --ZeroS / Peter Watts --Carnival Nine / Caroline M. Yoachim --The Wretched and the Beautiful / E. Lily Yu --The Orange Tree / Maria Dahvana Headley --Cannibal Acts / Maureen McHugh --Black Powder / Maria Dahvana Headley --Zen and the Art of Starship Maintenance / Tobias S. Buckell

    Each of the writers was asked to write a new story based on one of his or her most famous series. Stephen King tells a tale of Roland, the Gunslinger, in the world of The Dark Tower, in "The Little Sisters of Eluria."Terry Pratchett relates an amusing incident in Discworld, of a magical contest and the witch Granny Weatherwax, in "The Sea and Little Fishes"Terry Goodkind tells of the origin of the Border between realms in the world of The Sword of Truth, in "Debt of Bones."Orson Scott Card spins a yarn of Alvin and his apprentice from the Tales of Alvin Maker, in "Grinning Man."Robert Silverberg returns to Majipoor and to Lord Valentine's adventure in an ancient tomb, in "the Seventh Shrine."Ursual K. Le Guin adds a sequel to her famous books of Earthsea, portraying a woman who wants to learn magic, in "Dragonfly."Tad Williams tells a dark and enthralling story of a great and haunted castle in the age before Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, in "The Burning Man."George R.R. Martin sets his piece a generation before his epic, A Song of Ice and Fire, in the adventure of "The Hedge Knight."Ann McCaffrey, the poet of Pern, returns once again to her world of romance and adventure in "Runner of Pern."Raymond E. Feist's Riftwar Saga is the setting of the tale of "The Wood Boy."Robert Jordan, in "New Spring," tells of crucial events in the years leading up to The Wheel of Time, of the meeting of Lan and Moiraine and the beginning of the search for the child who must grow to lead in the Last Battle.

    Dickson, author of the best-selling DORSAI books and many other praiseworthy novels and scince fiction stories, has selected nine of his finest tales in this book.Here are stories of interstellar exploration, of adventure at the dawn of star flight and at the ultimate end of star flight, of man versus machine, of man versus nature, and of man versus the cosmos.If you like science fiction, it will be impossible not to find among these tales several that will prove to be as memorable in fantasy experience as any you will ever read again. Such is the skill and imagination of Gordon R. Dickson, one of the real giants of the science fiction world.Contents:Ancient, My EnemyThe Odd OnesThe Monkey WrenchTiger GreenThe Friendly ManLove Me TrueOur First DeathIn the BoneThe Bleak and Barren Land

    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?

    A thorough summary of the year in science fiction and a long list of recommended reading round out this volume, rendering it the one book for every reader.

    Do you love the sound of a peg leg stomping across a quarterdeck? Or maybe you prefer a parrot on your arm, a strong wind at your back? Adventure, treasure, intrigue, humor, romance, danger — and, yes, plunder! Oh, the Devil does love a pirate — and so do readers everywhere! Swashbuckling from the past into the future and space itself, Fast Ships, Black Sails, edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer, presents an incredibly entertaining volume of original stories guaranteed to make you walk and talk like a pirate.Table of Content"Boojum" by Elizabeth Bear & Sarah Monette"Castor on Troubled Waters" by Rhys Hughes"I Begyn as I Mean To Go On" by Kage Baker"Avast, Abaft!" by Howard Waldrop"Elegy to Gabrielle, Patron Saint of Healers, Whores, And Righteous Thieves" by Kelly Barnhill"Skillet and Saber" by Justin Howe"The Nymph's Child" by Carrie Vaughn"68° 07' 15"N, 31° 36' 44"W" by Conrad Williams"Ironface" by Michael Moorcock"Pirates Solutions" by Katherine Sparrow"We Sleep on Thousand Waves beneath the Stars" by Brendan Connell"Voyage of the Iguana" by Steve Aylett"Pirates of the Saura Sea" by David Freer & Eric Flint"A Cold Day in Hell" By Paul Batteiger"The Adventures of Captain Black Heart Wentworth" by Rachel Swirsky"Araminta, or, The Wreck of the Amphidrake" by Naomi Novik"The Whale below" by Jayme Lynn Blaschke"Beyond the Seagate ff the Scholar-Pirate of Sarskoe" by Garth Nix-

    Few authors have matched the versatility and stylishness of Walter Jon Williams. His genre-defining novels have received wide critical acclaim and captured the rapt attention of fans worldwide. He has been nominated for every major SF award. The Green Leopard Plague and Other Stories contains nine bleeding-edge tales showcasing Williams’ flexibility, power-chord storytelling, and engagingly human and post-human characters. From Walter Jon Williams, author of more than twenty novels, including This Is Not a Game, Implied Spaces, and the definitive cyberpunk novel Hardwired, comes The Green Leopard Plague and Other Stories, a stunning collection of short fiction including the Nebula Award-winning stories “Daddy’s World” and “The Green Leopard Plague,” and featuring an introduction by Charles Stross, plus in-depth story notes.

    Here, that steamy, swampy jungle world with strange creatures lurking amidst the dripping vegetation is explored in sixteen all-new stories collected by bestselling author George R. R. Martin and editor Gardner Dozois.

    But no longer.You hold in your hands a volume of wonders -- magical tales of trolls and ogres, of bewitched princesses and kingdoms accursed, penned by some of the most acclaimed fantasists of our day. But these are not bedtime stories designed to usher an innocent child gently into a realm of dreams. These are stories that bite -- lush and erotic, often dark and disturbing mystical journeys through a phantasmagoric landscape of distinctly adult sensibilities... where there is no such thing as "happily ever after." The "Snow White, Blood Red" Collection #1. Snow White, Blood Red #2. Black Thorn, White Rose #3. Ruby Slippers, Golden Tears #4. Black Swan, White Raven #5. Silver Birch, Blood Moon #6. Black Heart, Ivory Bones

    A listing of alternate histories tells you all the various ways Hitler has died. A lawyer sues an interplanetary union for dangerous working conditions. And four artificial intelligences explain, in increasingly worrying detail, how they plan not to destroy humanity. Welcome to Miniatures: The Very Short Fiction of John Scalzi.These four stories, along with 14 other pieces, have one thing in common: They're short, sharp, and to the point - science fiction in miniature, with none of the stories longer than 2,300 words. But in that short space exist entire universes, absurd situations, and the sort of futuristic humor that propelled Scalzi to a Hugo with his novel Redshirts. Not to mention yogurt taking over the world (as it would).Spanning the years from 1991 to 2016, this collection is a quarter century of Scalzi at his briefest and best and features four never-before-published stories exclusive to this collection: "Morning Announcements at the Lucas Interspecies School for Troubled Youth", "Your Smart Appliances Talk About You Behind Your Back", "Important Holidays on Gronghu", and "The AI Are Absolutely Positively Without a Doubt Not Here to End Humanity, Honest".John Scalzi is the New York Times best-selling author of Old Man's War, Lock In, and Redshirts, among others. His work has won the Hugo and Locus Awards and been nominated for the Nebula and Campbell Awards. He lives in Ohio and online. He enjoys pie.Full cast of narrators includes Oliver Wyman, Dina Pearlman, and Allyson Johnson.

    Pak's Preschool" a woman discovers that her baby has been called upon to work while still in the womb.  In "NatuLife" a married couple finds their relationship threatened by the wonders of sex by simulation.  In "Sshhh . . . " the arrival of benevolent aliens on Earth leads to frenzy, madness . . . and unimaginable joy.  In "Bubbles" a sentient starcraft reaches the limits of the universe--and dares to go beyond.  These are but a few of the challenging speculations in Otherness, from the pen of an author whose urgent and compelling imaginative fiction challenges us to wonder at the shape and the nature of the universe--as well as at its future.• The Giving Plague • (1988)• Myth Number 21 • (1990)• Story Notes (Transitions) • (1994)• Dr. Pak's Preschool • (1989)• Detritus Affected • (1993)• The Dogma of Otherness • [Editorial (Analog)] • (1986)• Sshhh ... • (1988)• Story Notes (Contact) • (1994)• Those Eyes • (1994)• What to Say to a UFO • (1994)• Bonding to Genji • (1992)• The Warm Space • (1985)• Whose Millennium? • (1994)• NatuLife ® • (1994)• Piecework • (1990)• Science versus Magic • (1990)• Bubbles • (1987)• Story Notes (Cosmos) • (1994)• Ambiguity • (1989)• What Continues ... And What Fails ... • (1991)• The Commonwealth of Wonder • (1990)

    Many of the field's finest practitioners are represented here, along with stories from promising newcomers, including:William Barton * Rob Chilson * Tony Daniel * Cory Doctorow * Jim Grimsley * Gwyneth Jones * Chris Lawson * Ian McDonald * Robert Reed * William Browning Spencer * Allen Steele * Michael Swanwick * Howard Waldrop * Cherry Wilder * Liz Williams A useful list of honorable mentions and Dozois's insightful summation of the year in sf round out this anthology, making it indispensable for anyone interested in SF today.Contents xi • Summation: 1998 • essay by Gardner Dozois1 • Oceanic • (1998) • novella by Greg Egan37 • Approaching Perimelasma • (1998) • novelette by Geoffrey A. Landis56 • Craphound • (1998) • shortstory by Cory Doctorow72 • Jedella Ghost • (1998) • shortstory by Tanith Lee87 • Taklamakan • [Chattanooga] • (1998) • novelette by Bruce Sterling118 • The Island of the Immortals • (1998) • shortstory by Ursula K. Le Guin126 • Sea Change, with Monsters • (1998) • novella by Paul J. McAuley161 • Divided by Infinity • (1998) • novelette by Robert Charles Wilson181 • US • (1998) • shortstory by Howard Waldrop191 • The Days of Solomon Gursky • (1998) • novella by Ian McDonald234 • The Cuckoo's Boys • (1998) • novella by Robert Reed277 • The Halfway House at the Heart of Darkness • (1998) • shortstory by William Browning Spencer289 • The Very Pulse of the Machine • (1998) • novelette by Michael Swanwick304 • Story of Your Life • (1998) • novella by Ted Chiang339 • Voivodoi • (1998) • shortstory by Liz Williams349 • Saddlepoint: Roughneck • [Saddle Point • 4] • (1998) • novella by Stephen Baxter393 • This Side of Independence • (1998) • shortstory by Rob Chilson404 • Unborn Again • (1998) • shortstory by Chris Lawson416 • Grist • (1998) • novella by Tony Daniel462 • La Cenerentola • (1998) • shortstory by Gwyneth Jones476 • Down in the Dark • (1998) • novelette by William Barton510 • Free in Asveroth • (1998) • shortstory by Jim Grimsley524 • The Dancing Floor • (1998) • novelette by Cherry Wilder544 • The Summer Isles • (1998) • novella by Ian R. MacLeod603 • Honorable Mentions: 1998 • essay by Gardner Dozois