This annual tradition from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America collects the best of the year's stories, as well as essays and commentary on the state of the genre and predictions for future science fiction and fantasy films, art and more.

    But now that the Imperium Titus has taken over, every ship sails on the edge of a knife. Young airman Cyprian Fields isn't one to turn away from danger. During his service as the deckmaster of an old freighter named Philomena, the arrival of mysterious young physician Basil Black and alluring stowaway Veronica Stromm turn the intrepid boy officer's world upside-down. Suddenly, Cyprian and Philomena's ragtag crew are thrown into a wonderful and perilous adventure that will take them to the furthest reaches of air, land, and sea. In the midst of whispering Silverspoons and murderous admirals, printing presses and aetherolabes, fleets and fortresses, Cyprian, Veronica, and Basil must decide whether they will face down the might of the Imperium or allow the doom descending on Cor Nova to overwhelm them all.

    United by their voracious appetite for books, Simon and his grandmother stumble across the Great Big Book Exchange—a bookshop with a difference. There they meet impulsive, gothic Kelly and her boss, Terrance—and the friendships forged in the Great Big Book Exchange result in startling and unsettling consequences for all of them.

    In the hands of T. Coraghessan Boyle, praised by Digby Diehl in Playboy as "one of the most exciting young fiction writers in America," the result is a sexy, hilarious tragicomedy of thwarted expectations and mistaken identity, love, jealousy, and betrayal.

    For almost three years, the Federation and the Klingon Empire, allied under the Khitomer Accords, have contended with the nascent coalition on a predominantly cold-war footing. But as Starfleet rebuilds itself, factions within the Typhon Pact grow restive, concerned about their own inability to develop a quantum slipstream drive to match that of the Federation. Will leaders such as UFP President Bacco and RSE Praetor Kamemor bring about a lasting peace across the Alpha and Beta Quadrants, or will the cold war between the two alliances deepen, and perhaps even lead to an all-out shooting war? Raise the Dawn After the disastrous events in the Bajoran system, Captain Benjamin Sisko must confront the consequences of the recent choices he has made in his life. At the same time, the United Federation of Planets and its Khitomer Accords allies have come to the brink of war with the Typhon Pact. While factions within the Pact unsuccessfully used the recent gestures of goodwill—the opening of borders and a joint Federation-Romulan exploratory mission—to develop quantum-slipstream drive, they have not given up their goals. Employing a broad range of assets, from Romulus to Cardassia, from Ab-Tzenketh to Bajor, they embark on a dangerous new plan to acquire the technology they need to take control of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants. While UFP President Bacco and Romulan Praetor Kamemor work feverishly to reestablish peace, Captains Sisko, Jean-Luc Picard, and Ro Laren stand on the front lines of the conflict...even as a new danger threatens the Bajoran wormhole as it once more becomes a flashpoint of galactic history. Brinkmanship The Venette Convention has always remained independent, but it is about to become the flashpoint for a tense military standoff between the two power blocs now dominating interstellar space—the United Federation of Planets and the recently formed Typhon Pact. The Venetan government turns to the Typhon Pact’s Tzenkethi Coalition for protection in the new order, and has agreed to allow three of their supply bases for Tzenkethi use. But these bases—if militarized—would put Tzenkethi weapons unacceptably close to Federation, Cardassian, and Ferengi space. While Captain Ezri Dax and the crew of the U.S.S. Aventine are sent to investigate exactly what is happening at one of the Venette bases, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the U.S.S. Enterprise are assigned to a diplomatic mission sent to the Venette homeworld in order to broker a mutually acceptable resolution. But the Cardassian delegates don’t seem particularly keen on using diplomacy to resolve the situation, which soon spirals out of control toward all-out war. . .

    Arrested for public indecency, Jack insists that he was meeting a moon goddess of desire named Lily. Furthermore, he claims that she can only find him if he waits outside, naked under a full moon. To prevent further troubles with the law, Jack's friends begin taking him to a cabin in the woods each full moon.  But one at a time, they are each touched by Lily and forced to deal with their desires before they can truly know their hearts.

    Meanwhile, the human and unhuman agents of World Health must investigate. Perhaps it’s time to deploy vat-grown killers and an anti-photon weapon, because the parasite is coming to Earth, and it’s hungry.The Parasite was first published by Tanjen Ltd as an illustrated novella back in 1996. Tanjen closed down a number of years later and since then the novella has been difficult if not impossible to obtain. There are copies out there, but checking recently I haven’t seen one for below $50.00, which is a hell of a lot for something only 130 pages long and perhaps only for completists. I’ve edited it again, thought I haven’t been too heavy-handed since I didn’t want to deliver something that had completely ceased to be the original. This is my first attempt at self-publishing through Amazon Kindle. I hope you all enjoy it! – Neal Asher “Once again, Neal Asher gives his reader a meal of such exquisite taste that you're left like Oliver, desiring more.” – Authortrek

    Now, in The Year’s Best Science Fiction Twenty-Fifth 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 such as Robert Reed, Ian McDonald, Stephen Baxter, Michael Swanwick, Paolo Bacigalupi, Kage Baker, Walter Jon Williams, Alastair Reynolds, and Charles Stross . And with an extensive recommended reading guide and a summation of the year in science fiction, this annual compilation has become the definitive must read anthology for all science fiction fans and readers interested in breaking into the genre.Contentsxiii • Summation: 2007 • essay by Gardner Dozois1 • Finisterra • (2007) • novelette by David Moles26 • Lighting Out • (2007) • shortstory by Ken MacLeod41 • An Ocean Is a Snowflake, Four Billion Miles Away • (2007) • novelette by John Barnes62 • Saving Tiamaat • (2007) • shortstory by Gwyneth Jones76 • Of Late I Dreamt of Venus • (2007) • shortfiction by James Van Pelt90 • Verthandi's Ring • (2007) • shortstory by Ian McDonald101 • Sea Change • (2007) • shortstory by Una McCormack110 • The Sky Is Large and the Earth Is Small • [Celestial Empire] • (2007) • novelette by Chris Roberson130 • Glory • (2007) • novelette by Greg Egan150 • Against the Current • (2007) • shortstory by Robert Silverberg164 • Alien Archeology • [Polity Universe] • (2007) • novella by Neal Asher (aka Alien Archaeology)202 • The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate • (2007) • novelette by Ted Chiang221 • Beyond the Wall • (2007) • shortfiction by Justin Stanchfield237 • Kiosk • (2007) • novelette by Bruce Sterling270 • Last Contact • (2007) • shortstory by Stephen Baxter280 • The Sledge-Maker's Daughter • (2007) • shortstory by Alastair Reynolds297 • Sanjeev and Robotwallah • [India 2047] • (2007) • shortstory by Ian McDonald309 • The Skysailor's Tale • (2007) • novelette by Michael Swanwick332 • Of Love and Other Monsters • (2007) • novella by Vandana Singh367 • Steve Fever • (2007) • shortstory by Greg Egan379 • Hellfire at Twilight • [Company] • (2007) • novelette by Kage Baker411 • The Immortals of Atlantis • (2007) • shortstory by Brian Stableford420 • Nothing Personal • (2007) • novella by Pat Cadigan452 • Tideline • (2007) • shortstory by Elizabeth Bear461 • The Accord • (2007) • novelette by Keith Brooke480 • Laws of Survival • (2007) • novelette by Nancy Kress505 • The Mists of Time • (2007) • novelette by Tom Purdom533 • Craters • (2007) • shortstory by Kristine Kathryn Rusch548 • The Prophet of Flores • (2007) • novelette by Ted Kosmatka570 • Stray • (2007) • shortstory by David Ackert and Benjamin Rosenbaum579 • Roxie • (2007) • shortstory by Robert Reed595 • Dark Heaven • (2007) • novella by Gregory Benford643 • Honorable Mentions: 2007 • essay by Gardner Dozois

    These are all original, never before published tales from established favorites and exciting new talent.Warning: reading this anthology may leave you in need of a cold shower or a warm body (or two). Succumbing to temptation has never felt so good.Steamy. An anthology that sizzles.Someone to Fix by Eliza Peake Devil's Bride by Sarah Bale First Time Feels by Lasairiona McMaster Heating Up by Heather Kinnane Out of Sight by Tracie Delaney The Marriage Pact by Delancey Stewart Embracing Her One by Danielle Pays Bumper Crop by Jessie Harper The Wild One by Tawdra Kandle Waiting for the Rapture by Michelle Mink Promises Kept by Jamie Garrett Waiting on Wood by L. Ann Back to You by Cynthia Terelst Sweet Tooth by K.D. Elizabeth Country Songs & Righting Wrongs by Dylann Crush Nobody's Perfect by Nadia Mack Rocks by Ivy Nelson Lost Raven by Diana A. Hicks Cupid's Target by Melinda De Ross Hot SEAL, Cold Water by Cat Johnson

    a man walked out of New York City after Hurricane Sandy and fell off the edge of the earth... In WICK 2: Charm School... a mysterious town explodes in violence and America is dealt a deadly blow... In WICK 3: Exodus... the world is without power. You are on foot and have no home. Any stranger you meet may kill you... and normal is never coming back. In WICK 4: One Word of Truth... Weeks after the world has been crippled by massive EMP attacks, nuclear weapons are used on major cities, and survivors grapple with a changed world that may never be the same again. In this much anticipated WICK Omnibus Edition, Michael Bunker's completed WICK series is finally bound into one earth-shattering novel.

    Either way, the team of scientists aboard Outrigger were prepared to investigate.Their mission did not involve a passenger named Barbary. Yet she —and more importantly, the pet cat she smuggled on board—were about to play key roles in mans first contact with aliens...

    But Evan is greeting his son, Dean, fourteen years late. The boy had been shuttled secretly to another city, along with his teenaged mother, while still a newborn. Now his mother has passed away, and Evan is it—Dad. An instant single parent.   Evan was once lead guitarist for a hot band with a hit single; now 31, he gets by as a guitar instructor to middle-aged guys, and does menial work in a music shop. With Dean in the picture he has to change fast, which means facing up to the past, to his own father, and to the epilepsy that haunts him and threatens his every moment.

    Yousaf’s last collection of poetry, Sincerely. Struck by inspiration and overwhelmed by the response of dedicated fans, Yousaf wanted to continue this journey in a new collection. While tales of longing, uncertainty, and loss flow through each poem, Yousaf artfully captures the eternal question of how to face pain with courage and quiet resilience.Featuring 140 poems and accompanying illustrations, Serenity is the perfect escape from daily life, helping readers refocus energy and kindness toward themselves and their cherished relationships.

    But when Kieran Lanier moves to town and passes out on her desk on his first day at school, Zip’s life gets complicated in a way she never dreamed. Kieran has narcolepsy, and although he sometimes struggles to stay awake, he has no trouble capturing Zip’s heart and trusting her with his most guarded secret—he sees bits and pieces of the future in his dreams. And while he didn’t know who she was at the time, Kieran had seen Zip in his dreams over five months before he moved to Titusville from North Carolina. But just when Zip thinks that maybe she can handle having a boyfriend who sees things before they happen, her budding relationship with Kieran gets a jolt. She and Kieran learn that his sleeping disorder and the future flashes were likely caused by a drug invented by his birth father, Morgan Levert, a convicted felon who plays a starring role in Kieran’s nightmares. And when Zip begins to have unsettling dreams after chance encounters with Morgan's former partner-in-crime, she must decide if she can live with the possibility of seeing the future when she doesn’t always like what she sees.

    Some of the objects are described by future historians; others through found materials, short stories, or dialogues. All come from a very real future.