The Best Science Fiction of the Year 12


Terry Carr - 1983
    Le Guin * 197 • Understanding Human Behavior • (1982) • novelette by Thomas M. Disch * 221 • Relativistic Effects • (1982) • novelette by Gregory Benford * 243 • Firewatch • [Time Travel] • (1982) • novelette by Connie Willis (aka Fire Watch) * 283 • The Wooing of Slowboat Sadie • [Springfield] • (1982) • shortstory by George Alec Effinger [as by O. Niemand ] * 293 • With the Original Cast • (1982) • novelette by Nancy Kress * 323 • When the Fathers Go • (1982) • novelette by Bruce McAllister * 351 • The Science Fiction Year (1982) • (1983) • essay by Charles N. Brown * 359 • Recommended Reading - 1982 • (1983) • essay by Terry Carr

Prince of Ash and Shadow


K.A. Erickson - 2022
    Keeping my feet planted firmly on the wrong side of the law is what’s kept me safe. Hidden. I heal whoever walks through my door, and they pay me in something far more valuable than gold. That strategy worked for years—until a princeling with an attitude problem finds me. A soul for a soul.Prince Rayden Darkbringer claims that he was sent by my former best friend—that she knew I could help him. When I refuse, he offers me a deal: save his life, and he’ll do whatever it takes to keep me safe from the man I’m running from.A man that happens to be his older brother. A death for a death.The problem? The only way to save Rayden is to bind our souls together—permanently. With the bond forcing us to remain together and enemies at our heels, we soon find ourselves embroiled in Court politics and an assassination plot that spans the entirety of Faerie. Somehow, we must survive long enough to depose his brother and reclaim Rayden’s throne.But Rayden isn’t the only one with a dark past and hidden powers, and the real question isn’t whether we can survive in the wake of his brother’s deceit. It’s if we can survive each other.PRINCE OF ASH AND SHADOW is a sexy New Adult fantasy novel that will appeal to fans of a fast-paced plot, the reluctant-allies-to-lovers trope, and snarky heroines. Come for the brooding prince, stay for the flirty werewolf—and the hilarious gnome.

Blood Sport


Lisa Smedman - 1998
    Arriving out of nowhere, she claimed to be the ex-Lone Star detective's grandmother, and spouted dire prophecies of rivers of blood and a world in flames. But her bizarre murder prompts Leni and Combat Biker wannabe Rafael to investigate Mama Grande's past...straight into the dark heart of Aztlan-a lost civilization where human sacrifice is all the rage, and ancient ceremonial games could trigger the end of the world!

The Orphan in the Peacock Shawl


AnneMarie Brear - 2022
    Moments later a baby girl is born. But by dawn, the mother has vanished, leaving behind the helpless child wrapped only in a silk peacock shawl.When news spreads that Lady Eliza Hartley, sister to wealthy estate owner, John Hartley, has been found dead, Annabelle realises the terrible secret she has stumbled on. Terrified she’ll be blamed for Eliza’s death, Annabelle flees to the filthy slums of York, where she plans to raise the precious orphan as her own.The cobbled streets of York’s slums are no place for a young woman like Annabelle or a Hartley babe and John Hartley is determined to bring them both home. But Annabelle proves impossible to find.Annabelle can’t hide forever from the wealthy Hartley family, but can she ever give up the baby she loves?

Prince Of The Dark Fae


Lindsey Devin - 2022
    Nothing about serving the fae is easy. Or safe.Still, I thought I could have one nice thing. The pendant I found when I was young is my good luck charm and my secret. Until I forget to hide it at a ball and instead of bringing me luck it lands me in hot water.The King and Queen of the Light fae tell me it's stolen and that I have to return it. Only when I try it won't come off. The fae don't grant second chances. What they call me next makes my blood run cold.Witch.I'm not a witch. I'm a seamstress, a human, a nobody. Now I'm banished from the land of the light fae, leaving only one place to go.The Dark Fae’s Kingdom.Suddenly I find myself claimed by the dark fae prince. He's as handsome as he is deadly and I should be running from him. Only he and his kingdom awaken a side of me I never knew existed. I hunger for him, but every time he looks at me I can't be certain if it's me or the pendant he wants.This is the land of the dark fae, where every offer comes with a catch. Where trickery and cruelty are supposed to be celebrated. The grander the offer, the more wary you should be of the cost.The prince wants me to be his queen.But what will saying yes cost me?

The Church of Accelerated Redemption


Gareth L. Powell - 2018
    That the Church uses artificial intelligences to power its never-ending prayer machines doesn't interest her at all: they're paying, and she needs enough money to survive in an increasingly crumbling world. Until a demonstration outside the Church's headquarters, and the appearance of Stéphane, an enigmatic man Lisa finds herself powerfully drawn to. What lies beneath his headscarf, why is he so interested in the Church--and how far will she be willing to go in order to earn his trust? Aliette de Bodard, winner of the Nebula, Locus and BSFA Awards, teams up with BSFA Award-winner Gareth L. Powell to present an uplifting short story of machines and humans, of intense emotions and cutting-age technology culled from tomorrow’s headlines. “Full of character and wit” - Zone SF "Wonderful and full of promise.” - SF Revu

What I Wish People Knew About Dementia


Wendy Mitchell - 2022
    Instead, it was the start of a very different one.Wise, practical and life affirming, What I Wish People Knew About Dementia combines anecdotes, research and Wendy Mitchell's own brilliant wit and wisdom to tell readers exactly what she wishes they knew about dementia.

Ruthless Prince


Roxie Ray - 2022
    That’s what he thinks . . .For five years, I’ve been bound to a vampire prince. I’ve had to do his bidding, but now that he’s gone this is my chance for a fresh start. Until Sebastian arrives.Not even the darkest black magic spell can fool a vampire this dangerous. Seb says he owns me. That the contract is still valid. And if I leave, he’ll imprison me.His arrogance makes my blood boil. But Seb has taken a liking to me and proposes a deal. The contract is business, but he and I could be all about pleasure.He’s got another thing coming if he thinks I’m going to become his plaything. There’s no way I’m telling him I’m still a virgin when he’s so sinfully sexy. That would only make him more determined to make me his.It seems I’m not the only one who has a problem with Sebastian. A sect of rogue vampires is hell bent on overthrowing the reign of the new vampire prince. And it looks like I’m caught right in the middle . . .

Damon's Deal


Dale Mayer - 2022
    A series with all the elements you’ve come to love, plus so much more… including psychics! A betrayal from within has Terkel frantic to protect those he can, as his team falls one by one, from a murderous killer he helped create.With the bulk of his team down, Terk tries to establish a new base, while struggling to heal the team through the special connection each has. Damon is concerned about finding Tasha, one of their admins, and keeping her safe. But, without any secure place to take her, Damon’s making do with the little they have—whether she’s happy about his plan or not.Tasha, barely surviving an assassination attempt, is not sure who to trust. When Damon comes to check on her, she can only hope her instincts and her heart are right about him. This man meant everything to her for the years they’d worked together, but he’d always kept her at arm’s reach. Now to learn that he and Terk are the only fully cognizant members of her old team, she wants to help but doesn’t want to risk her life … again.Still struggling with their new reality, both Tasha and Damon need to find out who did this to them. It’s the only way to get their lives back—and to have a future together …

NeoAddix


Jon Courtenay Grimwood - 1997
    One of his eyes is palest grey. The other is a Zeiss eyecam with enough data locked in it to blow open a very messy murder trial. Unfortunately for Alex, media giant CySat GmB reckon the evidence belongs to them. And they intend to take it. so does the Order of Antioch, a shadowy organization run by an 800-year-old Sicilian psychopath.Bad news for prosecutor Clare Fabio, who's been set up but doesn't know it. Just as she doesn't yet know her only chance of getting out of Paris alive is to cut a deal with a ruthless, criminally inclined computer.While on the other side of the world, wired into the Cy, sits Johnnie T, leader of the neoAddix, Japan's slickest street gang - who just may be able to do something to help them.Or maybe not...NEOADDIX, drawing on today's and tomorrow's developments in genetics, nanotechnology and computer hacking, is a dark, violent technoshocker that splices the thriller with Japanese traditions of manga to create cutting-edge cyber noir.

2054


J.T. Lawrence - 2018
    Learn your past might not be what you remember. Take a bot into your marriage bed, and fall in love across an impenetrable divide.You’ll love this riveting cyberpunk-fuelled box set of science fiction novellas.This box set includes:Deep Ocean Blues – Yudhanjaya WijeratneIn the Bay of Bengal, no one can hear you scream.When Parul signed up to work on Rig #443 thousands of feet beneath the ocean, she expected to make it out unharmed. But bitter truths lurk in the depths … and soon Parul’s survival is at stake.The Memory Hacker – JT LawrenceBe careful what you remember.A robodoctor shocks Talia by telling her she's given birth before. Talia's sure the AI is glitching, but it's stirred something deep in her memory. Will she risk remembering?Melting Shlemiel – Jason WerbeloffWhat would you sacrifice to be free?Shlemiel discovers a way to melt his impenetrable skin, but at a terrible cost. How will he choose between sacrificing his happiness and the safety of those he loves?The Camille – Colby R. RiceSome toys just shouldn’t be played with.When tech genius and mogul Andrea Daanik Ramoni invited the sex bot into her marriage bed, she knew it’d be trouble. What she didn’t know was that it would also be murder.---"Imagine a future that is at once amazing, terrifying, and breathtaking… Imagine no more—the future is now. Welcome to 2054." — Samuel Peralta

Cyberpunk Handbook:: The Real Cyberpunk Fakebook


St. Jude - 1995
    Jude and R.U. Sirius--consummate insiders and co-founders of the revolutionary Mondo 2000 magazine, and co-authors of Mondo 2000: A User's Guide to the New Edge--both definitive source guides for members of the electronic underground. Includes Cyberpunk cryptic crossword puzzles and a hipness checklist, plus a true/false "final exam."

The Leopard Is Loose


Stephen Harrigan - 2022
    But he feels its effects all around him. He and his older brother Danny are fatherless, and their mother, Bethie, is still grieving for her fighter-pilot husband. Most of all, Grady sees it in his two uncles: young combat veterans determined to step into a fatherhood role for their nephews, even as they struggle with the psychological scars they carry from the war.When the news breaks that a leopard has escaped from the Oklahoma City Zoo, the playthings and imagined fears of Grady's childhood begin to give way to real-world terrors--the still-incomprehensible threats of battle fatigue, alcoholism, grief, Jim Crow laws, and, most imminently, the dangerous cat itself. The Leopard Is Loose is a stunning encapsulation of America in the 1950s, and a moving portrait of a young boy's struggle to find his place in his family's, and his nation's, history.

Frend


Jonathan R. Miller - 2014
    Both thought-provoking and action-packed, Frend is a story of transformation, the unceasing drive to belong, and the struggle to liberate oneself from oppression, both internal and external.

Romeo and Juliet (Twenty Shakespeare Children's Stories: The Complete Collection)


Macaw Books - 2013
    Set in the city of Verona, Italy, the play revolves around the feud between two affluent families, the Montagues and the Capulets. Despite the enmity, Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet fall passionately in love and wed in secret. However, the curse of enmity overpowers and everything goes terribly wrong. This short narrative version of the play has been suitably adapted to help introduce the play to young readers. It can be read by children or read to them by parents who wish to introduce them to the play. It can also be used by teachers as a classroom resource. The easy-to-read narration and comic-style illustrations are sure to captivate children’s interest and develop their reading skills