Because you will only get one shot . . ."The Shadow War is long over, and the Interstellar Alliance--presided over by former Babylon 5 commander John Sheridan--is about to celebrate the fifth anniversary of peace among its united member worlds. But a planet, annihilated by an unspeakable weapon appears in chilling dreams. And on that world there lies a terrifying promise of Armageddon. For the Drakh, once servants of the bloodthirsty Shadows, are following in the footsteps of their vanquished masters--preparing to launch a devastating interstellar war. Their first target is Earth.This threat will draw Sheridan back to Babylon 5--and into an uneasy partnership with a beautiful and deadly survivor of Shadow genocide. In the desperate race to warn Earth, he must face an apocalyptic showdown with the ultimate war machine--one capable of killing an entire world . . .

    And in Castle Royale, it seemed he'd found both his fortune and his true love, the beautiful Princess Solinde. But could a penniless orphan hope to claim such a royal treasure? And in a land where witches were burned and the court magician looked on Alaric with suspicion, did he dare remain for long?For Alaric had a magical power which, in the blink of an eye, could transport him any place his mind could recall, a power that revealed itself at the first hint of danger. And for Alaric, Castle Royale held more danger than he could imagine...

    As Homebody eloquently proves, no contemporary writer outshines Orson Scott Card in crafting unlikely heroes or in suffusing the everyday world with an otherworldly glow.Don Lark's cheery name belies his tragic past. When his alcoholic ex-wife killed their daughter in a car wreck, he retreated from the sort of settled, sociable lifestyle one takes for granted. Only the prospect of putting a roof over other people's heads seems to comfort Lark, and he goes from town to town, looking for dilapidated houses he can buy, restore and resell at a profit. In Greensboro, North Carolina, Lark finds his biggest challenge yet -- a huge, sturdy, gorgeous shell that's suffered almost a century of abuse at the hands of greedy landlords and transient tenants. As he sinks his teeth into this new project, Lark's new neighborhood starts to work its charms on him. He strikes up a romance with the wry real estate agent who sold him the house. His neighbors, two charming, chatty old ladies, ply him endlessly with delicious Southern cooking. Even Sylvie, the squatter Lark was once desperate to evict from the old house, is now growing on him.But when Lark unearths an old tunnel in the cellar, the house's enchantments start to turn ominous. Sylvie turns cantankerous, even dangerous. There's still a steady supply of food from next door, but it now comes laced with increasingly passionate pleas for Lark to vacate the house at once. In short, everybody seems to want to get rid of him. Whether this is for his own good or theirs, Lark digs in his heels for reasons even he's not sure of. He embarks on a struggle for his life -- and his friends'-- against a house with a past even more tragic than his own. If Lark wins, he gets the kind of home and community he's always dreamed of. If he loses, all is lost....

    . . . This is certainly classic science fiction–the idea is truly the hero.” –Asimov’s Science Fiction MagazineWhen leaving Earth, the crew of the spaceship Discipline was prepared for a routine assignment. Dispatched by the all-powerful State on a mission of interstellar exploration and colonization, Discipline was aided (and secretly spied upon) by Sharls Davis Kendy, an emotionless computer intelligence programmed to monitor the loyalty and obedience of the crew. But what they weren’t prepared for was the smoke ring–an immense gaseous envelope that had formed around a neutron star directly in their path. The Smoke Ring was home to a variety of plant and animal life-forms evolved to thrive in conditions of continual free-fall. When Discipline encountered it, something went wrong. The crew abandoned ship and fled to the unlikely space oasis.Five hundred years later, the descendants of the Discipline crew living on the Smoke Ring no longer remember their origins. Earth is more myth than memory, and no recollection of the State remains. But Kendy remembers. And just outside the Smoke Ring, Discipline waits patiently to make contact with its wayward children.

    It is a virtual world unto itself–equipped with uncanny power for a singularly brutal purpose: to obliterate entire planets in the blink of an eye. Its annihilation of the planet Alderaan, at the merciless command of Grand Moff Tarkin, lives in infamy. And its own ultimate destruction, at the hands of Luke Skywalker, is the stuff of legend. But what is the whole story, and who are the players, behind the creation of this world-killing satellite of doom?The near extermination of the Jedi order cleared the way for Palpatine–power-hungry Senator and Sith Lord–to seize control of the Republic, declare himself Emperor, and usher in a fearsome, totalitarian regime. But even with the dreaded Darth Vader enforcing Palpatine’s sinister will, the threat of rebellion still looms. And the Emperor knows that only abject fear–and the ability to punish dissent with devastating consequences–can ensure his unchallenged control of the galaxy. Enter ambitious and ruthless government official Wilhuff Tarkin, architect of the Emperor’s terrifying dream come true. From inception to completion, construction of the unprecedented Death Star is awash in the intrigues, hidden agendas, unexpected revelations, and daring gambits of those involved on every level. The brightest minds and boldest egos, the most ambitious and corrupt, the desperate and the devious, all have a stake in the Death Star–and its potential to control the fate of the galaxy.Soldiers and slaves, loyalists and Rebels, spies and avengers, the innocent and the evil–all their paths and fates will cross and intertwine as the Death Star moves from its maiden voyage to its final showdown. And a shadowy chapter of Star Wars history is stunningly illuminated in a thrilling, unforgettable adventure.

    No one knows how they are slipping past Starfleet’s defenses, so Captain Picard and the crew of the Enterprise have to find out—and put a stop to it.Thousands of light-years away, Captain Riker and the crew of the Titan follow bizarre energy pulses to a mysterious, hidden world. But what they find there is a figure out of history: a Starfleet captain long thought dead.At the same time, in the Gamma Quadrant, a new captain and her crew investigate the wreck of the Earth starship Columbia NX-02, missing in action for more than two centuries.Four starships. Four captains. Four lives about to intersect—and discover their shared Destiny.DESTINY #2: MERE MORTALSIT’S A CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS.The Borg have found a secret passage through subspace and are using it to attack the Federation. But the passage is one of many that the Enterprise crew finds inside a nebula, and Captain Picard and Captain Dax must find the right one—and lead a counterstrike to stop the impending Borg invasion.Meanwhile, Captain Riker and the Titan’s crew are held captive by the reclusive and powerful aliens known as the Caeliar. The Titan’s freedom hinges on the action of fellow prisoner Erika Hernandez, commander of the long-lost Earth starship Columbia.Hernandez has lived among the Caeliar for centuries—enduring disasters, accidental time-travel, and interstellar exile. After so long as their prisoner, will she dare to fight for her freedom? Or is an eternity in captivity her inescapable Destiny?DESTINY #3: LOST SOULSTHE FINAL BATTLE HAS BEGUN.An armada of several thousand Borg cubes has wiped out a fleet of ships sent by the Federation and its allies. The Collective’s goal this time isn’t assimilation—it’s extermination.Captain Picard, Captain Riker, and Captain Ezri Dax unite in a final desperate bid to halt the Borg’s genocidal march through known space. But their three starships—the Enterprise, the Titan, and the Aventine—are no match for the Borg armada. Or are they?With them is Erika Hernandez, former captain of the Columbia. She has powers and insight gained from centuries of living with the aliens known as the Caeliar. She can end the Borg threat forever—or transform it into an unstoppable menace that will devour the galaxy.Destruction or salvation—only one can be her final Destiny.

    In the great tradition of scientific romances, what they encounter inside our planet quickly turns human knowledge on its head. They discover savage tribes, strange animals and nascent civilizations and become involved in wars, retribution and empire-building-all while rescuing and falling in love with beautiful, scantily clad maidens. Pellucidar: the Inner World - classic science fiction from a more innocent time that will delight readers both old and new.

    A wonderful writer, as well as successful and beloved by fans across the world, Anne McCaffrey has created an exciting collection of telepaths, secret gifts, dangerous missions, dragonriders, and more.Contents:Lady in the Tower.--A Meeting of Minds.--Daughter.--Dull Drums.--Changeling.--Weather on Welladay.--The Thorns of Barevi.--Horse From a Different Sea.--Great Canine Chorus.--Finder's Keeper.--A Proper Santa Claus.--The Smallest Dragonboy.--Apple.--Honeymoon.

    Winner of the Hugo and World Fantasy Awards.Contents:"Come into animal presence / Denise Levertov --Buffalo gals, won't you come out tonight --Three rock poems: Basalt --Flints --Mt. St. Helens/ Omphalos --Mazes --Wife's stories --Five vegetable poems --Torrey pines reserve --Lewis and Clarke and after --West Texas --Xmas over --Crown of Laurel --Direction of the road --Vaster than empires and more slow --Seven bird and beast poems --What is going on in the Oaks --For Ted --Found poem --Totem --Winter downs --Man eater--Sleeping out --White donkey --Horse camp --Four cat poems --Tabby Lorenzo --Black Leonard in negative space --Conversation with a silence --For Leonard, Darko, and Burton Watson --Schrodinger's cat --"Author of the Acacia seeds" and other extracts from the journal of the journal of the association of Therolinguistics --May's lion --Eighth elegy, from "Duino elegies" of R.M. Rilke --She unnames them."A spirited, gracefully polemical introduction and the final story, "She Unnames Them", frame this collection of fiction and poetry, placing it in a natural but unsentimental light. These are not really "talking animal" stories: they are about human apprehension of natural creation (including rocks and plants) and the relations this apprehension governs; or, how communication makes communities. Seven of ten stories and seven of 19 poems having already been published, while a couple of pieces read like working drafts. Among the best pieces is the title story; like many of the others, it works its effect through a reversal of the usual (human) point of view."--Library Journal.

    A chip encoded with vital secrets is missing. Only Gahzee can venture forth to find it--walking the line between the Dreamtime and the Realtime, bringing his people's ancient magic to bear on the poisoned world of tomorrow.Bringing hope, perhaps, for a new dawn. . .

    In this forbidding climate, a small tribe of nomadic human survivors travels toward the equator ahead of glaciers moving down from the North Pole, carrying with them a handful of relics from the 21st century—and racing against the ice to preserve them from annihilation.This collection is a showcase of groundbreaking stories that wrestle with the moral, psychological, and ethical implications of scientific advancement—written by one of the foremost science fiction authors of our time.Table of contents:IntroductionForeword1. Travel by Wire!2. How We Went to Mars3. Retreat from Earth4. Reverie5. The Awakening6. Whacky7. Loophole8. Rescue Party9. Technical Error10. Castaway11. The Fires Within12. Inheritance13. Nightfall14. History Lesson15. Transience16. The Wall of Darkness17. The Lion of Comarre18. The Forgotten Enemy19. Hide-and-Seek20. Breaking Strain21. Nemesis22. Guardian Angel23. Time's Arrow24. A Walk in the Dark25. Silence Please26. Trouble With the Natives27. The Road to the Sea

    In a collaboration of seven well-known writers. Berserker Base is the story of a group of people in a desperate struggle to stop this threat to civilization.

    Anderson. Working from Frank Herbert's own notes, the acclaimed authors reveal the chapter of the Dune saga most eagerly anticipated by readers: the Butlerian Jihad.Throughout the Dune novels, Frank Herbert frequently referred to the war in which humans wrested their freedom from "thinking machines." In Dune: The Butlerian Jihad, Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson bring to life the story of that war, a tale previously seen only in tantalizing hints and clues. Finally, we see how Serena Butler's passionate grief ignites the struggle that will liberate humans from their machine masters; here is the amazing tale of the Zensunni Wanderers, who escape bondage to flee to the desert world where they will declare themselves the Free Men of Dune. And here is the backward, nearly forgotten planet of Arrakis, where traders have discovered the remarkable properties of the spice melange. . . . Dune: The Machine Crusade More than two decades have passed since the events chronicled in Dune: The Butlerian Jihad. The crusade against thinking robots has ground on for years, but the forces led by Serena Butler and Irbis Ginjo have made only slight gains; the human worlds grow weary of war, of the bloody, inconclusive swing from victory to defeat.The fearsome cymeks, led by Agamemnon, hatch new plots to regain their lost power from Omnius--as their numbers dwindle and time begins to run out. The fighters of Ginaz, led by Jool Noret, forge themselves into an elite warrior class, a weapon against the machine-dominated worlds. Aurelius Venport and Norma Cenva are on the verge of the most important discovery in human history-a way to "fold" space and travel instantaneously to any place in the galaxy.And on the faraway, nearly worthless planet of Arrakis, Selim Wormrider and his band of outlaws take the first steps to making themselves the feared fighters who will change the course of history: the Fremen.Here is the unrivaled imaginative power that has put Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson on bestseller lists everywhere and earned them the high regard of readers around the globe. The fantastic saga of Dune continues in Dune: The Machine Crusade. Dune: The Battle of Corrin It has been fifty-six hard years since the events of Dune: The Machine Crusade. Following the death of Serena Butler, the bloodiest decades of the Jihad take place. Synchronized Worlds and Unallied Planets are liberated one by one, and at long last, after years of victory, the human worlds begin to hope that the end of the centuries-long conflict with the thinking machines is finally in sight.Unfortunately, Omnius has one last, deadly card to play. In a last-ditch effort to destroy humankind, virulent plagues are let loose throughout the galaxy, decimating the populations of whole planets . . . and once again, the tide of the titanic struggle shifts against the warriors of the human race. At last, the war that has lasted many lifetimes will be decided in the apocalyptic Battle of Corrin.In the greatest battle in science fiction history, human and machine face off one last time. . . . And on the desert planet of Arrakis, the legendary Fremen of Dune become the feared fighting force to be discovered by Paul Muad'Dib in Frank Herbert's classic, Dune.

    Filled with anecdotes and insights covering all aspects of what television viewers see each week, as well as little-known stories of "Borg Tribbles," "Cardassian Bowling Alleys," and the "Funniest Joke in the Universe," this unprecedented behind-the-scenes chronicle is based on a year of research and exclusive observation of every stage of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. From the earliest concepts for the show to the rigors of full-scale production, The Making of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine examines the other side of the camera, and provides a detailed look at every stage of television production -- from story breaking, to writing, casting, production design, to the show's magnificent model work and state-of-the-art computerized special effects, and final editing.

    These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise Her five-year mission: To explore strange, new worlds; To seek out new life and new civilizations; To boldly go where no man has gone before..."These words, first spoken on television on September 8, 1966, gave the world its first glimpse of Gene Roddenberry's vision of the future. Since that day nearly thirty years ago, Star Trek has become the most incredible collaborative effort ever seen in motion pictures, television, and publishing -- a phenomenon that has inspired seven movies, four television series, and a line of bestselling books. Star Trek's popularity is astounding; nearly fifty percent of the American public identify themselves as Star Trek fans.To celebrate Star Trek's heroic future vision for humanity, Pocket Books is pleased to present the updated, full-color, illustrated history of the Star Trek phenomenon: "Where No One Has Gone Before; A History in Pictures". From the genesis of The Original Series to the short-lived animated series, to the aborted second television series in the late 1970s, to Star Trek's resurgence in the movies and an incredible three more hit television shows, this is the complete Star Trek story -- an epic tale that now spans thirty years.With more than thirty pages of new material, "Where No One Has Gone Before" is the ultimate collector's edition and features personal accounts, anecdotes, and full-color photographs from the actors, fans, and backstage professionals who helped make the show so incredibly popular.The entertaining and informative text provides a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the world of Star Trek and includes essays by the master of science fiction and science fact, the late Dr. Isaac Asimov. The photo selection is the result of an exhaustive, national search for the best in Star Trek photography."Where No One Has Gone Before" is a book for all Star Trek fans, from the most loyal enthusiast to the causal viewer -- anyone who has marveled at adventures that continue to transport us all to the final frontier.