A Fire upon the Deep is the big, breakout book that fulfills the promise of Vinge's career to date: a gripping tale of galactic war told on a cosmic scale.Thousands of years hence, many races inhabit a universe where a mind's potential is determined by its location in space, from superintelligent entities in the Transcend, to the limited minds of the Unthinking Depths, where only simple creatures and technology can function. Nobody knows what strange force partitioned space into these "regions of thought," but when the warring Straumli realm use an ancient Transcendent artifact as a weapon, they unwittingly unleash an awesome power that destroys thousands of worlds and enslaves all natural and artificial intelligence.Fleeing the threat, a family of scientists, including two children, are taken captive by the Tines, an alien race with a harsh medieval culture, and used as pawns in a ruthless power struggle. A rescue mission, not entirely composed of humans, must rescue the children-and a secret that may save the rest of interstellar civilization.

    She knows Trey is innocent—he was with her when Danny was killed. So who is the real killer and why are the cops framing an innocent man?While retracing Danny’s last hours, they discover that his death may be tied to a mystery from the past: the destruction of a Central Corps starship at a wormhole near Volhynia. For twenty-five years, Central Gov has been lying about the tragedy, even willing to go to war with the outlaw tribe PSI to protect their secrets.With the authorities closing in, Elena and Trey head to the wormhole, certain they’ll find answers on the other side. But the truth that awaits them is far more terrifying than they ever imagined—a conspiracy deep within Central Gov that threatens all of human civilization throughout the inhabited reaches of the galaxy . . . and beyond.

    But Worlorn isn’t the world Dirk imagined, and Gwen Delvano is no longer the woman he once knew. She is bound to another man, and to a dying planet that is trapped in twilight. Gwen needs Dirk’s protection, and he will do anything to keep her safe, even if it means challenging the barbaric man who has claimed her. But an impenetrable veil of secrecy surrounds them all, and it’s becoming impossible for Dirk to distinguish between his allies and his enemies. In this dangerous triangle, one is hurtling toward escape, another toward revenge, and the last toward a brutal, untimely demise.

    No one expects the deal to last, and both sides are preparing for the next showdown. But from the depths of space another challenge is coming, one that will endanger the very survival of mankind and force not just the Alliance and its colonies, but all of the Superpowers, to join forces or face annihilation. The dusty ruins the Alliance discovered on Epsilon Eridani IV were built by an ancient race, eons dead. But their guardians remain, and the disturbance of long silent caves triggered an automated alert, one which has been heard. Erik Cain and his Marines grimly take to the field once again, for what may be their final battle, against the robotic legions of the First Imperium. But facing a ruthless and technologically superior enemy may be easier than learning to fight alongside old enemies. The Line Must Hold (Crimson Worlds V) The robotic legions of the First Imperium burst into human space, destroying everything in their path. Their antimatter-powered fleets drove back the desperately defending human forces, seizing world after world. Directed by the maniacal Regent, the enemy pressed forward with one goal - the destruction of mankind. The Superpowers of Earth, bitter enemies for over a century, have at last banded together to face the threat from outside. Their combined forces have fought stubborn delaying actions to buy time, but they couldn't stop the relentless onslaught. Now the Rim has fallen, and the heart of human space lies before the invaders. On three worlds, mankind will make its stand, and all the power Earth and its colonies can muster has been gathered there. Three worlds - Sandoval, Garrison, and Samvar. The Line. Erik Cain grimly leads his veteran Marines and their new allies to Sandoval, to fight and to hold that world against anything the enemy throws at it. But Cain plans more than just a defense; he intends to annihilate the enemy forces...and he'll sacrifice anything to win the ultimate victory. Even his soul. To Hell's Heart (Crimson Worlds VI) The combined forces of humanity have beaten back the First Imperium invasion. For the first time, the enemy has been defeated in battle. The cost was high in blood and suffering, but the Line held. The heart of human-occupied space has been saved from annihilation. For now. There is little time for the victorious warriors to savor their triumph or mourn their dead. The First Imperium has been driven back, but it has not been defeated. No one expects the fruits of victory to be more than a brief respite. Augustus Garret, Erik Cain, and the rest of the human high command have a decision to make. Do they stand on the defensive, waiting for the massive second invasion they all know will come? Or do they consider another option, one that compels them to face overwhelming odds, and launch a strike that could end the war in one campaign? The attack ship Hornet returned home after a miraculous run through enemy space, and her crew brought with them priceless intelligence…the location of a world of the First Imperium. In the capitals of Earth, the ruling classes call for caution, for the armed forces to stand on the defensive. But on the frontier, Garret and his compatriots are planning something different, and they do not intend to be deterred. They are going to take the war to the enemy. They are going to march into hell’s heart.

    Discovering deception within deception, treachery within treachery, she was forced into a separate peace with her chief opponent, Lord Aral Vorkosigan - he who was called "The Butcher of Komarr" - and would consequently become an outcast on her own planet and the Lady Vorkosigan on his. Sick of combat and betrayal, she was ready to settle down to a quiet life, interrupted only by the occasional ceremonial appearances required of the Lady Vorkosigan. But when the Emperor died, Aral suddenly became guardian of the infant heir to the imperial throne of Barrayar - and the target of high-tech assassins in a dynastic civil war that was reminiscent of earth's Middle Ages, but fought with up-to-the minute biowar technology. Neither Aral nor Cordelia guessed the part that their cell-damaged unborn son would play in Barrayar's bloody legacy. This edition includes an author's afterword, and a chronology of the events in the Vorkosigan Saga series. Cover art by Gary Ruddell.

    They were forced to work as slave laborers on the Bug's mother ship where they formed a unique partnership. Each partner has unique talents that complement the others. This creates a synergy where the partnership is stronger than the sum of its members. They form a friendship with another kidnapped being on the mother ship who teaches them to fly the ancient space ship the 'Galactic Antiquarian'. The Bugs found the 'Galactic Antiquarian' floating in space and have spent years trying to get it open to learn its secrets. The trio learns how to open parts of the ship and escape from the mother ship on the Galactic Antiquarian with a minimum of fuel, air, water and food. They must use their unique talents to unlock more of the secrets of the ancient space ship so they can restock these essential supplies while avoiding recapture by the Bugs and their allies. The Bugs want the ancient space ship back badly and are pulling no punches to get it back. Are the secrets of the ancient ship enough to help them to restock and avoid capture? How will the Alcantaran ghosts fit into the puzzle? Will the secrets or the ghosts help them find their three home planets somewhere in the midst of the trillion galaxies in the universe? Alien Abduction is the first book in the series "The Alcantarans".

    Humanity has a chance. In the near future, an alien probe arrives on Earth with a pivotal mission—help humanity survive an impending invasion by an alien armada so massive it can blot out the stars, or leave the human race to certain extinction. Despite overwhelming odds, the probe recruits a young inventor named Marc Ibarra to plan a daring gambit. To weather the coming storm, Ibarra must build a space fleet strong enough to face an implacable foe in a battle against annihilation.

     Swept away to another world by an experiment gone wrong, Astrid Carver finds herself the captive of the handsome and mysterious Hestian, Crown Prince of the alien planet Nibiru. A pawn in Hestian's deadly feud with his brother Orestes, Astrid has no choice but the cooperate with their political and military ploys as she searches for a way to escape back to Earth. Astrid is soon caught up in the intrigues of a foreign planet where the men out number the women 100 to 1. Between the strategic manipulations of the Hesperides, the sheltered group of women who are the only females in the city, to the looming threat of cruel Orestes's army and his ferocious War Brides, to the strange, magnetic attraction between herself and Hestian which grows every day. What at first seemed like only a physical lust seems to be blossoming into something more, distracting Astrid from her fight to escape. Can she resist the pull of a love so strong it called to her across the stars or will she find that by the time she's found the path home, she'll no longer want to follow it? Can she cool the flames of war before they erupt and take the entire planet with them, or will she be caught in the crossfire between these Princes of Nibiru? Adults Only!

    Archaeologists Pippa Quinn and Charlie Jackson find advanced technology in undisturbed 16th Century graves. A portent, the discovery precedes thousands of giant sinkholes opening up across the globe as extreme weather threatens the population. Charlie suspects the two are related. A centuries old plan unfolds. Pippa, Charlie, and the rest of humanity will have to fight for survival, sacrificing the life they’ve known to protect Earth from an ancient and previously dormant enemy. Even that might not be enough as this new enemy exacts a plan that will change the course of humankind forever. Critical Dawn is an apocalyptic ride to the very edge of human existence. Factions will battle for control of the Earth—if they can avoid the threat of extinction.

    In doing so, the book triumphed over a very strong shortlist, including collections by one Booker Prize winner in Anne Enright and two authors who have been Booker shortlisted in Shena Mackay and Ali Smith (the latter a winner of the Whitbread Prize).When announcing the winner, one of the judges – James Walton, journalist and chair of BBC Radio 4’s The Write Stuff – said, “I suspect Chris Beckett winning the Edge Hill Prize will be seen as a surprise in the world of books. In fact, though, it was also a bit of surprise to the judges, none of whom knew they were science fiction fans beforehand.”In 2012 the Sunday Times named Chris’ latest novel Dark Eden the best science fiction novel of the year, and it is currently shortlisted for the BSFA Award in the same category. NewCon Press are delighted to be publishing The Peacock Cloak, the latest collection from one of Britain’s most distinguished and accomplished genre authors. Contains twelve stories (85,000 words) all previously uncollected.

    Little did he realize how insistent the ladies could be, and how far they would go to persuade him to train them against the evil of Altiokis....