Rogue Farm


Charles Stross - 2009
    But when a bio-technological monstrosity known as a farm squats on their land, Joe and Maddie must confront not only it, but also their own hopes and dreams.Originally issued in print as part of the short story collection: Wireless. New York : Ace Books, 2009.1 sound disc (45 min.)

The Ride


Aric Davis - 2013
    The biggest game in town centers on a massive, deadly roller coaster that winds its way through the Strip’s most famous attractions. On the first Saturday of every month, twenty-four desperate passengers get strapped into the notorious ride and gamble with their lives in a twisted game of chance, to the thrill of webcast audiences worldwide. One of them will win, and one will die, but the other twenty-two will escape with nothing but their lives. Bets are placed as the ride begins, but in Vegas, the house always wins.The Ride by acclaimed author Aric Davis is a terrifying near-future vision of bloodlust-as-entertainment taken to a horrific extreme.

Hope Rearmed


S.M. Stirling - 2014
    A young hero overcomes implacable foes to lead a planet fallen into a dark age back to the high point of its lost technological civilization. Contains The Anvil and The Steel in the General series.  Series relaunched in The Heretic and continuing in The Savior.After the collapse of the galactic Web, civilizations crumbled and chaos reigned on thousands of planets. Only on planet Bellevue was there a difference. There, a Fleet Battle Computer named Center had survived from the old civilization. When it found Raj Whitehall, the man who could execute its plan for reviving human civilization, he and Center started Bellevue back on the road leading to the stars. Now Raj Whitehall has come close to reuniting the entire planet of Bellevue. Because of his victories and because of the way he won them, Raj is loved by the people—and his army would follow him to Hell. Even those closest to him, his band of sworn companions and his wickedly subtle but utterly loyal wife, hold him in awe. And that's the problem. For though Raj battles only in the name of his emperor and has proven his loyalty again and again, still the half-mad jealousy and fear of that emperor Clerett is about to give Raj no choice but to revolt or face death and the loss of all he has gained for freedom.About prequel omnibus volume, Hope Reborn:"The various battles and intrigues–all of them very clever and some of them very unexpected–make up the core of these extremely well-written and unabashedly fun books. And really, the action never stops. I highly recommend them to you as they’ve come out in a tasty trade format that’s very easy to hold and lug around (they are, in other words, backpackable)."—Amazing Stories About the Raj Whitehall series:“[T]old with knowledge of military tactics and hardware, and vividly described action. . .devotees of military SF should enjoy themselves.”—Publishers Weekly“[A] thoroughly engrossing military sf series. . .superb battle scenes, ingenious weaponry and tactics, homages to Kipling, and many other goodies. High fun.”—Booklist

Vanguard


Peter Fehervari - 2015
    And a secret objective leads to more than the lead character, tech-priest Magos Caul, could ever have bargained for.THE STORYOn the world of Phaedra, a force of skitarii - the front-line soldiers of the Adeptus Mechanicus - embark upon a dangerous mission: to assault a stronghold of the xenos tau and recover a priority asset for their tech-priest master, Magos Caul. As they face the diminutive drones and hulking battlesuits of their alien foes in the jungles of the Dolorosa Coil, their target draws nearer. But just what is Objective Skysight, and why is it so important to the tech-priest?

The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year #11


Jonathan StrahanDaryl Gregory - 2017
    With established names and new talent this diverse and ground-breaking collection will take the reader to the outer-reaches of space and the inner realms of humanity with stories of fantastical worlds and worlds that may still come to pass.ContentsIntroduction by Jonathan StrahanThe Future Is Blue / Catherynne M. ValenteMika Model / Paolo BacigalupiSpinning Silver / Naomi NovikTwo's Company (The First Law Universe) / Joe AbercrombieYou Make Pattaya / Rich LarsonYou'll Surely Drown Here If You Stay / Alyssa WongA Salvaging of Ghosts (Universe of Xuya) / Aliette de BodardEven the Crumbs Were Delicious / Daryl GregoryNumber Nine Moon / Alex IrvineThings with Beards / Sam J. MillerSuccessor, Usurper, Replacement / Alice Sola KimLaws of Night and Silk / Seth DickinsonTouring with the Alien / Carolyn Ives GilmanThe Great Detective (Cwmlech Manor #2) / Delia ShermanEveryone from Themis Sends Letters Home / Genevieve ValentineThose Shadows Laugh / Geoff RymanSeasons of Glass and Iron / Amal El-MohtarThe Art of Space Travel / Nina AllanWhisper Road (Murder Ballad No. 9) / Caitlín R. KiernanRed Dirt Witch / N. K. JemisinRed as Blood and White as Bone / Theodora GossTerminal / Lavie TidharFoxfire, Foxfire / Yoon Ha LeeElves of Antarctica / Paul J. McAuleyThe Witch of Orion Waste and the Boy Knight / E. Lily YuSeven Birthdays / Ken LiuThe Visitor from Taured / Ian R. MacLeodFable / Charles YuHonorable Mentions: 2016 -- essay

Gunpowder & Embers


John Ringo - 2020
    Smith. WAR IN THE SMOKING RUINS OF TOMORROW! Thirty years ago, the world ended. Giant electrovoric ants and pterodons came through a rift in space-time, millions of humans died, and that was that. Without electricity, human ingenuity has provided some creative work-arounds to the energy problem, but most people survive at subsistence level. For Chuck Gordon, the simple life of a rancher was enough. But then he met a mysterious dying stranger and now he’s on the road of destiny across America accompanied by a warrior monk, a beautiful dragon tamer, a runaway cultist, and a mystic drunken lecher—all searching for the key to reclaiming humanity’s past—and future. At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management). About The Valley of Shadows by John Ringo: ". . . fast-paced . . . building to an exciting climax . . . Ringo and Massa have written an end-of-the-world novel that is unconventional and entertaining."—Daily News of Galveston County About Black Tide Rising, coedited by John Ringo (featuring stories by Kacey Ezell and Christopher L. Smith): “. . . an entertaining batch of . . . action-packed tales. Certainly, fans of Ringo’s particular brand of action-adventure will be pleased.”—Booklist "This anthology broadens Ringo’s Black Tide world, serving up doses of humanity amid the ravenous afflicted. Comedy has a place in this harsh reality, and these stories stir adventure and emotion at a frantic clip throughout. Zombie fiction fans will be thrilled."—Library Journal About the Black Tide Rising Series: “Not only has Ringo found a mostly unexplored corner of the zombie landscape, he's using the zombie frame to tackle a broader theme: the collapse and rebirth of civilization. The zombie scenes are exciting, sure, but its the human story that keeps us involved. A fine series.”—Booklist on the Black Tide Rising Series About John Ringo: “[Ringo’s work is] peopled with three-dimensional characters and spiced with personal drama as well as tactical finesse.”—Library Journal “. . . Explosive. . . . Fans . . . will appreciate Ringo’s lively narrative and flavorful characters.”—Publishers Weekly “. . . practically impossible not to read in one sitting . . . exceedingly impressive . . . executed with skill, verve, and wit.”—Booklist “Crackerjack storytelling.”—Starlog About the work of Kacey Ezell: "Gritty, dark and damp. Much like the war itself."—Michael Z. Williamson, best-selling author of A Long Time Until Now "I loved Minds of Men."—D.J. Butler, best-selling author of Witchy Eye