Complete with a preface, introduction, and story notes by Card himself, here are early stories from eighteen incredibly talented authors who have since shattered the face of science fiction.

    and how we may cope by taking wise partners with us on this journey. Artificial intelligence is one way that we may add diversity to our civilization. But in this series we've done it by giving a boost in intelligence to some of our fellow creatures on Planet Earth. Dolphins and apes -- especially -- seem trapped under a "glass ceiling" that limits their ability to speak, to argue, to create, to use tools, to invent and take part in Terran culture. But what if we, the first species on Earth to cross the wide gulf of sapience, were to turn around and offer a hand to others? To pass on the gift (that sometimes threatens to be a curse) of fully empowered mind?This omnibus volume includes Startide Rising and The Uplift War. (Does not include Sundiver)

    Now, in this extraordinary new alternate history, Flint begins a dramatic saga of the North American continent at a dire turning point, forging its identity and its future in the face of revolt from within, and attack from without.In the War of 1812, U.S. troops are battling the British on the Canadian border, even as a fierce fight is being waged against the Creek followers of the Indian leader Tecumseh and his brother, known as The Prophet. In Europe, Napoleon Bonaparte's war has become a losing proposition, and the British are only months away from unleashing a frightening assault on Washington itself. Fateful choices are being made in the corridors of power and on the American frontier. As Andrew Jackson, backed by Cherokee warriors, leads a fierce attack on the Creek tribes, his young republic will soon need every citizen soldier it can find.What if-at this critical moment-bonds were forged between men of different races and tribes? What if the Cherokee clans were able to muster an integrated front, and the U.S. government faced a united Indian nation bolstered by escaping slaves, freed men of color, and even influential white allies?Through the remarkable adventures of men who were really there-men of mixed race, mixed emotions, and a singular purpose-The Rivers of War carries us in this new direction, brilliantly transforming an extraordinary chapter of American history.With a cast of unforgettable characters-from James Monroe and James Madison to Sam Houston, Francis Scott Key, and Cherokee chiefs John Ross and Major Ridge-The Rivers of War travels from the battle of Horseshoe Bend to the battle of New Orleans, and brings every explosive moment to life. With exquisite attention to detail, an extraordinary grasp of history, and a storyteller's gift for the dramatic, Flint delivers a bold, thought-provoking epic of enemies and allies, traitors and revolutionaries, and illuminates who we are as a nation, how we got here, and how history itself is made-and remade.From the Hardcover edition.

    Contents:•The Fourth Book of Lost Swords: Farslayer's Story • (1989) • novel by Fred Saberhagen •The Fifth Book of Lost Swords: Coinspinner's Story • (1989) • novel by Fred Saberhagen •The Sixth Book of Lost Swords: Mindsword's Story • (1990) • novel by Fred Saberhagen

    But it soon became clear to both sides that this fight would be different--that war itself would never be the same again. For this was to be a protracted, global conflict waged with new and chillingly efficient innovations--the machine gun, the airplane, poison gas, and trench warfare.Across the Americas, the fighting raged like wildfire on multiple and far-flung fronts. As President Theodore Roosevelt rallied the diverse ethnic groups of the northern states--Irish and Italians, Mormons and Jews--Confederate President Woodrow Wilson struggled to hold together a Confederacy still beset by ignorance, prejudice, and class divisions. And as the war thundered on, southern blacks, oppressed for generations, found themselves fatefully drawn into a climactic confrontation . . .

    21st century: The two realities collide...

    Includes: Another Fine Myth Myth Conceptions Myth Directions Hit or MythFrom dust jacket: What does a half-trained apprentice magician do when his master is killed while conjuring up a demon - leaving him to face a green, pointy-eared creature with razor-sharp teeth? If the place is Klah and the apprentice is Skeeve, the answer is clear: Set off on a riotous odyssey through a universe where magic and science combine to create more trouble - and more laughs - than man or beast can imagine. Another Fine Myth introduces Skeeve to the green-skinned Aahz, dimension-traveler from Perv, who, it turns out, isn't such a bad fellow after all. Stripped temporarily of his powers, the pointy-eared Pervert (that's Pervect, he insists) offers to complete Skeeve's training and help him track down his master's murderer. The killer, a nasty sort of fellow from the dimension of Imper, is scheming to dominate the universe by controlling all magik. But Aahz and Skeeve, impervious to the Imp's charms, aim to stand in his way. Myth Conceptions finds Skeeve applying for the job of Court Magician in Possiltum. The cushy job Aahz has promised becomes quite something else, however, when Possiltum's tight-fisted rulers give Skeeve his first assignment: stop the virtually invincible army of the invading Empire...singlehanded. In Myth Directions, former Assassin Tanda takes Skeeve on a whirlwind tour of the other dimensions to find the perfect birthday present for her old friend Aahz. They find it on the planet Jahk: an enormous toadlike trophy that is the prize in the annual game between the rival cities of Veygas and Ta-hoe. When they're caught stealing it, Aahz and his teammates must take to the field in one of the zaniest sports competitions of all time - with Tanda's life hanging in the balance. Hit or Myth finds Aahz returning to Perv and Skeeve duped into standing in for a cowardly king wo's about to marry the ruthless, bloodthirsty, promiscuous Queen Hemlock. And with Don Bruce's irate Mob pressing their own impossible demands as well, Skeeve had better think fast.... Join Robert Lynn Asprin's engaging menagerie of wizards, demons, kings, dragons, gremlins, gargoyles and dimension-hopping gangsters. Even the most serious lover of fantasy won't be able to resist the spell of these myths. Jacket art by Walter Velez.

    Includes all 22 stories from: Thieves' WorldTales from the Vulgar UnicornShadows of Sanctuary

    Bitter Gold Hearts: The Stormwarden's son has been kidnapped, and Garrett must brave a host of ogres and assassins to rescue him. Cold Copper Tears: There's a new cult in town: worshippers of a godlike Destroyer who think Garrett would make an ideal sacrifice!

    Diana is a Guardian charged with saving innocents and destroying evil wherever she finds it. Because if she doesn't, evil will find her—and kill her first.In Children of the Night, Diana is running her friend’s occult shop in New York City when trouble does finds her. Mr. Trouble, as she calls him, is a vampire whose psychic power makes her radar go off the charts. So when she discovers that he’s the new benefactor of ex-boyfriend Dave Kendall’s band, she’s not surprised to see how bad Kendall looks. It will take all of Diana’s power—and the aid of a sexy vampire protector with a score of his own to settle—if she’s to save Kendall now….In Burning Water, Diana gets a call from Detective Mark Valdez, an old college friend turned cop. When Valdez realizes that the serial killer stalking Dallas is not human, he knows he needs help. Unfortunately, Tezcatilpoca, an angry Aztec god, is on the rampage and Diana fears she’s met her match. But as luck would have it, Texcatilpoca isn’t the only god in the world.In Jinx High, Diana is summoned to Oklahoma by an old friend who fears that his teenage son is in supernatural danger from a fellow classmate. Faye Harper, the “it” girl with a mean streak a mile wide, is actually a sorceress whose power is disturbing. So disturbing, in fact, that an ancient being who slumbers underground is being awakened by it…and all hell is about to break loose—literally. Jacket art by Chris McGrath. (Approx. 800 pp.) 1989-1991.

    With the love of readers and the praise of critics, Norton's books have sold millions of copies worldwide. Perhaps her best loved and most influential novels, the Witch World series have been too long unavailable to readers.But finally, in the first of two ominibuses, Witch World, Web of the Witch World, and Year of the Unicorn, the first three novels of the Witch World, are united for the first time so readers can once again step through The Gates to Witch World.Witch World -- Simon Tregarth, a man from our own world, escapes his doom through the gates to the Witch World. There he aids the witch Jaelithe's escape from the hounds of Alizon, only to find himself embroiled in a deeper war against an even deadlier foe: the Kolder.Web of the Witch World -- The Kolder linger on, a constant threat to Simon and the witches he's sworn to protect. To save their world from this threat from another dimension, Simon and Jaelithe must venture to the heart of the poisonous Kolder realm and vanquish them for good, or witness the enslavement of their world.Year of the Unicorn -- Far from the besieged home of Simon and Jaelithe, in peaceful Norsdale, we meet Gillan, who longs to leave her dull life in a secluded country abbey. But when her wish comes true, she finds more than a little adventure. As she ventures out, not only is her life in danger, but also the power that lies within her, waiting to be discovered.

    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.

    Suddenly the planet and every living thing on it no longer exist in a single timeline. Instead, the world becomes a patchwork of eras, from prehistory to 2037, each with its own indigenous inhabitants.Scattered across the planet are floating silver orbs impervious to all weapons and impossible to communicate with. Are these technologically advanced devices responsible for creating and sustaining the rifts in time? Are they cameras through which inscrutable alien eyes are watching? Or are they something stranger and more terrifying still?The answer may lie in the ancient city of Babylon, where two groups of refugees from 2037: three cosmonauts returning to Earth from the International Space Station, and three United Nations peacekeepers on a mission in Afghanistan have detected radio signals: the only such signals on the planet, apart from their own. The peacekeepers find allies in nineteenth-century British troops and in the armies of Alexander the Great. The astronauts, crash-landed in the steppes of Asia, join forces with the Mongol horde led by Genghis Khan. The two sides set out for Babylon, each determined to win the race for knowledge . . . and the power that lies within.Yet the real power is beyond human control, perhaps even human understanding. As two great armies face off before the gates of Babylon, it watches, waiting. . . .

    Soul Catcher is about a Native American who kidnaps a young white boy and their journey together. It is a story of vengeance and sacrifice. In the conflicted anti-hero, one may see many truths to the feelings harbored by those who were conquered. Many Native American myths are touched upon; e.g. that the bee does not haphazardly sting its victim, rather it chooses that person. The book is committed to seeing the sacrifice through and the “lamb” must be an innocent to represent the many Native American innocents slaughtered. Therein lies the conflict with our tragic hero, that he may actually have found respect for his young white hostage, yet he knows what it is that he must do for his people.

    This is a 3-in-1: Spellsinger, The Hour of the Gate, & The Day of the Dissonance