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Science Fiction A to Z by Isaac Asimov


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The 13 Crimes of Science Fiction


Isaac AsimovWilliam F. Temple - 1970
    An important man is murdered & there are numerous suspects--each from a different planet. A computer helps a young man solve a puzzle & assumes the personality of a long-dead gangster. Isaac Asimov has conspired with collaborators Martin Harry Greenberg & Charles G. Waugh to mastermind this diabolically clever anthology in which each of the classic categories of crime fiction is represented by a science fiction tale. Here are such science fiction greats as Philip K. Dick, Larry Niven, Clifford Simak, Jack Vance & the illustrious Dr. Asimov himself writing cosmic variations on the whodunit, how-done-it, why-done-it, the hard-boiled detective, the police procedural & even a brand-new category--the psychic detective story.9 • The Universe of Science Fiction • essay by Isaac Asimov13 • The Detweiler Boy • (1977) • Tom Reamy49 • The Ipswich Phial • [Lord Darcy] • (1976) • Randall Garrett97 • Second Game • (1958) • Katherine MacLean and Charles V. De Vet141 • The Ceaseless Stone • [Doctor Eszterhazy] • (1975) • Avram Davidson155 • Coup de Grace • [Magnus Ridolph] • (1958) • Jack Vance179 • The Green Car • (1957) • William F. Temple203 • War Game • (1959) • Philip K. Dick221 • The Singing Bell • [Wendell Urth] • (1955) • Isaac Asimov239 • ARM • [Gil Hamilton] • (1975) • Larry Niven297 • Mouthpiece • (1974) • Edward Wellen367 • Time Exposures • (1971) • Wilson Tucker387 • How-2 • (1954) • Clifford D. Simak427 • Time in Advance • (1956) • William Tenn

The Horus Heresy Vol. II: Visions of Darkness


Alan Merrett - 2005
    II: Visions of Darkness" is the second book in the series. It continues the story of the "Horus Heresy," the dark time in human history when the Imperium was rent by the internal war, as the forces of Chaos strove to turn brother against brother. This book is full of color images from Sabertooth's fantastic collectable card game, depicting famous characters, places and warriors from the dim history of the Imperium. Also included are many of John Blanche's amazing concept sketches that did so much to inspire the other artists in their own work.The text accompanying all the art is written by Allan Merrett, who has been instrumental in creating the background that forms the basis of the Horus Heresy and the Warhammer 40,000 universe. This book is a wonderful showcase for the talented artists who work for Sabertooth, Game Workshop and the Black Library.

Runcible Tales


Neal Asher - 1999
    Content:Always with You • [Polity Universe] • (1996) Blue Holes • [Polity Universe]Dragon in the Flower • [Polity Universe] • (1994)Neal AsherThe Gire & the Bibrat • [Polity Universe] • Walking John & Bird • [Polity Universe] •

Tales from Planet Earth


Arthur C. Clarke - 1989
    Clarke, a Science Fiction Writers of America Grand Master, then you want The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke. If you're looking for a representative sample of Clarke's short stories, or for some examples of the creative and extrapolative abilities that established Clarke as one of science fiction's greatest and most important writers, then check out Tales from Planet Earth. Tales from Planet Earth ranges widely across time, but the stories are centered on our home world. Many SF writers confine their visions of earth to its flatlands, but Clarke is three-dimensional; his stories "Hate," "The Deep Range," and "The Man Who Ploughed the Sea" plunge into the ocean, while "The Cruel Sky" ascends the Himalayas. Some stories, like "The Other Tiger" and "'If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth...'," end on chilling twists. "The Road to the Sea" spans centuries and millennia to explore how humanity's exodus to the stars may affect the world left behind. "Hate" considers how transcendence of the Earth's atmosphere may affect ancient enmities. "The Parasite" demonstrates a scary nastiness not usually associated with Clarke. "The Wall of Darkness" is set on an alternate-universe earth so different from ours, and "The Lion of Comarre" is set in a future so far away, that both stories feel like fantasy; but both are rigorously extrapolated from scientific theory. Two lighthearted entertainments, "The Next Tenants" and "The Man Who Ploughed the Sea," are from Tales of the White Hart. All of the stories in Tales from Planet Earth are recommended. The iBooks 2001 Anniversary Edition of Tales from Planet Earth collects 14 SF stories first published between 1950 and 1987, including the satire "On Golden Seas," which has "never before [been] collected in any Clarke book." --Cynthia Ward Review "Here...is a collection of Arthur's science fiction stories, science fiction dealing with science, extrapolated intelligently. How you will enjoy it!" ISAAC ASIMOV" Product Description The fiction of Arthur C. Clarke has spanned the universe. He has carried us across unimaginable distances to alien times and places. Yet he has not lost sight of his home. Many of his greatest stories are set-or have their roots-right here on Planet Earth. In this book, Clarke's best stories about our home planet are gathered together. For Arthur C. Clarke, more than any other science fiction writer, "home" is the entire Earth, through all of space and time. In this book, he shows us around his home to share his wonder. He invites us to share his vision and his dream. About the Author Arthur C. Clarke is the author of many seminal works of science fiction, most noteably; 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (Little Brown).

The Man Who Traveled In Elephants


Robert A. Heinlein - 1948
    Written may 1948.First published in Saturn, October 1957 as The Elephant Circuit.First collected into The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag, 1959.

Judge Dredd: Year Two Omnibus


Michael Carroll - 2017
    Judge Joe Dredd’s been on the beat for a year. He’s made tough calls, tackled hardbitten perps, and seen the consequences of his choices come back to bite him. But he’s not done learning yet. Dredd’s second year on the sked will see him back out in the Cursed Earth, where right and wrong are questions that go beyond the easy answers of the Law; he’ll tackle an apparent serial killer—or more than one?—targeting journalists; and he’ll take his first real beat down, leaving him bent and broken with only his badge and his conviction to protect him… Including stories by Matt Smith, Michael Carroll and Cavan Scott, Judge Dredd: Year Two puts the city’s greatest lawman to the test.

Robot Uprisings


Daniel H. WilsonSeanan McGuire - 2014
    As the robotic revolution continues to creep into our lives, it brings with it an impending sense of doom. What horrifying scenarios might unfold if our technology were to go awry? From self-aware robotic toys to intelligent machines violently malfunctioning, this anthology brings to life the half-formed questions and fears we all have about the increasing presence of robots in our lives. With contributions from a mix of bestselling, award-winning, and up-and-coming writers, and including a rare story by “the father of artificial intelligence,” Dr. John McCarthy, Robot Uprisings meticulously describes the exhilarating and terrifying near-future in which humans can only survive by being cleverer than the rebellious machines they have created.

The Alorian Wars: Volume I


Drew Avera - 2017
    But, as his ship decimates planet after planet, he finds his sympathies swinging toward their defeated enemies. Sergeant Anki Paro, a Luthian Marine, has been anxiously awaiting the call to deploy. As the last line of defense against the crushing Greshian forces, she hopes the time has finally come for her world to stand against tyranny. However, as her society prepares for imminent destruction, questions of misplaced loyalties lead Anki to wonder if the world she is trying to save has any real intentions of surviving. As Brendle's and Anki's worlds collide, they find themselves in an unlikely alliance to try to stop the full might of the Greshian Empire before there's nothing left to fight for. A stolen ship, a mission on the line, enemies at every turn... After four months in hiding, Brendle Quin can't delay his mission any longer. His ship, the Replicade, is held together with failing patches, and he needs to make repairs in a port. Unfortunately, the nearest world with proper facilities is situated deep in Greshian-owned enemy territory. The Greshian colony of Farax is a safe hold for piracy in the region, and none is more vile than Crase Tuin, a man known for trafficking people and weapons across the Alorian Galaxy. He has a reputation as the only pirate never to lose a ship--with the exception of the Replicade. When Crase finds the Replicade, he vows to claim the lives of those who stole her. But Brendle won't go down without a fight. Nothing has stopped the Greshian Empire's expanse, but all hope isn't lost... The illusion of peace shrouds a hidden darkness. Just as the crew of the Replicade are getting settled on a seemingly tranquil world, they encounter a young girl with special abilities--and she's being hunted by a secret, powerful organization that will stop at nothing to have her. When Anki and Brendle intervene to help the girl, they are caught in the organization's crosshairs. The crew must make a decision: give into the looming threat of the organization, or die fighting to protect her. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Commander Ilium Gyl has taken command of a Greshian scout ship. A breach in protocol raises questions of his loyalty to the Greshian Empire, leading to a power struggle as a rebellion sparks in a distant sector of the Alorian Galaxy. His ambitions may cripple the Greshian Fleet, or he might just be the empire's savior. The Alorian Wars is a space opera series, filled with political intrigue and shrouded in mystery, is sure to please fans of "The Expanse", "Dark Matter", "Firefly", and "Killjoys". Join the war today!

Appleseed: Databook


Masamune Shirow - 1995
    Collected in this 128-page volume is the two-issue series Appleseed Databook, containing detailed descriptions of the people, places, machines, and organizations that populate this fascinating world, plus a previously unreleased twenty-five-page story featuring all of those people, places, machines, and organizations! Appleseed Databook is an absolute must for established fans of the Appleseed saga!

Grantville Gazette, Volume IX


Eric Flint - 2006
    Clavell* Mail Stop by Virginia DeMarce* Those Daring Young Men by Rick Boatright* Those Daring Not So Young Men by Rick Boatright* A Matter Of Taste by Kerryn Offord* Those Not So Daring by Rick Boatright* Anna the Baptist by Terry Howard* Fly Like a Bird by Loren Jones* Gearhead by Mark H. Huston* Water Wings by Terry Howard* Under the Tuscan Son by Iver P. Cooper* Wings on the Mountain by Terry Howard* Pocket Money by John and Patti Friend* Moonraker by Karen Bergstralh* The Minstrel Boy by John Zeek* Ultralight by Sean Massey* Tool or Die by Karen Bergstralh* If at First You Don't Succeed . . . by Paula Goodlett* Waves of Change by Paula Goodlett and Gorg Huff* Try, Try Again by Paula Goodlett* Little Jammer Boys by Kim Mackey* Safe at First Base by Mark H. Huston* The Order of the Foot by Richard Evans* Trip to Paris by Kim Mackey* At the Cliff's Edge by Iver P. Cooper* A 'Merican in Moscow by Gorg Huff and Paula Goodlett* Radio in 1632, Part 3 by Rick Boatright* The Sound of Mica by Iver P. Cooper* A Tempest In a Baptistry by Terry Howard* The Daily Beer Anette Pedersen* White Gold by Kerryn Offord

Rogue


David Ryker - 2019
    The best of the best. And now he's gone Rogue... His entire life, all James 'Red' Maddox has known is war. He was born on a dust rock called Genesis-526, conscripted into the Federation military with thousands of other recruits, and somehow stumbled into the Mech Corps. It was a moment that changed his life. Mech Corps pilots are the best of the best. They sit in the cockpit of iron beasts that tower into the sky, fighting alongside men and women who have been bred for their task since birth. Perfect reaction times. An almost inhuman level of concentration. The courage to throw themselves into the fight day after day, year after year, knowing that their mechs are sent into the crucible of the fight, into the heart of danger—and expected not just to survive, but to win... But Red is getting real tired of putting down rebellions on colony planets he's never heard of. Of pulverizing alien planets before he ever even learns their name. Of losing friends, lovers, and brothers in the service of an empire that doesn't care whether he lives or dies. Every man has his breaking point. And Red just found his...

The Super Olympian: Bloodhound (Shapechanger Tales)


Laer Carroll - 2012
    And she has strange powers. What can feed her challenge-addiction now? Fighting crime? There is plenty of it.

The Swords of Calth


Graham McNeill - 2021
    Old enemies arise, as Ventris' past and present collide in brutal battle.READ IT BECAUSEOne of Black Library's longest-running series continues – and the hero's been given a new lease of life as a Primaris Space Marine. Discover how Ventris adapts to his new life even as his past comes back to haunt him.THE STORYUriel Ventris, newly ascended to the ranks of the Primaris, leads warriors of the Fourth Company from the Indomitus Crusade of Roboute Guilliman to a world on the frontiers of Ultramar. Once a battleground against the orks, Sycorax is now under furious assault from an enemy of ancient times – the necrons. The Ultramarines have faced these baleful xenos before, but Uriel senses the hand of a foe from his past at work on Sycorax, a tally unfinished and a debt to the Imperium finally come due.Trapped deep in a devastated city, Uriel leads the Swords of Calth into battle, and must adapt to his new incarnation as one of the Primaris – a challenge that will test his soul as much as it will test him as a warrior.

Forged in Blood


Michael Z. WilliamsonJohn F. Holmes - 2017
    WILLIAMSON'S FREEHOLD SERIES WARRIORS AND SOLDIERS TIED TOGETHER THROUGHOUT TIME AND SPACE. From the distant past to the far future, those who carry the sword rack up commendations for bravery. They are men and women who, like the swords they carry, have been forged in blood. These are their stories. In medieval Japan, a surly ronin is called upon to defend a village against a thieving tax collector who soon finds out it's not wise to anger an old, tired man. In the ugliest fighting in the Pacific Theater, an American sergeant and a Japanese lieutenant must face each other, and themselves. A former US Marine chooses sides with outnumbered Indonesian refugees against an invading army from Java. When her lover is stolen by death, a sergeant fighting on a far-flung world vows vengeance that will become legendary. And, when a planet fragments in violent chaos, seven Freeholders volunteer to help protect another nation's embassy against a horde. Featuring all-new stories by Michael Z. Williamson, Larry Correia, Tom Kratman, Tony Daniel, Micahel Massa, Peter Grant, John F. Holmes, and many more. Contributors: Zachary Hill Larry Correia Michael Massa John F. Holmes Rob Reed Dale Flowers Tom Kratman Leo Champion Peter Grant Christopher L. Smith Jason Cordova Tony Daniel Kacey Ezell Michael Z. Williamson At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management). About Michael Z. Williamson: “A fast-paced, compulsive read . . . will appeal to fans of John Ringo, David Drake, Lois McMaster Bujold, and David Weber.”—Kliatt “Williamson's military expertise is impressive.”—SF Reviews Novels of Michael Z. Williamson's Freehold Universe: Freehold series Freehold The Weapon The Rogue Contact with Chaos Angeleyes Freehold: Forged in Blood Ripple Creek series Better to Beg Forgiveness . . . Do Unto Others . . . When Diplomacy Fails . . . Standalone A Long Time Until Now Michael Z. Williamson is retired military, having served twenty-five years in the U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force. He was deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Desert Fox. Williamson is a state-ranked competitive shooter in combat rifle and combat pistol. He has consulted on military matters, weapons and disaster preparedness for Discovery Channel and Outdoor Channel productions and is Editor-at-Large for Survivalblog, with 300,000 weekly readers. In addition, Williamson tests and reviews firearms and gear for manufacturers. Williamson’s books set in his Freehold Universe include Freehold, The Weapon, The Rogue, Better to Beg Forgiveness . . ., Do Unto Others . . ., and When Diplomacy Fails . . .. He is also the author of time travel novel A Long Time Until Now, as well as The Hero—the latter written in collaboration with New York Times best-selling author John Ringo. Williamson was born in England, raised in Liverpool and Toronto, Canada, and now resides in Indianapolis with his children.

It Was You Who Made My Blue Eyes Blue


Scott Alexander - 2015
    This plant is used exclusively to comply with the extremely complicated ritual laws set down in the Tablets of Enku.