Wrath Events are coming to a climax in the Banished Lands, as the war reaches new heights. King Nathair has taken control of the fortress at Drassil and three of the Seven Treasures are in his possession. And together with Calidus and his ally Queen Rhin, Nathair will do anything to obtain the remaining Treasures. With all seven under his command, he can open a portal to the Otherworld. Then Asroth and his demon-horde will finally break into the Banished Lands and become flesh. Meanwhile Corban has been taken prisoner by the Jotun, warrior giants who ride their enormous bears into battle. His warband scattered, Corban must make new allies if he hopes to survive. But can he bond with competing factions of warlike giants? Somehow he must, if he's to counter the threat Nathair represents. His life hangs in the balance - and with it, the fate of the Banished Lands Ruin The Banished Lands are engulfed in war and chaos. The cunning Queen Rhin has conquered the west and High King Nathair has the cauldron, most powerful of the seven treasures. At his back stands the scheming Calidus and a warband of the Kadoshim, dread demons of the Otherworld. Malice Young Corban watches enviously as boys become warriors, learning the art of war. He yearns to wield his sword and spear to protect his king's realm. But that day will come all too soon. Only when he loses those he loves will he learn the true price of courage. The Banished Lands has a violent past where armies of men and giants clashed in battle, the earth running dark with their heartsblood. Valour The Banished Lands are torn by war as the army of High King Nathair sweeps the realm challenging all who oppose his holy crusade. Allied with the manipulative Queen Rhin of Cambren, there are few who can stand against him.

    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.

    

    Le Guin * 197 • Understanding Human Behavior • (1982) • novelette by Thomas M. Disch * 221 • Relativistic Effects • (1982) • novelette by Gregory Benford * 243 • Firewatch • [Time Travel] • (1982) • novelette by Connie Willis (aka Fire Watch) * 283 • The Wooing of Slowboat Sadie • [Springfield] • (1982) • shortstory by George Alec Effinger [as by O. Niemand ] * 293 • With the Original Cast • (1982) • novelette by Nancy Kress * 323 • When the Fathers Go • (1982) • novelette by Bruce McAllister * 351 • The Science Fiction Year (1982) • (1983) • essay by Charles N. Brown * 359 • Recommended Reading - 1982 • (1983) • essay by Terry Carr

    Now, down the trail of past battles, Kane travels again. To the ruins of a devastated city peopled only with half-men and the waif they call their queen. To the half-burnt tavern where a woman Kane wronged long ago holds his child in keeping for the Devil. To the cave kingdom of the giants where glory and its aftermath await discovery. To the house of death itself where Kane retrieves a woman in love.The past, the future, the present - all these are one for Kane as he travels through the centuries.Cover illustration: Chris Achilleos

    Why are three violent policemen in search of The Greatest Dad in theWorld? More importantly, why are two young men at a fast foodrestaurant talking about freezing bees? And good god, why are theretwo young ladies in the backyard during a Halloween party, shavingeach others' legs with a piece of a broken jaw bone?What will become of the old woman who slits her young boyfriend'sthroat? And why does she give him a calculator for his birthday?Will anyone survive?Where will you be when the Self-Esteem Holocaust comes home?

    Only one thing stands in their way: the wrathful, holy fire of the Adepta Sororitas.READ IT BECAUSEAfter her first Adepta Sororitas story, the fantastic 'Mercy', Danie Ware returns with a longer tale of Sister Superior Augusta and her squad bringing their faith and fury to their enemies.THE STORYFrom the blasphemy of the fallen… Our Emperor, deliver us. At the edge of the Imperium sits the fetid jungle world of Lautis. Amidst the creeping foliage and ancient monuments, a horror is rising. From the depths of a crumbling cathedral come bloodied nightmares, intent on fulfilling their dark purpose by any means necessary. Only one thing stands in their way: the wrathful, holy fire of the Adepta Sororitas. Filled with the light of the Emperor, Sister Superior Augusta and her squad are a force to be reckoned with. They are here to purge the darkness from Lautis with prayer and bolter, and nothing will stop them. But the things that dwell in the darkness aren’t afraid. Augusta must put her trust in her Battle Sisters and lead them into the shadows of the crypts in search of the truth. Faith and fire are powerful weapons, but will they be enough to defeat the sinister powers that lurk in the deeps?

    GotoThe Prisoner by Graham McNeillThe Invitation by Dan AbnettA Balance of Faith by Darren-Jon AshmoreGate of Souls by Mike LeeFate's Masters, Destiny's ServantsTears of Blood by C.S. Goto

    A free story from Wesley’s POV, set a few hours after the end of The Unbound.

    In "Mercury Rain" a soldier fighting a new enemy learns the importance of holding on to his memories. "Blackwater," the title story of the collection, is an homage to Stephen King's short story, "Graveyard Shift," and it tells the tale of Paul Hawkins, a mine worker who disturbs something terrifying in the Blackwater Hills of Durham, Pennsylvania, in the summer of 1976.

    But this is the Age of Ruin. And there are no heroes...Five hundred years ago, the world was destroyed in the celestial Godswar. Seeking to throw off the shackles of the deities who created them, a cabal of mages rose up and made war upon the Gods. Though they won out, it was at a great cost: the ensuing cataclysm brought forth the Age of Ruin to the world.Five hundred years later, the world limps on, seemingly winding down to an inevitable end. Dystopian city states have arisen, each presided over by one of the Magelords who first made war.Corrupted, near-immortal, and far too powerful, those wizards who once sought to free the world now make war upon each other, while the helpless populace limp on from day to day.Into this blighted world, steps Davarus Cole, a boy obsessed with notions of heroism and adventuring, who burns to do great deeds. One night, in a reckless act, Cole gets himself into a brawl with the authories. He quickly finds himself sent away from the city, where the world still groans from the ancient cataclysm, and the corpses of Gods lie deep beneath the bedrock, leaking wild, uncontrolled magic into the world.

    Can you imagine Draupadi in a Brothel house? How did she end there and who is responsible for that? Read this short story to meet her and know about her life.

    The first-rate collection includes "The Dream of a Ridiculous Man," "Bobok," "The Christmas Tree and the Wedding," and five other short masterpieces.

    There is something very familiar about Simon that brings Eleanor great peace, and Simon feels the same way. But when Eleanor's boyfriend, Abe, sees her talking to Simon, his jealousy is unleashed, and he warns her to stay away from Simon. Eleanor refuses, planning to break up with Abe - until an emergency changes her plan. But Eleanor cannot stop thinking about Simon and is shocked when he reveals a secret about their childhood years. Torn between Abe and Simon, Eleanor prays to Gott for an answer. Should she leave the possessive Abe and run to Simon?

    Ada falls in love with Clem Hargreaves, a young man also from the slums whom her mother strongly disapproves of, and fate plays a cruel hand when a tragic accident occurs. But worse is yet to follow and when Ada’s mother is found dead, she is left with guilt and remorse. Ada’s strength and determination pulls her through and together with her husband, they work hard to achieve their ambition of owning their own pub. The Sixpenny Winner soon becomes successful despite the depression and Ada and Clem Hargreaves find love and fulfilment with their two daughters. However when two brothers join them to help with the heavy work, Ada goes against her instinct and soon realises that her family is being torn apart and discovers evil and revenge of a kind she has not encountered before where all their lives are never the same again. Dramatic, heartbreaking and heart-warming, betrayals and full of passion, The Sixpenny Winner is the best yet from Alexandra Connor.