But things get hotter than he bargained for when he lands on a planet occupied by Travellers. These grisly space pirates have a reputation so dire, even aliens won’t mess with them. But even aliens aren't as badass as Shifters. Mike and his crew are Shifters--alt-humans with the ability to Shift into animal form. When they impulsively rescue three of the Travellers' victims, they stumble on a deadly plot that spans the Cluster—and it's focused like a laser beam on their homeworld. From deep space to the slums of Shiftertown, the chase is on. To untangle the mystery in time, Mike will have to outwit not only the Travellers but the kingpin of his own crime-ridden Shifter community, while staying one step ahead of the police. If he fails, the Travellers will take his planet … and his beloved daughter.Join the crew of the St. Clare as they struggle to put the clues together, battle murderous criminals, and above all, hang onto their humanity. If you’re a fan of Firefly or The Expanse, you’ll love this interstellar adventure set in a cluster of stars far, far away, in a future where we’ve colonized the stars and even altered our own DNA, but remain all too human.Lethal Cargo is the first book of A Cauldron of Stars, a new space opera thriller series from New York Times bestselling sci-fi author Felix R. Savage. It contains swearing, sex, spaceships, unapologetic badassery, shapeshifting wolves, tigers, bears, lions, and one very large snake. You have been warned!

    Contents:7 · Foreword · fw 11 · The Spider · ss Rogue Jan ’63 24 · Monsters and Monster Lovers · ar Fantastic Mar ’65 37 · A Hitch in Space · ss Worlds of Tomorrow Aug ’63 48 · Hottest and Coldest Molecules · ar Science Digest Mar ’52 52 · Kindergarten · vi F&SF Apr ’63 55 · Those Wild Alien Words: I · ar * 64 · Crazy Annaoj · ss Galaxy Feb ’68 70 · Debunking the I Machine · ar, 1949 72 · When the Last Gods Die · ss F&SF Dec ’51 79 · King Lear · ar, 1934 85 · Yesterday House · nv Galaxy Aug ’52 115 · After Such Knowledge · ar, 1974 118 · Knight to Move [“Knight’s Move”; Change War] · ss Broadside Dec ’65 128 · Weird World of the Knight [“Topsy-Turvy World of the Knight”] · ar California Chess Review Jan ’60 131 · To Arkham and the Stars · ss The Dark Brotherhood and Other Pieces, Sauk City: Arkham House, 1966 143 · The Whisperer Re-Examined · ar Haunted Dec ’64 148 · Beauty and the Beasts [Fafhrd & Gray Mouser] · vi * 151 · Masters of Mace and Magic · br 157 · Cat’s Cradle · ss *

    He is selected to act as her bodyguard during a political crisis in her land. Which isn't part of our Earth. Although tasked with keeping her out of trouble for forty-eight hours, Booker is finding Her Royal Princess Auralee to be a little more adventurous than he had expected. Join Runner Sterling Booker Wells as he attempts to keep the Elven Princess out of harm's way.

    Hope is worse. Five years after their world was decimated by powerful aliens that killed their parents, two brothers are returning to get answers. One wants justice. One just wants to survive. But nothing on Planet Hell is what it seems. The brothers soon stumble upon a plot to interact with the aliens that could change everything. But they aren't the only people trying to understand the aliens--and most are willing to do anything to keep the powerful secrets for themselves. Shifting alliances, hidden agendas, and ruthless killers interact against a backdrop of invincible aliens willing and able to kill anything, and anyone, on a whim. Gritty and fast-paced, Planet Hell is a high-octane military sci-fi with a devastating mystery at its heart.

    He signed up to escape the grinding poverty of the Housing Blocks. And the unlikely friends envisioned boring, peacetime careers as shuttle pilots. The Tahni Imperium had other ideas... Caught in the desperate fury of the Battle for Mars, the two young pilots wind up the last defense against an alien armada, but their war is just beginning. Recruited to fly the Fleet's newest weapon in this new war, they take the fight deep into the heart of the Imperium and battle not just against the enemy but against incompetent leadership and ineffectual tactics. Can the unconventional strategies of a pair of hotshot young pilots change the course of the war? And when the time comes that a choice has to be made between duty to command and loyalty to a friend, which of the two will be willing to make one last flight alone... From the author of the bestselling Drop Trooper Military Sci-Fi Series comes another tale of war against an alien menace known as the Tahni. Perfect for fans of Jay Allan, Jasper T. Scott, and Scott Bartlett. (less)

    Not everyone can. Who decides? Desperate to save his daughter from a mysterious sickness, Daniel applies for the Methuselah Treatment. If she gets it, his daughter won’t just recover, she’ll live forever. But the drug is tightly controlled, and only the special, the talented, and the truly deserving ever receive it. There is nothing special about Daniel’s destitute ten- year-old girl—or is there?

    This discovery sets off a special event and starts a deadly intercontinental war, all arranged by long-gone developers. Now, Oleg, the man behind Cat, has to collect all the unique weapons left in the game by its creators before the tragic accident claimed their lives and to complete the new challenge that nobody on the new developer team has any idea about, all the while being accused of cheating and hunted by the most dangerous guild in the game world, led by a dark goddess and one of the top PvP players. Once, he was a professional player earning real money in another game. He fell from his pedestal into a debt pit: his account got blocked, his savings got burnt, his friends left him behind, and dangerous people appeared at his doorstep, wanting their money back. To get back on his feet, he decided to enter a new game and find a new source of income. *** Cat’s Game is a highly-rated LitRPG series by Roman Prokofiev. The protagonist is one of a kind: more of a trickster than a classic adventuring hero—even if he has to become the one to finish what the original developers of the game started. The setting is the future, around 2070. The Earth has changed: climate, coastlines, even countries. The Sphere is a game ruled by supercomputers…but not everything inside it is controlled by AI, and Cat, whose only interest is earning money to survive in real life, becomes embroiled in the long-gestating plan that will change the face of the entire in-game world.

    But with no blood, guts, or glory, boredom began to set in and strategy lost its edge. Something was needed to bring fresh excitement to an old, old game. And so the past was mined for the greatest warriors and generals history had to offer: Napoleon, Alexander, the 47 Ronin, assassins from ancient Persia—all brilliant at either combat or at tactics and strategy.It was just a game—until mock war turned real on an unimaginable scale, and only those legendary warriors could turn the tide.

    Now Joe is a full Guardsman, with his own ship and a snide partner bot who hates humans almost as much as he hates other bots.To the pirates he hunts, Joe is known as the Butcher. His bloody reputation has landed him in the center of a sweeping conspiracy that threatens to stamp out the galaxy’s last surviving human settlements.As Joe races against time to salvage what’s left of his species, one thing becomes crystal clear: You can never escape your past.It all starts on Earth, humanity’s deserted homeworld....

    He didn’t know that when he awoke from hyper sleep he would feel like a captive. He didn’t know that GENESIS would remain on the bridge of the ship and in control of all resources. He didn’t know that they would prosecute his fellow colonists for treason. He didn’t know that his natural born rights would be abused. Jake didn’t know that he would have to lead an insurrection to control the Ark - and the course of humanity along with it.

    To address concerns that the moon’s barren rock may not hold long-term allure for an uber-wealthy clientele, the company’s charismatic owner reveals to the group the ultimate discovery: life on the moon. But what is initially a triumphant and world-changing moment soon gives way to unrelenting terror as the team experiences firsthand that despite their technological prowess, the moon still holds many secrets.

    Faith Benson was a distinguished officer heading for a promising career. Then came her assignment to the Pandora. A posting aboard a search-and-rescue ship was usually the end of the line in the Kedraalian Republic Navy.When an accident sends the Pandora into the demilitarized zone separating the Republic from its greatest enemy, the ship's reckless captain follows an SOS signal into enemy territory. Once the rescue begins, things quickly spiral out of control, putting Faith's leadership abilities to the test.Can she save her crew from capture, or will the misguided rescue operation lead to war?Grab this suspenseful military space opera tale to find out!

    Two brothers at war.With advanced weaponry and impenetrable armor, the Crusaders smash aside anything that stands in their way. Led by Kaneda Kusanagi, they have only one mission: to destroy Matriarch, the last thinking machine, and free the people of Jupiter from her tyranny.Whether they like it or not.Standing in their way are the Dragons, led by Kaneda’s estranged brother Ryu. With super-human reflexes and invisible battle suits, the Dragons are masters of infiltration and sabotage. Loyal only to Matriarch, they will stop at nothing to protect their way of life.The two brothers are set to collide in a battle that will shake the great powers of the solar system and force both men to question what they believe in.

    The Man Who Had No Idea (1978)The Black Cat (1976)The Santa Claus Compromise (1974)The Vengeance of Hera or, Monogamy Triumphant (1980)Concepts (1978)The Apartment Next to the War (1975)The Foetus (1980)The Fire Began to Burn the Stick, the Stick Began to Beat the Dog (1976)At the Pleasure Centre (1974)The Grown-Up (1981)How to Fly (1977)Planet of the Rapes (1977)The Revelation (1980)Pyramids for Minnesota (1974)Josie and the Elevator: A Cautionary Tale (1980)An Italian Lesson (1982)Understanding Human Behavior (1982)

    Three individuals obtain the control of three strange silver boxes of extraordinary power that, if combined, could unlock the secrets of the universe, and each owner battles private demons in their quest to unite the boxes.