Silke Dyson is a sculptor who is dealing with impaired vision as a result of a physical assault. Kirin Foster is a pragmatic travel magazine writer with wonderful opportunities to see the world. Their lives collide at thirty-thousand feet during a tropical storm and they strike up a friendship under the Belize sun. Much to their delight, they discover they both live in Milwaukee and, back home, they develop an easy rapport amidst common interests and friends. Sometimes a random spark of kindness or caring can spark a small flame. With patience and opportunity, this small flame can grow into a balefire, a beacon of hope to guide a pair of souls to their true home. Views: 29
High on a remote butte, a young Sioux waits. Though daring in battle, skillful, and strong, he cannot be a man until his spiritual vision comes. When it appears, he must interpret it correctly to know who he is, and he must deserve it or continue to be called No Name. No Name has his vision, a glowing white mare who walks among the stars. She tells No Name his destiny and how to achieve it. He must pass through hostile camps, storm, and fire, risking his life many times to become Conquering Horse, chief of the Sioux. Conquering Horse is the first of Frederick Manfred's five-volume series, The Buckskin Man Tales. Views: 29
Ex-cop Frank Harper doesn’t want to get involved. He’s just visiting the small Ohio town of Cooper’s Mill, trying to reconnect with his estranged daughter and the grandson he’s never met. But the town is gripped in a state of fear—two young girls have gone missing, taken in broad daylight. One of them is the daughter of a prominent local businessman. But once Frank is reluctantly drawn into the investigation, he’ll stop at nothing to find the girls. And he doesn’t care who gets in the way. Views: 29
Colonists take to the stars to discover new planets, new sentient beings, and build new lives for themselves and their families. Some travel years to find their destination, while others travel a year or less. Some discover a planet that just might be paradise, while others find nothing but unwelcoming aliens and terrain. It's not just a struggle for territory but a struggle for understanding as cultures clash, disasters occur, danger lurks and lives are at risk. Eighteen stories of space colonists by both leading and up and coming science fiction writers of today. Mike Resnick spins a tale of aliens who find Earth future diverse and surprising as they plan an invasion. Grandmaster Robert Silverberg examines what happens when Jews tired of fighting for their homeland start over on a planet then must deal with a dybbuk (spirit) and aliens who wish to convert to Judaism. Autumn Rachel Dryden has colonists threatened by alien animals which burst out of shells on the ground like piranhas ready to feed on flesh. Jason Sanford has Amish colonists on New Amsterdam finding their settlement and way of life threatened by a comet and the English settlers who want to evacuate them. And a new story from Hugo and Nebula-winner Nancy Kress.From the AuthorThis is a dream project inspired by memories of my love of space exploration and reading clippings on the NASA landings with my Grandma Melson throughout her life. Sometimes I wonder if our sense of wonder has faded these days. Did space travel become too commonplace for some? So I asked top Science Fiction and Fantasy writers, including four of my favorites, to imagine space colonization in various forms. It was funded on Kickstarter, then picked up by Fairwood Press, a top independent SFF publisher. I think the result is a lot of fun. I hope you'll agree. Contributors in Table of Contents order: Nancy Kress, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Jamie Todd Rubin, Brad R. Torgersen, Alex Shvartsman, Autumn Rachel Dryden, Jean Johnson, Jason Sanford, Cat Rambo, Simon C. Larter, Jennifer Brozek, Maurice Broaddus, Jaleta Clegg, Erin Hoffman, Anthony R. Cardno, Nancy Fulda, Robert Silverberg, Mike Resnick3 reprints (Dryden, Sanford, Silverberg), the rest entirely original. From the Back Cover"Jack Williamson used to say that spaceflight was to science fiction what the Trojan war was to the Greeks. In recent years, myth is being replaced by the pragmatic, and this insightful anthology demonstrates that truth." --James Gunn, SFWA Grandmaster "Beyond the Sun mixes courage, redemption, and stark terror in tales of distant worlds. Buckle in."--Jack McDevitt, author of Firebird"Thomas Wolfe said, 'You can't go home again,' but in this thoughtful, exciting collection of stories about mankind's push to the stars, we see that we take the attributes with us that make us human. A wonderful collection of space-faring stories that reminds us that all we can depend on when we explore the universe is the unexpected." --James Van Pelt, author of Summer of the Apocalypse"This is science fiction doing what only science fiction can do--pushing us out past the warm envelope of our biosphere, exploring our ultimate destiny as a species. A truly phenomenal collection."--Ted Kosmatka, author of The Prophet of Bones Views: 29
December, 1917. The Great War is rampaging through Europe – yet Trelawney Hart has scarcely noticed. The arch-sceptic and former child prodigy has lost his way and now ekes out a lonely existence, taking his only comfort from the bottle. This dissolute lifestyle is interrupted, however, when spiritualist crusader and celebrated author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle arrives at the door of his London club and requests his help in investigating a man he believes to be a psychic medium of unparalleled gift. Driven on by his anticipation of exposing the psychic as a fraud, Hart accepts. But it is not long before he finds himself helpless amidst a series of seemingly inexplicable events – and he is forced to consider whether there may be much more to life than he had ever thought possible. Nominated for the Edinburgh Book Festival's 2014 First Book Award. Views: 29
USA TODAY bestselling author Susan Crosby brings you a story of complex family ties and a couple brought together by one adorable little girl in the newest installment of her Red Valley Rancher miniseries! When Karyn Lambert appears on Vaughn Ryder's doorstep, claiming to be his little girl's aunt, he can hardly turn her away. Instead, the guarded rancher invites her to stay, and soon they're engaged in a battle of the sexes, each trying to prove how good they are with little Cassidy...as well as fighting the raging attraction that blooms the instant Karyn steps over the threshold! For years Vaughn has been focused only on being the perfect father. Now the bubbly personal shopper has taken hold of his heart, and he wonders if they might be able to create the perfect family for Cassidy--and each other. Not just out of blood connections--but out of true love.... Views: 29
Signed, sealed...forever! Being sold into marriage by her stepfather is Leila's one chance to escape. But instead of freedom, Leila finds herself bound by deep passions ignited by her inscrutable new husband. Australian billionaire Joss Carmody knows the rules of this game--he'll shower his new wife with diamonds and in return he'll use her land to expand his business. That's all he ever wanted from this exchange, but he hadn't banked on the attraction Leila awakens. Then the one night that was supposed to slake their desire, binds them beyond the signatures on their marriage contract.... Views: 29
