Imagine that the creature we call cow evolved into a beast with near-human intelligence, who thinks of herself as a person . . . But this is Phildee\'s story, and Phildee is a boy. Or that\'s what he\'d call himself if you asked him. He\'s out and about, and playing games that come from his imagination. The loft of the feed-house, with its stacked grainsacks, is a B-72, a fort, a foxhole -- any number of things, depending on Phildee\'s mood. Today it was a jumping-off place. Phildee slipped out of his dormitory and ran across the yard to the feed-house. Then, abruptly, the Reimann fold became a concrete visualization. And Phildee twisted. He twisted into Riya\'s world -- Riya is that creature we were discussing up above. And spring has come to Riya\'s world. . . . Views: 600
No power on Earth can resist the might of Imperial Rome, so it has been and so it ever shall be. Through brute force, terror, and sheer indomitable will, her armies have enslaved a world. From the reign of Maximilianus the Great in A.U.C. 1203 onward through the ages -- into a new era of scientific advancement and astounding technologies -- countless upstarts and enemies arise, only to be ground into the dust beneath the merciless Roman bootheels. But one people who suffer and endure throughout the many centuries of oppressive rule dream of the glorious day that is coming -- when the heavens themselves will be opened to them...and the ships they are preparing in secret will carry them on their "Great Exodus" to the stars. Views: 600
What if your life were defined by a number?
What if any crime could be committed without punishment, so long as you could afford to pay the fee assigned to that crime?
Theo works in the Criminal Audit Office. He assesses each crime that crosses his desk and makes sure the correct debt to society is paid in full.
But when Theo's ex-lover Dani is killed, it's different. This is one death he can't let become merely an entry on a balance sheet.
Because when the richest in the world are getting away with murder, sometimes the numbers just don't add up. Views: 599
This career retrospective from one of the most-beloved authors in the fantasy genre is essential for fans of his internationally best-selling series novels (Otherland; Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn).
Tad Williams has achieved success in multiple genres and forms, whether in epic fantasy, urban fantasy, science fiction, or young adult fiction. Readers only familiar with such masterpieces as The Dragonbone Chair and Talchaser’s Song will be delighted to discover that in his short fiction, Williams has been able to explore myriad new possibilities and adventures.
Previously collected in multiauthor anthologies and limited hardcover editions, these superlative talks of dragons, super-soldiers, wizards, cyberpunks, heroes, and fools are now available together for the first time in an affordable trade paperback edition. These stories showcase the exhilarating breadth of Williams’ imagination, in stories hearkening to the tales of such classic fantasists as J. R. R. Tolkien, Robert Jordan, Ray Bradbury, and Peter S. Beagle. Included is an original tale written specifically for this volume.
The Very Best of Tad Williams is a true delight to those who have imagined themselves in fantastic worlds beyond the everyday and mundane.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Old Scale Game
The Storm Door
The Stranger’s Hands
Child of an AncientCity
The Boy Detective of Oz: An Otherland Story
Three Duets for Virgin and Nosehorn
Diary of a Dragon
Not with a Whimper, Either
Some Thoughts Re: Dark Destroyer
Z is for...
Monsieur Vergalant’s Canard
The Stuff that Dreams are Made Of
Fish Between Friends
Every Fuzzy Beast of the Earth, Every Pink Fowl of the Air
A Stark and Wormy Knight
Black Sunshine
And Ministers of Grace Views: 599
When Emma wakes strapped to a cold metal table she has only one name on her lips, "Marshall!" What she doesn't expect is discovering that he is only one of the disturbing people in her small world who deserves to die in a fiery death. Twenty years ago scientists made some remarkable discoveries with genetics and the ability to perfect the babies we gave birth to. Ten years ago the governments of the world made a hard choice, earth or people. Nine weeks ago the choices they made came full circle. Fourteen days ago the truth of their mutations leaked out into the borderlands and other areas. Yesterday the worst thing they ever made learned about what she was. Today she's coming for them and she knows about the strengths they gave her. Tomorrow she plans on destroying everything. She plans on starting with her her own creator. Her own father. Mature Content Warning Views: 599
The first issue of ”Writer’s Muse” Magazine! It is a compilation of the works of the Writer’s Muse Page, an online writer’s group started by Richard Cotton. ***The stories and poetry included in the first Writer’s Muse Magazine issue, our Christmas 2012 issue, are participants in a contest on the page.The first issue of ”Writer’s Muse” Magazine! It is a compilation of the works of the Writer’s Muse Page, an online writer’s group started by Richard Cotton. ***The stories and poetry included in the first Writer’s Muse Magazine issue, our Christmas 2012 issue, are participants in a contest on the page. The contest was to see who created the most beloved Christmas story, as determined by votes on the page. It was a hard decision to make, figuring out which story was the winner, with so many truly inspired submissions. Congratulations to Victoria Tomlinson, who won the contest with her heartwarming tale of the innocence of children and the true spirit of the season, “A Christmas Gift”.We hope you enjoy all of the submissions in this, our first issue! Views: 599
During the grand opening celebration of the new American headquarters of an immense Japanese conglomerate, the dead body of a beautiful woman is found. The investigation begins, and immediately becomes a headlong chase through a twisting maze of industrial intrigue and a violent business battle that takes no prisoners. Views: 599
Taran wanted to be a hero, and looking after a pig wasn't exactly heroic, even though Hen Wen was an oracular pig. But the day that Hen Wen vanished, Taran was led into an enchanting and perilous world. With his band of followers, he confronted the Horned King and his terrible Cauldron-Born. These were the forces of evil, and only Hen Wen knew the secret of keeping the kingdom of Prydain safe from them. But who would find her first? Views: 599
On October 15 at 2:15 a.m. everyone on Earth vanished.Well, almost everyone.A scattered few woke alone in a world where there are no rules other than survival ... at any cost.Yesterday’s Gone is an epic, groundbreaking, thrilling new series told in serial format. Look for a new 100 page "episode" each month.On October 15 at 2:15 a.m. everyone on Earth vanished.Well, almost everyone.A scattered few woke alone in a world where there are no rules other than survival... at any cost.A journalist wanders the horrible reality of an empty New York in search of his wife and son.A serial killer must hunt in a land where prey is now an endangered species.A mother shields her young daughter from danger, though every breath fills her with terror.A bullied teen is thrilled to find everyone gone. Until the knock at the door.A fugitive survives a fiery plane crash. Will he be redeemed, or return to what he’s best at: the kill?An eight year old boy sets out on a journey to find his missing family. What he finds will change him forever.These survivors aren’t alone...Someone or something is watching them.And waiting...Strangers unite.Sides are chosen.Will humanity survive what it never saw coming?The only certainty is that Yesterday’s Gone.You’ve never read anything like Yesterday’s Gone – the epic, groundbreaking, thrilling new series. Look for a new 100 page episode each month. Views: 599
THOSE KZIN DON'T KNOW WHEN THEY'RE LICKED (AND MAYBE THEY AREN'T...)
It was so unfair! Here the Kzin were, warcats supreme, carving out empires like the idefatigable lords of creation that they were - and then they ran into those pesky humans. Mere apes! Contemptible weed-eaters! Hardly worth the screaming and leaping upon...
But when the feline Kzin moved in to take over the monkey-occupied worlds, they got clobbered. The humans, with their underhanded monkey cunning, turned communications equiptment and space drives into weapons that cut the dauntless Kzin heroes into ribbons. When the humans gained faster-than-light drive, it was all over but the, uh, howling. The Kzin had lost their first war in centuries of successful conquest.
Still, you can't keep a good warcat down, and the Kzin have by no means given up. New weapons, new strategies, and new leaders - the Kzin are on the march and the humans had better keep their powder dry. Once again, it's howling time in Known Space!
For action and military SF fans, these four tales intelligently develop the Kzin... will add to the audience for these well-wrought aliens and their human friends and foes. - Publishers Weekly
One of the longest-running and most successful shared-world anthology series continues to explore different aspects of the wars and other relations of humanity and the felinoid, ferocious, surprisingly complex Kzin - Booklist
Cover illustration: Stephen Hickman Views: 599
Their perfect love has one fatal flaw... Tragedy sends clairvoyant Mandy Ellison to seek refuge in the small town of Argent, Idaho. Her ESP failed her, and now she's closing her eyes to the second sight forever—until Shadow, an alien from planet 'Topia, comes into her healing and wellness center with a request. Will she help him find a mate? Time is running out for Shadow. His genetics have been programmed with a self-destruct sequence. If he doesn't bond with a genmate, a female carrying the same mating gene, he eventually will fade from existence. The new clairvoyant in town is his last desperate hope, if she agrees to help him. But what is an alien to do when attraction leads to love, especially when every indication shows Mandy is not his genmate? Will Mandy find him a mate, hand him over to another woman, and save his life—or will Shadow decide love is worth dying for? * * * * Shadow is a standalone read in... Views: 599
