This concluding sequel to Dietz's Deathday (2001) contains the same wide cast of characters whose recognizability (burnt-out pro, canny vet, manipulative pol with sincere heart, etc.) is balanced by their better-than-average depth of portrayal. Yes, Alexander Franklin is a devious politician with ambitions. But he is also an African-American U.S. president who mourns his wife's death and is willing to accept a reputation as a collaborator in order to organize the resistance movement against the insectile Saurons. Yes, the more noble humans and equally enslaved Ra 'Na defeat the arrogant Saurons in the end. But not everyone is motivated by selfless ideals, and even the good guys around Franklin make a hard (and immoral) choice, using the Saurons to decimate the white supremacists who also fight to overthrow the aliens. The author includes some interesting speculation on the nature of race relations and class divisions, giving his Saurons three separate genetic castes operating in a rigid social hierarchy. The commentary on human race relations is full of satiric insight. Surprisingly, this tale of worldwide alien invasion centers on only four locales. The sense of confinement, however, does help build an atmosphere of captivity, which aids considerably in reader identification with the plight of the human characters. Unfortunately, Dietz's plot-central alien reproduction seems unlikely, while his humans are rarely confronted with the problems of reconciling their real differences of belief. Views: 56
EVEN SMUGGLING HAS RULES.THE THIRD IS: DEATH IS NOT AN OPTION. Meet Pik Lando, a con artist and a ladies man, a total professional who'll chase across the galaxies for his clients--and he'll usually find plenty of action and danger too. In DRIFTER'S WAR, Lando's latest scheme could set him up for life--or for a particularly painful death. Chased by bounty hunters, Lando finds himself dropped down in the middle of a planet-smashing holy war. Big trouble loves finding him. Don't miss Lando's other adventures: DRIFTER and DRIFTER'S RUN Views: 56
The water-breathing descendants of African slave women tossed overboard have built their own underwater society—and must reclaim the memories of their past to shape their future in this brilliantly imaginative novella inspired by the Hugo Award nominated song "The Deep" from Daveed Diggs' rap group Clipping.Yetu holds the memories for her people—water-dwelling descendants of pregnant African slave women thrown overboard by slave owners—who live idyllic lives in the deep. Their past, too traumatic to be remembered regularly, is forgotten by everyone, save one—the historian. This demanding role has been bestowed on Yetu. Yetu remembers for everyone, and the memories, painful and wonderful, traumatic and terrible and miraculous, are destroying her. And so, she flees to the surface, escaping the memories, the expectations, and the responsibilities—and discovers a world her people left behind long ago. Yetu will learn more than... Views: 56
I always dreamed of travelling the stars as an ambassador to mysterious and exciting alien worlds. When the Syalantian Empire made contact with earth, I jumped at the chance to make my wish come true.But reality threw me a curve ball, and here I am, mopping floors and cleaning toilets in the honeymoon resort of Saturn’s largest moon, while couples from all over the Sol System glow with happiness before my lonely eyes. My only joy comes in my sleep, in midnight encounters with my hot, hunky, luscious-lipped and emerald-eyed dream alien.If only he were real…Titan Rising is a 2 part series. This is book one of two. Views: 56
The 1968 Planet of the Apes film has inspired generations of authors. Now a who's who of modern writers produces sixteen all-new tales, exclusive to this volume, set in the world of the original films and television series. Dan Abnett • Kevin J. Anderson • Jim Beard • Nancy CollinsGreg Cox • Andrew E.C. Gaska • Robert GreenbergerRich Handley • Greg Keyes • Sam Knight • Paul KupperbergJonathan Maberry • Bob Mayer • John Jackson MillerTy Templeton • Will Murray • Dayton WardEach explores a different drama within the post-apocalyptic world, treating readers to unique visions and nonstop action. Views: 56
[Book Thirty-three of Dray Prescot] Dray Prescot is an Earthman, seaman and soldier, brought across four hundred light years to a planet of Antares. The Star Lords, a race advanced beyond our ken, needed him on that world called Kregen. Now, having at last returned to his home empire, to his wife and his friends, Dray was to learn that the vengeance of his defeated enemies had launched a final assault--with nine occult curses--against Vallia and all that Dray held dear. The first curse, the plague of murderous werewolves, took Dray by surprise. Could his valor and courage, though tempered on the battlefields of alien suns, stand up against an unprecedented onslaught of warring witchcraft? Views: 56
