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A consumer's guide to 880 novelists and more than 2000 works; a brief history of science fiction; the 15 sub-genres, analysis and major works; the science fiction writer at work, 12 writers explain their methods; science fiction publishing and checklist of science fiction magazines; science fiction criticism and checklist of critical works.

Trillion Year Spree is the first book ever to present a comprehensive history of science fiction. Since an earlier version was published in 1973 (Billion Year Spree), science fiction has gained enormous popularity, not only in book and magazine form but in other media, most vividly on wide screen. From the earliest showing of Star Wars onwards, there has just been no stopping SF. This new version, twice the size of the old one, is virtually a new book. Every chapter has been revised. The whole story has been brought up-to-date.

Chung Kuo. For three thousand years, as the Great Wheel turned and a dozen mighty dynasties rose and fell, this was the name the Han- the Chinese- gave their land: Chung Kuo, the "Middle Kingdom".

Now, at the turn of the twenty-second century, it has come to mean much more. For more than a hundred years the Empire of the Han has encompassed all of the world, the Earth's bloated population of 36 billion contained in its vast, hive-like cities. War, famine and political instability are things of the past. The Council of Seven- Han lords, each more powerful than the greatest of the ancient Emperors- rule Chung Kuo with an absolute authority, their boast that they have ended Change and stopped the Great Wheel turning.

Yet at the moment of its supreme strength and confidence, Chung Kuo is suddenly vulnerable. A new generation of powerful young merchants begin to challenge the authority of the Seven, demanding Change. But Change means war and a return to the savageries of the past.

The Middle Kingdom is the first volume in an epic future history, breathtaking in its scope. Criss-crossed by human patterns of love and betrayal, heroism and treachery, intrigue and excitement, it is one of the most outstanding achievements of recent times.

There had been war- a war which the great world-spanning empire of Chung Kuo had survived. But at a cost.

The Seven- rulers of Chung Kuo- were weak. Weaker than they had ever been. Now, in the teeming lower depths of their great City, the current of change is flowing again, turning the Great Wheel, and one event- a murder, perhaps, or a palace plot- might throw the world into chaos once more.

Now, in Chung Kuo: The Broken Wheel, Wingrove broadens his canvas and gives us another rich and evocative grand tale. It is the story of four men from all walks of society, whose fates are inexorably intertwined like the yin and yang. It is their treachery and heroism, betrayal and love, intrigues and adventures that drive this fascinating tale to its ultimate conclusion, and change the course of humankind.

The seven T'ang- the Chinese kings who rule the seven great city-continents of Chung Kuo- are grappling to hold on to their power. The Dispersionists- the group of European elite who conspired to bring down the Chinese rule- have been brutally destroyed. But now more violent bands of rebels are climbing the levels of the great cities, carrying out mass destruction and gaining power among the downtrodden people in the lower levels of the city. Can the young kings continue to rule by the ancient Chinese tenets of peace through strict order and stability? Or dare they allow change and progress to alter their ancestors' vision of an enforced Peace of Ten Thousand Years?

The pressure comes from within and without- as the brash young T'ang of City Africa dares to confront his ruling brothers, and Li Yuan, the new young T'ang of City Europe, must fight to maintain not only the allegiance of his people but the loyalty of his own wife. Can he and his small group of supporters and friends stop his prophetic dream from coming true- the dream of a great white mountain of bones where the great city once stood...?

A new world founded on the traditions of ancient China demands absolute submission as the price of peace.. until the final shattering threat to a dynasty begins...

A dying old man's dreams warn the Seven T'ang that a fierce storm is approaching.. so dark, so deadly it can destroy a world. Not even the T'ang, rulers of the magnificent mile-high city-kingdoms of the planet, can predict from where the danger will come.

Does it lie in the masses beginning to rebel, clutching at memories of freedom, sky, and sunlight? Or from a reckless scientific search to find the key to immortality? Does it lurk inside the mind of a painter with a revolutionary high-tech art.. or inside the ranks of the Seven themselves?

For as assassins spread outward to a fortified palace in space, treachery moves inward into men's and women's hearts to bring down a dynasty.

In the final hours before the darkness falls, an old man- once the most powerful soldier in Chung Kuo- paces his rooms, the ghosts of the dead surrounding him.

From Mars the news is bleak as Chung Kuo's largest planetary colony finds itself entangled in a destructive civil war, while at home the Seven find themselves fighting the shadows of their own great Ministry, The Thousand Eyes, in a struggle for ultimate political control.

In America a victory for the forces of unchanging order turns into a disaster greater than Chung Kuo has ever known. And a great consipracy among Chung Kuo's very rules threatens the T'ang, Li Yuan, himself.

In this volume of the Chung Kuo saga, Wingrove draws us deep into his gurure world of princes and power-brokers, revolutionaries and visionaries, painting vivid figures on a massive landscape.

Complex, sometimes magnificent, often horrifying, Chung Kuo is our world, transformed by the mind of a master novelist.

Fired with hopes of freedom, exiles turn howeward from Pluto, from Mars, and from the unknown to fight one last battle for the Earrth.. and for their souls.

In 2215, a disturbance ripples through space as a ship passes invisibly onward to its destiny. In it is the rebel DeVore, a master of stealth and subterfuge, thought dead by his enemies, but very much alive- and getting ready to bring a terrifying flotilla against the T'ang, the dictators of Earth.

On Mars, another rebel, the long-exiled Hands Ebert, meets with a lost African tribe, the Osu, to reveal his audacious plan- to take them home. And on Earth, the mega-cities of the T'ang begin to crumble as war ripples across the planet.

It is a time of change, of endings, of beginnings. It is an era when the last of the T'angs, Li Yuan, will make a terrifying alliance... when chaos will strike in the form of human-looking androids programmed to kill.. and when Emily Ascher, a woman dedicated to liberty for all the billions the T'ang have kept in chains, will see her vision blossom, though its color will be bloodred and blurred by tears.

Armageddon has come and gone. From the ruins of City Europe a healthier, less autocratic society has arisen; a little China on the Rhine. Yet this fledgling state is fragile- under threat from the Warlords who have carved up Asia and from the Old Men of North America, whose mastery of high-tech weaponry has been born of necessity.

The greatest threat to peace and stability comes from within- from the indolence of Li Yuan and the cruelty of his wife Pei K'ung, the de facto ruler. Like a spider at the centre of a web of darkness and deceit, she sits and spins her plans... for war in the east and liberation from her husband's constraining hand.

But the darkness is not all, for the Clayborn- Kim Ward- has become a rich and powerful man. When he realises what fate awaits Chung Kuo he decides to take decisive action. But will it be enough?

In this, the seventh volume of the Chung Kuo saga, we see the old order finally swept away. But will the new be allowed to grow, or will it be choked off by old patterns of behaviour?

And what of DeVore? What is his rule in the future of Chung Kuo?

The Great Experiment has failed. The Ten Thousand Year Empire of the Han has lasted less than two centuries and now not a single stack remains of the great city of ice that once covered the habitable earth. Europe is DeVore's, America a brutal dictatorship, while the rest of the globe groans beneath the rule of callous warlords.

Li Yuan, once the most powerful man on earth, is now an exile in America. Sick at heart, he finds himself the unheard voice of experience in a viper's nest of political ambition. Banished to an endless round of tours and banquets, he unexpectedly finds a new role- a role which will once more tie him in to the destiny of Chung Kuo.

For DeVore these are frustrating times. Blockaded in space by the Americans, he must break their cordon or see his own scheme- no less than the seeding of the entire galaxy with his own kind- come to nothing.

And then there is Kim Ward, the Star-Seeker, the spider in the web. Will he leave Chung Kuo to its fate? Or will he turn his great fleet around and return to fight one final battle, winner takes all?

The year is 2085, two decades after the great economic collapse that destroyed Western civilization. With its power broken and its cities ruined, life in the West continues in scattered communities. In rural Dorset Jake Reed lives with his 14-year-old son and memories of the great collapse. Back in '43, Jake was a rich, young futures broker, immersed in the datascape of the world's financial markets. He saw what was coming - and who was behind it. Forewarned, he was one of the few to escape the fall. For 22 years he has lived in fear of the future, and finally it is coming - quite literally - across the plain towards him. Chinese airships are in the skies and a strange, glacial structure has begun to dominate the horizon. Jake finds himself forcibly incorporated into the ever-expanding 'World of Levels' a global city of some 34 billion souls, where social status is reflected by how far above the ground you live. Here, under the rule of the mighty Tsao Ch'un, a resurgent China is seeking to abolish the past and bring about world peace through rigidly enforced order. But a civil war looms, and Jake will find himself at the heart of the struggle for the future.

Change is in the air: the generals of the Middle Kingdom await the decision of the emperor as the campaign to secure the border from China to Iraq has reached a strange impasse. Two blood enemies, Arabs and Jews, have united against their common cause. But with the lives of thousands at his whim, the exalted Tsao Ch'un, the Son of Heaven, cannot decide. Destroy the Middle East in one blinding flash, or take another path? In the court of Tsao Ch'un, men of power have become smiling lackeys, whose graces conceal their fear, or their ambition. A man that can be trusted absolutely is a rare thing. And so, with his family held hostage by the empire, General Jiang Lei finds himself appointed to a special task: the orchestration of the last great war against the West—the total dominion of America.

But life in the world of levels continues. No hint of war, want, or discontent can infiltrate the oppressive, ordered society that replaces the world Jake Reed once knew. Since the first airships rolled over the horizon, nothing has been the same. His new life means new thinking, new customs, a new way of behaving, and with his every move scrutinized, Jake can only serve the bureaucracy of new China—but he is not the only citizen who feels discontent with the anodyne new order.

The year is 2196. The great Empire of Ice, Chung Kuo, has finally been shaken after more than a century of peace enforced by brutal tyranny. The Minister of the Edict—an official responsible for licensing all technology that could lead to Change—has been assassinated. The seven ruling T'ang struggle to maintain Stasis, even as their mile-high, continent-spanning cities descend into chaos. Amid the chaos, the rebels responsible for the assassination seize the opportunity to effect Change. But the assassination was orchestrated by those far closer to the ruling power and this betrayal, the first of many, will lead them all into the world-shattering War of Two Directions.

A war is fought within the levels of Chung Kuo's great world-spanning City in the fourth entry in this epic series.

The year is 2201. Chung Kuo, the great City that covers the globe, enjoys an uneasy peace, but it is a peace that will soon be disrupted by the discovery of the Aristotle File, which charts the real history of the world—a truth which has been suppressed for millennia. Cold, cruel, and calculating, Howard DeVore is determined to end the rule of the Seven T'angs and make way for his own bid for power. The harbinger of Change is the starship The New Hope—and its destruction will force the rebel factions into open warfare with the Seven. The Fight begins.

Peace has returned The year is 2206. After five years of war, the Seven are weak. They have lost three of their members, and the new T'ang are young and inexperienced. Once it was considered inconceivable but now, down in the lowest levels of the immense CIty, new currents of unrest have awoken. Currents that threaten to tear Chung Kuo apart. The fight endures But the demand for CHange is not the only threat to the Seven. Major Howard DeVore will use any means available to destroy them and their world-spanning City. And, from their own ranks, Wang Sau-leyan, appointed T'ang after the suspicious deaths of his father and elder brothers, plots to destroy them from within. The Seven are vulnerable and the forces against them continue to grow... Welcome to the Future

The sixth installment of David Wingrove's director's cut of his epic vision of the future

It is 2206. As Chung Kuo's population continues to swell, the Seven—the ruling T'angs—are forced to make further concessions, laws must be relaxed and the House at Weinmar reopened. Change is coming, whether the Seven like it or not. The tides of unrest unleashed by earlier wars grow faster even than the population. DeVore secretly allies with newly appointed general, Hans Ebert. It seems that DeVore's plans are coming to fruition. But Ebert has his own schemes and plots—he intends to depose the Seven and control the whole of Chung Kuo. Includes more than 30 pages of character listing and Mandarin glossary.

The seventh installment in a masterpiece of a series, perfect for fans of George R. R. Martin and Frank Herbert

The year is 2207 and Chung Kuo's perfect stasis is falling apart. The Seven's dominance is threatened by a series of terrorist attacks as the War of Two Directions intensifies. Howard DeVore, the Seven's greatest enemy, is masterminding the atrocities-but how can they hunt down a man who seems to be invulnerable? Kim Ward, the Clay-born scientific genius, is attacked by a group of deadly assassins bent on destroying his work. And a group of rich young American rebels intend to create change-at any price.

A City Under Threat

The year is 2207. Currents of unrest and tides of innovation threaten to overwhelm Chung Kuo's stability. And some threats are beyond the immense city's control. When a lethal epidemic strikes the Seven's chief supporters, Li Yuan acts ruthlessly to wipe out the disease. But his actions incur far more fatal consequences for the rule of the Seven.

While the Seven splinters, Kwibesi, the detention camp for terrorists, continues to establish order. However, rebellion is brutally contained inside the camp and a growing sense of injustice stirs in its guard, Kao Chen, who begins to question his sense of duty.

The Seven are divided amongst themselves, and around them allegiances are shifting

The ages of Myst are worlds of adventure and awe; of mystery and beauty; of intrigue and betrayal. The world's best-selling CD-ROM game is just a piece of the picture. Now, take a step into the fictional legend of Myst.

These pages are your link to the story of Atrus, son of Gehn, and the last of the race of D'Ni -- the masters of The Art, the craft of linking to other worlds through the descriptive art of writing in special books. For most of his young life, Atrus thought the stories his grandmother told him were just strange legends. Then his time came to explore the magnificent underground realm...

The Book of Atrus is a tale of son against father; of truth versus evil; and of love and redemption. You will travel to wonderful new ages and have all your questions answered -- for this story ends where the world of the MYST game just begins.

The ages of Myst are worlds of adventure and awe; of mystery and beauty; of intrigue and betrayal. You have seen a glimpse of the picture, and know the history of Catherine and Atrus. Now take a step further in the fictional legend of Myst.

These pages are your link to the story of Ti'ana--known among humans as Anna--the first woman from the outside world to enter the domain of the D'ni. She wandered into a place she never should have seen, and her intelligence and wisdom surprised some. And terrified others. When one young lord befriends her, then marries her, all layers of D'ni society are shaken. But no one realizes just how deeply.

The Book of Ti'ana is a tale of friend versus friend; of virtue against evil, and of trust and betrayal. It is a story that many do not want told. For you will watch as the unimaginable comes to pass, and only one is left to carry on the legacy.

The ages of Myst are worlds of adventure and awe; of mystery and beauty; of intrigue and betrayal. You have seen a glimpse of the images, and know the histories of Catherine, Atrus, and Ti'Ana. Now, take a step further into the fictional legend and origins of Myst.

These pages are your link to the story of Eedrah, son of Jethhe Ro'Jethhe, lord of Terahnee--Eedrah's ethereal homeland. Atrus and Catherine set out to rebuild D'Ni and stumble into his world of spectacular waterfalls, lush fields, rich music, and astonishingly beautiful architecture. Everything is perfect, this is a world they could scarcely imagine. But when a boy gets sick, only a prophecy and some fate can shape Terahnee's destiny.

Myst: The Book of D'ni is a tale of one man against a powerful legacy; of integrity against corruption; and of love and valor. It is the story that has been kept secret for thousands of years. And with good reason, for you will watch as the unthinkable comes to light, and only one man's life and vision is the key to salvation of a culture.

There is only the war. Otto Behr is a German agent, fighting his Russian counterparts across three millennia, manipulating history for moments in time that can change everything. Only the remnants of two great nations stand and for Otto, the war is life itself, the last hope for his people. But in a world where realities shift and memory is never constant, nothing is certain, least of all the chance of a future with his Russian love.

The War For Time Continues.

From the frozen tundra of 13th Century Russia to the battle of Paltava in 1709 and beyond, Otto Behr has waged an unquestioning, unending war across time for his people.

But now a third unidentified power has joined the game across the ocean of time, and everything Otto holds dear could be unmade...

The war for time is reaching its end

As the German and Russian forces seek to destroy a third, seemingly unstoppable faction, Otto Behr reluctantly finds himself at the centre of all timelines, his very existence the catalyst by which reality itself will be reset or destroyed.

But for Otto, the battle to become the Master of Time has become a fight for family, love and reality itself...