Search Worlds Without End

Like all good medieval coaching inns, the Green Man in Fareham, Hertfordshire, boasts a resident, if retired, ghost: Dr Thomas Underhill, a notorious seventeenth-century practitioner of black arts and sexual deviancy, rumoured to have killed his wife. The landlord, Maurice Allington, is the sole witness to the renaissance of the malign Underhill. Led by curiosity and an anxious desire to vindicate his sanity, Allington uncovers the key to Underhill's satanic secrets. And the skeletons in the cupboard of Allington's own domestic affairs are just rattling to get out, too.

Table of Contents:

• 1 - Introduction (Little Green Men - Attack!) - essay by Robin Wayne Bailey
• 5 - The Little Green Men Take Their Hideous Vengeance, Sort Of - short story by Mike Resnick
• 17 - Little (Green) Women - short story by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
• 29 - Good Neighbor Policy - short story by Dantzel Cherry
• 41 - Stuck in Buenos Aires with Bob Dylan on My Mind - short story by Ken Scholes
• 59 - Rule the World - short story by Jody Lynn Nye
• 79 - School Colors - [Fighting Pumpkins] - short story by Seanan McGuire
• 93 - Meet the Landlord - short story by Martin L. Shoemaker
• 109 - Big White Men--Attack! - short story by Steven H Silver
• 121 - The Green, Green Men of Home - short story by Selina Rosen
• 131 - A Fine Night for Tea and Bludgeoning - short story by Beth Cato
• 147 - The Game-a-holic's Guide to Life, Love, and Ruling the World - short story by Josh Vogt and Peter J. Wacks
• 163 - Day of the Bookworm - short story by Allen Steele
• 187 - A Greener Future - short story by Elizabeth Moon
• 193 - A Cuppa, Cuppa Burnin' Love - short story by Esther M. Friesner
• 213 - Little Green Guys - short story by K. C. Ball
• 223 - The March of the Little Green Men - short story by James E. Gunn
• 231 - First Million Contacts - short story by Bryan Thomas Schmidt and Alex Shvartsman
• 247 - Hannibal's Elephants - novelette by Robert Silverberg
• 271 - The Fine Art of Politics - short story by Robin Wayne Bailey

For Tamsyn and Ed, life is tough. They both work long hours for very little money and come home to their moody, rebellious daughter, Scarlett.

After a tragic accident leaves Scarlett comatose and with little chance of recovery, Tamsyn and Ed are out of options until a lifeline emerges in the form of an unusual medical trial. In exchange for the very best treatment for Scarlett, a fully furnished apartment, and a limitless spending account, the family must agree to move to Switzerland and welcome an artificial copy of their daughter into their home.

Suddenly their life is transformed. Tamsyn and Ed want for nothing, and the AI replacement, Sophie, makes it feel just like having their daughter back--except without all the bad parts. Sophie is engaged, happy, and actually wants to spend time with her parents.

But things take a turn for the worse when Scarlett makes a very real recovery and the family discovers that the forces behind their new life are darker than they ever could have imagined.

Kids have imaginary friends. Rachel knows this. So when her young son, Billy, miraculously recovers from a horrible flu that has proven fatal for many, she thinks nothing of Delfy, his new invisible friend. After all, her family is healthy and that's all that matters.

But soon Delfy is telling Billy what to do, and the boy is acting up and lashing out in ways he never has before. As Delfy's influence is growing stranger and more sinister by the day, and rising tensions threaten to tear Rachel's family apart, she clings to one purpose: to protect her children at any cost--even from themselves.

Microbiologist Michael Cochrane has been murdered. His brother Paul wants to find out who did it... and why.

Accompanied by a beautiful industrial spy, Elena Sandoval, Paul follows the trail from California to Cambridge, Massachusetts. Along the way, a lot of people seem to be interested in getting in their way, or discovering what they know. It's clear that Michael was working with cyanobacteria, the bacteria that crack water molecules and release free oxygen. It's less clear why this would get anybody killed. Or why oil billionaire Lionel Gould wants to pay Paul and Elena big money for the details of Michael's work.

Then the truth emerges: Michael had found a way to get cyanobacteria to crack hydrogen out of simple water molecules. A process that could be industrialized, producing enough hydrogen to cleanly power the world. Practically free fuel, out of one of the planet's most abundant resources: water.

No wonder everyone, from Middle Eastern heavies to hired domestic muscle, suddenly seems to be trying to get in Paul and Elena's way.

As the world's secrets--and their own--teeter in the balance, both Paul and Elena must decide what to do before it's too late.

Contemporary, topical, and exciting, The Green Trap is a thriller of today's energy skulduggery--both the kind you read about in the headlines, and the kind you don't.

In 1953, the brilliant but terrifying titan of cinema John Huston summons the young writer Ray Bradbury to Ireland. The apprehensive scribe's quest is to capture on paper the fiercest of all literary beasts -- Moby Dick -- in the form of a workable screenplay so the great director can begin filming.

But from the moment he sets foot on Irish soil, the author embarks on an unexpected odyssey. Meet congenial IRA terrorists, tippling men of the cloth impish playwrights, and the boyos at Heeber Finn's pub. In a land where myth is reality, poetry is plentiful, and life's misfortunes are always cause for celebration, Green Shadows, White Whale is the grandest tour of Ireland you'll ever experience -- with the irrepressible Ray Bradbury as your enthusiastic guide.

Contemporary visions of the future have been shaped by hopes and fears about the effects of human technology and global capitalism on the natural world. In an era of climate change, mass extinction, and oil shortage, such visions have become increasingly catastrophic, even apocalyptic. Exploring the close relationship between science fiction, ecology, and environmentalism, the essays in Green Planets consider how science fiction writers have been working through this crisis. Beginning with H. G. Wells and passing through major twentieth-century writers like Ursula K. Le Guin, Stanislaw Lem, and Thomas Disch to contemporary authors like Margaret Atwood, China Miéville, and Paolo Bacigalupi--as well as recent blockbuster films like Avatar and District 9--the essays in Green Planets consider the important place for science fiction in a culture that now seems to have a very uncertain future. The book includes an extended interview with Kim Stanley Robinson and an annotated list for further exploration of "ecological SF" and related works of fiction, nonfiction, films, television, comics, children's cartoons, anime, video games, music, and more.

Table of Contents:

• Preface - essay by Gerry Canavan
• Introduction: If This Goes On (Green Planets: Ecology and Science Fiction) - essay by Gerry Canavan
• Extinction, Extermination, and the Ecological Optimism of H.G. Wells - essay by Christina Alt
• Evolution and Apocalypse in the Golden Age - essay by Michael Page
• Daoism, Ecology, and World Reduction in Le Guin's Utopian Fictions - essay by Gib Prettyman
• Biotic Invasions: Ecological Imperialism in New Wave Science Fiction - essay by Rob Latham
• "The Real Problem of a Spaceship Is Its People": Spaceship Earth as Ecological Science Fiction - essay by Sabine Höhler
• The Sea and Eternal Summer: An Australian Apocalypse - essay by Andrew Milner
• Care, Gender, and the Climate-Changed Future: Maggie Gee's The Ice People - essay by Adeline Johns-Putra
• Future Ecologies, Current Crisis: Ecological Concern in South African Speculative Fiction - essay by Elzette Steenkamp
• Ordinary Catastrophes: Paradoxes and Problems in Some Recent Post-Apocalypse Fictions - essay by Christopher Palmer
• "The Rain Feels New": Ecotopian Strategies in the Short Fiction of Paolo Bacigalupi - essay by Eric C. Otto
• Life after People: Science Faction and Ecological Futures - essay by Brent Bellamy and Imre Szeman
• Pandora's Box: Avatar, Ecology, Thought - essay by Timothy Morton
• Churning Up the Depths: Nonhuman Ecologies of Metaphor in Solaris and "Oceanic" - essay by Melody Jue
• Afterword: Still, I'm Reluctant to Call This Pessimism (Green Planets: Ecology and Science Fiction) - interview of Kim Stanley Robinson - interview by Gerry Canavan
• Of Further Interest - essay by Gerry Canavan

Mutability blooms in the Florida Keys after the Red War. The genie boxes created King Pelicans with single human hands to rule the ruins of half-drowned Miami... and other, stranger persons. Slavers roam the deep waters offshore, taking captives to feed the voracious Kudzu Army and the human aqueduct bearing fresh water from Lake Okeechobee. On the last stretch of the Overseas Highway still standing, an albino seeress prophesies: "You will reach for the sun while staying rooted to the ground. But I fear your shadow will be much too long."

Misunderstanding time, Leaf has lived for decades alone in a collapsing Victorian house on a desolate sandy key, feeding on sunlight and dew. When at last he meets a boy like--but so unlike!--himself, Leaf's startling journey begins. A post-apocalyptic, psychoactive pastorale, Green Thumb will pollinate your mind and wind its way into your heart like kudzu.

Listen to a 5-minute excerpt of the audiobook at narrator Samuel Cress' website.

It's 2038 and Jacinda (Jake) Greenwood is a storyteller and a liar, an overqualified tour guide babysitting ultra-rich vacationers in one of the world's last remaining forests. It's 2008 and Liam Greenwood is a carpenter, sprawled on his back after a workplace fall, calling out from the concrete floor of an empty mansion. It's 1974 and Willow Greenwood is out of jail, free after being locked up for one of her endless series of environmental protests: attempts at atonement for the sins of her father's once vast and violent timber empire. It's 1934 and Everett Greenwood is alone, as usual, in his maple-syrup camp squat, when he hears the cries of an abandoned infant and gets tangled up in the web of a crime, secrets, and betrayal that will cling to his family for decades.

A short story collection that explores Korean American womanhood, bodies, animals, and transformation as a means of survival...

Equal parts fantastical--a pair of talking dolls help twins escape a stifling home, a heart boils on the stove as part of an elaborate cure for melancholy, a fox demon contemplates avenging her sister's death--and true to life--a mother and daughter try to heal their rift when the daughter falls unexpectedly pregnant, a woman reexamines her father's legacy after his death--the stories in this collection are hopeful and heartbreaking, full of danger and full of joy.

Chung is a master at capturing emotion, and her characters--human and otherwise--will claw their way into your heart and make themselves at home.

On their idyllic Bahamian island, Trey's little brother, Lou, is different - he doesn't speak and he suffers frightening seizures. But when he and Trey find themselves mysteriously transported to Pangaia, an alternative universe where pollution and over-development have all but destroyed nature, a militant underground environmental group greets him as the prophesied hero who will save their world.

To realize this prophecy, Lou must take Trey on a terrifying and dangerous mission, with much more at stake than the fate of Pangaia. Does Lou have the power to save their own island home from a future as bleak as the world they've seen in Pangaia?

WFA nominated short story. It originally appeared in the anthology Dark Voices 4 (1992) edited by David Sutton and Stephen Jones. The story can also be found in the anthologies After the Darkness (1993), edited by Stanley Wiater, and The Giant Book of Terror (1994), edited by Ramsey Campbell and Stephen Jones.

When the Irish and the Scots turned green!

A gorgeous fantasy in the spirit of Pan's Labyrinth and John Connolly's The Book of Lost Things.

Set in a world similar to our own, during a war that parallels World War II, A Green and Ancient Light is the stunning story of a boy who is sent to stay with his grandmother for the summer in a serene fishing village. Their tranquility is shattered by the crash of a bullet-riddled enemy plane, the arrival of grandmother's friend Mr. Girandole--a man who knows the true story of Cinderella's slipper--and the discovery of a riddle in the sacred grove of ruins behind grandmother's house. In a sumptuous idyllic setting and overshadowed by the threat of war, four unlikely allies learn the values of courage and sacrifice.

Thomas Langston Hughes was a con man extraordinaire whose gaming and wenching brought him to backwater planet Goss Conf one step ahead of the law -- into the arms of the adoring, green populace that mistook him for the reincarnation of the great god, Span.

Nebula Award nominated short story. It was originally published in Apex Magazine, November 2010. It can also be found in The Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy 2011, edited by Rich Horton Nebula Awards Showcase 2012, edited by James Patrick Kelly and John Kessel, and Ex Libris: Stories of Librarians, Libraries & Lore (2017), edited by Paula Guran.

Read the full story for free at Apex Magazine.

Charlotte-Rose de la Force, exiled from the court of King Louis XIV, has always been a great talker and teller of tales.

Selena Leonelli, once the exquisite muse of the great Venetian artist Tiziano, is terrified of time.

Margherita, trapped in a doorless tower and burdened by tangles of her red-gold hair, must find a way to escape.

You may think you know the story of Rapunzel...

Nobody could get in. Nobody could get out. But somebody did.

The theft of three shipments of priceless pharmaceuticals from the Braun-Ives corporation has left the local police dumbfounded. Enter Broderick Manz, the highly paid and highly resourceful Adjuster from the Insurance Division. With the help of the irresistible Vyra, whose charms are truly out of this world, the irrepressible humaniform Moses, and the irreverent Minder, an artificial intelligence, Manz soon finds himself in the heart of the criminal underworld. And it really is a jungle out there.

This short story originally appeared in Interzone, #223 July-August 2009. It can also be found in the anthology The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Seventh Annual Collection (2010), edited by Gardner Dozois.

This short story originally appeared in Interzone, #223 July-August 2009. It can also be found in the anthology The Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy 2010, edited by Rich Horton.

This short story originally appeared in Interzone, #192 November-December 2003. It can also be found in the anthology The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-First Annual Collection (2004), edited by Gardner Dozois.

This novelette originally appeared in the anthology The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction: Volume Two (2008), edited by George Mann, and was reprinted in Clarkesworld Magazine, #91 April 2014. The story can also be found in the anthology The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Sixth Annual Collection (2009), edited by Gardner Dozois.

Read the full story for free at Clarkesworld.

This short story originally appeared in Interzone, #132 June 1998. It can also be found in the anthology Year's Best SF 4 (1999), edited by David G. Hartwell.

Hugo Award nominated short story. It originally appeared in Interzone, #198 May-June 2005. The story can also be found in the anthologies The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Third Annual Collection (2006), edited by Gardner Dozois and The Mammoth Book of Apocalyptic SF (2010), edited by Mike Ashley.

Read the full story for free here (pdf).

Charlie and Parker are punks by night, biohackers by day, living in the stuttering decay of near-future climate-collapse London.

They pay for the beer they don't steal with money from their sketchy astronomy site Zodiac Code, while Charlie's bio-bespoke augments equip the criminals, punks, and eco-warriors of London. They have to deal with disgruntled clients, scene kids who don't dig their band, and a city that's run by corporates and criminals. Their world is split into three factions: Green -- who are still trying to save the world; Blue -- who try to profit while they can, and Black -- who see no hope left.

When a group of extremist Green activists hire them for a series of jobs ranging from robbery to murder, Charlie -- who struggles to feel anything except Black -- wants to walk away. But Parker still believes they can make a difference, and urges her to accept.

As they enter an escalating biological arms race against faceless corporations, amoral biohackers, and criminal cyberpunks, Charlie will have to choose what she believes in. Is there still hope, and does she have a right to grab it?

AN AFFAIR WITH GENIUS is a collection of Joseph L. Green's early work, and includes the stories:

Table of Contents:

• Jinn (1968)
• The Decision Makers (1965)
• Once Around Arcturus (1962)
• The Engineer (1962)
• Single Combat (1964)
• Life-Force (1962)
• An Affair with Genius (1969)
• Tunnel of Love (1965)
• Dance of the Cats (1965)

Mankind is threatened with extermination by a race of three hundred foot high aliens from another star system. Gold, a specially created superman, is called to Earth's moonbase to take on a desperate mission. He must take over a specially built control room inside a captured giant's brain and return him to the enemy planet.

The year is 2011. For the first time in recorded history an alien artifact has been sighted approaching Earth; if it can be captured, Man's oldest dream - contact with an alien species - will have been fulfilled. And his technology given a hundred year boost into the future.

But according to the radical activist organization, New Friends of the Earth (FOE), the technology we already have has led us to the edge of disaster: the answer is not more, but less technology. FOE is determined that no contact will be made with the star probe - and they are prepared to use violence to prevent it.

Only one man, space technology billionaire Harold "Jesus" Hentson has the nerve and the power to defy FOE - and even he will have to risk everything that gives his life meaning: his financial empire, the life of his son, and his father's hope of immortality. If he fails, the probe will return to the depths of interstellar space, leaving mankind alone again. This time perhaps forever.

Refuge. That was what the humans called this rich, attractive planet--a refuge from starving, over-populated Earth. And the Colonists could provide millions of tons of desperately needed produce for the hungry billions left on their home planet.

If only the native inhabitants of Refuge weren't so natural-born lazy: harmless, it's true, but actually nothing more than a bunch of loafers. If the loafers could be made to turn to, Refuge could really be the Earth's breadbasket.

But the Loafers steadily refused to 'turn to'--there was nothing the humans could do about it. And the years went by. And everyone remained friendly and quiet. Until one day, a young human, born and raised on Refuge, decided he'd rather join the Loafers!

Hugo and Nebula Award nominated novelette. It originally appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, January 1966. The story can also be found in the anthologies The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction: 16th Series (1967), edited by Edward L. Ferman and A Science Fiction Argosy (1972), edited by Damon Knight.

Ehoma Tuomitti is the feisty deck-watch chief of the Kertovan battleship Bybur, at war on the high seas of the island planet Kilmoyn. Tuomitti has her hands full fighting both fog and enemy ships as well as juggling an upstart lover--and then Sean Lincoln Borlund and his crew fall from the sky into the complex political upheaval on the Kilmoyn landscape.

Kilmoyn has long been colonized by various other races and alien interests, but now the Native Kilmoyns are beginning to fight back, and the stranded humans are quickly pulled into the conflict. When Borlund rescues a Kilmoyn woman and her baby from certain death, he and his crew find themselves under fire. Desperate to repair their vessel and return to Earth, he has no choice but to accept the help of Tuomitti and her cohorts--and the responsibility that comes with it.

Voyage to Eneh is a marvel of military storytelling, its battle scenes are both wonders of science fiction and masterpieces of the art of modern warfare. It is a complex tale of a planet in turmoil, a story that speaks to humanity's history of colonization, genocide, and ultimately, redemption.

Hugo-winner Lois McMaster Bujold collaborates with Roland Green, author of the popular Starcruiser Shenandoah series, to present the first-ever original anthology of military SF by women, about women at war. Contributors include Elizabeth Moon, Jane Yoken, Elizabeth Ann Scarborough, and others.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction - (1995) - essay by Lois McMaster Bujold
• Introduction - (1995) - essay by Roland J. Green
• The Purge - (1995) - shortstory by Jennifer Stevenson
• Traitor - (1995) - novelette by R. M. Meluch
• A Few Good Men - (1995) - novelette by Holly Lisle
• Sitting Shiva - (1995) - shortstory by Judith Tarr
• Homecoming - (1989) - shortstory by Mickey Zucker Reichert
• The One-Armed Queen - (1995) - shortstory by Jane Yolen
• For the Right Reason - (1995) - shortstory by Sydney Long
• A Matter of Faith - (1995) - novelette by Juanita Coulson
• First Communion - (1995) - novelette by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough
• Edge of the Sword - (1995) - shortstory by Susan Booth
• The Heart of the Hydra - (1995) - novelette by Gay Marshall
• White Wings - (1995) - shortstory by P. J. Beese
• Flambeaux - (1995) - novelette by Adrienne Martine-Barnes
• Notes During a Time of Civil War - (1995) - shortstory by Margaret Ball
• Fugitives - (1995) - novelette by P. N. Elrod
• Lizard - (1995) - novelette by P. M. Griffin
• Hand to Hand - (1995) - shortstory by Elizabeth Moon

Haliand is one of the daughters of the Moon Lady. A son of the Sun Lord arrives with the intention of marrying one of the Lady's daughters, but the time is interrupted by the theft of the Great Flame he brought. The sun's Great Flame is meant to be joined with the moon's Great Flame at the time of the wedding, and without the sun's Great Flame the ceremony can't be held. It's discovered that the theft was done by someone acting on behalf of the Lord of the Earth, and Haliand becomes one of those going to the earth in search of the missing Great Flame.

The Silver Gleaming Company had been like a family to Lady Sofaltis, daughter of Duke Rilfe, since her father first sent her off to live with her aunt so she could learn proper behavior. The duke would have been horrified to discover that far from becoming some dainty court lady, Sofaltis had become an expert swordswoman, a Blade, member of an elite fighting corps.

And then the duke's emissary came to escort Sofaltis home after the bizarre disappearance of her brothers. But once home, Sofaltis learned her father had chosen a husband for her without her consent, a man named Kylin, who seemed scarecely able to protect even himself. Sofaltis was not about to go meekly along with such plans, especially not when she began to suspect that Kylin was a spy for the unknown enemy that was undermining the kingdom.

Yet unforseen circumstances and a magical gift of the gods would soon force Sofaltis and Kylin to unite against the danger that threatened to destroy their entire world...

Dalisse Imbro, master thief and agent for Stellar Intelligence, expected no difficulty in obtaining secret documents from the exotic vacationland known as the Mists of the Ages. But once there, she was paired with a famous gladiator and entered an adventure that became a living nightmare!

Her Father's Pawn

On the world called Plateau, telepathy has become the prime source of power, an unopposed weapon with which the ruling elite, the Uppers, can keep an oppressed population under strict control. But when Regan, a daughter of aristocrats, fails to claim her telepathic heritage, she becomes a mere pawn in her father's deadly political games, married off to Gareth, the very man who, unbeknownst to Regan's father, is the leader of a secretly building resistance movement. And suddenly, discovering the key to her dormant powers becomes vital. For only through telepathy can the rebels hope to overcome their cruel telepathic overlords.

When Toby Dexter falls for the woman on the train, the woman with the most perfect mouth in the world, he little realises that she isn't quite human: she lives in the magical world that exists alongside our own. And when he follows her to ask her out, he accidently slips from his own world, Veritie, into hers. She warns him that it's a dangerous thing to be a mortal in the magical world of Mysterie and that he must not fall in love with her: she's much older than she looks and mortal must not love immortal. But for Toby, it's too late.

When they fall in love, it's magic!

History can change and has changed. Magic was and is real.

Once upon a time, there was a forgotten era of magic and monster. But the remnants--and all memory--of the old world have been replaced by the sane, the scientific, and the rational. But sometimes the magical past isn't content to stay past. That's where Jack Daimon comes in. It's his joy to protect our present from the supernatural remnants of an earlier time, a different history. It's his job to make the past safe.

Jack is called to the Tate Museum, where dozens of people have disappeared beneath the surface of a painting. While investigating, he finds himself smitten with a mysterious art expert, Amanda Fielding. But Amanda has plans of her own, and soon the two are traveling through time--back to the Roman Empire and then forward through history, from King Arthur's court to Sherwood Forest. As they explore histories past as written and overwritten, the balance of magic and science shifts, and the choices the two make could change the world forever.

Shadows Fall is the place where all stories find their ending, all quests are concluded and every lost soul finds its way home at last. Strange people and stranger creatures walk the sprawling streets and there are doors that can take you anywhere, to lands that no longer exist and worlds that someday might. But now Shadows Fall is under threat and the town has just one night in which to save itself.

Seventeen delightfully unexpected stories from Simon R. Green—including a brand-new adventure of the Droods—take us deep into the Darkside, embroil us in the Secret Histories, and lead us into the shadowy places where monsters and demons roam

Welcome to the worlds of Simon R. Green. In this wide-ranging collection, the New York Times–bestselling urban fantasist opens doors into hidden places: strange realms bordering our own mundane existence and prowled by creatures of fancy and nightmare. Here are the strange, frequently deadly—and sometimes even dead—things that lurk in garbage-strewn city alleyways and grimy subway stations after midnight, visible only to the most perceptive human or inhuman eye.

In these tales, Green revisits the ingenious worlds within worlds that he created for his wildly popular novels. Take a stroll on the Darkside with a jaded street wizard, an underpaid government functionary responsible for keeping demons, vamps, and aliens in line. Enter the hidden recesses of Drood Hall, where the aging family member who creates powerful weapons that protect humankind recalls his long and bloody career. Join a squad of no-longer-human soldiers dispatched to combat the all-consuming jungle on a distant planet. Visit a house at the intesection of two realities that serves as a sanctuary from the evil of all worlds. Confront the unstoppable zombie army of General Kurtz in a brilliant homage to Apocalypse Now. And whatever you do, never forget that there are monsters out there. Really.

Each story includes a new afterword by the author.

Table of Contents:

• Question of Solace - shortfiction
• Street Wizard - (2010) - shortstory
• Death is a Lady - (1997) - shortfiction
• Dorothy Dreams - (2013) - shortfiction
• Down and Out in Deadtown - (2012) - shortfiction
• From Out of the Sun, Endlessly Singing - (2012) - shortstory
• It's All About the Rendering - (2011) - shortfiction
• Find Heaven and Hell in the Smallest Things - (2012) - novelette
• Jesus and Satan Go Jogging in the Desert - (2011) - shortfiction
• Food of the Gods - (2009) - shortfiction
• He Said, Laughing - (2010) - shortstory
• Soldier, Soldier - (1979) - shortfiction
• Manslayer - (1980) - shortstory
• Cascade - (1979) - shortfiction
• Soulhunter - (1982) - shortstory
• Awake, Awake Ye Northern Winds - (1979) - shortfiction
• In the Labyrinth - (1983) - shortstory

From the notorious penal colony of Norfolk Island to Greenpeace's encounter with the H-bomb, characters come unstuck in time, struggling to get back home while they face truths about their innermost selves.

Set in the South Pacific, the book introduces us to Bran Michael Dalton, an Irishman imprisoned in the notorius British penal colony of Norfolk Island in 1835, and Fletcher Christian IV, direct descendant of the "Bounty" mutineer, who is travelling back in time from 2072 to Pitcairn Island.

Unforseen circumstances skew Fletcher's journey, and he and Dalton switch places - twentieth-century man is catapulted forward to 1972, where he must cope with endless bafflement such as radios, The Rolling Stones, tinned food, and condoms.

In a Britain akin to this one, Vincent Rice falls off a ladder, literally at Petra Orff's feet. They introduce themselves, and he offers to take her to Metamuse, an alternative theatre experience like no other that he won tickets to in a competition he doesn't remember entering.

Vincent has a complex sense of home, and immigrant Petra senses a kindred spirit in him. As time goes on, inexplicable occurrences pile on top of one another, connected to Metamuse: certainly more than just a theatre experience. Unquiet dead seem to be reaching into the world to protest injustices both past and present.

When Lucie Sterling's niece is abducted, she knows it won't be easy to find answers. Stanton is no ordinary city: invasive digital technology has been banned, by public vote. No surveillance state, no shadowy companies holding databases of information on private citizens, no phones tracking their every move.

Only one place stays firmly anchored in the bad old ways, in a huge bunker across town: Green Valley, where the inhabitants have retreated into the comfort of full-time virtual reality--personae non gratae to the outside world. And it's inside Green Valley, beyond the ideal virtual world it presents, that Lucie will have to go to find her missing niece.

Thirteen urban and paranormal tales of strong women, armed with weapons they are not afraid to use, as well as fists and feet of fury, who face monsters and bad guys-and are not above rescuing men in the process.

Table of Contents:

• 1 - Introduction (A Girl's Guide to Guns and Monsters) - essay by Kerrie Hughes
• 3 - The Drifter - short story by Jane Lindskold
• 36 - Our Lady of the Vampires - short story by Nancy Holder
• 56 - Best Friends - short story by Lilith Saintcrow
• 81 - Elizabeth and Anna's Big Adventure - short story by Jeanne C. Stein
• 92 - Lupercalia - short story by Anton Strout
• 114 - Murder, She Workshopped - short story by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
• 138 - Heart of Ash - [Magic Ex Libris] - short story by Jim C. Hines
• 154 - Jiang Shi - short story by Elizabeth Vaughan
• 178 - No Matter Where You Go - [Victory Nelson, Investigator] - short story by Tanya Huff
• 206 - Signed in Blood - short story by Irene Radford
• 226 - Broch de Shlang - short story by Mickey Zucker Reichert
• 252 - The Wooly Mountains - short story by Alexander Potter
• 282 - Invasive Species - short story by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
• 300 - About the Authors (A Girl's Guide to Guns and Monsters)
• 305 - About the Editors (A Girl's Guide to Guns and Monsters)

Table of Contents:

• Introduction - essay by Martin H. Greenberg and Terry Carr
• The Rats in the Walls - (1924) - novelette by H. P. Lovecraft
• The Woman of the Wood - (1926) - novelette by A. Merritt
• Trouble with Water - (1939) - short story by H. L. Gold
• Thirteen O'Clock - (1941) - novelette by C. M. Kornbluth
• The Coming of the White Worm - (1941) - short story by Clark Ashton Smith
• Yesterday Was Monday - (1941) - short story by Theodore Sturgeon
• They Bite - (1943) - short story by Anthony Boucher
• Call Him Demon - (1946) - novelette by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore
• Daemon - (1946) - short story by C. L. Moore
• The Black Ferris - (1948) - short story by Ray Bradbury
• Displaced Person - (1948) - short story by Eric Frank Russell
• Our Fair City - (1949) - short story by Robert A. Heinlein
• Come and Go Mad - (1949) - novelette by Fredric Brown
• There Shall Be No Darkness - (1950) - novelette by James Blish
• The Loom of Darkness - (1950) - short story by Jack Vance
• The Rag Thing - (1951) - short story by Donald A. Wollheim
• Sail On! Sail On! - (1952) - short story by Philip José Farmer
• One Ordinary Day, with Peanuts - (1955) - short story by Shirley Jackson
• That Hell-Bound Train - (1958) - short story by Robert Bloch
• Nine Yards of Other Cloth - (1958) - short story by Manly Wade Wellman
• The Montavarde Camera - (1959) - short story by Avram Davidson
• Man Overboard - (1960) - novelette by John Collier
• My Dear Emily - (1962) - short story by Joanna Russ
• Descending - (1964) - short story by Thomas M. Disch
• Four Ghosts in Hamlet - (1965) - novelette by Fritz Leiber
• Divine Madness - (1966) - short story by Roger Zelazny
• Narrow Valley - (1966) - short story by R. A. Lafferty
• Timothy - (1966) - short story by Keith Roberts
• Longtooth - (1970) - novelette by Edgar Pangborn
• Through a Glass - Darkly - (1970) - novelette by Zenna Henderson
• Piper at the Gates of Dawn - (1976) - novella by Richard Cowper
• Jeffty Is Five - (1977) - short story by Harlan Ellison
• Within the Walls of Tyre - (1978) - novelette by Michael Bishop

After the King presents an outstanding collection of new fantasy stories by an extraordinary assemblage of some of the very best writers to ever continue the tradition Tolkien began with The Lord of the Rings.

Contents:

• Introduction - (1992) - essay by Jane Yolen
• Reave the Just - (1992) - novelette by Stephen R. Donaldson
• Troll Bridge - (1992) - shortstory by Terry Pratchett
• A Long Night's Vigil at the Temple - (1992) - novelette by Robert Silverberg
• The Dragon of Tollin - (1992) - shortstory by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough
• Faith - (1992) - novelette by Poul Anderson and Karen Anderson
• In the Season of the Dressing of the Wells - (1992) - novella by John Brunner
• The Fellowship of the Dragon - (1992) - novelette by Patricia A. McKillip
• The Decoy Duck - (1992) - novelette by Harry Turtledove
• Nine Threads of Gold - (1992) - novelette by Andre Norton
• The Conjure Man - (1992) - shortstory by Charles de Lint
• The Halfling House - (1992) - novelette by Dennis L. McKiernan
• Silver or Gold - (1992) - novelette by Emma Bull
• Up the Side of the Air - (1992) - novelette by Karen Haber
• The Naga - (1992) - shortstory by Peter S. Beagle
• Revolt of the Sugar Plum Fairies - (1992) - shortstory by Mike Resnick
• Winter's King - (1992) - shortstory by Jane Yolen
• Götterdämmerung - (1992) - shortstory by Barry N. Malzberg
• Down the River Road - (1992) - novella by Gregory Benford
• Death and the Lady - (1992) - novelette by Judith Tarr

Resnick and Greenberg have called upon the talents of some of today's top fantasists, including Jane Yolen, Pat Cadigan George Alec Effinger, Judith Tarr, Dvid Gerrold, and Katharine Kerr, to create this wondrous collection of tales recounting the exploits of Alladin--a young man finding his way to enchantment in exotic desert lands--and his adventures with the magcial lamp.

Table of Contents:

• 11 - Introduction (Aladdin: Master of the Lamp) - essay by Mike Resnick
• 12 - Fair Exchange - short fiction by Anthony R. Lewis
• 16 - The Rest of the Story - short fiction by Mark Aronson
• 20 - The Tale of the Seventeenth Eunuch - short fiction by Jane Yolen
• 28 - Yasmine - short story by Laura Resnick
• 35 - Three Wish Habit - short story by Janni Lee Simner
• 41 - 800-DJIN-HLP - short fiction by Lea Hernandez
• 43 - On the Heath - short story by Barry N. Malzberg
• 48 - Fizz - short story by Nicholas A. DiChario
• 58 - A Guy Named Al - short story by Brian M. Thomsen
• 65 - New Life for Old - short story by Pat Cadigan
• 72 - Interoffice Memo - short fiction by Laurence M. Janifer
• 75 - Mango Red Goes to War - [Sandor Courane] - short fiction by George Alec Effinger
• 86 - New Lamps, Not Old - short story by Ralph Roberts
• 92 - GENIE, Inc. - short story by Kate Daniel
• 103 - The Tale of Ali the Camel Driver - short story by Beth Meacham
• 115 - One for the Road - short fiction by Jack Nimersheim
• 119 - Dirt Track Demon - short story by Jack C. Haldeman, II
• 128 - Gifted - short story by Michelle West [as by Michelle Sagara]
• 140 - The Last of a Vintage Year - short story by Janet Kagan
• 145 - The Bottle and the Whirlwind - short story by Mark Sumner
• 152 - A Wish for Smish - short story by David Gerrold
• 160 - The Three Thieves - short story by Lois Tilton
• 166 - Stacked - short story by Josepha Sherman
• 177 - Slaves of the Magic Lamp - short story by Anthony R. Lewis
• 184 - An' the People, They Could Fly - short fiction by Lawrence Schimel
• 187 - Parsley, Space, Rosemary and Time - short story by Katharine Kerr
• 203 - In Their Cups at Slab's - short story by John Gregory Betancourt
• 213 - The Lamp of Many Wishes - short story by Mel White
• 221 - Grand Tour - short story by Barry N. Malzberg
• 237 - Djinnxed - short story by Deborah Millitello
• 241 - Human Nature - short story by Maureen F. McHugh
• 245 - Genie Storm - short story by John E. Johnston, III
• 254 - Persepolis - short story by Judith Tarr
• 268 - Bugs - short story by Richard Katze
• 274 - Binding - short story by Patrick Nielsen Hayden
• 278 - If Wishes Were Genie's - short story by Austin Dridge and Terry McGarry
• 284 - A Dream Is a Wish the Heart Makes - short story by Marie Parsons
• 292 - Djinn and Tonic - short story by Susan Casper
• 298 - The Genie of P.S. #32 - short story by Karen Haber
• 316 - Last Wish - short story by Martha Soukup
• 322 - Geniecon - short story by Deborah J. Wunder
• 331 - Black Ice - short story by Barbara Delaplace
• 347 - Aladdin and the Lost City - short story by Jack C. Haldeman, II

A fiction anthology featuring 36 amazing tabloid tales from a rock band with Satan as its manager to 2,437 UFOs in New Hampshire. Written by some of the zaniest minds in science fiction and fantasy--such as Dennis McKiernan and Kristine Kathryn Rusch--these better-than-true originals are sure to grab readers' imagination. Original.

Table of Contents:

• 15 - Introduction: Alien Pregnant by Elvis - essay by Esther M. Friesner
• 18 - The Source of It All - short story by Dennis L. McKiernan
• 22 - The Bride of Bigfoot - short fiction by Lawrence Watt-Evans
• 37 - Close-Up Photos Reveal JFK Skull on Moon! - short story by Barry N. Malzberg
• 43 - Marilyn, Elvis, and the Reality Blues - short story by James Brunet
• 51 - Those Rowdy Royals! - short story by Laura Resnick
• 58 - My Husband Became a Zombie and It Saved Our Marriage - short story by Karen Haber
• 69 - Rock Band Conjures Satan as Manager - short story by Deborah Wunder
• 73 - 2,437 UFOs Over New Hampshire - novelette by Allen Steele
• 89 - Pulitzer Kills Publishing Maggot - short story by Mark W. Tiedemann
• 95 - Elvis at the White House - short story by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
• 108 - The Number of the Beast - short story by Jeff Hecht
• 114 - De Gustibus - short story by Anthony R. Lewis
• 117 - Is Your Coworker a Space Alien? - short story by Rosemary Edghill
• 130 - A Beak for Trends - short story by Laura Frankos
• 140 - Hitler Clone in Argentina Plots Falklands Reprise - short story by John DeChancie
• 154 - Group Phenomena - short story by Thomas F. Monteleone
• 164 - Unextinctions - poem by Bruce Boston and Roger Dutcher
• 166 - How Alien He Really Was - short story by Bruce Boston
• 168 - NASA Sending Addicts to Mars! - short story by Alan Dean Foster
• 179 - Vole - short story by John Gregory Betancourt
• 182 - In Search of the Perfect Orgasm - short story by Dean Wesley Smith
• 186 - Saving Sam's Used UFOs - short story by Kate Daniel
• 194 - Danny's Excellent Adventure - short story by Greg Cox
• 198 - Royal Tiff Yields Face of Jesus! - short fiction by Esther M. Friesner
• 209 - Magnetic Personality Triggers Nail-Biter's Near-Death Ordeal! - short story by T. Winter-Damon
• 213 - They'd Never-- - short story by Harry Turtledove
• 227 - Loch Ness Monster Found--in the Bermuda Triangle - short story by David Vierling
• 231 - Racehorse Predicts the Future! - short story by Josepha Sherman
• 237 - Printer's Devils - short story by Gregory Feeley
• 248 - Cannibal Plants from Heck - short story by David Drake
• 265 - Psychic Bats 1000 for Accuracy! - short story by Jody Lynn Nye
• 270 - Caveat Atlantis - short story by Richard Gilliam
• 277 - Frozen Hitler Found in Atlantean Love Nest - short story by Rosemary Edghill
• 281 - Those Eyes - short story by David Brin
• 294 - Stop Press - short story by Mike Resnick
• 302 - Martian Memorial to Elvis Sighted - short story by George Alec Effinger

Table of Contents:

• From Death's Other Side - (1991) - essay by Frank D. McSherry, Jr.
• Lazarus - (1921) - shortstory by Leonid Andreyev (1906)
• The Rose-Crystal Bell - (1954) - shortstory by Robert Arthur
• Glámr - (1863) - shortstory by Sabine Baring-Gould
• Beyond the Wall - (1907) - shortstory by Ambrose Bierce
• Mother of Serpents - (1936) - shortstory by Robert Bloch
• Lost Boys - (1989) - shortstory by Orson Scott Card
• The Man with Pin-Point Eyes - (1931) - novelette by Erle Stanley Gardner
• Grave Error - (1991) - shortstory by Cathie Griffith
• The Tortoise - (1910) - shortstory by William Fryer Harvey
• The Adventure of the German Student - (1824) - shortstory by Washington Irving
• Count Magnus - (1904) - shortstory by M. R. James
• A Thousand Deaths - (1889) - shortstory by Jack London
• The Outsider - (1926) - shortstory by H. P. Lovecraft
• Ligeia - (1838) - shortstory by Edgar Allan Poe
• Mop-Up - (1953) - shortstory by Arthur Porges
• Charlie - (1980) - shortstory by Talmage Powell
• If the Red Slayer - (1959) - shortstory by Robert Sheckley
• The Charnel God - (1934) - novelette by Clark Ashton Smith
• It - (1940) - novelette by Theodore Sturgeon
• Where the Woodbine Twineth - (1976) - shortstory by Manly Wade Wellman
• Afterward - (1910) - novelette by Edith Wharton

From dark felines crossing your path to shattered looking glasses, Black Cats and Broken Mirrors dares to ask the question: "What if some of those long-treasured superstitions are actually true?" Join Jane Yolen, Elizabeth Ann Scarborough, Michelle West, Charles de Lint, Nancy Springer, Peter Crowther, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Esther Friesner, and more as they explore the lighter and darker sides of our fears in this original anthology featuring stories ranging from urban fantasy and magical realism to horror!

Table of Contents:

• Introduction - (1998) - essay by John Helfers
• How It All Began - (1998) - novelette by Esther M. Friesner
• Thirteen Ways to Water - (1998) - shortstory by Bruce Holland Rogers
• Whirlwinds - (1998) - shortstory by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough
• Dead Tired - (1998) - shortstory by Russell Davis
• Shards of Glass - (1998) - novelette by Kristin Schwengel
• The Cat Who Wasn't Black - (1998) - shortstory by Josepha Sherman
• Something Blue - (1998) - shortstory by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
• Crossroads - (1998) - shortstory by Genevieve Gorman
• The Song of a Gift Horse - (1998) - shortstory by Dean Wesley Smith
• Caretaking - (1998) - shortstory by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
• Soul Cages - (1998) - shortstory by Carol Rondou
• Auspicious Stars - (1998) - novelette by Jane Lindskold
• Frogged - (1998) - shortstory by Nancy Springer
• Step on the Crack - (1998) - shortstory by Michelle West
• Front-Page McGuffin and the Greatest Story Never Told - (1998) - novelette by Peter Crowther
• To the Edge of the World - (1998) - shortstory by Zane Stillings
• The Pennymen - (1998) - shortstory by Charles de Lint

Contents:

• vii - Introduction (Caught in the Organ Draft: Biology in Science Fiction) - [Asimov's Essays: Other's Work] - (1983) - essay by Isaac Asimov
• 3 - Keep Out - (1954) - short story by Fredric Brown
• 9 - Student Body - (1953) - novelette by F. L. Wallace [as by Floyd L. Wallace]
• 37 - A Sound of Thunder - (1952) - short story by Ray Bradbury
• 55 - Invariant - (1944) - short story by John R. Pierce
• 63 - The Exterminator - (1931) - short story by A. Hyatt Verrill
• 71 - Tomorrow's Children - [Tomorrow's Children - 1] - (1947) - novelette by Poul Anderson and F. N. Waldrop [as by Poul Anderson]
• 107 - Mary and Joe - (1962) - short story by Naomi Mitchison
• 123 - Sea Change - (1956) - short story by Thomas N. Scortia
• 141 - Caught in the Organ Draft - (1972) - short story by Robert Silverberg
• 157 - Nine Lives - (1969) - novelette by Ursula K. Le Guin
• 191 - Alien Earth - (1949) - novelette by Edmond Hamilton
• 225 - Grandpa - [The Hub] - (1955) - novelette by James H. Schmitz
• 257 - Notes (Caught in the Organ Draft: Biology in Science Fiction) - [Asimov's Essays: Other's Work] - (1983) - essay by Isaac Asimov

Seventeen brand-new stories by some of fantasy's most imaginative authors about children born with the gift of magic--whether in our world or in fantastical universes.

These young spell casters use their powers--for good or ill--to transform their worlds to their liking. From a fledgling wizard with political ambitions, to a boy whose touch can end suffering, to the "true" tale of how Da Vinci came by his talents, these are wondrous excursions into both the light and dark sides of magic.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction - essay by Kerrie Hughes
• Mr. Death Goes to Washington - shortstory by Alan Dean Foster
• Nethan's Magic - shortstory by Jody Lynn Nye
• Touching Faith - shortstory by Alexander Potter
• The Horses of the High Hills - shortstory by Brenda Cooper
• An End to All Things - shortstory by Karina Sumner-Smith
• After School Specials - shortstory by Tanya Huff
• Titan - shortstory by Sarah A. Hoyt
• Shades of Truth - shortstory by Jana Paniccia
• The Winter of Our Discontent - shortstory by Nancy Holder
• The Rustle of Wings - shortstory by Ruth Stuart
• Basic Magic - shortstory by Jean Rabe
• Fever Waking - shortstory by Jane Lindskold
• Starchild Wondersmith - shortstory by Louise Marley
• Far From the Tree - novelette by Melissa Lee Shaw
• The Weight of Wishes - novelette by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
• The Trade - shortstory by Fiona Patton
• Shahira - novelette by Michelle West

THE CHRISTMAS SPIRITS --

Everyone knows the Chirstmas season has truly arrived when A Christmas Carol takes center stage in both amateur and professional porductions, and the classic films and animated versions are shown over and over on television. Now, Mike Resnick and Martin H. Greenberg have challenged some fo the most creative minds in fantasy and science fiction to tell readers exactly what those Christmas ghosts are up to when they're not scaring a stingy old man into self-reformation. The result is a sondrous seasonal mix, a perfect present for those ready to snuggle up with a good book on a cold winter's night.

From a Chirstmas encounter with a beggar that may haunt a wealthy traveler for the rest of his life... to a far different journey into Scrooge's Christmases past, a visit that amy expose some unsuspected truths about Ebenezer's former friends and acquaintances... to a script writer hired to give the story of Christmas a real "nineties twist," here are tales to savor over a holidy punch, imaginatively wrapped up for you by such generous gift givers as Mercedes Lackey, Frank M. Robinson, Judith Tarr, and Kristing Kathryn Rusch.

Contents:

• 13 - Introduction (Christmas Ghosts) - (1993) - essay by Mike Resnick
• 15 - Hunger - (1993) - short story by Michelle West [as by Michelle Sagara]
• 27 - Merry Christmas, No. 30267 - (1993) - short fiction by Frank M. Robinson
• 39 - The One That Got Away - (1993) - short story by Mark Aronson
• 53 - Elephantoms - (1993) - short fiction by Lawrence Schimel
• 55 - A Foreigner's Christmas in China - (1993) - short story by Maureen F. McHugh
• 67 - Upon a Midnight Dreary - (1993) - short fiction by Laura Resnick
• 84 - Modern Mansions - (1993) - short fiction by Barbara Delaplace
• 101 - Cadenza - (1993) - short fiction by Terry McGarry
• 114 - Gordian Angel - (1993) - short fiction by Jack Nimersheim
• 126 - The Timbrel Sound of Darkness - (1993) - short story by Kathe Koja and Barry N. Malzberg
• 136 - A Prophet for Chanukah - (1993) - short fiction by Deborah J. Wunder
• 152 - Dumb Feast - (1993) - short story by Mercedes Lackey
• 163 - Shades of Light and Darkness - (1993) - short fiction by Josepha Sherman
• 181 - The River Lethe Is Made of Tears - (1993) - short fiction by John Gregory Betancourt
• 188 - Absent Friends - (1993) - short story by Martha Soukup
• 201 - Presentes - (1993) - short story by Nicholas A. DiChario
• 208 - Peter's Ghost - (1993) - short fiction by Marie A. Parsons
• 220 - The Case of the Skinflint's Specters - (1993) - short fiction by Brian M. Thomsen
• 228 - Christmas Presence - (1993) - short story by Kate Daniel
• 241 - The Ghost of Christmas Scams - (1993) - short fiction by Lea Hernandez
• 250 - Wishbook Days - (1993) - short story by Janni Lee Simner
• 266 - Holiday Station - (1993) - short fiction by Judith Tarr
• 280 - State Road - (1993) - short fiction by Alan Dormire and Robin J. Nakkula
• 288 - The Ghosts of Christmas Future - (1993) - short fiction by Dean Wesley Smith
• 292 - Three Wishes Before a Fire - (1993) - short fiction by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
• 299 - The Ghost of Christmas Sideways - (1993) - short story by David Gerrold
• 307 - The Bear Who Found Christmas - (1993) - short fiction by Alan Rodgers

An all-original anthology of short fiction exploring what may be the most fascinating and certainly bloodiest of all American wars--the Civil War--by the bestselling authors of dark fantasy, horror, and science fiction.

• Preface - essay by Michael Bishop
• Introduction - essay by Richard Gilliam
• Death Fiend Guerillas - short story by William S. Burroughs
• Zulei, Grace, Nimshi, and the Damnyankees - novelette by Anne McCaffrey
• Hell Creek - short story by Karl Edward Wagner
• The Sunday-Go-To-Meeting Jaw short story by Nancy A. Collins
• Darker Angels - novelette by S. P. Somtow
• Roll Call - novelette by Jerry Ahern and Sharon Ahern
• The Crater - novelette by Doug Murray
• Sons - short story by Charles L. Grant
• Butternut and Blood - short story by Kathryn Ptacek
• Strawman - short story by Nancy Holder
• A Dress For Tea) - short story by Wendy Webb
• Foragers - short story by Richard Lee Byers
• Spoils of War - short story by Owl Goingback
• Red Clay, Crimson Clay - short story by Brad Linaweaver
• Beneath A Waning Moon - short story by Brad Strickland
• The Master's Time - short story by Anya Martin and Stephen L. Antczak
• Terrible Swift Saw - short story by Gregory Nicoll
• Two Yellow Pine Coffins - novelette by Robert Sampson
• The Third Nation - novelette by Lee Hoffman
• Beast - novelette by George Alec Effinger
• The Face - short story by Ed Gorman
• Colour - novelette by Michael Moorcock
• Caroline and Caleb - novella by Richard Gilliam
• Grabow and Collicker and I - short story by Algis Budrys
• The Unknown Soldier - short story by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Fantasy, whether classic or contemporary, has always been based on the conflict between the forces of Light and Darkness. Now some of the genre's most inventive authors bring readers into the Seelie Court, where all serve the Queen of Air and Light, and the Unseelie Court, where the forces of Darkness hold sway.

Table of Contents:

• 1 - Introduction (Courts of the Fey) - essay by Russell Davis
• 5 - Gallow's Rescue - short fiction by Lilith Saintcrow
• 31 - An Answer from the North - short fiction by Sarah A. Hoyt
• 53 - Goodhouse Keeping - short fiction by Mary Robinette Kowal
• 81 - The Song of the Wind - short fiction by Paul Crilley
• 92 - First Ball ... Last Call - short fiction by Rob Thurman
• 116 - Beauty - short fiction by Jenifer Ruth
• 131 - Pennyroyal - short fiction by Kerrie Hughes
• 147 - Unlocked Gate - short fiction by Dean Wesley Smith
• 174 - Mushroom Clouds and Fairy Wings - short fiction by John A. Pitts
• 196 - Hunting the Unicorn - short fiction by Jane Lindskold
• 225 - The Green Man - short fiction by Amber Benson
• 245 - Anne - novella by Michelle West

Do you ever worry about your vegetables eating you? Maybe you should. As those who doted on his "Retief" stories know, Keith Laumer was a man who delighted in his own genuinely twisted sense of humor. Though he left us before he could complete this book, the publisher hopes that he, wherever he is, as well as the audience, like how we finished it for him. Introduction by Ben Bova.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction: Mostly About Keith Laumer - essay by Ben Bova
• Boys! Raise Giant Mushrooms in Your Cellar! - (1962) - short story by Ray Bradbury
• Pressure - (1967) - short story by Fred Saberhagen
• Rogue Tomato - (1975) - short story by Michael Bishop
• The Ultimate Catalyst - (1939) - novelette by John Taine
• Manna - (1955) - short story by John Christopher
• The Potato - (1991) - short story by Bentley Little
• Cannibal Plants from Heck - (1994) - short story by David Drake
• Black Harvest of Moraine - (1950) - novelette by Arthur J. Burks
• No Harm Done - (1961) - short story by Jack Sharkey
• The Cactus - (1950) - short story by Mildred Johnson
• Look, You Think You've Got Troubles - (1969) - short story by Carol Carr
• The Pure Essence - short story by Irwin Sonenfield
• Pumpkin Head - (1982) - short story by Al Sarrantonio
• You Say Potato, I Say... Trouble - short story by Lawrence Schimel
• The Crime of Micah Rood - (1888) - short story by Elia W. Peattie
• Root of Evil - (1953) - short story by Edward Wellen
• Step Into My Garden - (1942) - short story by Frank Belknap Long
• Cordle to Onion to Carrot - (1969) - short story by Robert Sheckley
• Night Bloomer - (1990) - novelette by David J. Schow
• Strange Harvest - (1953) - novelette by Donald Wandrei
• Pumpkin - (1986) - short story by Bill Pronzini
• The White Fruit of Banaldar - (1951) - short story by John D. MacDonald

Twenty-two tales of erotic obsession:

• Introduction - essay by T. E. D. Klein
• Lunch at the Gotham Café - novelette by Stephen King
• The Psycho - short story by Michael O'Donoghue
• Pas de Deux - short story by Kathe Koja
• Bright Blades Gleaming - novelette by Basil Copper
• Hanson's Radio - short story by John Lutz
• Refrigerator Heaven - short story by David J. Schow
• Ro Erg - short story by Robert Weinberg
• Going Under - short story by Ramsey Campbell
• Hidden - short story by Stuart M. Kaminsky
• Prism - short story by Wendy Webb
• The Maiden - novelette by Richard Laymon
• You've Got Your Troubles, I've Got Mine... - novelette by Bob Burden
• Waco - short story by George C. Chesbro
• The Penitent - novelette by John Peyton Cooke
• Driven - short story by Kathryn Ptacek
• Barbara - short story by John Shirley
• Hymenoptera - short story by Michael Blumlein
• The End of It All - novelette by Ed Gorman
• Heat - short story by Lucy Taylor
• Thin Walls - short story by Nancy A. Collins
• Locked Away - short story by Karl Edward Wagner
• Loop - novelette by Douglas E. Winter

Contents

• Warning-- (Devil Worshipers) - essay by Frank D. McSherry, Jr.
• Sweet Sixteen (1958) - short story by Robert Bloch
• The Missing Item - [Black Widowers] (1977) - short story by Isaac Asimov
• The Compleat Werewolf - [Fergus O'Breen] (1942) - novella by Anthony Boucher
• No News Today (1941) - short story by Cleve Cartmill
• The Night Train to Lost Valley (1948) - short story by August Derleth
• The Sacrifice (1905) - short story by Perceval Gibbon
• Young Goodman Brown (1835) - short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne
• The Vicar of Hell - [Simon Ark - 5] (1956) - novelette by Edward D. Hoch
• The Words of Guru (1941) - short story by C. M. Kornbluth
• The Power (1945) - short story by Murray Leinster
• The Stranger from Kurdistan - [Ismeddin] (1925) - short story by E. Hoffmann Price
• The Globe of Memories (1937) - novella by Seabury Quinn
• School for the Unspeakable (1937) - short story by Manly Wade Wellman
• Such Nice Neighbors (1985) - short story by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
• The New People (1958) - short story by Charles Beaumont

Table of Contents:

• ix - Introduction (Dragons and Dreams) - essay by Martin H. Greenberg and Charles G. Waugh and Jane Yolen
• 1 - The Box - short story by Bruce Coville
• 12 - The Thing That Goes Burp in the Night - short story by Sharon Webb
• 32 - Baba Yaga and the Sorcerer's Son - short story by Patricia A. McKillip
• 43 - All the Names of Baby Hag - short story by Patricia MacLachlan
• 55 - The Three Men - short story by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
• 70 - Great-Grandfather Dragon's Tale - novelette by Jane Yolen
• 95 - Laughter in the Leaves - [Cerin Songweaver] - short story by Charles de Lint
• 108 - Carol Oneir's Hundredth Dream - [Chrestomanci] - novelette by Diana Wynne Jones
• 136 - The Singing Float - short story by Monica Hughes
• 151 - Uptown Local - [Young Wizards] - novelette by Diane Duane

A collection of fantasy tales set in mysterious and bewitching forests includes the adventures of a woodcutter's daughter-turned-private detective, a young tribesman who is torn from his forest home, and a woodsman's unexpected encounter with a witch.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction - (1995) - essay by Katharine Kerr
• The Forest's Not for Burning - (1995) - shortstory by Katherine Lawrence
• "I'll Give You Three Wishes...." - (1995) - shortstory by Kevin Andrew Murphy
• The Triple Death - (1995) - shortstory by Ken St. Andre
• Out of the Woods - (1995) - shortstory by Lawrence Watt-Evans
• Viridescence - (1995) - shortstory by Connie Hirsch
• Fiat Silva - (1995) - shortstory by Jack Oakley
• Weeds - (1995) - shortstory by Julia H. West and Brook West
• Benbow - (1995) - shortstory by Nancy Etchemendy
• The Prism of Memory - (1995) - shortstory by Jo Clayton
• The Force That Through the Green Fuse - (1995) - shortstory by Mark Kreighbaum
• My Soul Into the Boughs - (1995) - shortstory by Teresa Edgerton
• These Shoes Strangers Have Died Of - (1995) - shortstory by Bruce Holland Rogers
• The Clearing - (1995) - shortstory by Lois Tilton
• How the Ant Made a Bargain - (1995) - shortstory by Karawynn Long
• In Fear of Little Nell - (1995) - shortstory by Gregory Feeley
• Wood Song - (1995) - shortstory by Kate Daniel
• Virginia Woods - (1995) - shortstory by Janni Lee Simner
• Ties of Love - (1995) - shortfiction by Lawrence Schimel
• The Heart of the Forest - (1995) - shortstory by Dave Smeds
• Holy Ground - (1995) - shortstory by Thomas S. Roche
• Ghostwood - (1995) - novelette by Michelle West
• The Monsters of Mill Creek Park - (1995) - novelette by Susan Shwartz
• The Memory of Peace - (1995) - novelette by Kate Elliott
• Everything Has a Place - (1995) - shortstory by Barbara A. Denz
• Trees Perpetual of Sleep - (1995) - shortstory by Nina Kiriki Hoffman

Contents:

• The Question of the Sword - poem by Jane Yolen
• The God-Sword - novelette by Diana L. Paxson
• Lassorio - short story by Eric Van Lustbader [as by Eric Lustbader ]
• Controlling the Sword - short story by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
• Surgeon's Steel - novelette by Diana Gabaldon
• Prayer of the Knight of the Sword - short story by Nancy Holder
• Echoes of the One Sword - poem by T. Winter-Damon
• Grass Dancer - short story by Owl Goingback
• All We Know of Heaven - short story by Peter Crowther
• Passing - novelette by Charles de Lint
• Nights of the Round Table - poem by Lawrence Schimel
• Here There Be Dragons? - short story by Marion Zimmer Bradley
• Goldie, Lox, and the Three Excalibearers - novelette by Esther M. Friesner
• Silver, Stone, and Steel - short story by Judith Tarr
• The Other Scabbard - short story by Brad Linaweaver
• Hope's Edge - poem by Daniel H. Scheltema
• The Waking Dream - novelette by Jill M. Morgan [as by J. M. Morgan ]
• The Scout, the Slugger and the Stripper - short story by Randy Miller
• The Weapon - short story by Ardath Mayhar
• The Sword in the Net - short story by Brad Strickland
• Once and Future - poem by Terry Tappouni
• Once and Future - short story by Mercedes Lackey
• Sword Practice - novelette by Jody Lynn Nye
• Where Bestowed - short story by Susan Dexter
• Demon Sword - novelette by Bill Fawcett
• Troubled Waters - novelette by Susan Shwartz
• Literary Cubism Saves the Universe - poem by Joe Haldeman
• Duty - novelette by Gary Gygax
• The Epilogue of the Sword - short story by Darrell Schweitzer

Faerie folk have cast their magical spell over people the world around. Now some of today's most imaginative fantasists explore into the heart of this enchantment with twelve all-original stories that will bespell readers of all ages.

Table of Contents:

• 1 - Introduction (Faerie Tales) - essay by Russell Davis
• 4 - Sweet Forget-Me-Not - [Newford] - novelette by Charles de Lint
• 32 - The September People - novelette by Tim Waggoner
• 59 - Judgment - [Faerie Justice] - short story by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
• 79 - Changeling - novelette by John Helfers
• 122 - Yellow Tide Foam - novelette by Sarah A. Hoyt
• 143 - He Said, Sidhe Said - short story by Tanya Huff
• 162 - A Very Special Relativity - short story by Jim Fiscus
• 181 - Witches'-Broom, Apple Soon - [Athanor] - novelette by Jane Lindskold
• 208 - Wyvern - [Elfhome / Steel City] - short story by Wen Spencer
• 222 - A Piece of Flesh - novelette by Adam Stemple
• 248 - The Filial Fiddler - novelette by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough
• 270 - The Stolen Child - novelette by Michelle West

Five Science Fiction Novels is a 1952 anthology of five science fiction novellas edited by Martin Greenberg. The stories originally appeared in the magazines Unknown and Astounding SF.

Table of Contents:

• 13 - But Without Horns - (1940) - novella by Norvell W. Page
• 110 - Destiny Times Three - (1945) - novel by Fritz Leiber
• 204 - Crisis in Utopia - (1952) - novella by Norman L. Knight
• 277 - The Chronicler - (1946) - novella by A. E. van Vogt (variant of Siege of the Unseen)
• 349 - The Crucible of Power - (1939) - novelette by Jack Williamson

Twenty-four short stories follow themes of human boundaries pushed to the limits, bringing readers into the lives of men and women who dabble in satanic worship, sexual manipulation, and other dark vices.

• Introduction - essay by Joe Bob Briggs
• Light of Thy Countenance - short story by Alan Moore
• The Contract - short story by Brian Herbert and Marie Landis
• Blood Knot - short story by Steve Rasnic Tem
• Interrogator Frames - short story by Rob Hardin
• The Real World - novelette by Brooks Caruthers
• Choke Hold - short story by Lucy Taylor
• Blackpool Rock - novelette by Philip Nutman
• Forgotten Promises - short story by Edward E. Kramer
• Coming of Age - short story by Douglas Clegg
• High Heels from Hell - short story by Mike Lee
• The Energy Pals - novelette by Howard Kaylan
• The Agony Man - short story by Don Webb
• Brainchild - novelette by Rex Miller
• Furies in Black Leather - short story by Nancy A. Collins
• You Hear What Buddy and Ray Did? - short story by John Shirley
• Playing Dolls - short story by Melissa Mia Hall and Douglas E. Winter
• Facets of Solitaire - novelette by Christopher Golden
• The Picture of Jonathan Collins - short story by Karl Edward Wagner
• Happy Couple - short story by Danielle Willis
• Mysterious Elisions, Riotous Thrusts - short story by Kathe Koja and Barry N. Malzberg
• Stations of the Cross - short story by David Aaron Clark

Original tales written in honor of Isaac Asimov's fiftieth anniversary in the genre. They are set across his works.

Contents:

• 1 - Preface (Foundation's Friends) - essay by Ray Bradbury
• 3 - Second Preface: The Nonmetallic Isaac or It's a Wonderful Life - essay by Ben Bova
• 7 - Strip-Runner - [The Positronic Robot Stories] - novelette by Pamela Sargent
• 41 - The Asenion Solution - short story by Robert Silverberg
• 57 - Murder in the Urth Degree - [Wendell Urth] - short story by Edward Wellen
• 75 - Trantor Falls - [Foundation] - short story by Harry Turtledove
• 95 - Dilemma - [The Positronic Robot Stories] - short story by Connie Willis
• 115 - Maureen Birnbaum After Dark - [Maureen Birnbaum] - short story by George Alec Effinger
• 135 - Balance - [Susan Calvin] - short story by Mike Resnick
• 141 - The Present Eternal - short story by Barry N. Malzberg
• 153 - PAPPI - [The Positronic Robot Stories] - short story by Sheila Finch
• 173 - The Reunion at the Mile-High - short story by Frederik Pohl
• 187 - Plato's Cave - [The Positronic Robot Stories] - novelette by Poul Anderson
• 217 - Foundation's Conscience - [Foundation] - short story by George Zebrowski
• 225 - Carhunters of the Concrete Prairie - [The Positronic Robot Stories] - novella by Robert Sheckley
• 273 - The Overheard Conversation - [Black Widowers] - short story by Edward D. Hoch
• 281 - Blot - [The Positronic Robot Stories] - novelette by Hal Clement
• 307 - The Fourth Law of Robotics - [The Positronic Robot Stories] - short story by Harry Harrison
• 321 - The Originist - [Foundation] - novella by Orson Scott Card
• 397 - A Word or Two from Janet - essay by Janet Asimov [as by Janet Jeppson Asimov]
• 401 - Fifty Years - essay by Isaac Asimov

DANGER LURKS IN THE HEART OF THE CITY... BUT NOT ALWAYS WHERE YOU EXPECT IT.

From New York to Los Angeles to Bucharest, fifteen never-before-published tales by some of the world's finest fantasy and horror writers celebrate the newest incarnations of an age-old terror that strikes when the moon is full... the werewolf. No longer confined to the forests, these modern monsters can be found in places you frequent every day--and never before thought to fear.

CARRIE VAUGHN's popular werewolf radio host Kitty Norville is drawn into a controversy as to whether it's fair to ban lycanthropy from professional sports. New York's famous Plaza Hotel is the setting for ESTHER M. FRIESNER's tale of one very grisly little girl, while Beverly Hills may never quite recover from RON GOULART's middle-aged Hollywood screenwriter who falls prey to a most unusual problem. Celebrated fantasy author PETER S. BEAGLE tells a chillingly lyrical story of three Louisiana loup garoux locked into a deadly dance of death. Plus many more biting tales from award-winning authors.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction: Children of the Night - essay by Darrell Schweitzer
• The Truth About Werewolves - short fiction by Lisa Tuttle
• Innocent - short fiction by Gene Wolfe
• Kitty Learns the Ropes - short fiction by Carrie Vaughn
• No Children, No Pets - short fiction by Esther M. Friesner
• Sea Warg - short fiction by Tanith Lee
• Country Mothers' Sons - short story by Holly Phillips
• A Most Unusual Greyhound - short fiction by Mike Resnick
• The Bitch - short fiction by P. D. Cacek
• The Aarne-Thompson Classification Revue - short story by Holly Black
• Weredog of Bucharest - short fiction by Ian Watson
• I Was a Middle-Age Werewolf - short fiction by Ron Goulart
• Kvetchula's Daughter - short story by Darrell Schweitzer
• And Bob's Your Uncle - short fiction by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
• The Bank Job - short fiction by Gregory Frost
• La Lune T'Attend - novelette by Peter S. Beagle

A volume of visions of future wars, fought with weapons out of nightmare, by today's top writers of military science fiction, as well as some writers who are not usually associated with military SF, such as best-selling writer Gregory Benford, and award-winning author Kristine Katherine Rusch. Also present are Michael Z. Williamson, author of the strong selling novels Freehold and The Weapon, award-winning author of Bolo Strike, William H. Keith, and more. Through the centuries, weapons have changed radically, but the soldier has remained much the same. But in the future, soldiers, too, may undergo radical changes.

As editor Joe Haldeman puts it, "Weapons are an extension of the soldier, and also an extension of the culture or species that produced the soldier. And they are sometimes more dangerous to the soldier than the enemy...."

Table of Contents:

• Introduction - (2007) - essay by Joe Haldeman
• Craters - (2007) - shortstory by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
• David in the Lion's Den - (2007) - shortstory by Geoffrey A. Landis
• Rocket Boy - (2007) - novelette by Paul J. McAuley
• Jade Angel - (2007) - novelette by Dena Bain Taylor
• Broken Bits - (2007) - novelette by Mark L. Van Name
• The First Cup of Coffee War - (2007) - novelette by James H. Cobb
• The Soldier Within - (2007) - shortstory by Michael A. Burstein
• Spec-Ops - (2007) - shortstory by L. E. Modesitt, Jr.
• The Weapon - (2007) - novelette by William H. Keith, Jr.
• The Looking Glass War - (2007) - novelette by Brendan DuBois
• The Humans Call it Duty - (2007) - shortstory by Michael Z. Williamson
• Casualty - (2007) - novelette by Brian Stableford

Table of Contents:

• Introduction - essay by Frederik Pohl
• Horace L. Gold - essay by Frederik Pohl
• Gold on Galaxy - essay by H. L. Gold
• Coming Attraction - (1950) - shortstory by Fritz Leiber
• To Serve Man - (1950) - shortstory by Damon Knight
• Memoir (To Serve Man) - essay by Damon Knight
• Betelgeuse Bridge - (1951) - shortstory by William Tenn
• From a Cave Deep in Stuyvesant Town — A Memoir of Galaxy's Most Creative Years - essay by William Tenn
• Cost of Living - (1952) - shortstory by Robert Sheckley
• Memoir of Galaxy Magazine - essay by Robert Sheckley
• The Model of a Judge - (1953) - shortstory by William Morrison
• Memoir (The Model of a Judge) - essay by William Morrison
• The Holes Around Mars - (1954) - shortstory by Jerome Bixby
• Memoir (The Holes Around Mars) - essay by Jerome Bixby
• Horrer Howce - (1956) - shortstory by Margaret St. Clair
• Memoir (Horrer Howce) - essay by Margaret St. Clair
• People Soup - (1958) - shortstory by Alan Arkin
• Memoir (People Soup) - essay by Alan Arkin
• Something Bright - (1960) - shortstory by Zenna Henderson
• The Lady Who Sailed The Soul - (1960) - novelette by Cordwainer Smith and Genevieve Linebarger
• The Deep Down Dragon - (1961) - shortstory by Judith Merril
• Memoir (The Deep Down Dragon) - essay by Judith Merril
• Wall of Crystal, Eye of Night - (1961) - novelette by Algis Budrys
• Memoir: Spilled Milk - essay by Algis Budrys
• The Place Where Chicago Was - (1962) - novelette by Jim Harmon
• Memoir (The Place Where Chicago Was) - essay by Jim Harmon
• The Great Nebraska Sea - (1963) - shortstory by Allan Danzig
• Memoir (The Great Nebraska Sea) - essay by Allan Danzig
• Oh, to Be a Blobel! - (1964) - novelette by Philip K. Dick
• Memoir (Oh, To Be a Blobel!) - essay by Philip K. Dick
• Founding Father - (1965) - shortstory by Isaac Asimov
• Memoir (Founding Father) - essay by Isaac Asimov
• Going Down Smooth - (1968) - shortstory by Robert Silverberg
• Memoir (Going Down Smooth) - essay by Robert Silverberg
• All the Myriad Ways - (1968) - shortstory by Larry Niven
• Memoir (All the Myriad Ways) - essay by Larry Niven
• The Last Flight of Dr. Ain - (1969) - shortstory by James Tiptree, Jr.
• Memoir (Galaxy Book Shelf) - essay by Algis Budrys
• Galaxy Book Shelf (Galaxy, September 1969) - (1969) - essay by Algis Budrys
• Slow Sculpture - (1970) - novelette by Theodore Sturgeon
• Memoir (Slow Sculpture) - essay by Theodore Sturgeon
• About a Secret Crocodile - (1970) - shortstory by R. A. Lafferty
• Memoir (About a Secret Crocodile) - essay by R. A. Lafferty
• Cold Friend - (1973) - shortstory by Harlan Ellison
• Memoir (Cold Friend) - essay by Harlan Ellison
• The Day Before the Revolution - (1974) - shortstory by Ursula K. Le Guin
• The Gift of Garigolli - (1974) - novelette by C. M. Kornbluth and Frederik Pohl
• Overdrawn at the Memory Bank - (1976) - novelette by John Varley
• Note (Overdrawn at the Memory Bank) - essay by John Varley
• Horace, Galaxyca - essay by Alfred Bester
• Index to Galaxy Magazine

Nineteen science fiction masters explore what lies beyond the doors of our world.

Science fiction is all about exploration-from the microcosm to the macrocosm, from the past to the future, from the depths of the ocean to far-distant stars. And this collection of original stories offers a whole assortment of gateways to worlds of adventure and the imagination.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction - essay by John Helfers
• On the Brane - (2004) - novelette by Gregory Benford
• The Two Sheckleys - novelette by Robert Sheckley
• Midnight at the Half-Life Café - novelette by Russell Davis
• Postcards - short story by Rebecca Moesta
• Shift Out of Control - novelette by Daniel M. Hoyt
• The Trigger - novelette by Janet Pack
• Spring Break - short story by Rebecca Lickiss
• Welcome to the Crystal Arches - novelette by Irene Radford
• Double Trouble - novelette by John Zakour
• By the Rules - novelette by Phaedra Weldon
• Manifesting Destiny - novelette by Patricia Lee Macomber
• At Best an Echo - short story by Bradley H. Sinor
• Opening Doors - short story by Josepha Sherman
• Circle of Compassion - novelette by David D. Levine
• Iron Flames and Neon Skies - short story by Jim C. Hines
• Carded - short story by Jim Fiscus
• Wait Until the War Is Over - novelette by Sarah A. Hoyt
• The Doorway in Stephensons Store - novella by Peter Crowther
• Worlds Enough... And Time - short story by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

New York Times bestselling authors Neil Gaiman, Marion Zimmer Bradley, and 23 more masters of fantasy deliver spellbinding stories of Arthurian knights, innocent maidens, sorcerers, and sword masters who have been touched by the power of the Holy Grail...

• The Question of the Grail - (1992) - poem by Jane Yolen
• The Cup and the Cauldron - (1992) - short story by Mercedes Lackey
• That Which Overfloweth - (1992) - short story by Andre Norton
• Chalice of Tears, or I Didn't Want that Damned Grail Anyway - (1992) - short story by Marion Zimmer Bradley
• The Feast of the Fisher King - (1992) - novelette by Diana L. Paxson
• The Gift of Gilthaliad - (1992) - short story by Brad Strickland
• Curse of the Romany - (1994) - short story by Ilona Ouspenskaya
• Dagda - (1992) - poem by James S. Dorr
• The Sailor Who Sailed After the Sun - (1992) - short story by Gene Wolfe
• Water - (1992) - novelette by Lee Hoffman
• What You See... - (1992) - short story by Alan Dean Foster
• Storyville, Tennessee - (1994) - novelette by Richard Gilliam
• Somewhere in Her Dying Heart - (1992) - poem by Lisa Lepovetsky
• Hell-Bent for Leather - (1994) - short story by Jeremiah E. Phipps
• Atlantis - (1992) - novella by Orson Scott Card
• Invisible Bars - (1992) - short story by Dean Wesley Smith
• That Way Lies Camelot - (1992) - novelette by Janny Wurts
• Hitchhiking Across an Ancient Sea - (1992) - short story by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
• Visions - (1992) - short story by Lawrence Watt-Evans
• The Awful Truth in Arthur's Barrow - (1992) - novelette by Charles L. Grant [as by Lionel Fenn]
• Reunion - (1992) - short story by Brian M. Thomsen
• Quest Now - (1992) - poem by Margo Skinner
• Chivalry - (1992) - short story by Neil Gaiman
• Falling to the Edge of the End of the World - (1994) - short story by Bruce D. Arthurs
• Greggie's Cup - (1992) - short story by Rick Wilber
• The Grail Legend: An Afterword - (1992) - essay by Fritz Leiber

From Columbus Day to Christmas, from Labor Day to the Fourth of July, here are thirteen original stories of dark fantasy and the supernatural that give new meaning to the term holiday spirit.

Table of Contents:

• 1 - Introduction (Haunted Holidays) - essay by Russell Davis
• 5 - For These Things I Am Truly Thankful - novelette by David Niall Wilson
• 29 - Jewels in the Dust - short story by Peter Crowther
• 53 - Birthday Jitters - novelette by Julie E. Czerneda
• 81 - The Dead Don't Waddle - short story by Esther M. Friesner
• 101 - Brotherhood - novelette by David D. Levine
• 127 - Die, Christmas, Die! - short story by David Bischoff
• 145 - New World's Brave - novelette by Daniel M. Hoyt
• 169 - Season Finale - short story by Bradley H. Sinor
• 189 - Voices in an Empty Room - [Eli Mothersbaugh] - novelette by Richard Parks
• 217 - Memories Underfoot - short story by Ruth Stuart
• 231 - Judgment - novelette by Kerrie Hughes
• 261 - Cover Me - novelette by Nancy Holder
• 283 - The Secret Sympathy - novelette by Brian A. Hopkins

ORDINARY PEOPLE. EXTRAORDINARY HEROES...

This all-new fantasy anthology features thirteen original stories about ordinary or inexperienced people learning to become extraordinary heroes. From the shape shifter Esen-alit-Quar who is forced unexpectedly into her first solo mission to the young man sworn to defeat a pack of lycanthropes, these heroes in training are thrown into exciting adventures that demand nothing short of all that is in them.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction - essay by Jim C. Hines
• Roomies - novelette by Esther M. Friesner
• Three Names of the Hidden God - novelette by Vera Nazarian
• The Princess, the Page, and the Master Cook's Son - novelette by Sherwood Smith
• The Children's Crusade - (2007) - novelette by Robin Wayne Bailey
• The Apprentice - novelette by Catherine H. Shaffer
• Beneath the Skin - shortstory by James Lowder
• Giantkiller - novelette by G. Scott Huggins
• Drinker - novelette by Michael Jasper
• King Harrowhelm - shortstory by Ed Greenwood
• Honor Is a Game Mortals Play - novelette by Eugie Foster
• The Wizard's Legacy - novelette by Michael A. Burstein
• A Touch of Blue - novelette by Julie E. Czerneda
• Sir Apropos of Nothing and The Adventure of the Receding Heir - novelette by Peter David
• About the Authors - essay by uncredited

Eleven well-known British writersM. Kornbluth, Hilary Bailey, Greg Bear, Keith Roberts, David Brin, Brad Linaweaver, Sheila Finch, Algis Budrys, Howard Goldsmith, Tom Shippey and Gregory Benfordcontribute tales that delineate a theme: even if the Nazis had won World War II, it would have been a hollow victory. The Germans portrayed here are as gray as the field-grade uniform. The settings range from a psychedelic trip by an American physicist in Los Alamos to a house haunted by the fetuses of murdered Jewish mothers to excerpts from Joseph Goebbels' postwar diaries. The volume has a seminal flaw, however. No matter how powerful the fiction or symbolic the myth, neither is as compelling as what actually happened during the years of the Third Reich. - Publishers Weekly

Table of Contents:

• Preface: Imagining the Abyss - (1986) - essay by Gregory Benford
• Introduction: Hitler Victorious - (1986) - essay by Norman Spinrad
• Two Dooms - (1958) - novella by C. M. Kornbluth
• The Fall of Frenchy Steiner - (1964) - novelette by Hilary Bailey
• Through Road No Whither - (1985) - shortstory by Greg Bear
• Weihnachtsabend - (1972) - novelette by Keith Roberts
• Thor Meets Captain America - (1986) - novelette by David Brin
• Moon of Ice - (1982) - novella by Brad Linaweaver
• Reichs-Peace - (1986) - novelette by Sheila Finch
• Never Meet Again - (1958) - shortstory by Algis Budrys
• Do Ye Hear the Children Weeping? - (1986) - shortstory by Howard Goldsmith
• Enemy Transmissions - (1986) - shortstory by Tom Shippey
• Valhalla - (1982) - shortstory by Gregory Benford

The horror short-short isn't easy to master, but more than 100 of the genre's critically acclaimed authors & hottest up-and-comers have taken a stab at it in Horrors! 365 Scary Stories, an anthology that contains a short tale for every day of the year. Steve Rasnic Tem, Wm F. Nolan, Tom Piccirilli, Yvonne Navarro, Peter Atkins, Brian Hodge, Martin Mundt & 166 others give you short, sharp shocks. Who got the most slots? The final scorecard:

13: Brian McNaughton

9: Tim Waggoner

8: Benjamin Adams, Wm Marden

7: David Niall Wilson, DonD'Ammassa, Linda J. Dunn, Steve Rasnic Tem

6: Adam-Troy Castro, Del Stone Jr, John Gregory Betancourt, Phyllis Eisenstein, Tom Piccirilli

5: Adam Niswander, Brian Hodge, Hugh B. Cave, John B. Rosenmann, Peter Atkins, Terry Campbell

4: Don Webb, Gary Jonas, Lawrence Schimel, Lisa Lepovetsky, Lisa Morton, Wayne Allen Sallee, Yvonne Navarro, Scott M. Brents

3: Martin Mundt, David Annandale, Donald R. Burleson, Greg McElhatton, Jessica Amanda Salmonson, Joe Meno, Judith Post, Juleen Brantingham, Lawrence C. Connolly, Michael Mardis, Michael Scott Bricker, Nancy Kilpatrick, Richard Gilliam, S. May Amarinth, Scott David Aniolowski, Stephen Dedman, Tina L. Jens

2: Andrew Sands, Blythe Ayne, Brian A. Hopkins, Brian Craig, Brian Stableford, Dawn Dunn, Francis Amery, Gordon Linzner, Greg van Eekhout, James Robert Smith, Joel S. Ross, John Maclay, Kay Reynolds, Kevin Andrew Murphy, Lillian Csernica, Kevin Shadle, Larry Segriff, Lawrence Greenberg, Lisa John Bothell, Lisa S. Silverthorne, Lois H. Gresh, Mark Hannah, Michael Gillis, Michael Grisi, Randy Miller, Robert Devereaux, Scott Edelman, Steve Eller, Thomas M. Sipos

Today's finest fantasy authors have delivered fourteen tales that run the gamut from humorous to serious, fantasy to science fiction. Certain to appeal to role-playing gamers, fantasy lovers, and megalomaniacs who want to rule the world.

Table of Contents:

• ix - Introduction (If I Were an Evil Overlord) - essay by Russell Davis
• 1 - If Looks Could Kill - novelette by Esther M. Friesner
• 27 - The Man Who Would Be Overlord - novelette by David Bischoff
• 52 - Ensuring the Succession - novelette by Jody Lynn Nye
• 78 - The Life & Death of Fortune Cookie Tyrant - short story by Dean Wesley Smith
• 96 - Daddy's Little Girl - novelette by Jim C. Hines
• 118 - Gordie Culligan vs. Dr. Longbeach & the HVAC of Doom - novelette by J. Steven York
• 140 - The Sins of the Sons - novelette by Fiona Patton
• 165 - Loser Takes All - novelette by Donald J. Bingle
• 186 - The Next Level - short story by David Niall Wilson
• 205 - Advisors at Naptime - short story by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
• 222 - A Woman's Work ... - novelette by Tanya Huff
• 245 - To Sit in Darkness Here, Hatching Vain Empires - novelette by Steven A. Roman
• 269 - Stronger Than Fate - short story by John Helfers
• 285 - Art Therapy - novelette by Nina Kiriki Hoffman

We've all had them. We've all needed them. In this fun fantasy anthology, readers are given thirteen variations on what kinds of friends come in handy indeed in times of need. From a toy Canadian Mountie who suddenly comes to life, to a boy and his dragon, to a young woman held captive in a tower and the mysterious being who is her only companion, these highly imaginative tales entertainingly explore the nature of what constitutes a 'real' friendship.

Science fiction, horror, and the truly unbelievable-it's all here in an original collection that captures that almost gone and highly romanticized era-the Age of the Drive-In Movie. Fogged-up windshields, bad speaker systems, snack foods galore, it was all part of the drive-in experience.

Table of Contents:

• 7 - Introduction: Or, Here's Where Your Ticket Gets Torn (It Came from the Drive-In) - essay by Norman Partridge
• 11 - Talkin' Trailer Trash - short story by Edward Bryant
• 16 - 10585 - novelette by Sean A. Moore
• 37 - Big Bust at Herbert Hoover High - short story by Jay Bonansinga
• 52 - '59 Frankenstein - short story by Norman Partridge
• 72 - Tuesday Weld, Sunday Services - short story by Rex Miller
• 77 - Die, Baby, Die, Die, Die! - short story by Dan Perez
• 89 - The Yellers of Their Eyes - novelette by Tia V. Travis
• 125 - Underground Atlanta - short story by Gregory Nicoll
• 143 - The Morning of August 18th - short story by Ed Gorman
• 150 - The Thing from Lovers' Lane - novelette by Nancy A. Collins
• 184 - Jungle J.D. - short story by Steve Rasnic Tem
• 196 - The Blood on Satan's Harley - short story by Gary Jonas
• 204 - I Was a Teenage Boycrazy Blob - short story by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
• 218 - Bullets Can't Stop It - short story by Wayne Allen Sallee
• 232 - Race with the Devil - short story by Randy Fox
• 242 - The Good, the Bad, and the Danged - novelette by Adam-Troy Castro
• 268 - The Slobbering Tongue That Ate the Frightfully Huge Woman - novelette by Robert Devereaux
• 289 - Plan 10 from Inner Space - novelette by Karl Edward Wagner

THE LEGACY OF A MASTER STORYTELLER:

From the first appearances of Roger Zelazny's short fiction in the early 196Os--remarkably original stories such as the memorable "A Rose for Ecclesiastes," many of which are now recognized as classics--it was clear that a dazzling new genius had burst into the field of speculative literature.

Over the years, that shining talent burned brighter in novels such as Lord of Light, The Dream Master, and Creatures of Light and Darkness...works whose lyrical prose, masterful plotting and unique blend of timeless myth with cutting edge science won Zelazny the acclaim of readers and critics alike--as well as six Hugos and three Nebulas. In the groundbreaking Amber books, he turned to fantasy, creating one of the most beloved series of all time.

Sadly, Roger Zelazny was taken from us too soon. But his genius blazes on--not only in his own enduring fiction, but also in the work of fellow authors influenced by his example and touched by his friendship. Now twenty-five of those writers--including some of the most acclaimed names in SF and fantasy come together to pay tribute to Roger Zelazny with original stories evoking the magic and wonder of his own best work.

Contents:

• 1 - Introduction (Lord of the Fantastic) - essay by Fred Saberhagen
• 4 - Lethe - [College of Mystery] - (1997) - novelette by Walter Jon Williams
• 37 - The Story Roger Never Told - short story by Jack Williamson
• 45 - The Somehow Not Yet Dead - short story by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
• 56 - Calling Pittsburgh - short story by Steven Brust
• 65 - If I Take the Wings of Morning - novelette by Katharine Eliska Kimbriel
• 88 - Ki'rin and the Blue and White Tiger - short story by Jane Lindskold [as by Jane M. Lindskold]
• 101 - The Eryx - novelette by Robert Sheckley
• 121 - Southern Discomfort - short story by Jack C. Haldeman, II
• 127 - Suicide Kings - novelette by John J. Miller
• 143 - Changing of the Guard - short story by Robert Wayne McCoy and Thomas F. Monteleone
• 154 - The Flying Dutchman - short story by John Varley
• 172 - Ninekiller and the Neterw - novelette by William Sanders
• 198 - Call Me Titan - (1997) - novelette by Robert Silverberg
• 218 - The Outling - short story by Andre Norton
• 233 - Arroyo de Oro - novelette by Pati Nagle
• 258 - Back in "The Real World" - short story by Bradley H. Sinor
• 271 - Mad Jack - short story by Jennifer Roberson
• 277 - Movers and Shakers - short story by Paul Dellinger
• 288 - The Halfway House at the Heart of Darkness - short story by William Browning Spencer
• 304 - Only the End of the World Again - (1994) - short story by Neil Gaiman
• 320 - Slow Symphonies of Mass and Time - novelette by Gregory Benford
• 345 - Asgard Unlimited - short story by Michael A. Stackpole
• 359 - Wherefore the Rest Is Silence - essay by Gerald Hausman
• 365 - About the Authors (Lord of the Fantastic) - essay by uncredited
• 371 - Permissions (Lord of the Fantastic) - essay by uncredited

Space... the final frontier. Or is it? Many say there's no frontier more forbidding than a romantic relationship between a man and a woman. But what if one's a human, and the other's an alien? Here is an original collection of space opera stories where authors take love (unrequited or not), on a spaceship, space station, or planetary colony, and add enough drama, confusion and mayhem to ensure that the path to true love-or short-term infatuation-is seldom free of obstacles.

Table of Contents:

• 1 - SFR--Not Just Science Fiction Research Anymore - essay by Lois McMaster Bujold
• 7 - Second Shift - short story by Brenda Cooper
• 21 - Gateway Night - [MemMod World] - short story by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
• 46 - The Woman Who Ate Stone Squid - short story by Jay Lake
• 59 - Wanted - short fiction by Gini Koch
• 87 - An Offer You Couldn't Refuse - short fiction by Lillian Stewart Carl and Sylvia Kelso
• 114 - In the Night - short fiction by Steven H Silver
• 141 - F Isn't for Freefall - short story by Donald J. Bingle
• 153 - If This Were a Romance - short fiction by Jay Lake and Shannon Page
• 175 - The Business of Love - short story by Kelly Swails
• 193 - Music in Time - short story by Dean Wesley Smith
• 220 - Dance of Life - short fiction by Jody Lynn Nye
• 245 - For Old Times' Sake - short fiction by Tim Waggoner
• 269 - Drinking Games - short fiction by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

H.P. Lovecraft is one of the most influential modern horror writers. Lovecraft's fiction is a category unto itself. Eschewing the traditional werewolves, vampires, and ghosts of most horror fiction, he wrote of dread Elder Gods and cosmic, earth-shattering horrors. Lovecraft mined rich veins of terror uniquely his own, and wherever in the known and unknown universe his imagination sped, readers followed?fascinated, enrapt, and terrified by the scope of his dark vision.

More than fifty years after his death, Lovecraft's fiction continues to influence each new generation of horror readers... and writers. Lovecraft's Legacy collects 13 stories by critically-acclaimed, award-winning horror and dark fantasy writers, including F. Paul Wilson, Brian Lumley, Gene Wolfe, and Gahan Wilson. With an introduction by Robert Bloch, author of Psycho, this splendid anthology pays well-deserved homage to the late, great master of the weird tale.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction: An Open Letter to H. P. Lovecraft - (1990) - essay by Robert Bloch
• A Secret of the Heart - (1990) - novelette by Mort Castle
• The Other Man - (1990) - novelette by Ray Garton
• Will - (1990) - novelette by Graham Masterton
• Big "C" - (1990) - novelette by Brian Lumley
• Ugly - (1990) - short story by Gary Brandner
• The Blade and the Claw - (1990) - novelette by Hugh B. Cave
• Soul Keeper - (1990) - short story by Joseph A. Citro
• From the Papers of Helmut Hecker - (1990) - short story by Chet Williamson
• Meryphillia - (1990) - short story by Brian McNaughton
• Lord of the Land - (1990) - novelette by Gene Wolfe
• H.P.L. - (1990) - novelette by Gahan Wilson
• The Order of Things Unknown - (1990) - short story by Ed Gorman
• The Barrens - (1989) - novella by F. Paul Wilson

Contents:

• 1 - Introduction: Robots, Computers, and Fear - (1984) - essay by Isaac Asimov
• 15 - Moxon's Master - (1899) - short story by Ambrose Bierce
• 29 - The Lost Machine - (1932) - novelette by John Wyndham
• 50 - Rex - (1934) - short story by Harl Vincent
• 68 - Robbie - (1950) - short story by Isaac Asimov (variant of Strange Playfellow 1940)
• 93 - Farewell to the Master - (1940) - novelette by Harry Bates
• 139 - Robot's Return - (1938) - short story by Robert Moore Williams (variant of Robots Return)
• 153 - Though Dreamers Die - (1944) - novelette by Lester del Rey
• 175 - Fulfillment - (1951) - novelette by A. E. van Vogt
• 209 - Runaround - [Mike Donovan] - (1942) - novelette by Isaac Asimov
• 233 - I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream - (1967) - short story by Harlan Ellison
• 251 - The Evitable Conflict - [Susan Calvin] - (1950) - novelette by Isaac Asimov
• 279 - A Logic Named Joe - (1946) - short story by Murray Leinster [as by Will F. Jenkins]
• 297 - Sam Hall - [Sam Hall Universe] - (1953) - novelette by Poul Anderson
• 332 - I Made You - (1954) - short story by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
• 345 - Triggerman - (1958) - short story by J. F. Bone
• 357 - War with the Robots - (1962) - short story by Harry Harrison
• 380 - Evidence - [Susan Calvin] - (1946) - novelette by Isaac Asimov
• 405 - 2066: Election Day - (1956) - short story by Michael Shaara
• 422 - If There Were No Benny Cemoli - (1963) - novelette by Philip K. Dick
• 448 - The Monkey Wrench - (1951) - short story by Gordon R. Dickson
• 461 - Dial F for Frankenstein - (1973) - short story by Arthur C. Clarke (variant of Dial "F" for Frankenstein 1965)
• 470 - The Macauley Circuit - (1956) - short story by Robert Silverberg
• 481 - Judas - (1967) - short story by John Brunner
• 491 - Answer - (1954) - short story by Fredric Brown
• 495 - The Electric Ant - (1969) - short story by Philip K. Dick
• 519 - The Bicentennial Man - (1976) - novelette by Isaac Asimov
• 565 - Long Shot - (1972) - short story by Vernor Vinge
• 581 - Alien Stones - (1972) - novelette by Gene Wolfe
• 616 - Starcrossed - (1973) - short story by George Zebrowski

Table of Contents:

• 1 - Introduction (Merlin) - essay by John Helfers
• 3 - Old Merlin Dancing on the Sands of Time - poem by Jane Yolen
• 5 - Cauldron of Light - short story by Diana L. Paxson
• 21 - Forest of Stone - [Newford] - short story by Charles de Lint
• 38 - One Morning at the Stone - short story by Tim Waggoner
• 50 - Repro Man - short story by Esther M. Friesner and Anne Elizabeth Stutzman
• 70 - Root and Branch Shall Change - short story by Andre Norton
• 80 - Touched by Moonlight and Sunshine - short story by Kathleen M. Massie-Ferch
• 96 - The Final Battle - short story by John Helfers
• 105 - The Magic Roundabout - short story by Pauline E. Dungate
• 115 - Other Agendas - short story by Lyn McConchie
• 127 - The Wild Hunt - novelette by Lisanne Norman
• 150 - Mouse and the Magic Guy - short story by Brian M. Thomsen
• 166 - Merlin and Viviane - short story by Alan Rodgers
• 179 - Waiting for Tomorrow - short story by Marc Bilgrey
• 192 - Central Park - short story by Bradley H. Sinor
• 205 - Last Flight Over the Giant's Dance - short story by Jean Rabe
• 221 - The Well-Made Knight - short story by Brooks Peck
• 238 - The Ballad of the Side Street Wizard - novelette by Gary A. Braunbeck
• 259 - The End of Summer - novelette by Russell Davis
• 283 - Return of the King - novelette by Michelle West

Thirteen brand-new tales explore the future of Earth and humanity a thousand years from now. From the development of a race that will be the next evolutionary step beyond mankind, to civilization's adaptation to a new ice age, to a people who have escaped the constraints of chronological time, these are provocative, inventive glimpses of our world and universe that are only a millennium away.

Table of Contents:

• 1 - Introduction (Millennium 3001) - essay by Russell Davis
• 5 - Afterward - short story by John Helfers
• 12 - River - novelette by Jack Dann and Keith Ferrell
• 40 - Landscapes - novelette by Kevin J. Anderson
• 65 - Dr. Prospero and the Snake Lady - novelette by Brian Stableford
• 98 - Bitter Quest - novelette by Jim Fiscus
• 124 - Nostalgia 101 - short story by Dean Wesley Smith
• 136 - Go Tell the Spartans - short story by Sarah A. Hoyt
• 155 - A Better Place - novelette by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
• 177 - To the Universe Station - novella by George Zebrowski
• 221 - In His Own Image - novelette by Mickey Zucker Reichert
• 233 - Take Me Back to Old Tennessee - novelette by Allen Steele
• 258 - The Mists of Time - novelette by Jack Williamson
• 285 - Geometry - novelette by Robert A. Metzger

Who do today's top horror writers read-and why? This was the question posed to some of the most influential authors in the field today. This book is their answer. Here are fifteen of the most memorable stories in the genre, each one personally selected by a well-known writer, and each prefaced by that writer's explanation of his or her choice. Here's your choice to enjoy familiar favorites, and perhaps to discover some wonderful treasures. In each case, you'll have the opportunity to see the story from the perspective of a master of the field.

Contents:

• ix - Introduction (My Favorite Horror Story) - essay by Mike Baker and Martin H. Greenberg
• 1 - Sweets to the Sweet (introduction) - (1982) - essay by Stephen King
• 2 - Sweets to the Sweet - (1947) - short story by Robert Bloch
• 11 - The Father-Thing (introduction) - essay by Ed Gorman
• 12 - The Father-Thing - (1954) - short story by Philip K. Dick
• 26 - The Distributor (introduction) - essay by F. Paul Wilson
• 27 - The Distributor - non-genre - (1958) - short story by Richard Matheson
• 47 - A Warning to the Curious (introduction) - essay by Ramsey Campbell
• 48 - A Warning to the Curious - (1925) - short story by M. R. James
• 68 - Opening the Door (introduction) - essay by Peter Atkins
• 70 - Opening the Door - (1931) - short story by Arthur Machen
• 85 - The Colour Out of Space (introduction) - essay by Richard Laymon
• 89 - The Colour Out of Space - [Cthulhu Mythos (Lovecraft originals)] - (1927) - novelette by H. P. Lovecraft
• 124 - The Inner Room (introduction) - essay by Peter Straub
• 125 - The Inner Room - (1966) - novelette by Robert Aickman
• 162 - Young Goodman Brown (introduction) - essay by Rick Hautala
• 163 - Young Goodman Brown - (1835) - short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne
• 179 - The Rats in the Walls (introduction) - essay by Michael Slade
• 180 - The Rats in the Walls - (1924) - novelette by H. P. Lovecraft
• 204 - The Dog Park (introduction) - essay by Richard Christian Matheson
• 205 - The Dog Park - (1993) - short story by Dennis Etchison
• 219 - The Animal Fair (introduction) - (1995) - essay by Joe R. Lansdale
• 220 - The Animal Fair - (1971) - short story by Robert Bloch
• 236 - The Pattern (introduction) - essay by Poppy Z. Brite
• 237 - The Pattern - (1976) - novelette by Ramsey Campbell
• 258 - The Tell-Tale Heart (introduction) - essay by Joyce Carol Oates
• 259 - The Tell-Tale Heart - (1843) - short story by Edgar Allan Poe
• 266 - An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge (introduction) - essay by Dennis Etchison
• 267 - An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge - (1890) - short story by Ambrose Bierce
• 279 - The Human Chair (introduction) - essay by Harlan Ellison
• 281 - The Human Chair - (1956) - short story by Edogawa Rampo
• 299 - About the Authors (My Favorite Horror Story) - essay by uncredited

Contents:

• ix - Introduction (My Favorite Science Fiction Story) - (1999) - essay by Martin H. Greenberg
• 1 - The Man Who Lost the Sea - (1959) - short story by Theodore Sturgeon
• 13 - The Last Command - [Bolo] - (1967) - short story by Keith Laumer
• 32 - Day Million - (1966) - short story by Frederik Pohl
• 38 - The Little Black Bag - (1950) - novelette by C. M. Kornbluth
• 67 - A Galaxy Called Rome - (1975) - novelette by Barry N. Malzberg
• 86 - Diabologic - (1955) - short story by Eric Frank Russell
• 108 - Untouched by Human Hands - (1953) - short story by Robert Sheckley
• 123 - Black Charlie - (1954) - short story by Gordon R. Dickson
• 139 - The Ugly Chickens - (1980) - novelette by Howard Waldrop
• 162 - The Mathenauts - (1964) - short story by Norman Kagan
• 178 - Lot - [David Jimmon] - (1953) - novelette by Ward Moore
• 205 - The Ballad of Lost C'mell - [The Instrumentality of Mankind] - (1962) - novelette by Cordwainer Smith
• 226 - A Martian Odyssey - [Tweel - 1] - (1934) - novelette by Stanley G. Weinbaum
• 252 - Common Time - (1953) - short story by James Blish
• 273 - The Engine at Heartspring's Center - (1974) - short story by Roger Zelazny
• 282 - Nerves - (1942) - novella by Lester del Rey
• 356 - The Only Thing We Learn - (1949) - short story by C. M. Kornbluth

Table of Contents:

• Introduction - (1979) - essay by Barry N. Malzberg
• Clerical Error - (1956) - novelette by Mark Clifton
• Mind Partner - (1960) - novelette by Christopher Anvil
• Ballenger's People - (1967) - shortstory by Kris Neville
• The Hunting Lodge - (1954) - novelette by Randall Garrett
• Lost Memory - (1952) - shortstory by Peter Phillips
• Junior - (1956) - shortstory by Robert Abernathy
• Laugh Along With Franz - (1965) - novelette by Norman Kagan
• My Darling Hecate - (1953) - novelette by Wyman Guin
• Delay in Transit - (1952) - novella by F. L. Wallace

The impact of unchecked population growth on future society, the environment, natural resources, and world food problems is explored in thirteen tales of science fiction.

Table of Contents:

• 1 - Introduction: The Population Problem - essay by the editors
• 5 - Population Growth: Social Consequences of Too Many People - essay by the editors
• 8 - Billennium - short story by J. G. Ballard
• 24 - Total Environment - novelette by Brian W. Aldiss
• 66 - In the Beginning - [Urban Monad] - short story by Robert Silverberg
• 85 - Feeding the Billions: World Food Problems - essay by the editors
• 90 - Shark Ship - novelette by C. M. Kornbluth
• 123 - Roommates - novelette by Harry Harrison
• 147 - Population: Impact on the Environment and Resources - essay by the editors
• 150 - Eco-Catastrophe! - short story by Paul R. Ehrlich
• 164 - "East Wind, West Wind" - novelette by Frank M. Robinson
• 191 - Solutions? - essay by the editors
• 194 - The Secret - short story by Maggie Nadler
• 204 - The Census Takers - short story by Frederik Pohl
• 212 - Statistician's Day - short story by James Blish
• 222 - Triage - short story by William Walling
• 243 - Afterword (No Room for Man) - essay by the editors
• 244 - Probability Zero! The Population Implosion - [Probability Zero] - short story by Theodore R. Cogswell
• 246 - Dolls' Demise - short story by George Guthridge

Table of Contents:

• 1 - The Gods Themselves - (1972) - novel
• 171 - The C-Chute - (1951) - novelette
• 187 - The Dead Past - (1956) - novelette
• 229 - Hostess - (1951) - novelette
• 259 - "In a Good Cause--"? - (1951) - novelette
• 277 - The Key - [Wendell Urth] - (1966) - novelette
• 299 - Lest We Remember - (1982) - novelette
• 321 - The Martian Way - (1952) - novelette
• 355 - Nightfall - (1941) - novelette
• 379 - Profession - (1957) - novella
• 419 - Sucker Bait - (1954) - novella
• 467 - The Ugly Little Boy - (1958) - novelette (variant of Lastborn)
• 497 - Youth - (1952) - novelette
• 519 - The End of Eternity - (1955) - novel

Since 1968, Peter S. Beagle's classic, The Lost Unicorn, has captured the hearts and imaginations of more than 1 million readers. At last. Beogle has reunited with the fabulous mythical creature in this massive original anthology featuring 30 bestselling writers.

Table of Contents:

• Preface - (1995) - essay by Janet Berliner
• Foreword - (1995) - essay by Peter S. Beagle
• Sea Dreams - (1995) - shortstory by Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta
• Old One-Antler - (1995) - shortstory by Michael Armstrong
• Professor Gottesman and the Indian Rhinoceros - (1995) - novelette by Peter S. Beagle
• The Same But Different - (1995) - shortstory by Janet Berliner
• Big Dogs, Strange Days - (1995) - shortstory by Edward Bryant
• Gilgamesh Recidivus - (1995) - shortstory by P. D. Cacek
• Seven for a Secret - (1995) - shortstory by Charles de Lint
• What the Eye Sees, What the Heart Feels - (1995) - shortstory by Robert Devereaux
• Stampede of Light - (1995) - shortstory by Marina Fitch
• The Brew - (1995) - shortstory by Karen Joy Fowler
• Mirror of Lop Nor - (1995) - novelette by George Guthridge
• The Hunt of the Unicorn - (1995) - shortstory by Ellen Kushner
• The Devil on Myrtle Ave. - (1995) - novelette by Eric Van Lustbader
• Winter Requiem - (1995) - shortstory by Michael Marano
• Daughter of the Tao - (1995) - shortstory by Lisa Mason
• A Rare Breed - (1995) - novelette by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough
• A Plague of Unicorns - (1995) - shortstory by Robert Sheckley
• Taken He Cannot Be - (1995) - shortstory by Will Shetterly
• The Tenth Worthy - (1995) - novelette by Susan Shwartz
• Survivor - (1995) - novelette by Dave Smeds
• A Thief in the Night - (1995) - shortstory by S. P. Somtow
• Dame à La Licorne - (1995) - shortstory by Judith Tarr
• Convergence - (1995) - shortstory by Lucy Taylor
• Half-Grandma - (1995) - shortstory by Melanie Tem
• The Trouble with Unicorns - (1995) - shortstory by Nancy Willard
• Three Duets for Virgin and Nosehorn - (1995) - novelette by Tad Williams
• We Blazed - (1995) - novelette by Dave Wolverton

Contents:

• ix - Preface (Political Science Fiction) - essay by Martin H. Greenberg and Patricia S. Warrick [as by Martin Harry Greenberg and Patricia S. Warrick]
• 1 - Introduction (Political Science Fiction) - essay by Martin H. Greenberg and Patricia S. Warrick [as by Martin Harry Greenberg and Patricia S. Warrick]
• 11 - Freedom - (1961) - novelette by Mack Reynolds
• 34 - Remember the Alamo! - (1961) - short story by T. R. Fehrenbach [as by R. R. Fehrenbach]
• 44 - Disappearing Act - (1953) - short story by Alfred Bester
• 59 - The Last of the Deliverers - (1958) - short story by Poul Anderson
• 74 - Call Him Lord - (1966) - novelette by Gordon R. Dickson
• 92 - The Short Ones - (1955) - novelette by Raymond E. Banks
• 110 - Adrift on the Policy Level - (1959) - short story by Chan Davis [as by Chandler Davis]
• 127 - Eternity Lost - (1949) - novelette by Clifford D. Simak
• 150 - Death and the Senator - (1961) - short story by Arthur C. Clarke
• 171 - Evidence - [Susan Calvin] - (1946) - novelette by Isaac Asimov
• 192 - Franchise - [Multivac] - (1955) - short story by Isaac Asimov
• 206 - Beyond Doubt - (1941) - short story by Robert A. Heinlein and Elma Wentz [as by Lyle Monroe and Elma Wentz]
• 217 - 2066: Election Day - (1956) - short story by Michael Shaara
• 233 - "Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman - (1965) - short story by Harlan Ellison
• 243 - Burning Question - (1966) - short story by Brian W. Aldiss
• 252 - ... Not a Prison Make - (1966) - novelette by Joseph P. Martino
• 273 - The General Zapped an Angel - (1970) - short story by Howard Fast
• 285 - Crab Apple Crisis - (1966) - short story by George MacBeth
• 293 - DP! - (1953) - short story by Jack Vance
• 311 - The Helping Hand - (1950) - novelette by Poul Anderson
• 334 - The Day They Got Boston - (1961) - short story by Herbert Gold
• 341 - Triggerman - (1958) - short story by J. F. Bone
• 350 - Superiority - (1951) - short story by Arthur C. Clarke
• 362 - The Link - (1942) - short story by Cleve Cartmill
• 373 - The Survivor - (1965) - novelette by Walter F. Moudy
• 397 - Pacifist - (1964) - short story by Mack Reynolds
• 413 - Mars Is Ours! - (1965) - short story by Art Buchwald

Contents:

• 1 - Introduction (Run to Starlight, Sports Through Science Fiction) - essay by Martin H. Greenberg and Joseph D. Olander and Patricia S. Warrick [as by uncredited]
• 5 - Football - essay by uncredited
• 11 - The Last Super Bowl Game - (1975) - novelette by George R. R. Martin
• 39 - The National Pastime - (1973) - novelette by Norman Spinrad
• 67 - Run to Starlight - (1974) - novelette by George R. R. Martin
• 107 - Baseball - essay by uncredited
• 113 - Dodger Fan - (1957) - short story by Will Stanton
• 122 - The Celebrated No-Hit Inning - (1956) - short story by Frederik Pohl
• 145 - Naked to the Invisible Eye - (1973) - novelette by George Alec Effinger
• 183 - Basketball - essay by uncredited
• 189 - Goal Tending - (1975) - novelette by E. Michael Blake
• 215 - Golf - essay by uncredited
• 219 - To Hell with the Odds - (1968) - short story by Robert L. Fish
• 241 - Boxing - essay by uncredited
• 246 - Title Fight - (1956) - short story by William Campbell Gault
• 265 - Steel - (1956) - novelette by Richard Matheson
• 299 - Chess - essay by uncredited
• 303 - The Immortal Game - (1954) - short story by Poul Anderson
• 321 - Fishing - essay by uncredited
• 325 - The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth - (1965) - novelette by Roger Zelazny
• 371 - Hunting - essay by uncredited
• 375 - Poor Little Warrior! - (1958) - short story by Brian W. Aldiss

The works of Alfred Bester, Algis Budrys, Fritz Leiber, Katherine MaClean, Barry N. Malzberg, Robert Sheckley, Margaret St. Clair, Theodore Sturgeon, William Tenn, Jack Vance, and many other master of the genre are brought together here in a diversified and dynamiv collection of classic stories that nor only raise science fiction to new standards of style and character, but also offer brillian insights into a decase of optimism and disillusionment.

The Fifties were a decase of fear and promise, of witch hunts and phenomenal technological growth. Turning both a piercing critical eye and an entertaining sense of humor and hope toward those years, these stories tell of the fantastic dreams of yesterday and offer prophetic visions of tomorrow.

Table of Contents:

• xi - Preface (Science Fiction of the 50's) - (1979) - essay by Frederik Pohl
• xv - Introduction (Science Fiction of the Fifties) - (1979) - essay by Martin H. Greenberg and Joseph D. Olander [as by Martin Harry Greenberg and Joseph D. Olander]
• 1 - Spectator Sport - (1950) - short story by John D. MacDonald
• 9 - Feedback - (1951) - short story by Katherine MacLean
• 31 - Bettyann - [Bettyann - 1] - (1951) - novelette by Kris Neville
• 80 - Dark Interlude - (1951) - short story by Fredric Brown and Mack Reynolds
• 90 - What Have I Done? - (1952) - short story by Mark Clifton
• 111 - DP! - (1953) - short story by Jack Vance
• 134 - The Liberation of Earth - (1953) - short story by William Tenn
• 156 - A Bad Day for Sales - (1953) - short story by Fritz Leiber
• 164 - Saucer of Loneliness - (1953) - short story by Theodore Sturgeon (variant of A Saucer of Loneliness)
• 181 - Heirs Apparent - (1954) - novelette by Robert Abernathy
• 208 - 5,271,009 - (1954) - novelette by Alfred Bester
• 249 - Short in the Chest - (1954) - short story by Margaret St. Clair
• 260 - The Academy - (1954) - novelette by Robert Sheckley
• 287 - Nobody Bothers Gus - [Gus] - (1955) - short story by Algis Budrys
• 304 - Happy Birthday, Dear Jesus - (1956) - novelette by Frederik Pohl
• 331 - A Work of Art - (1956) - short story by James Blish
• 351 - The Country of the Kind - (1956) - short story by Damon Knight
• 368 - The Education of Tigress McCardle - (1957) - short story by C. M. Kornbluth (variant of The Education of Tigress Macardle)
• 380 - The Cage - (1957) - short story by A. Bertram Chandler
• 394 - The Last of the Deliverers - (1958) - short story by Poul Anderson
• 410 - Adrift on the Policy Level - (1959) - short story by Chan Davis
• 432 - Afterword: Love O Careless Love - (1979) - essay by Barry N. Malzberg
• 436 - Selected Bibliography (Science Fiction of the Fifties) - (1979) - essay by uncredited

Authorized by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's estate, this brand-new collection of 26 Sherlock Holmes stories takes place in Holmes' own era, in our present time, and in the future. All the tales contain some science fiction or fantasy element, and all remain true to the spirit and personality of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous and enduring creation.

Contents:

• 1 - Introduction: The Detective Who Refused to Die (Sherlock Holmes in Orbit) - essay by Mike Resnick
• 7 - The Musgrave Version - (1995) - short story by George Alec Effinger
• 18 - The Case of the Detective's Smile - short story by Mark Bourne
• 27 - The Adventure of the Russian Grave - short story by William Barton and Michael Capobianco
• 38 - The Adventure of the Field Theorems - novelette by Vonda N. McIntyre
• 69 - The Adventure of the Missing Coffin - short story by Laura Resnick
• 82 - The Adventure of the Second Scarf - short story by Mark Aronson
• 102 - The Phantom of the Barbary Coast - novelette by Frank M. Robinson
• 135 - Mouse and the Master - short story by Brian M. Thomsen
• 146 - Two Roads, No Choices - short story by Dean Wesley Smith
• 164 - The Richmond Enigma - short story by John DeChancie
• 184 - A Study in Sussex - short story by Leah A. Zeldes
• 191 - The Holmes Team Advantage - short story by Gary Alan Ruse
• 208 - Alimentary, My Dear Watson - short story by Lawrence Schimel
• 213 - The Future Engine - novelette by Byron Tetrick
• 237 - Holmes Ex Machina - (1995) - short story by Susan Casper
• 245 - The Sherlock Solution - short story by Craig Shaw Gardner
• 255 - The Fan Who Molded Himself - short story by David Gerrold
• 268 - Second Fiddle - short story by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
• 287 - Moriarty by Modem - (1995) - short story by Jack Nimersheim
• 303 - The Greatest Detective of All Time - short story by Ralph Roberts
• 319 - The Case of the Purloined L'Isitek - short story by Josepha Sherman
• 328 - The Adventure of the Illegal Alien - short story by Anthony R. Lewis
• 334 - Dogs, Masques, Love, Death: Flowers - short story by Barry N. Malzberg
• 344 - You See But You Do Not Observe - short story by Robert J. Sawyer
• 363 - Illusions - short story by Janni Lee Simner
• 368 - The Adventure of the Pearly Gates - short story by Mike Resnick

In this outstanding collection of Sherlockian tales, the master of detection solves the most fantastic cases of his career. Herein are answered questions which have plagued loyal readers for decades, including: What is the truth about the mysterious menace of Sumatra? What occurs when Holmes must pursue an extra-terrestrial?

Stories by authors: Isaac Asimov, Poul Anderson, Gordon R. Dickson, Philip Jose Farmer; Sterling Lanier, Gene Wolfe, Edward Wellen and others, for your amusement and edification.

Table of Contents:

• Sherlock Holmes - essay by Isaac Asimov
• The Adventure of the Devil's Foot - (1910) - novelette by Arthur Conan Doyle
• The Problem of the Sore Bridge -- Among Others - (1975) - novelette by Philip José Farmer
• The Adventure of the Global Traveler - (1978) - short story by Anne Lear
• The Great Dormitory Mystery - (1976) - short story by Sharon N. Farber
• The Adventure of the Misplaced Hound - (1953) - novelette by Poul Anderson and Gordon R. Dickson
• The Thing Waiting Outside - (1977) - short story by Barbara Williamson
• A Father's Tale - (1974) - novelette by Sterling E. Lanier
• The Adventure of the Extraterrestrial - (1965) - novelette by Mack Reynolds
• A Scarletin Study - (1975) - novelette by Philip José Farmer
• Voiceover - novelette by Edward Wellen
• The Adventure of the Metal Murderer - (1980) - short story by Fred Saberhagen
• Slaves of Silver - (1971) - short story by Gene Wolfe
• God of the Naked Unicorn - (1976) - novelette by Richard A. Lupoff
• Death in the Christmas Hour - (1983) - short story by James Powell
• The Ultimate Crime - (1976) - short story by Isaac Asimov

Wizard Seeks Witch. Tired of slaving over a hot cauldron all alone? Let's make beautiful magic together. Herbs/healing potions OK.

Lad Seeks Lassie. SWM, outdoorsy, faithful, wants to share moonlit strolls, and the occasional walk on the wild side. Put an end to my solitary days and lone wolf nights. No smokers, drug users, or vegans, please.

Single White Vampire Seeks Same is a wickedly wonderful new collection of original stories devoted to that most frightening of romantic pursuits: the personal ads. From modern-day Cupids to mismatched monsters, these thirteen twisted tales offer their own "personal" take on the personals-where even the most diabolical of demons can dig up a date...

Includes new, original stories by Mickey Zucker Reichert, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Peter Crowther, Esther Friesner, Michelle Sagara, Charles de Lint, and others.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction - essay by Brittiany A. Koren
• Personals Wishes - shortstory by Mickey Zucker Reichert
• Folk Lure - novelette by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
• A Kiss at Midnight - novelette by Russell Davis
• Starless and Bible Black - novelette by Gary A. Braunbeck
• Fireflies - shortstory by Bradley H. Sinor
• Bernard Boyce Bennington and the American Dream - novelette by Peter Crowther
• Werotica - novelette by Esther M. Friesner
• Someone to Share the Night - shortstory by Tanya Huff
• Fixer-Upper - shortstory by Tim Waggoner
• Secret Identities - novelette by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
• Déjà Vu - novelette by Michelle West
• Trading Hearts at the Half Kaffe Café - (2001) - novelette by Charles de Lint

Table of Contents:

• ix - Introduction (Smart Dragons, Foolish Elves) - essay by Alan Dean Foster
• 1 - As Is - novelette by Robert Silverberg
• 21 - The Same to You Doubled - short story by Robert Sheckley
• 33 - The Egg of the Glak - novelette by Harvey Jacobs
• 81 - Beibermann's Soul - short story by Mike Resnick
• 87 - Thimgs - short story by Theodore R. Cogswell
• 103 - Ms. Lipshutz and the Goblin - short story by Marvin Kaye
• 111 - Unferno - novelette by George Alec Effinger
• 137 - Unicorn Variations - novelette by Roger Zelazny
• 166 - Yes Sir That's My - short story by Daniel P. Dern
• 179 - Please Stand By - [Max Kearny] - short story by Ron Goulart
• 205 - Bottle Party - short story by John Collier
• 215 - My Mother Was a Witch - short story by William Tenn
• 223 - Djinn, No Chaser - novelette by Harlan Ellison
• 246 - Up the Wall - novelette by Esther M. Friesner
• 276 - Trouble with Water - short story by H. L. Gold
• 301 - Savage Breasts - short story by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
• 310 - Or the Grasses Grow - short story by Avram Davidson
• 321 - Snulbug - short story by Anthony Boucher
• 340 - Afterword (Smart Dragons, Foolish Elves) - essay by Alan Dean Foster

In the earliest days of humankind, everything in the world seemed magical. Gods and demons, spirits and sprites were considered to be responsible for everything from life and death, to the turning of the seasons, to the abundance or failure of crops. Today, much that was once attributed to magic has been explained by science, and in our technologically driven world, the question is whether there is still a place for magic. For twenty of fantasy's finest imaginers, the answer is obviously, "Yes."

Table of Contents:

• The Wild Hunt (excerpt) - short fiction by Kate Paulk
• The Power of Magic - essay by Sarah A. Hoyt
• More to Truth Than Proof - short story by Irene Radford
• In a Dark Wood, Dreaming - short story by Esther M. Friesner
• The Thing in the Woods - short story by Harry Turtledove
• The Star Cats - short story by Charles Edgar Quinn
• Lighthouse Surfer - short story by Daniel M. Hoyt
• Something Virtual This Way Comes - short story by Laura Resnick
• Tears of Gold - short story by Paul Crilley
• Houdini's Mirror - short story by Russell Davis
• Angel in the Cabbages - short story by Fran LaPlaca
• Raining the Wild Hunt - short story by Kate Paulk
• Still Life, With Cats - novelette by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
• The Case of the Allergic Leprechaun - short story by Alan L. Lickiss
• The Flood Was Fixed - short story by Eric Flint
• Visitor's Night at Joey Chicago's - [Harry the Book] - short story by Mike Resnick
• A Midsummer Nightmare - novelette by Walt Boyes
• Winds of Change - short story by Linda A. B. Davis
• Firebird and Shadow - short story by Darwin A. Garrison
• Night of the Wolf - short story by John Lambshead
• Opus No. 1 - short story by Barbara Nickless
• Regency Sprite - novelette by Dave Freer
• About the Authors
• About the Editor

Table of Contents:

• 1 - The Longest Voyage - essay by Isaac Asimov
• 7 - The Burning of the Brain - [The Instrumentality of Mankind] - short story by Cordwainer Smith
• 19 - Home the Hard Way - novelette by Richard McKenna
• 49 - Potential - short story by Robert Sheckley
• 69 - Bill for Delivery - [Federation of Humanity] - short story by Christopher Anvil
• 91 - Story of a Curse - short story by Doris Pitkin Buck
• 97 - The Oceans Are Wide - novella by Frank M. Robinson
• 177 - Far Centaurus - short story by A. E. van Vogt
• 203 - The Ship Who Sang - [The Ship Who ...] - novelette by Anne McCaffrey
• 227 - Avoidance Situation - novelette by James McConnell
• 273 - Chance Encounter - [John Grimes] - short story by A. Bertram Chandler
• 295 - Allamagoosa - short story by Eric Frank Russell
• 313 - Founding Father - short story by Isaac Asimov
• 323 - Wings Out of Shadow - [Berserker] - novelette by Fred Saberhagen

The stories in this all-original anthology explore alternate timelines and have been set all over the world, running the gamut from science fiction to mystery to horror to a melding of these genres.

Table of Contents:

• 1 - Introduction (Steampunk'd) - essay by Jean Rabe
• 3 - Chance Corrigan and the Tick-tock King of the Nile - [Chance Corrigan] - novelette by Michael A. Stackpole
• 29 - Foggy Goggles - short story by Donald J. Bingle
• 44 - The Battle of Cumberland Gap - novelette by William C. Dietz
• 65 - Portrait of a Lady in a Monocle - short story by Jody Lynn Nye
• 85 - Foretold - novelette by Bradley P. Beaulieu
• 114 - The Echoer - short story by Dean Leggett
• 127 - Of A Feather - novelette by Stephen D. Sullivan
• 158 - Scourge of the Spoils - novelette by Matthew P. Mayo
• 179 - Edison Kinetic Light & Steam Power - short story by C. A. Verstraete
• 193 - The Nubian Queen - novelette by Paul Genesse
• 224 - Opals from Sydney - novelette by Mary Louise Eklund
• 246 - The Whisperer - novelette by Marc Tassin
• 262 - Imperial Changeling - novelette by Penny Williams and Skip Williams
• 292 - The Transmogrification Ray - short story by Robert E. Vardeman

Thirteen tales in which detectives of the distant future roam a galaxy riddled with locked-room mysteries, ciphers to be decoded, and unearthly evidence to be sifted, all by the rules of the 13 kinds of mystery story.

Table of Contents:

• The Universe of Science Fiction (1979) - essay by Isaac Asimov
• The Detweiler Boy (1977) - novelette by Tom Reamy
• The Ipswich Phial [Lord Darcy] (1976) - novelette by Randall Garrett
• Second Game [Kalin Trobt] (1958) - novelette by Charles V. De Vet and Katherine MacLean
• The Ceaseless Stone [Doctor Eszterhazy] (1975) - short story by Avram Davidson
• Coup de Grace [Magnus Ridolph] (1958) - short story by Jack Vance
• The Green Car (1957) - novelette by William F. Temple
• War Game (1959) - short story by Philip K. Dick
• The Singing Bell [Wendell Urth] (1955) - short story by Isaac Asimov
• ARM [Gil Hamilton] (1975) - novella by Larry Niven
• Mouthpiece (1974) - novella by Edward Wellen
• Time Exposures (1971) - novelette by Wilson Tucker
• How-2 (1954) - novelette by Clifford D. Simak
• Time in Advance (1956) - novelette by William Tenn

Contents:

• 9 - Foreword (The Best Japanese Science Fiction Stories) - (1989) - essay by Grania Davis
• 13 - Introduction (The Best Japanese Science Fiction Stories) - (1989) - essay by John L. Apostolou
• 21 - The Flood - (1989) - short story by Kobo Abe
• 28 - Cardboard Box - (1980) - short story by Ryo Hanmura
• 40 - Tansu - (1983) - short story by Ryo Hanmura
• 47 - Bokko-Chan - (1963) - short story by Shinichi Hoshi
• 52 - He--y, Come on Ou--t! - (1978) - short story by Shinichi Hoshi
• 58 - The Road to the Sea - (1981) - short story by Takashi Ishikawa
• 62 - The Empty Field - (1973) - short story by Morio Kita
• 74 - The Savage Mouth - (1978) - short story by Sakyo Komatsu
• 85 - Take Your Choice - (1987) - short story by Sakyo Komatsu
• 104 - Triceratops - (1982) - short story by Tensei Kono
• 121 - Fnifmum - short story by Taku Mayumura
• 130 - Standing Woman - (1981) - short story by Yasutaka Tsutsui
• 144 - The Legend of the Paper Spaceship - (1983) - novelette by Tetsu Yano
• 175 - A Reading List of Japanese Science Fiction in English - (1989) - essay by John L. Apostolou and Martin H. Greenberg

Futuristic visions of the fantastic way man will someday live.

Table of Contents:

• 11 - Introduction: Why the City? - essay by the editors
• 15 - Of Dreams and Nightmares: Visions of the City - essay by the editors
• 18 - The City as a Way of Life: New York A.D. 2660 - essay by the editors
• 19 - New York A.D. 2660 (Excerpt) - short fiction by Hugo Gernsback
• 32 - Jesting Pilot - essay by the editors
• 33 - Jesting Pilot - short story by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore
• 46 - Chicago - essay by the editors
• 47 - Chicago - short story by Thomas F. Monteleone
• 62 - Utopian Visions: Street of Dreams, Feet of Clay - essay by the editors
• 63 - Street of Dreams, Feet of Clay - short story by Robert Sheckley
• 78 - Dystopian Visions: The Vanishing American - essay by the editors
• 79 - The Vanishing American - short story by Charles Beaumont
• 90 - Yesterday's Dreams, Today's Problems, Tomorrow's Nightmares? - essay by the editors
• 92 - The Competition for Space - essay by the editors
• 94 - Billennium - short story by J. G. Ballard
• 109 - Total Environment - novelette by Brian W. Aldiss
• 151 - Future Ghetto: Race and the City - essay by the editors
• 155 - Black Is Beautiful - short story by Robert Silverberg
• 169 - In Dark Places - short story by Joe L. Hensley
• 178 - Fouling the Nest: Pollution in the City - essay by the editors
• 181 - East Wind, West Wind - novelette by Frank M. Robinson (variant of "East Wind, West Wind")
• 208 - Disposal - short story by Ron Goulart
• 216 - Fear in the City: The Problem of Crime - essay by the editors
• 218 - The Undercity - short story by Dean R. Koontz
• 231 - Rivers of Asphalt, Oceans of Concrete: Transportation Problems - essay by the editors
• 233 - Gas Mask - short story by James D. Houston
• 243 - Traffic Problem - short story by Bill Earls
• 252 - The Grass is Always Greener: The Flight to the Suburbs - essay by the editors
• 254 - Gantlet - short story by Richard E. Peck
• 266 - City's End - novelette by Mack Reynolds
• 282 - The Slime Dwellers - short story by Scott Edelstein
• 289 - A Happy Day in 2381 - [Urban Monad] - short story by Robert Silverberg

The Crucible of Power is a 1953 anthology of three science fiction novellas edited by Martin Greenberg.

Table of Contents:

• 9 - The Crucible of Power - (1939) - novelette by Jack Williamson
• 49 - But Without Horns - (1940) - novella by Norvell W. Page
• 157 - Crisis in Utopia - (1952) - novella by Norman L. Knight

13 original stories about the realities just around the corner...

Movements glimpsed out of the corner of your eye, inexplicable sounds, knowledge for which there is no rational explanation, dreams that seem as real as our own everyday life?products of overactive imaginations, or unexpected glimpses into dimensions beyond our own? Join thirteen intrepid writers as they explore those unknown territories that may be found in any of countless Dimensions Next Door.

From a Celtic knot maze that could trap an unwary archaeologist; to an Internet site that offers to bring karmic balance into one man?s life; to a man bespelled to walk the future in the service of his queen?here are tales of the strange, challenging, and often wondrous worlds just waiting to be discovered by those with the ability to perceive them.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction - essay by Kerrie Hughes
• The Fourteenth Virtue - shortstory by Anton Strout
• Waiting for Evolution - novelette by Jody Lynn Nye
• The Trouble with the Truth - shortstory by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
• AFK - novelette by Chris Pierson
• Unreadable - novelette by Steven E. Schend
• Not My Knot - novelette by Irene Radford
• www.karmassist.com - shortstory by Donald J. Bingle
• The Avalon Psalter - shortstory by Lillian Stewart Carl
• Shadows in the Mirrors - novelette by Bradley P. Beaulieu
• God Pays - shortstory by Paul Genesse
• Jack of the High Hills - shortstory by Brenda Cooper
• The Silver Path - novelette by Fiona Patton
• Hear no Evil - novelette by Alexander Potter

Table of Contents:

• 1 - Introduction: The Creation of Rome (The Eternal City) - essay by David Drake
• 5 - Delenda Est - [Time Patrol - 5] - novelette by Poul Anderson
• 47 - Nightfall on the Dead Sea - short story by Ray Nelson
• 65 - The Prince - novella by C. J. Cherryh
• 103 - The Bottom of the Gulf - short story by Barry Pain
• 107 - An Elixir for the Emperor - novelette by John Brunner
• 129 - Some Very Odd Happenings at Kibblesham Manor House - short story by Michael Harrison
• 145 - Time Grabber - short story by Gordon R. Dickson
• 163 - Survey of the Third Planet - short story by Keith Roberts
• 181 - Don't Be a Goose - [Murchison Morks] - short story by Robert Arthur
• 197 - Domitia. - short story by Mrs. Richard S. Greenough
• 215 - Survival Technique - short story by Poul Anderson and Kenneth Gray
• 233 - Ranks of Bronze - [Ranks of Bronze] - short story by David Drake
• 245 - Kings of the Night - [Bran Mak Morn] - novelette by Robert E. Howard

Not to be confused with The Fantasy Hall of Fame published in 1998. This anthology has an almost entirely different table of contents.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction - essay by Robert Silverberg
• The Masque of the Red Death - (1842) - short story by Edgar Allan Poe
• An Inhabitant of Carcosa - (1886) - short story by Ambrose Bierce
• The Sword of Welleran - (1908) - short story by Lord Dunsany
• The Woman of the Wood - (1926) - novelette by A. Merritt
• The Weird of Avoosl Wuthoqquan - (1932) - short story by Clark Ashton Smith
• The Valley of the Worm - (1934) - novelette by Robert E. Howard
• Black God's Kiss - (1934) - novelette by C. L. Moore
• The Silver Key - (1929) - short story by H. P. Lovecraft
• Nothing in the Rules - (1939) - novelette by L. Sprague de Camp
• A Gnome There Was - (1941) - short story by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore
• Snulbug - (1941) - short story by Anthony Boucher
• The Words of Guru - (1941) - short story by C. M. Kornbluth
• Homecoming - (1946) - short story by Ray Bradbury
• Mazirian the Magician - (1950) - novelette by Jack Vance
• O Ugly Bird! - (1951) - short story by Manly Wade Wellman
• The Silken-Swift - (1953) - short story by Theodore Sturgeon
• The Golem - (1955) - short story by Avram Davidson
• That Hell-Bound Train - (1958) - short story by Robert Bloch
• Kings in Darkness - (1962) - novelette by Michael Moorcock and James Cawthorn
• Pretty Maggie Moneyeyes - (1967) - novelette by Harlan Ellison
• Gonna Roll the Bones - (1967) - novelette by Fritz Leiber
• The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas - (1973) - short story by Ursula K. Le Guin

An anthology of seventeen stories featuring fortune tellers ranges from the humorous to the spine-chilling and presents previously unpublished writing by Vicki Nelson and Neil Gaiman, creator of the comic book series, The Sandman.

Table of Contents:

• Reading the Entrails: A Rondel - (1997) - poem by Neil Gaiman
• Bright Seeds in a Whirlwind - (1997) - novelette by Bruce Holland Rogers
• First Thing in the Morning - (1997) - shortstory by Billie Sue Mosiman
• Playing with Fire - (1997) - shortstory by Mark Garland
• Tomorrow Eyes - (1997) - novelette by Peter Crowther
• To Fit the Crime - (1997) - shortstory by Ed Gorman
• When the Child Screams and Looks Back at You - (1997) - novelette by Gary A. Braunbeck
• Hexefus - (1997) - shortstory by Nancy Springer
• The Cards Also Say - (1997) - novelette by Tanya Huff
• The Oracle Lips - (1997) - novelette by Storm Constantine
• May Eve - (1997) - shortstory by Rosemary Edghill
• The Soothsayer - (1997) - shortstory by Lawrence C. Connolly
• True Collectors - (1997) - novelette by Brian Stableford
• Not Ours to See - shortstory by David Langford
• Those Who Know - (1997) - shortstory by Leslie What
• Beyond the Flames - (1997) - shortstory by Janni Lee Simner
• The Vision of Men - (1997) - novelette by Michelle West

Selections by authors including Silverberg, Aldiss, Clarke, Blish, Pohl, and Sturgeon examine the technology, lifestyles, and men of the future.

Contents:

• 11 - The Nature of the Title - essay by Isaac Asimov
• 15 - What's It Like Out There? - (1952) - novelette by Edmond Hamilton
• 39 - Who Can Replace a Man? - (1958) - short story by Brian W. Aldiss
• 50 - What Have I Done? - (1952) - short story by Mark Clifton
• 69 - Who's There? - (1958) - short story by Arthur C. Clarke
• 75 - Can You Feel Anything When I Do This? - (1969) - short story by Robert Sheckley
• 86 - Why? - (1957) - short story by Robert Silverberg
• 101 - What's Become of Screwloose? - (1970) - short story by Ron Goulart
• 116 - Houston, Houston, Do You Read? - (1976) - novella by James Tiptree, Jr.
• 174 - Where Have You Been, Billy Boy, Billy Boy? - (1971) - short story by Kate Wilhelm
• 188 - If All Men Were Brothers, Would You Let One Marry Your Sister? - (1967) - novella by Theodore Sturgeon
• 231 - Will You Wait? - (1959) - short story by Alfred Bester
• 239 - Who Goes There? - [Who Goes There?] - (1938) - novella by John W. Campbell, Jr.
• 299 - An Eye for a What? - (1957) - novelette by Damon Knight
• 324 - I Plinglot, Who You? - (1959) - novelette by Frederik Pohl (variant of I Plinglot -- Who You??)
• 351 - Will You Walk a Little Faster? - (1951) - short story by William Tenn (variant of "Will You Walk a Little Faster")
• 363 - Who's in Charge Here? - (1962) - short story by James Blish
• 368 - The Last Question - [Multivac] - (1956) - short story by Isaac Asimov

For all of those who thought that by now that they'd be driving along the skyways in their own personal jet car, who assumed that humans would have established bases on the Moon and Mars, or that diseases would have been conqured, the aging process slowed to a crawl, and war eliminated along with social injustice -- here are sixteen stories of futures that might someday be reality.

Table of Contents:

• 1 - Introduction (The Future We Wish We Had) - essay by Rebecca Lickiss
• 3 - A Rosé for Emily - novelette by Esther M. Friesner
• 29 - Waiting for Juliette - short story by Sarah A. Hoyt
• 41 - Boys - short story by Dave Freer
• 60 - Trainer of Whales - novelette by Brenda Cooper
• 81 - Good Old Days - short story by Kevin J. Anderson
• 96 - Kicking and Screaming Her Way to the Altar - short story by Alan L. Lickiss
• 110 - Alien Voices - short story by Irene Radford
• 130 - Inside Job - short story by Loren L. Coleman
• 147 - A Small Skirmish in the Culture Wars - short story by James Patrick Kelly and Mike Resnick
• 164 - Dark Wings - novelette by Lisanne Norman
• 201 - My Father, the Popsicle - novelette by Annie Reed
• 223 - Destiny - short story by Julie Hyzy
• 243 - Cold Comfort - short story by Dean Wesley Smith
• 261 - The Stink of Reality - short story by Irene Radford
• 279 - Yellow Submarine - short story by Rebecca Moesta
• 289 - Good Genes - short story by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
• 301 - About the Authors (The Future We Wish We Had)

Table of Contents:

• Introduction - essay by uncredited
• The Fall of the House of Usher - (1839) - novelette by Edgar Allan Poe
• Green Tea - (1869) - novelette by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
• The Damned Thing - (1893) - short story by Ambrose Bierce
• The Yellow Sign - (1895) - novelette by Robert W. Chambers
• The Monkey's Paw - (1902) - short story by W. W. Jacobs
• The White People - (1904) - novelette by Arthur Machen
• The Willows - (1907) - novella by Algernon Blackwood
• Casting the Runes - (1911) - novelette by M. R. James
• The Graveyard Rats - (1936) - short story by Henry Kuttner
• Pigeons from Hell - (1938) - novelette by Robert E. Howard
• It - (1940) - novelette by Theodore Sturgeon
• Smoke Ghost - (1941) - short story by Fritz Leiber
• Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper - (1943) - short story by Robert Bloch
• The Small Assassin - (1946) - short story by Ray Bradbury
• The Whimper of Whipped Dogs - (1973) - short story by Harlan Ellison
• Calling Card - (1982) - short story by Ramsey Campbell
• Coin of the Realm - (1981) - short story by Charles L. Grant
• The Reach - (1981) - short story by Stephen King
• Biographical Notes - essay by uncredited

Stories tell of the last survivor of an alien purge, a time traveler, an immortal who outlives all of his companions, a scientist who tries to postpone the end of his race, and an individual who stays behind when Earth is abandoned.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction - (1982) - essay by Isaac Asimov
• The Underdweller - (1957) - short story by William F. Nolan
• Flight to Forever - (1950) - novella by Poul Anderson
• Trouble with Ants - [City] - (1951) - novelette by Clifford D. Simak
• The Coming of the Ice - (1926) - short story by G. Peyton Wertenbaker
• The Most Sentimental Man - (1957) - short story by Evelyn E. Smith
• Eddie for Short - (1953) - short story by Wallace West
• Knock - (1948) - short story by Fredric Brown
• Original Sin - (1946) - short story by S. Fowler Wright
• A Man Spekith - (1969) - novelette by Richard Wilson
• In the World's Dusk - (1936) - short story by Edmond Hamilton
• Kindness - (1944) - short story by Lester del Rey
• Lucifer - (1964) - short story by Roger Zelazny
• Resurrection - (1948) - short story by A. E. van Vogt
• The Second-Class Citizen - (1963) - short story by Damon Knight
• Day of Judgment - (1946) - short story by Edmond Hamilton
• Continuous Performance - (1974) - short story by Gordon Eklund
• The New Reality - (1950) - novelette by Charles L. Harness

Contents:

• vii - Introduction (The Mists from Beyond) - essay by Stefan Dziemianowicz
• 11 - The Trial for Murder - (1929) - short story by Charles Dickens (variant of To Be Taken with a Grain of Salt 1865)
• 23 - The Middle Toe of the Right Foot - (1890) - short story by Ambrose Bierce
• 32 - The Judge's House - (1891) - short story by Bram Stoker
• 50 - Afterward - (1910) - novelette by Edith Wharton
• 80 - Smoke Ghost - (1941) - short story by Fritz Leiber
• 96 - The Crowd - (1943) - short story by Ray Bradbury
• 110 - A Little Place Off the Edgware Road - (1939) - short story by Graham Greene
• 116 - The Daemon Lover - (1949) - short story by Shirley Jackson
• 132 - The Man Who Collected Poe - (1951) - short story by Robert Bloch
• 147 - Poor Little Saturday - (1956) - short story by Madeleine L'Engle
• 163 - The Indian - (1963) - short story by John Updike
• 170 - The Legend of Joe Lee - (1964) - short story by John D. MacDonald
• 182 - Cry Havoc - (1976) - short story by Davis Grubb
• 193 - Night-Side - (1977) - novelette by Joyce Carol Oates
• 219 - This Is Death - (1977) - short story by Donald E. Westlake (variant of In at the Death)
• 233 - The Making of Revelation, Part I - (1980) - novelette by Philip José Farmer?
• 249 - But at My Back I Will Always Hear - (1990) - short story by David Morrell (variant of But at My Back I Always Hear 1983)
• 265 - Laugh Track - (1984) - short story by Harlan Ellison
• 285 - Confession of a (Pornographer's) Shroud - (1984) - novelette by Clive Barker
• 319 - The Ghost Village - [Blue Rose (Peter Straub)] - (1992) - novelette by Peter Straub

Thirteen original tales of werewolves, witches, the dead. the undead, and the demonic who have found their way from darkness to light...

Table of Contents:

• 9 - Introduction (The Repentant) - essay by Brian M. Thomsen
• 12 - Lycanthrope Summer - novelette by Jeff Grubb
• 36 - The Salem Trial - novelette by Jody Lynn Nye
• 63 - The Den Mother - short story by Edo van Belkom
• 82 - Brothers in the Flesh - novelette by Fiona Patton
• 109 - Heat - novelette by Jean Rabe
• 132 - She Dwelleth in the Cold of the Moon - novelette by James Lowder
• 154 - Scleratus - novelette by Tanya Huff
• 175 - Slaughter - novelette by P. N. Elrod
• 202 - A Hollywood Tradition - short story by Brian M. Thomsen
• 218 - Intercession - novelette by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
• 268 - The Devil You Know - novelette by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
• 289 - The Recall of Cthulhu - novelette by Tom Dupree
• 306 - Redeemed - short story by Allen C. Kupfer

In most of the stories Neville writes of loneliness, isolation, alienation, intol­erance of anything or anyone different, and of insanity created by the pressures of living. Along with madness of various kinds, his stories explore the essence of human nature and individuals interact­ing with one another as well as with so­ciety. As Malzberg notes, Neville, unlike many science fiction writers, was a se­rious author interested in "Big ideas."

Contents:

• vii - Kris Neville: An Appreciation (The Science Fiction of Kris Neville) - (1984) - essay by Barry N. Malzberg
• 1 - Cold War - (1949) - short story
• 13 - Bettyann - [Bettyann - 1] - (1951) - novelette
• 57 - Old Man Henderson - (1951) - short story
• 67 - Hunt the Hunter - (1951) - short story
• 83 - Underground Movement - (1952) - short story
• 96 - Overture - [Bettyann - 2] - (1954) - novella
• 150 - New Apples in the Garden - (1963) - short story
• 162 - The Price of Simeryl - (1966) - novelette
• 214 - The Forest of Zil - (1967) - short story
• 219 - From the Government Printing Office - (1967) - short story
• 226 - Ballenger's People - (1967) - short story
• 238 - Bibliography of Kris Neville (The Science Fiction of Kris Neville) - (1984) - essay by uncredited

Table of Contents:

• Introduction: Fat! (The Science Fiction Weight-Loss Book) - (1983) - essay by Isaac Asimov
• Sylvester's Revenge - (1975) - shortstory by Vance Aandahl
• Fat Farm - (1980) - shortstory by Orson Scott Card
• The Stretch - (1956) - shortstory by Sam Merwin, Jr.
• Camels and Dromedaries, Clem - (1967) - shortstory by R. A. Lafferty
• The Champ - (1978) - shortstory by T. Coraghessan Boyle
• The Truth About Pyecraft - (1903) - shortstory by H. G. Wells
• The Iron Chancellor - (1958) - novelette by Robert Silverberg
• The Man Who Ate the World - (1956) - novelette by Frederik Pohl
• Gladys's Gregory - (1963) - shortstory by John Anthony West
• Abercrombie Station - (1952) - novella by Jack Vance
• Shipping Clerk - (1952) - shortstory by William Morrison
• The Malted Milk Monster - (1959) - novelette by William Tenn
• The Food Farm - (1967) - shortstory by Kit Reed
• The Artist of Hunger - (1983) - shortstory by Scott Russell Sanders
• Quitters, Inc. - (1978) - shortstory by Stephen King

Table of Contents:

• Introduction - (1979) - essay by Isaac Asimov
• Sun - essay by Isaac Asimov
• The Weather on the Sun - (1970) - novelette by Theodore L. Thomas
• Mercury - essay by Isaac Asimov
• Brightside Crossing - (1956) - novelette by Alan E. Nourse
• Venus - essay by Isaac Asimov
• Prospector's Special - (1959) - novelette by Robert Sheckley
• Earth - essay by Isaac Asimov
• Waterclap - (1970) - novelette by Isaac Asimov
• Mars - essay by Isaac Asimov
• Hop-Friend - (1962) - short story by Terry Carr
• Asteroids - essay by Isaac Asimov
• Barnacle Bull - (1960) - short story by Poul Anderson
• Jupiter - essay by Isaac Asimov
• Bridge - (1952) - novelette by James Blish
• Saturn - essay by Isaac Asimov
• Saturn Rising - (1961) - short story by Arthur C. Clarke
• Uranus - essay by Isaac Asimov
• The Snowbank Orbit - (1962) - short story by Fritz Leiber
• Neptune - essay by Isaac Asimov
• One Sunday in Neptune - (1969) - short story by Alexei Panshin
• Pluto - essay by Isaac Asimov
• Wait It Out - (1968) - short story by Larry Niven
• Nikita Eisenhower Jones - (1960) - novelette by Robert F. Young
• Comets - essay by Isaac Asimov
• The Comet, the Cairn and the Capsule - (1972) - short story by Duncan Lunan (variant of Comet, Cairn and Capsule)

This is a combined edition of

The Seven Deadly Sins of Science Fiction: Science fiction stories deal with the themes of sloth, lust, envy, pride, anger, gluttony, avarice, and covetousness.

The Seven Cardinal Virtues of Science Fiction: Science fiction stories center on the themes of temperance, justice, faith, prudence, fortitude, hope, charity, and love.

Contents:

• Introduction (The Seven Deadly Sins of Science Fiction) (1980) - essay by Martin H. Greenberg
• Sail 25 (1962) - novelette by Jack Vance (variant of Gateway to Strangeness)
• Peeping Tom (1954) - novelette by Judith Merril
• The Invisible Man Murder Case (1958) - novelette by Henry Slesar
• Galley Slave [Susan Calvin] (1957) - novelette by Isaac Asimov
• Divine Madness (1966) - short story by Roger Zelazny
• The Midas Plague (1954) - novella by Frederik Pohl
• The Man Who Ate the World (1956) - novelette by Frederik Pohl
• Margin of Profit [Nicholas Van Rijn] (1956) - novelette by Poul Anderson
• The Hook, the Eye and the Whip [The Peninsula] (1974) - novelette by Michael G. Coney
• Introduction (The Seven Cardinal Virtues of Science Fiction) (1981) - essay by Martin H. Greenberg
• Superiority (1951) - short story by Arthur C. Clarke
• Whosawhatsa? (1967) - novelette by Jack Wodhams
• Riding the Torch (1974) - novella by Norman Spinrad
• The Nail and the Oracle (1965) - novelette by Theodore Sturgeon
• Jean Duprès (1970) - novelette by Gordon R. Dickson
• Nuisance Value (1957) - novella by Eric Frank Russell
• The Sons of Prometheus (1966) - novelette by Alexei Panshin
• The Ugly Little Boy (1958) - novelette by Isaac Asimov (variant of Lastborn)

From time immemorial they have stalked the night - Creatures of legend - or something all too real? For centuries people have whispered about the creatures of darkness, those who wear the guise of humans to prey upon their all-to-mortal kin, of those neither dead nor alive, who exist in a sort of immortal twilight and attain both the semblance and substance of life by drinking the blood of their helplessly mesmerized victims.

Here then are eighteen, original tales of vampires down through history, from the eras of ancient Greece and Rome up to the modern day, some traditionally horrifying, some poignant, some with a humorous touch. From a vampire blessed by Christ to the truth about the notorious Oscar Wilde to a rollicking tale of vamparism and the Bow Street Runners, these memorable stories by such top tale-weavers as Tanya Huff, P.N. Elrod, and Lois Tilton are sure to appeal to anyone who's ever been bitten by an interest in those mysterious, seductive, and deadly rulers of the night

Table of Contents:

• 9 - Introduction (The Time of the Vampires) - essay by P. N. Elrod
• 11 - A Vision of Darkness - short story by Lois Tilton
• 21 - Scent of Blood - short story by Susan Booth
• 39 - The Gift - short story by Teresa Patterson
• 56 - Oaths - short story by Bradley H. Sinor
• 74 - The Blood of the Lamb - short story by Lillian Stewart Carl
• 94 - The Devil's Mark - short fiction by P. N. Elrod
• 104 - Bloodthirsty Tyrants - novelette by Catt Kingsgrave-Ernstein
• 132 - What Manner of Man - [Henry Fitzroy] - novelette by Tanya Huff
• 159 - A Matter of Taste - short story by Nick Pollotta
• 166 - Voice from the Void - [Vanishing Breed] - novelette by Margaret L. Carter
• 189 - In Memory of - short story by Nancy Kilpatrick
• 202 - Death Mask - novelette by Rebecca Ann Brothers
• 233 - Faith Like Wine - novelette by Rachel Caine
• 265 - Black Sounds - short story by Lawrence Schimel
• 274 - The Ghost of St. Mark's - short story by Elaine Bergstrom
• 292 - Walking Tour - short story by Jean Graham
• 305 - Night of the Vampire Scare - short story by Julie Barrett
• 311 - Toothless Vampires Can Still Give Hickeys - short story by James Schutte

This book offers 17 new stories of daring adventurers who meddle with time including: a science fiction fan who warded off an alien invasion of Earth through contemporary culture... Joan of Arc's training in future history... and an FBI hunt for a Mafia don who found his way back to the age of knighthood.

Table of Contents:

• 1 - Introduction (Time Twisters) - essay by Jean Rabe
• 4 - Pruning the Tree - short story by Chris Pierson
• 18 - Occupation Duty - short story by Harry Turtledove
• 35 - Mundane Lane - short story by Kevin J. Anderson
• 49 - The Power and the Glory - short story by Robert E. Vardeman
• 69 - Voices - short story by Jackie Cassada
• 85 - Downtown Knight - short story by James M. Ward
• 100 - Parsley Sage, Rosemary, and Time - novelette by Jon L. Breen
• 126 - A Better Place - novelette by Linda P. Baker
• 149 - Chaos Theory - short story by Stephen Leigh
• 159 - The Man in Cell 91 - short story by Gene DeWeese
• 175 - Oyer and Terminer - novelette by Joe Masdon
• 196 - Standing Still - short story by Donald J. Bingle
• 211 - One Rainy Day in Paris - novelette by Penny Williams and Skip Williams
• 232 - Try and Try Again - short story by Pierce Askegren
• 247 - Yeshua's Choice - novelette by Nancy Varian Berberick
• 268 - Three Power Play - short story by Wes Nicholson
• 284 - One Time Around? - short story by John Helfers
• 300 - About the Authors (Time Twisters)

8 stories about conflicts in time travel.

Contents:

• 1 - Introduction (Time Wars) - essay by Poul Anderson
• 3 - Frost and Thunder - (1979) - novelette by Randall Garrett
• 27 - Gunpowder God - [Kalvan] - (1964) - novella by H. Beam Piper
• 75 - Amphiskios - (1949) - novelette by John D. MacDonald
• 110 - Delenda Est - [Time Patrol - 5] - (1955) - novelette by Poul Anderson
• 149 - Dragonrider - [Dragonriders of Pern short fiction] - (1967) - novella by Anne McCaffrey
• 265 - The Timesweepers - (1969) - novelette by Keith Laumer
• 296 - Run from the Fire - (1975) - novelette by Harry Harrison
• 329 - Skirmish on a Summer Morning - (1976) - novella by Bob Shaw

A collection of stories of urban ghosts and other horrors features the writing of Ray Bradbury, Richard Matheson, Shirley Jackson, John Cheever, Fritz Leiber, Philip K. Dick, Joyce Carol Oates, and other masters.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction - essay by William F. Nolan and Martin H. Greenberg
• Smoke Ghost - (1941) - short story by Fritz Leiber
• A Careful Man Dies - (1946) - short story by Ray Bradbury
• The Tooth - (1949) - short story by Shirley Jackson
• Torch Song - (1947) - short story by John Cheever
• Prey - (1969) - short story by Richard Matheson
• The Father-Thing - (1954) - short story by Philip K. Dick
• The Jungle - (1954) - novelette by Charles Beaumont
• The Tunnel Ahead - (1961) - short story by Alice Glaser
• Did You Ever Slip on Red Blood? - (1972) - short story by Joyce Carol Oates
• The Chimney - (1977) - short story by Ramsey Campbell
• The Wine of Life - (1980) - short story by Ray Russell
• The Pool - (1981) - short story by William F. Nolan
• Talking in the Dark - (1984) - short story by Dennis Etchison
• The Litter - (1987) - short story by James Kisner
• New York Night - (1987) - short story by John Maclay
• Hell - (1987) - short story by Richard Christian Matheson
• The Shaggy House - (1986) - short story by Joe R. Lansdale
• The Book of Webster's - (1986) - novelette by J. N. Williamson

Table of Contents:

• 9 - Introduction (Vampire Detectives) - essay by Ed Gorman
• 11 - Vampire Dollars - novelette by William F. Nolan
• 41 - This Town Ain't Big Enough - novelette by Tanya Huff
• 65 - Girl's Night Out - short story by Kathe Koja and Barry N. Malzberg
• 82 - Home Comforts - short story by Peter Crowther
• 92 - Origin of a Species - novelette by J. N. Williamson
• 114 - Fangs - novelette by Michael Prescott
• 136 - The Night of Their Lives - short story by Max Allan Collins
• 151 - Night Tidings - novelette by Gary Alan Ruse
• 177 - God-Less Men - short story by James Kisner
• 193 - No Blood for a Vampire - short story by Edward D. Hoch
• 211 - The Count's Mailbox - short story by William Sanders
• 220 - Tom Rudolph's Last Tape - short story by John Maclay
• 228 - The Turning- short story by Jack Ketchum
• 233 - You'll Catch Your Death - novelette by P. N. Elrod
• 256 - Shell Game - short story by John Lutz
• 262 - The Secret - short story by Barbara Paul
• 282 - Blind Pig on North Halsted - short fiction by Wayne Allen Sallee
• 285 - Phil the Vampire - short story by Richard Laymon
• 305 - Undercover - short story by Nancy Holder

Sixteen stories of femail vampires by Stephen King, William Tenn, Robert Bloch, Fritz Leiber, August Derleth, Richard Matheson, and Tanith Lee.

Contents:

• Introduction: Why There Are So Many "Ladies of the Night" - essay by Charles G. Waugh
• One for the Road - [Jerusalem's Lot] - (1977) - short story by Stephen King
• She Only Goes Out at Night - (1956) - short story by William Tenn (variant of She Only Goes Out at Night...)
• Heredity - (1947) - short story by David H. Keller, M.D.
• Clarimonda - novelette by Théophile Gautier^? (trans. of La morte amoureuse 1836)
• The Cloak - (1939) - short story by Robert Bloch
• For the Blood Is the Life - (1905) - short story by F. Marion Crawford
• The Last Grave of Lill Warren - [John Thunstone] - (1951) - novelette by Manly Wade Wellman
• The Girl with the Hungry Eyes - (1949) - short story by Fritz Leiber
• Ken's Mystery - (1883) - novelette by Julian Hawthorne
• Restless Souls - [Jules de Grandin] - (1928) - novelette by Seabury Quinn
• The Drifting Snow - (1939) - short story by August Derleth
• When It Was Moonlight - (1940) - short story by Manly Wade Wellman
• Luella Miller - (1902) - short story by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
• Dress of White Silk - (1951) - short story by Richard Matheson
• Red As Blood - (1979) - short story by Tanith Lee
• Carmilla - [Martin Hesselius] - (1872) - novella by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

Table of Contents:

• ix - Introduction (Werewolves) - essay by Ed Gorman
• 11 - Extinctions in Paradise - short story by Brian Hodge
• 29 - Bindlestiff - short story by Peter Crowther
• 46 - Never Moon a Werewolf - short story by Barbara Paul
• 62 - Dumpster Diving - short story by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
• 71 - Woofman - short story by Brenda Crank and Scott Nickel
• 86 - Nick of Time - short story by Matthew J. Costello
• 93 - The Nighttime Is the Right Time - short story by Bill Crider
• 111 - Double Identity - short story by Terry Beatty and Wendi Lee
• 118 - Little Boy Riding Hood - short story by Lawrence Schimel
• 127 - Wolf - short story by Max Allan Collins
• 136 - Children of the Night - short story by Cheri Scotch
• 149 - Bark at the Moon - short story by Mike Baker
• 155 - Nights in the Mountains of Haiti - short story by Hugh B. Cave
• 172 - The Last Link Between Life and Death - novelette by J. N. Williamson
• 193 - Asleep in the Mist - short story by Billie Sue Mosiman
• 202 - The Pack - short story by Norman Partridge
• 218 - Waiting for Moonlight - short story by Roman A. Ranieri
• 226 - A Taste of Blood and Roses - short story by David Niall Wilson
• 238 - Sand Boils - short story by Tracy Knight
• 255 - Only the Strong Survive - short story by Richard Chizmar and Barry Hoffman
• 272 - The Night of Howling - short story by Mickey Zucker Reichert
• 281 - Some Touch of Pity - novelette by Gary A. Braunbeck

First edition, hardcover. Retrospective anthology; most works have a forward by the story's author.

Contents:

• Introduction by Frederik Pohl
• As IF Was in the Beginning by Larry T. Shaw
• The Golden Man (1954) by Philip K. Dick
• The Battle (1954) by Robert Sheckley
• Last Rites (1955) by Charles Beaumont
• Game Preserve (1957) by Rog Phillips
• The Burning of the Brain (1958) by Cordwainer Smith
• The Man Who Tasted Ashes (1959) by Algis Budrys
• Kings Who Die (1962) by Poul Anderson
• Fortress Ship (1963) by Fred Saberhagen
• Father of the Stars (1964) by Frederik Pohl
• Trick or Treaty (1965) by Keith Laumer
• Nine Hundred Grandmothers (1966) by R. A. Lafferty
• Neutron Star (1966) by Larry Niven
• This Mortal Mountain (1967) by Roger Zelazny
• I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream (1967) by Harlan Ellison
• Driftglass (1967) by Samuel R. Delany
• The Holmes-Ginsbook Device (1968) by Isaac Asimov
• Down in the Black Gang (1969) by Philip José Farmer
• The Reality Trip (1970) by Robert Silverberg
• The Nightblooming Saurian (1970) by James Tiptree, Jr.
• Occam's Scalpel (1971) by Theodore Sturgeon
• Construction Shack (1973) by Clifford D. Simak
• Time Deer (1974) by Craig Strete
• Afterword: Flash Point, Middle by Barry N. Malzberg

From a farmer at war with Nature's creatures, to dangerous doings when the henhouse goes on-line, to the hazards of keeping company with a book wyrm, here are ingenious tales that will make readers laugh or cry... or double-check to make sure that their windows and doors are firmly locked against the things that prowl the night.

Table of Contents:

• 1 - Introduction (Zombie Raccoons & Killer Bunnies ) - essay by Kerrie Hughes
• 4 - Death Mask - short fiction by Jody Lynn Nye
• 29 - BunRabs - short fiction by Donald J. Bingle
• 42 - for lizzie - [Simon Canderous] - short fiction by Anton Strout
• 59 - Faith in Our Fathers - short fiction by Alexander Potter
• 88 - Bone Whispers - short fiction by Tim Waggoner
• 108 - Watching - short fiction by Carrie Vaughn
• 119 - The Things That Crawl - novelette by Richard Lee Byers
• 147 - The White Bull of Tara - short fiction by Fiona Patton
• 168 - Dead Poets - short fiction by John A. Pitts
• 179 - Super Squirrel to the Rescue - short fiction by Irene Radford
• 195 - Her Black Mood - short fiction by Brenda Cooper
• 216 - Ninja Rats on Harleys - short story by Elizabeth Vaughan
• 239 - Bats in Thebayou - short fiction by Steven H Silver
• 260 - Twilight Animals - short fiction by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
• 276 - The Ridges - short fiction by Larry D. Sweazy

This short story originally appeared in Mothership Zeta, April 2016. It can also be found in the anthology The Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy 2017, edited by Rich Horton.

Read to the story for free at Mothership Zeta.

This Nebula Award nominated short story originally appeared in Uncanny Magazine, Issue 21, March-April 2018.

Read the full story for free in Uncanny.

This short story originally appeared in Uncanny Magazine, Issue 27, March-April 2019.

Read the full story for free at Uncanny.

The survivor of an apocalypse event in an alternate universe tries to rebuild and avoid being dragged back into the past when a visitor crosses the in-between and asks for help.

Read the full story for free at Tor Reactor.

This Novelette was first puiblished in the 2020 May/June issue of Uncanny Magazine and can be found here for free.

Uncanny - Burn

(Superhero) Sam's ability is modest, but he's still excited to be accepted into the Super Team. Now he just has to figure out how he can make the biggest difference--assuming he can do more good than harm.

Nebula Award-winning and Sturgeon-nominated Short Story

This story was originally published in Clarkesworld, Issue 149, February 2019.

Read or listen to this story for free at Clarkesworld Magazine.

This short story originally appeared in Uncanny Magazine, Issue 24, September - October 2018. It can also be found in the anthology The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume Four (2019), edited by Neil Clarke.

Read the full story for free at Uncanny.

For the residents of this mycological ecosystem, creating art feeds the World around you and requires working in harmony with your inner voice. When one artist's voice begins screaming, he's forced to travel farther than he ever has before to reconcile with the noise in his head and find his true place in society before it's too late.

Red the full story for free at Tor Reactor.

Hisako Saski was born with her life already mapped out. In exchange for an education, better housing for her family, and a boost out of poverty, she's been contracted into an arranged marriage to Adem Sadiq, a maintenance engineer and amateur musician who works and lives aboard his family's sub-light freighter, the Hajj.

Hisako is not happy with the deal. The arcane branch of physics it requires her to study broke off a thousand years before, and she is not keen on the idea of giving up everything she knows to marry a stranger and move onto an aging spaceship.

Onboard the Hajj, Hisako soon learns her dilemmas are overshadowed by the discovery of ancient secrets, a derelict warship, and a chance at giving the survivors of Earth a fresh start.

Life goes on for the billions left behind after the humanity-saving colony mission to Proxima Centauri leaves Earth orbit ... but what's the point?

Julie Riley is two years too young to get out from under her mother's thumb, and what does it matter? She's over-educated, under-employed, and kept mostly numb by her pharma emplant. Her best friend, who she's mostly been interacting with via virtual reality for the past decade, is part of the colony mission to Proxima Centauri. Plus, the world is coming to an end. So, there's that.

When Julie's mother decides it's time to let go of the family home in a failing suburb and move to the city to be closer to work and her new beau, Julie decides to take matters into her own hands. She runs, illegally, hoping to find and hide with the Volksgeist, a loose-knit culture of tramps, hoboes, senior citizens, artists, and never-do-wells who have elected to ride out the end of the world in their campers and converted vans, constantly on the move over the back roads of America.

Newly back in print by the author of THE ANCIENT OF DAYS, this is a spellbinding tale of sorcery, romance, and intrigue immersed in the blood drenched Spanish Inquisition of mid-17th Century Mexico.

From the mists of legend, the half-human priest, half-spirit Augustin Vasquez Ibanez appears in the occupied village of Oaxaca untouched by the raging conflict. He takes in a nameless boy to be trained in his dark, mysterious ways. The boy learns to read and write, rides through the world of hallucinogenic drugs, conjures storms, and falls tragically in love with a village girl whose family is aligned with enemies. Can he call upon one last surge of the old power against the conquerors when his people need him most?

His adventure has been rescued from history. Violently ripped from the blood-steeped legend of early man, the chronicle of his passionate journey brings forth bizarre forays into foreign lands; a father challenged by a son; heroic, loving women; and the strange mystery that leads people to create new gods of terror and of power.

The dramatic sweep of THE ANCIENT OF DAYS brings to life the story of mankind on the cusp of civilization, and how one man, Ronstrom the Builder, made it happen. It's a story of magic, miracles, violence and passion; of self-sacrifice and challenge.

It's the story of how we became human with the ability to love and build, to leave our mark, so those who followed would know the miracle of Stonehenge, and what it means.

For thousands of years he had been their God. Now Susynoid's existence was being challenged and the council of five had to act, but how do you save a God?

HIS DESTINY THRUST THEM TOGETHER... HER DESTINY WOULD TEAR THEM APART...

RAFE--Half-god, half-man, his sacred quest led him through the caps of the fierce Viking hordes, through the chilling Realm of Death, and, finallym, into combat with the master demon, Enlil, who craved the destruction of humankind and the love of

INANNA--The lovely enchantress whose powerful magic protected Rafe on his odyssey of perils. Driven by her searing passionsm, she dared to battle Enlil and the dread Fates, for the soul of her mortal lover....

DOES THE UNIVERSE BELONG TO MAN OR THE DOLPHINS?

Somewhere, locked in the unexplored and unknown crevices at the bottom of the seaes lay the secret of the Earth's past. Dr. Edward Blake, driven by some uncontrollable force finds he is the only man in the world who knows what fate is hidden there... And in some of the most fantastic experiments of all time horrifyingly realizes that the dolphins could hold man's fate locked in their enigmatic and mysterious minds.

While the rest of the world seeks pleasure in one massive orgy of passion, uncaring what lies in store--Edward Blake finds he alone is the only man who cares, who can save man's future.

The man from Earth.

He was a prisoner on an alien planet. He knew neither his name nor his crime; his mind had been as tightly sealed by his captors as his cell. But he would stand trial for a galactic atrocity he could not remember - and those he could not know would judge him...

Salem Village, 1691

Roger Andrew, schoolmaster, man of enlightenment, lover and man of mystery -- Roger knows there is no Satan to possess the souls and bodies of these colonial Puritans.

But Roger Andrew has his own secret.

The horrifyingly bizarre behavior of growing numbers of Salem villagers is creating a tension mounting to terror in the village. His lover, beautiful Widow Bowin, is being drawn into the maelstrom of violence. He would marry her -- but first he must save her from the witch-fearing mobs. And he must do this with great care -- for Roger Andrew's secret is even more terrible than possession by Satan.

Food. In the year 2160, it was man's greatest probloem. With the enormous increase in population and the extension of longevity, there simply wasn't enough to go around. The sea farms were the only solution--but they were in themselves a potential threat to man's future.

Science and technology had advanced fantastically, of course. The real trouble was... people. Human beings had not changed. The sea farmers had good reasons for being rebellious; their work was hard and dangerous and their rewards small. And the rest of the population was rapidly becoming a total police state, but one which might revolt at any moment.

Then the harvests from the sea began to drop off... and the government decided to hand the whole problem to just one man. Dr. Robert Wilde found himself alone as no man had ever been before: with a clouded past, hated by those he was trying to help, harrassed by powerful men seeking more power.... Did he have any future? Did the world?

What if Kennedy were not killed that fateful day? What would the 1964 campaign have looked like? Would changes have been made to the ticket? How would Kennedy, in his second term, have approached Vietnam, civil rights, the Cold War? With Hoover as an enemy, would his indiscreet private life finally have become public? Would his health issues have become so severe as to literally cripple his presidency? And what small turns of fate in the days and years before Dallas might have kept him from ever reaching the White House in the first place?

The answers Greenfield provides and the scenarios he develops are startlingly realistic, rich in detail, shocking in their projections, but always deeply, remarkably plausible. If Kennedy Lived is a tour de force of American history from one of the country's most brilliant and illuminating political commentators.

Shortlisted for the 2021 Costa Novel Award

In this powerful, highly anticipated novel from an award-winning author, four people attempt to make a home in the midst of environmental disaster.

Perched on a sloping hill, set away from a small town by the sea, the High House has a tide pool and a mill, a vegetable garden, and, most importantly, a barn full of supplies. Caro, Pauly, Sally, and Grandy are safe, so far, from the rising water that threatens to destroy the town and that has, perhaps, already destroyed everything else. But for how long?

Caro and her younger half-brother, Pauly, arrive at the High House after her father and stepmother fall victim to a faraway climate disaster--but not before they call and urge Caro to leave London. In their new home, a converted summer house cared for by Grandy and his granddaughter, Sally, the two pairs learn to live together. Yet there are limits to their safety, limits to the supplies, limits to what Grandy--the former village caretaker, a man who knows how to do everything--can teach them as his health fails.

A searing novel that takes on parenthood, sacrifice, love, and survival under the threat of extinction, The High House is a stunning, emotionally precise novel about what can be salvaged at the end of the world.

When photographer Jonathan Brewster's four-year-old daughter Joanne tells him about her new invisible friends, he doesn't think too much about it. But then he sees them for himself: weird and uncanny images of the dead appearing in his photographs. The apparitions seem to have some connection to Childgrave, a remote village in upstate New York with a deadly secret dating back three centuries. Jonathan and Joanne feel themselves oddly drawn to Childgrave, but will they survive the horrors that await them there?

"If you were to go into your bedroom tonight--perhaps by candlelight--and sit quietly before the large mirror, you might see what I have seen. Sit patiently, looking neither at yourself nor at the glass. You might notice that the image is not yours, but that of an exceptional person who lived at some other time..."

The image in the mirror of fourteen-year-old Elizabeth Cuttner is that of the fey and long-dead Frances, who introduces Elizabeth to her chilling world of the supernatural. Through Frances, Elizabeth learns what it is to wield power--power of a kind that is malevolent and seemingly invincible. Power that begins with the killing of her parents...

First published in 1976, Ken Greenhall's debut novel Elizabeth is a lost classic of modern horror fiction that deserves rediscovery. This edition includes a new introduction by Jonathan Janz.

A strange and viscious attack of mental energy is suddenly unleashed on the occupants of Explorer Globe 13 during a routine mission to find mineral wealth in a distant planetary system. Only Keek, the vessels alien menial is unaffected.

When first published in 1983 The Entropy Exhibition was the first critical assessment of the literary movement known as 'New Wave' science fiction. It examines the history of the New Worlds magazine and its background in the popular imagination of the 1960s, traces the strange history of sex in science fiction and analyses developments in stylistic theory and practice.

Michael Moorcock edited and produced the magazine New Worlds from 1964 to 1973. Within its pages he encouraged the development of new kinds of popular writing out of the genre of science fiction, energetically reworking traditional themes, images and styles as a radical response to the crisis of modern fiction. The essential paradox of the writing lay in its fascination with the concept of 'entropy'--the universal and irreversible decline of energy into disorder. Entropy provides the key to both the anarchic vitality of the magazine and to its neglect by critics and academics, as well as its connection with other cultural experiments of the 1960s. The Fiction of the New Worlds writers was not concerned with far future and outer space, but with the ambiguous and unstable conditions of the modern world.

Detailed attention is given to each of the three main contributors to the New Worlds magazine--Michael Moorcock, Brian Aldiss and J.G. Ballard. Moorcock himself is more commonly judged by his commercial fantasy novels than by the magazine he supported with them, but here at last the balance is redressed: New Worlds emerges as nothing less than a focus and a metaphor for many of the transformations of English and American literature in the past two decades.

Clarion a planet hidden from the rest of humanity, a lost colony. For 200 years it has survived, alone and unaided. Suddenly mysterious men are willing to kill for its coordinates and the people of Clarion are dying to find one man. Dorland Avery is a psi-player, a master storyteller without words. Suddenly he is targeted for assassination and no one can figure out why. On Clarion a fanatical cult religion is tightening its stranglehold on the colonists. Lord Tem, the mystical deity of this powerful cult, may be a "gent"... a living member of an intelligent species... the first ever contacted by space-faring humanity. The First Speaker of Lord Tem possesses powers remarkably like those of Avery- and Dorland Avery may be the only man who can save the lost colony---Clarion.

Captured by space-pirates and held aboard a stolen starship in a remote corner of the galaxy. Leo Blannon is about to find out that things could be worse...

Combined Destinies!

On Earth of the far future, city dwellers live in a technologically advanced environment, while bands of nomads barbarically hunt and farm the plains. Hidden within the city is Erin, a crazed scientist, who is constructing a timejumper. On the plains is a nomad boy who quests after the city's secrets. Unknown to both, an evil force works to keep them apart, for it knows that if they ever meet, a new Earth destiny would be inevitable!

A classic in the black literary tradition, The Spook Who Sat by the Door is both a comment on the civil rights problems in the United States in the late 1960s and a serious attempt to focus on the issue of black militancy.

Dan Freeman, the "spook who sat by the door," is enlisted in the CIA's elitist espionage program. Upon mastering agency tactics, however, he drops out to train young Chicago blacks as "Freedom Fighters" in this explosive, award-winning novel.

As a story of one man's reaction to ruling-class hypocrisy, the book is autobiographical and personal. As a tale of a man's reaction to oppression, it is universal.

In Ed Greenwood's The Iron Assassin, Victoria never ascended the throne; the House of Hanover held England only briefly before being supplanted by the House of Harminster. It is a time of gaslamps and regularly scheduled airship flights, of trams and steam-driven clockwork with countless smoke-belching stacks. London, the capitol of the Empire of the Lion, is a filthy, crowded, fast-growing city where a series of shocking murders threatens the throne itself.

Energetic young inventor Jack Straker believes he has created a weapon to defend the Crown: a reanimated, clockwork-enhanced corpse he can control. He introduces "the Iron Assassin" to the highly placed Lords who will decide if Straker's invention becomes a weapon of the Lion-or something to be destroyed.

It quickly becomes apparent that the Iron Assassin is more self-willed than Straker intended, and that the zombie's past life is far more sinister than Straker thought. Has he created a runaway monster? Or the best guardian the Lion could ever hope for?

This novelette originally appeared in Asimov's Science Fiction, September 2001. The story can also be found in the anthologies The Year's Best Science Fiction: Nineteenth Annual Collection (2002), edtied by Gardner Dozois, and Science Fiction: The Best of 2001, edited by Robert Silverberg and Karen Haber.

THE GREEN HILLS OF EARTH is a collection of short stories from one of the masters of science fiction who has held readers spellbound for over thirty years.

First published in 1951, this collection includes:

• "Delilah and the Space-Rigger"
• "Space-Jockey"
• "The Long Watch"
• "Gentlemen Be Seated"
• "The Black Pits of Luna"
• "It's Great to Be Back"
• "We Also Walk Dogs"
• "Ordeal in Space"
• "The Green Hills of Earth"
• "Logic of Empire"

A revolution has taken over the government of the United States and the environment has been saved. All pollution has been banned and reversed. It's a bright, green new world. But this new world comes with a great cost. The United States is ruled by a dictatorship and the corporations are fighting back. Joining them are an increasing number of rebels angered by the dictatorship of Chairman Rahma. The Chairman's power is absolute and appears strong, but in The Little Green Book of Chairman Rahma by Brian Herbert, cracks are beginning to show as new weapons are developed by the old corporate powers, foreign alliances begin to make inroads into America's influence... and strange reports of mutants filter through the government's censorship.

The thirteen exiles from Earth were hopeful when they landed on the planet Klorath. After all, others had been banished before them and had no doubt established a colony.

But when the exiles found a pile of clean-picked human skulls they knew those who had preceeded them were dead.

Then they encountered the giant, man-eating birds and realized they too would die if they couldn't control them.

The final blow was the appearance of hostile natives, bringing with them a horde of furry animals whose slightest touch seared human flesh like a branding iron...

Here is science fiction at its best. A gripping tale of a group of Earthmen and women fighting for survival on a mysterious, poisoned paradise.

This short story originally appeared in Uncanny Magazine, Issue 13, November-December 2016. The story is included in the collection A Cathedral of Myth and Bone (2018).

Read the full story for free at Uncanny Magazine.

Abel, a young man of wealth, fails at a revolution and flees Caracas into the uncharted forests of Guyana. Surviving fever, failing at journal-keeping and gold hunting, he settles in an Indian village to waste away his life.

After some exploring, Abel discovers an enchanting forest where he hears a strange bird-like singing. His Indian friends avoid the forest because of its evil spirit-protector, "the Daughter of the Didi". Persisting in the search, Abel finally finds Rima the Bird Girl. She has dark hair, a smock of spider webs, and can communicate with birds in an unknown tongue.

Set in the 1930s at the Cold Mountain Penitentiary's death-row facility, The Green Mile is the riveting and tragic story of John Coffey, a giant, preternaturally gentle inmate condemned to death for the rape and murder of twin nine-year-old girls. It is a story narrated years later by Paul Edgecomb, the ward superintendent compelled to help every prisoner spend his last days peacefully and every man walk the green mile to execution with his humanity intact.

Edgecomb has sent seventy-eight inmates to their date with "old sparky," but he's never encountered one like Coffey -- a man who wants to die, yet has the power to heal. And in this place of ultimate retribution, Edgecomb discovers the terrible truth about Coffey's gift, a truth that challenges his most cherished beliefs -- and ours.

Strong, Sassy women and hard-luck hardheaded men, all searching for the middle ground between Native American tradition and the modern world, perform an elaborate dance of approach and avoidance in this magical, rollicking tale by Cherokee author Thomas King. Alberta is a university professor who would like to trade her two boyfriends for a baby but no husband; Lionel is forty and still sells televisions for a patronizing boss; Eli and his log cabin stand in the way of a profitable dam project. These three--and others--are coming to the Blackfoot reservation for the Sun Dance and there they will encounter four Indian elders and their companion, the trickster Coyote--and nothing in the small town of Blossom will be the same again...

This novelette originally appeared in Interzone, #142 April 1999. It can also be found in the anthology The Year's Best Science Fiction: Seventeenth Annual Collection (2000), edited by Gardner Dozois.

A shocking novel of what could happen if the fanatical defense of the environment crossed the line into deadly terror. When environmental consultant Jack McDarvid's boss is killed in a shootout near the Capitol, McDarvid becomes enmeshed in a diabolical plot behind the scenes of the environmental movement.

This short story originally appeared in Lightspeed, May 2018.

Read the full story for fee at Lightspeed.

Long before Shadow was born, the Heartwood was a land of warring clans of elves.

When human lord Sharl comes to build a great city near the forest and abducts Chyrie and her mate, Valann, to gain safe conduct through the forest, the elves learn that an even greater enemy is approaching -- an army of barbarians sweeping down from the north.

Now the elves must make peace, not only with each other but with the hated humans, to unite against a threat that may destroy the city and the forest together.

One foul night while her husband is away, an old friend turns up on Claire's doorstep and begs for her help. She knows she should refuse, but she owes him. Despite her better judgement, Claire finds herself helping to bury something in the woods. The question is, will it stay buried, and can Claire live with the knowledge of what she has done?

Tor.com blogger, fantasy writer, and insatiable reader Mari Ness makes her Tor.com short fiction debut with a beautifully told tale of complicated and conflicted love, a translation and transformation of a very old story that is sure to be familiar to every fan of folklore and history.

Read the full story for free at Tor.com.

Table of Contents:

• v - The Highwayman - poem by Alfred Noyes
• 11 - Wreckers, Rooks, and Books: An Introduction - essay by Jennifer Roberson
• 17 - Give a Man a Horse He Can Ride - novelette by Esther M. Friesner
• 41 - Kid Binary and the Two-Bit Gang - short story by Michael A. Stackpole
• 61 - The Moonlight Flit - short story by Rosemary Edghill
• 79 - The Bandido of Pozoseco - short story by Kate Daniel
• 97 - We Met Upon the Road - short story by Doris Egan
• 117 - Where Angels Fear to Tread - short story by Laura Anne Gilman
• 137 - Diana's Foresters - short story by Susan Shwartz
• 155 - Fool's Gold - novelette by Doranna Durgin
• 177 - Highwayscape with Gods - poem by Lawrence Schimel
• 183 - The Bishop's Coffer - short story by Janny Wurts
• 199 - The Abbot of Croxton - short story by Melanie Rawn
• 215 - The Dowry - short story by Kathy Chwedyk
• 227 - The Rest of the Story - short story by Bruce D. Arthurs
• 247 - Watch for Me by Moonlight - short story by Lois Tilton
• 259 - The Forest's Justice - short story by Josepha Sherman
• 273 - Highway to Heaven - short story by Laura Resnick
• 287 - Rogue's Moon - short story by Teresa Edgerton
• 307 - Ghost Rot - novelette by Jo Clayton
• 331 - For King and Country - short story by Deborah J. Ross
• 347 - A Slight Detour on the Road to Happyland - short story by Ashley McConnell
• 365 - Though Hell Should Bar the Way - novelette by A. C. Crispin and Christie Golden
• 387 - By the Time I Get to Phoenix - short story by Jennifer Roberson
• 395 - The Lesser of ... - novelette by Dennis L. McKiernan

Out of Avalon presents fifteen original stories of magic, adventure, and romance from an era lost to history - yet always remembered by those with imagination...

Table of Contents:

• vii - Introduction (Out of Avalon: An Anthology of Old Magic and New Myths) - essay by Jennifer Roberson
• 1 - The Heart of the Hill - short story by Marion Zimmer Bradley and Diana L. Paxson
• 17 - The Fourth Concealment of the Island of Britain - short story by Katharine Kerr
• 29 - Prince of Exiles - short story by Rosemary Edghill
• 47 - The Secret Leaves - novelette by Tricia Sullivan
• 85 - The Castellan - novelette by Diana Gabaldon and Samuel Watkins
• 111 - Lady of the Lake - novelette by Michelle West
• 139 - The Mooncalfe - novelette by Dave Wolverton
• 165 - Avalonia - short story by Kristen Britain
• 179 - Finding the Grail - novelette by Judith Tarr
• 209 - Me and Galahad - short story by Adrienne Gormley and Mike Resnick
• 219 - A Lesser Working - short story by Jennifer Roberson
• 229 - Grievous Wounds - novelette by Laura Resnick
• 255 - Black Dogs - novelette by Lorelei Shannon
• 277 - Marwysgafn (Deathbed Song) - novella by Eric Van Lustbader
• 333 - The Mouse's Soul - poem by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
• 337 - About the Editor (Out of Avalon: An Anthology of Old Magic and New Myths) - essay by Jennifer Roberson

Retellings of several Arthurian tales.

Table of contents:

• 11 - Introduction: Just Like a Real Person - essay by Diana L. Paxson
• 17 - Foreword (Return to Avalon) - essay by Andre Norton
• 18 - To Light Such a Candle - short story by Rosemary Edghill
• 29 - The Grail of Heart's Desire - novelette by Judith Tarr
• 58 - Lady of Avalon - novelette by Diana L. Paxson
• 80 - With God to Guard Her - short story by Kate Elliott
• 92 - Appreciation (Return to Avalon) - essay by C. J. Cherryh
• 94 - Sing to Me of Love and Shadows - short story by Deborah J. Ross
• 113 - The Wellspring - short story by Katharine Kerr
• 133 - Knives - short story by Dave Smeds
• 152 - A Refuge of Firedrakes - novelette by Susan Shwartz
• 182 - Appreciation - essay by Charles de Lint
• 184 - The Hag - short story by Lawrence Schimel
• 193 - Salve, Regina - short story by Melanie Rawn
• 209 - Trees of Avalon - short story by Elisabeth Waters
• 218 - Sparrow - novelette by Esther M. Friesner
• 251 - The Spell Between Worlds - novelette by Karen Haber
• 275 - The Stone Mother's Curse - novelette by Dave Wolverton
• 303 - Appreciation - essay by Paul Edwin Zimmer
• 305 - Iontioren's Tale - novelette by Paul Edwin Zimmer
• 328 - Winter Tales - novelette by Adrienne Martine-Barnes
• 349 - Dark Lady - short story by Jane Lindskold
• 369 - The Lily Maid of Astolat - novelette by Laura Resnick
• 392 - Appreciation - essay by Jennifer Roberson
• 395 - Guinevere's Truth - short story by Jennifer Roberson

Beneath the still surface of a lake lurks a monster with needle sharp teeth. Hungry and ready to pounce.

Jenny Greenteeth has never spoken to a human before, but when a witch is thrown into her lake, something makes Jenny decide she's worth saving. Temperance doesn't know why her village has suddenly turned against her, only that it has something to do with the malevolent new pastor.

Though they have nothing in common, these two must band together on a magical quest to defeat the evil that threatens Jenny's lake and Temperance's family, as well as the very soul of Britain.

Sometimes he swam on his back and then the stars would make pinholes in his eyes, sinking, sinking until they came to rest in the darkness of his brain, sleeping reflections to their brothers across the void of space. Then they were in his mind, and he could hear them. Green Music blends the gritty reality of Toronto's studio district with a medieval tropical paradise shaped by the union of sea turtles and humans. A struggling artist, overwhelmed by grief and the strange tales of a Great Lakes mariner, embarks on an epic journey into an unknown world.

In her debut novel, Ursula Pflug delivers a shimmering narrative, gliding effortlessly between humour and psychological insight, delving deep into the unexplored depths of magic realism and fantasy.

After an unusual public incident in which the frail, elderly King is revitalized, geckos are now considered to bring good luck. At the Ministry of Merit, Fon is secretly in charge of building the next Gecko Mortar for the royal family of King of Pailand's eightieth birthday. She is honored to be assigned this duty and works diligently to create and deliver this extraordinary machine.

Read the full story for free at Tor.com.

This guard smelled trouble and it could be counted on to come-for a nose for trouble was one of the many talents bred here! A classic novella about the future of law enforcement by Science Fiction Writers of America Grand Master Frederik Pohl.

This story originally appeared in Galaxy Science Fiction, February 1957. It can also be found in the collections The Case Against Tomorrow (1957) and Platinum Pohl: The Collected Best Stories (2005).

A visionary masterpiece filled with green children, quicksand portals, imaginary countries, revolutionary dictators, and subterranean worlds...

Olivero, the former dictator of a South American country, has returned to his native England after faking his own assassination. On a walk he sees, through a cottage window, a green-skinned young girl tied to a chair. He watches in horror as the kidnapper forces the girl to drink lamb's blood from a cup. Olivero rescues the child, and she leads him into unknown realms.

Conjured from the sea by the dark magic of the Green Magician to defend their village from invaders, Morlac is a being tormented by his own dual past, and under the spell of the wizard's wicked daughter. Can he save them all... and himself? His journey across exotic lands, armed with his magicked sword "Shark" and his shell shield, is an epic sword and sorcery adventure.

Tormented by conflicting memories, Morlac is at war against his own nature as much as the multitude of enemies he faces in his homeland and beyond. Searching for his own identity as well as for the sorcerer who abandoned him, Morlac encounters new friends, dangerous enemies, many exotic lands and supernatural terrors. Morlac is involved in a romantic triangle with the Green Magician's daughter, Kadrana, as beautiful as she is dangerous, and Glendauna, a young woman Morlac later meets who is a Durkesh Warrior with a dark secret of her own.

Life the second time around is short, strange and terrifying to the awakened. One "zombie", victim of a bizarre scientific obsession, breaks away, leaving a trail of muder and miracle as he flees the Project and the horror his "life" has become.

Hugo, Nebula and Sturgeon Award nominated novella. It originally appeared in Asimov's Science Fiction, August 2000. The story can also be found in the anthology The Year's Best Science Fiction: Eighteenth Annual Collection (2001), edited by Gardner Dozois. It is included in the collections The Jaguar Hunter (2001) and The Best of Lucius Shepard (2008).

It's not every day that the Devil knocks on your door From the critically-acclaimed author of Only Forward comes a delightful new tale about Hannah, a young girl living a mundane existence in California, who discovers that her grandfather has been friends with the Devil for the past 150 years... and now, they need her help.

About a hundred years from now, pollution, overpopulation, and ecological disasters have left the rich nations still rich, and the poor nations -- the Lands of the Lost -- slowly strangling in drought and pollution. New York City is below sea level, surrounded by a seawall. The climate in Paris is much like the twentieth-century climate of long-drowned New Orleans. And Siberia, Golden Siberia, is the crop-land of the world.

Still, for the international corporations and businesses who make a profit on technofixing the environment -- the Big Blue Machine -- it is business as usual: sell what you can where you can whenever you can. It is better to be rich. But it all may be coming to a terrible end: a scientist has predicted Condition Venus, the sudden greenhouse downfall of the entire planet--but she can't say when.

So now the attention of the world is focused for a week on a UN conference on the Environment in Paris, where all hell is about to break loose.

Nebula Award nominated novella. It originally appeared in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, October 1985. The story can also be found in the anthologies The Year's Best Science Fiction: Third Annual Collection (1986), edited by Gardner Dozois, Future on Fire (1991), edited by Orson Scott Card and The Ultimate Cyberpunk (2002) edited by Pat Cadigan. It is included in the collections Crystal Express (1989) and Ascendancies: The Best of Bruce Sterling (2007).

SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT, PEARL, and SIR ORFEO are masterpieces of a remote and exotic age--the age of chivalry and wizards, knights and holy quests. Yet it is only in the unique artistry and imagination of J.R.R. Tolken that the language, romance, and power of these great stories comes to life for modern readers, in this masterful and compelling new translation.

Novelette originally published in Subterranean Press Magazine. It can also be found in the collection The Bread We Eat in Dreams (2013) and the anthologies The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year: Volume Six (2012), edited by Jonathan Strahan, and Mythic Journeys (2019), edited by Paula Guran.

Read the full story for free at Subterranean.

Table of Contents:

• Foreword - (1979) - essay by Poul Anderson
• Introduction - (1979) - essay by John Shirley
• Green Magic - (1963) - short story
• The Miracle-Workers - (1958) - novella
• The Moon Moth - (1961) - novelette
• The Mitr - (1953) - short story
• The Men Return - (1957) - short story
• The Narrow Land - (1967) - novelette
• The Pilgrims - (1966) - novelette
• The Secret - (1966) - short story
• Liane the Wayfarer - (1950) - short story

When Jack Vance decided to become a writer, a "million words a year" man as he put it so pragmatically at the time, he also gave fantastic literature one of its most cherished and distinctive voices. Though primarily a novelist throughout his long and distinguished career, this Hugo, Nebula, Edgar and World Fantasy Award-winning Grand Master also produced many short and mid-length works.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction by Terry Dowling and Jonathan Strahan
• Assault on a City
• Rumfuddle
• The Augmented Agent
• Green Magic
• Ullward's Retreat
• Coup de Grace
• Chateau d'If
• The Potters of Firsk
• The World-Thinker
• Seven Exits from Bocz
• Wild Thyme and Violets

Sturgeon Award nominated novelette. It originally appeared in Asimov's Science Fiction, October-November 1999. The story can also be found in The Year's Best Science Fiction: Seventeenth Annual Collection (2000).

It's the summer of 1994 in suburban Chicago: Forrest Gump is still in theaters, teens are reeling from the recent death of Kurt Cobain, and you can enter a sweepstakes for a spaceship from Jupiter to land in your backyard. Welcome to Margaret Wappler's slightly altered 90s. Everything's pretty much the way you remember it, except for the aliens.

When a flying saucer lands in the Allens' backyard, family patriarch and environmental activist Ernest is up in arms. According to the company facilitating the visits, the spaceship is 100 percent non-toxic, but as Ernest's panic increases, so do his questions: What are the effects of longterm exposure to the saucer and why is it really here?

The family starts logging the spaceship's daily fits and starts but it doesn't get them any closer to figuring out the spaceship's comically erratic behavior. Ernest's wife Cynthia and their children, Alison and Gabe, are less concerned with the saucer, and more worried about their father's growing paranoia (not to mention their mundane, suburban existences). Set before the arrival of the internet, Neon Green will stun, unnerve, and charm readers with its loving depiction of a suburban family living on the cusp of the future.

In his striking debut collection, Greener Pastures, Michael Wehunt shows why he is a powerful new voice in horror and weird fiction.

From the round-robin, found-footage nightmare of "October Film Haunt: Under the House" to the jazz-soaked "The Devil Under the Maison Blue," selected for both The Year's Best Dark Fantasy & Horror and Year's Best Weird Fiction, these beautifully crafted, emotionally resonant stories speak of the unknown encroaching upon the familiar, the inscrutable power of grief and desire, and the thinness between all our layers. Where nature rubs against small towns, in mountains and woods and bedrooms, here is strangeness seen through a poet's eye.

They say there are always greener pastures. These stories consider the cost of that promise.

Table of Contents:

• "Of Insects, Angels, and People Too Tired to Go On" (introduction by Simon Strantzas)
• "Beside Me Singing in the Wilderness"
• "Onanon"
• "Greener Pastures"
• "A Discreet Music"
• "The Devil Under the Maison Blue"
• "October Film Haunt: Under the House" (original to the collection)
• "Deducted From Your Share in Paradise" (original to the collection)
• "The Inconsolable"
• "Dancers"
• "A Thousand Hundred Years" (original to the collection)
• "Bookends"
• Story Notes

Table of Contents:

• Preface - essay by Michael Swanwick
• Ten Bears - (2003) - short fiction
• Virtual Wisdom - (1992) - short fiction
• Hugh O'Neill's Goose - (2001) - short fiction
• Appraisal at Edgewood - (2001) - short fiction
• The Institute of Antarctic Archaeology & Protolinguistics - short fiction
• The Polynesian History of the Kerguélen Islands - (1994) - short fiction
• Another Green World - (2000) - short story
• Book Becoming Power - (2000) - short fiction
• From This Swamp - (1994) - short story

From Walter Jon Williams, author of Implied Spaces, Hardwired, and Voice of the Whirlwind, comes The Green Leopard Plague and Other Stories, a stunning collection of short fiction including the Nebula Award winning story The Green Leopard Plague, as well as Daddy's World, Lethe, The Last Ride of German Freddie, Millennium Party, The Tang Dynasty, Underwater Pyramid, Incarnation Day, Send Them Flowers, and Pinocchio.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction - essay by Charles Stross
• Daddy's World - (1999) - novelette
• Lethe - (1997) - novelette
• The Last Ride of German Freddie - (2002) - novella
• Millennium Party - (2002) - shortfiction
• The Green Leopard Plague - (2003) - novella
• The Tang Dynasty Underwater Pyramid - (2004) - novelette
• Incarnation Day - (2006) - novella
• Send Them Flowers - (2007) - novelette
• Pinocchio - (2008) - novella

At high noon on May 4th the sun went out. And at that moment the youthful Melvin Dane was thrust into the most amazing adventure ever encountered by a mortal man. For years he had dreamed of a beautiful green-skinned girl, and now that dream of love was to materialize into a threat that held the promise of death for every living being on Earth. To meet the challenge of a blacked-out world, Mel followed a scientific trail that led to dangers undreamed of: a horrific serpent-like creature; a red globe of atomic destruction, murderous zombies, silver globes of sudden death, and strange dragon plants. All of this awaits you in Jack Williamson's powerful novel, "The Green Girl," a true masterpiece from the golden age of science-fiction.

For seventy-five years the Greens and the Grays have lived quietly among us in the shadows of New York, alien refugees from a war of attrition that utterly destroyed the rest of their kind. Passing as everyday citizens, yet with powers and technologies unknown to humanity, each group has long believed that they are all that remain of their old world and their terrible conflict.

But now, to their mutual surprise, they have found each other, and the old hatreds and fears have once again risen to the surface.

And each side is preparing again for war.

On a cold October night, Roger and Caroline Whittier, a young couple struggling with their marriage, are accosted at gunpoint, and an unexpected burden is thrust upon them: Melantha Green, a twelve-year-old girl snatched from the hands of a peace coalition consisting of both Greens and Grays. The coalition had been preparing to cold-bloodedly sacrifice her in a last-ditch effort to prevent the impending battle... and it desperately wants her back.

As Roger and Caroline strive to protect Melantha and to understand the alien cultures they have suddenly been thrust into, they find aid in unlikely places. They're joined in their efforts by NYPD Detective Thomas Fierenzo, who's determined to prevent what he believes to be an impending gang war, and by Otto Velovsky, a former Ellis Island clerk who was present at the very beginning of the aliens' new life on earth.

Unlikely allies, unlikely heroes... and they have just one week to find a way to prevent New York City from becoming a battlefield the likes of which the world has never known..

CLASSIC SF ROMP BY AUTHOR OF RIVERWORLD! When Alan Green's starship crashes on a medieval planet overrun with feudal human societies, he is instantly captured and sold into slavery. Big, handsome, blond and strong, on a planet of short, dark people, Green soon finds himself installed as a gigolo to Duchess Zuni of Tropat, the local duke's voluptuous but bath-needing wife. Lazy, cautious to the point of timidity, he soon finds himself under the thumb of Amra, an Amazon of a wife, a slave like him, who combines beauty, and intelligence with five kids, one of them Green's. With himself as gigolo and Amra, as official lernan of the Duchess Zuni, Green is doing quite well in a precarious position when he hears that another ship from the sky has landed a few thousand miles away, and the two men on board mistaken for "demons" and scheduled for execution. Determined to save his fellow Earthmen from death, and himself from Amra, Green determines to cross the grass sea of Xurdimur and get himself to Estorya in time to stop the execution--and incidentally hitch a ride home to Earth. Thus begins Philip Jose Farmer's The Green Odyssey, which has rightly been called "rollicking science-fiction adventure" ... "uproarious" ... "swashbuckling" ... "sheer fun" ... "and by science fiction critic and by scholar, Sam Moskowitz: "filled with engaging humor." The adventure begins when Alan Green arranges passage on a "wind roller." a sailing vessel of the plains by dazzling the captain with a financial scheme that offers rich profits to overcome his reluctance to help a fugitive. Setting "sale" with the captain, Green thinks he's escaped from his dominating wife -- but he's wrong. Throw in pirates and floating islands and a black cat-goddess with a taste for beer, picked up after shipwreck on one of the wandering Islands of the Xurdimur, and you have the recipe for science-fantasy adventure as irresistible as Riverworld itself. The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction hails Green Odyssey as "A picaresque tale or an earthman escaping from captivity on an alien planet; the intricately colorful medieval culture of this planet, the high libido of its women, the mysteries Buried within the sands of the desert over which the hero must flee, and the admixture of rapture and disgust with which the hero treats this venue -- all go to make this novel a model for the flowering of planetary romance from the 1960s on."

Table of Contents:

• Introduction - (1985) Jen Green and Sarah LeFanu
• Big Operation on Altair Three - (1985) Josephine Saxton
• Spinning the Green - (1985) Margaret Elphinstone
• The Cliches from Outer Space - (1984) Joanna Russ
• The Intersection - (1985) Gwyneth Jones
• Long Shift - (1985) Beverley Ireland
• Love Alters - (1985) Tanith Lee
• Cyclops - (1985) Lannah Battley
• Instructions for Exiting This Building in Case of Fire - (1985) Pamela Zoline
• A Sun in the Attic - (1985) Mary Gentle
• Atlantis 2045: no love between planets - (1985) Frances Gapper
• From a Sinking Ship - (1985) Lisa Tuttle
• The Awakening - (1985) Pearlie McNeill
• Words - (1985) Naomi Mitchison
• Relics - (1985) Zoe Fairbairns
• Mab - (1985) Penny Casdagli
• Morality Meat - (1985) novelette by James Tiptree, Jr. [as by Raccoona Sheldon ]
• Apples in Winter - (1985) Sue Thomason

Marooned on a strange world, forcibly separated from the woman he loves, and attacked by hostile aliens, Leo's plight seems hopeless. But desperate situations call for desperate measures. When Leo befriends one of his alien pursuers an unlikely alliance grows between the tough passionate Earthman and the coldly logical, sexless Shemsi.

Only with this alien's assistance, Leo realises, can he be reunited with Misty and discover the strange secrets of Birth Mountain and of the powerful queens who rule there.

Sophie Farthing, an orphan who grew up on a space station, emerges from her repressed upbringing to embark on a perilous journey from Earth to the Moon and across Mars searching for the origin of her birth.

In an overpopulated world seeking living room in the jungles, the International Ecological Organization was systematically exterminating the voracious insects which made these areas uninhabitable. Using deadly foamal bombs and newly developed vibration weapons, men like Joao Martinho and his co-workers fought to clear the green hell of the Mato Grosso.

But somehow those areas which had been completely cleared were becoming reinfested, despite the impenetrable vibration barriers. And tales came out of the jungles... of insects mutated to incredible sizes... of creatures who seemed to be men, but whose eyes gleamed with the chitinous sheen of insects....

A fascinating examination of the fragile balance between consciousness, man and insect from one of the best-loved science fiction creators of all time

Star Quest

In a universe that had been ravaged by a thousand years of interplanetary warfare between the star-shattering Romaghins and the equally voracious Setessins, there seemed now but one thing that might bring the destruction to an end. That would be the right catalyst in the hands of the right people. The right catalyst could well be the individualist rebel, Tohm... he who had once been a simple peasant and who had been forcibly changed into a fearfully armored instrument of mechanical warfare--the man-tank Jumbo Ten. But the right people? Could they possibly be the hated driftwood of biological warfare--those monsters of a cosmic no-man's land--the Muties?

Doom of the Green Planet

Save a life and it is your responsibility. Save a world and it is yours to protect forever. Such was the geasa of Diarmid Patrick O'Dowd, ex-starman. He had himself called down destruction on the Green Planet by destroying its creator and undermining its guiding Song. Now he must shield it from the aspirations of the next star-wanderer to set down on its lush fairy-tale landscape. For without its special "god" it would mean the end of that wonder world of swordsmen and sorcerers... and Diarmid himself had now to play that omnipotent role - even though he was but a marooned pilot and his opponent was the massed power of an organized stellar federation.

Hugo and Nebula award-winning Fritz Leiber is a science-fiction grand master with an unparalleled ability to discern the stranger side of the universe. THE GREEN MILLENNIUM is set in a futuristic human society based on our own. The regimented, regulated and bureaucratized life style led by the misanthropic Phil Gish leaves him feeling vaguely dissatisfied and emotionally cut off from other people. He is surprised when a pure green cat appears in his room, a cat who makes him feel happier and more alive than he has ever felt. Phil decides to call the cat Lucky, hoping his life will take a turn for the better. If you consider different as change for the better, then Gish really has got something in Lucky--something that everyone else wants--including the Mob, the FBI, some nude aliens, and a gorgeous mystery woman. When Lucky seems to vanish into thin air, Phil will do anything to get him back, even if it means challenging the very powers that rule his world.

Table of Contents:

• The Green Millennium - (1953) - novel
• The Black Gondolier - (1964) - novelette
• Midnight in the Mirror World - (1964) - shortstory
• I'm Looking for Jeff - (1952) - shortfiction
• The Casket-Demon - (1963) - shortstory

The Green Queen

His atomic puppet was out of control!

Bonnar had created the Green Queen thoughtlessly--all part of a day's work. But when his brain-child became a full-grown Frankenstein, a monster embodied in the girl he loved, Bonnar was terrified. For now she threatened to shatter the whole carefully balanced social structure of Viridis--as well to undermine the radioactive world's atomic shield!

Only Bonnar could end the holocaust and turn the all-too-grim reality back to the illusion he had originally intended. But to do that he had to destroy the girl he loved--or be destroyed by her.

Original title: Mistress of Viridis (Universe Science Fiction, March 1955)

Three Thousand Years

They slept for thirty centuries.

Originally serialized in the magazine Astounding in 1938.

Five Against Arlane

Brain control and loss of psychological freedom await the opponents of Arlane's ruler.

Lord of the Green Planet

Diarmid O'Dowd, space explorer, was suddently an Off-worlder in an Old World legend. Since he had crashed his ship through the green barrier to this uncharted world, he found himself due to take a place in the Deel's song of ancient Ireland, living again on New Tara.

In this intriguing tale of the clash of two worlds and cultures, Miquita, one of the forty-two daughters of Commander Hritrar, is sent to the Ruburuii after their defeat at her father's hands. Hampered by diplomatic etiquette and a thoroughly alien culture, Miquita struggles to understand the destruction her father has leveled against the cities and orchards that depend on a failing artificial intelligence. Can she help repair the terrible damage her father's forces have inflicted? Perhaps more importantly: should she?

After the Three Days disaster stripped the earth with fire, the people who were left formed groups to survive. There were the Travellers, who traded in small goods and stores. There were the medieval role players still carrying on such traditions in a place called Thorngard. There were the damaged tree men and the lost children. There was the Tribe, a loose gathering of nomads. And the city held the Breakers, the Children of the Broken Wheel, who destroyed every machine more complex than an egg timer, because the machines had brought catastrophe to the world. Out along the road, Sarah, a Child of the Breaker, encounters the Travellers in an attempt to save the world from a last final obliteration.

Fourteen year old telepath, Alain, learns that he must stop the Great Beast from destroying Whaleroad and thus gaining unimaginable powers of destruction.

When Tehan is rescued from the sewers by Gwyn and the Travellers, he finds himself part of the New Revelation led by the courageous Prophet Sarah. As one of the city's few empaths, Tehan is recruited by the Prophet to help find the child of the Voice. Suddenly Tehan finds himself running in a race against time. Can he save the city from a force that threatens to destroy everything the Children of the Broken Wheel have fought so desperately to call their own?

When Sasha investigates the takeover of the town's university by shaven-headed, rebel students, he discovers that the real power lies in the Management - a faceless group with immense power and its own army of guards. Sasha longs to bring down the Management and restore order to the university, but first he must gain the trust and support of the dangerous Xanthippe of Gan Edan and the Mother Abbess of the Convent of St Mary McKillop. And then he must discover the identity of the spy who is leaking everyone's secrets...

Contents:

• 9 - Introduction (Love 3000) - essay by Martin H. Greenberg and Charles G. Waugh
• 13 - Child by Chronos - (1953) - short story by Charles L. Harness
• 33 - A Message from Charity - (1967) - short story by William M. Lee
• 57 - When You Hear the Tone - (1971) - short story by Thomas N. Scortia
• 75 - Share Alike - (1957) - short story by Daniel F. Galouye
• 93 - The Littlest People - (1954) - short story by Raymond E. Banks
• 111 - Ring Around the Redhead - (1948) - short story by John D. MacDonald
• 139 - Human Man's Burden - (1956) - short story by Robert Sheckley
• 157 - Home the Hard Way - (1967) - novelette by Richard McKenna
• 188 - Tin Soldier - (1974) - novella by Joan D. Vinge

Contents:

• 1 - Down Among the Dead Men - (1954) - novelette by William Tenn
• 28 - A Loaf of Bread, a Jug of Wine - (1993) - novelette by Brian Hodge
• 54 - The Monster - (1986) - short story by Joe Haldeman
• 65 - The Eater of Filth - short story by Gary A. Braunbeck
• 79 - Correspondence - short story by Mark Garland and Lawrence Schimel
• 86 - War, the Last - short story by Billie Sue Mosiman
• 95 - In the Matter of the Ukdena - short story by Bruce Holland Rogers
• 113 - A Zombie Named Fred - short story by Jake Foster
• 131 - Surface Tension - short story by Peter Crowther
• 146 - The Monster Parade - short story by Ed Gorman
• 162 - Grabow and Collicker and I - (1992) - short story by Algis Budrys
• 168 - Behind Enemy Lines - (1991) - short story by Dan Perez
• 182 - Operation Chaos - [Operation Chaos] - novelette by Poul Anderson (variant of Operation Afreet 1956)

Hailed by critics at the time of its publication as a quantum leap forward in both quality and concept for science fiction anthologies, Martin Greenberg's thematically edited Men Against the Stars is a collection of twelve lengthy stories whose authors read like a Who's Who of Golden Age sci-fi, including Isaac Asimov, Murray Leinster, A.E. Van Vogt, L. Ron Hubbard, and E.M. Hull. Greenberg's collection was a thoroughly contemplated and planned project, a selection of the finest available stories on theme, ranging back as far as 1939.

Table of Contents:

• 3 - Foreword (Men Against the Stars) - (1950) - essay by Martin Greenberg
• 5 - Introduction (Men Against the Stars) - (1950) - essay by Willy Ley
• 13 - Trends - (1939) - short story by Isaac Asimov
• 35 - Men Against the Stars - (1938) - novelette by Manly Wade Wellman
• 59 - The Red Death of Mars - (1940) - novelette by Robert Moore Williams
• 92 - Locked Out - (1940) - short story by H. B. Fyfe
• 108 - The Iron Standard - (1943) - novelette by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore [as by Lewis Padgett]
• 141 - Schedule - (1945) - short story by Harry Walton
• 159 - Far Centaurus - (1944) - short story by A. E. van Vogt
• 183 - Cold Front - (1946) - novelette by Hal Clement
• 235 - The Plants - (1946) - short story by Murray Leinster
• 253 - Competition - [Artur Blord] - (1943) - novelette by E. Mayne Hull
• 281 - Bridle and Saddle - [Foundation (Original Stories) - 2] - (1942) - novelette by Isaac Asimov
• 335 - When Shadows Fall - (1948) - short story by L. Ron Hubbard

Travelers of Space is a 1951 anthology of science fiction short stories edited by Martin Greenberg. The stories originally appeared in the magazines Planet Stories, Astounding SF, Thrilling Wonder Stories and Startling Stories.

Table of Contents:

• 3 - Foreword (Travelers of Space) - essay by Martin Greenberg
• 5 - Introduction: Other Life Than Ours - essay by Willy Ley
• 15 - Preface (A Dictionary of Science Fiction) - essay by Samuel A. Peeples [as by Samuel Anthony Peeples]
• 18 - A Dictionary of Science Fiction - essay by Martin Greenberg and David A. Kyle and Samuel A. Peeples
• 31 - The Interstellar Zoo - short story by David A. Kyle [as by David Kyle]
• 33 - Life on Other Worlds - interior artwork by Edd Cartier
• 53 - The Rocketeers Have Shaggy Ears - (1950) - novella by Keith Bennett
• 93 - Christmas Tree - (1949) - short story by John Christopher [as by Christopher Youd]
• 102 - The Forgiveness of Tenchu Taen - (1938) - short story by Frederic Arnold Kummer, Jr. [as by Frederick Arnold Kummer, Jr.]
• 114 - Episode on Dhee Minor - (1939) - short story by Harry Walton
• 135 - The Shape of Things - (1948) - short story by Ray Bradbury (variant of Tomorrow's Child)
• 151 - Columbus Was a Dope - short story by Robert A. Heinlein [as by Lyle Monroe]
• 156 - Attitude - (1943) - novella by Hal Clement
• 215 - The Ionian Cycle - (1948) - novelette by William Tenn
• 241 - Trouble on Tantalus - (1941) - novelette by P. Schuyler Miller
• 265 - Placet Is a Crazy Place - (1946) - short story by Fredric Brown
• 280 - Action on Azura - (1949) - novelette by Robertson Osborne
• 317 - The Rull - [Rull] - (1948) - novelette by A. E. van Vogt
• 348 - The Double-Dyed Villains - [Wing Alak] - (1949) - novelette by Poul Anderson
• 377 - Bureau of Slick Tricks - [Bureau of Slick Tricks - 1] - (1948) - short story by H. B. Fyfe

Journey to Infinity is a 1951 anthology of science fiction short stories edited by Martin Greenberg. The stories originally appeared in the magazines Astounding SF, Amazing Stories and Future Science Fiction.

Table of Contents:

• 7 - Introduction (Journey to Infinity) - (1951) - essay by Fletcher Pratt
• 15 - False Dawn - (1946) - novelette by A. Bertram Chandler
• 49 - Atlantis - [Lensman] - (1948) - short story by Edward E. Smith
• 63 - Letter to a Phoenix - (1949) - short story by Fredric Brown
• 71 - Unite and Conquer - (1948) - novelette by Theodore Sturgeon
• 110 - Breakdown - (1942) - novelette by Jack Williamson
• 145 - Dance of a New World - (1948) - short story by John D. MacDonald
• 159 - Mother Earth - [Elijah Baley / R. Daneel Olivaw] - (1949) - novelette by Isaac Asimov
• 196 - There Shall Be Darkness - (1942) - novelette by C. L. Moore
• 248 - Taboo - (1944) - short story by Fritz Leiber
• 259 - Overthrow - (1942) - novella by Cleve Cartmill
• 312 - Barrier of Dread - (1950) - short story by Judith Merril
• 324 - Metamorphosite - (1946) - novella by Eric Frank Russell

The Robot and the Man is a 1953 anthology of science fiction short stories regarding robots edited by Martin Greenberg. The stories originally appeared in the magazines Astounding SF and Galaxy Science Fiction.

Table of Contents:

• v - Foreword (The Robot and the Man) - (1953) - essay by Martin Greenberg
• 13 - Mechanical Answer - short story by John D. MacDonald (variant of The Mechanical Answer 1948)
• 35 - Self Portrait - (1951) - novelette by Bernard Wolfe
• 67 - Deadlock - (1942) - short story by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore [as by Lewis Padgett]
• 87 - Robinc - [Quinby's Usuform Robots] - (1943) - short story by Anthony Boucher [as by H. H. Holmes]
• 111 - Burning Bright - (1948) - novelette by Robert Moore Williams [as by John S. Browning]
• 139 - Final Command - (1949) - short story by A. E. van Vogt
• 169 - Though Dreamers Die - (1944) - novelette by Lester del Rey
• 195 - Rust - (1939) - short story by Joseph E. Kelleam
• 209 - Robot's Return - (1938) - short story by Robert Moore Williams (variant of Robots Return)
• 225 - Into Thy Hands - (1945) - short story by Lester del Rey

All About the Future is a 1953 anthology of science fiction short stories selected by American editor Martin Greenberg. The stories originally appeared in the magazines Astounding SF, Galaxy Science Fiction and the Boston University Graduate Journal.

Table of Contents:

• 7 - Foreword (All About the Future) - essay by Martin Greenberg
• 13 - Where To? - (1952) - essay by Robert A. Heinlein
• 24 - Let's Not - (1954) - short story by Isaac Asimov
• 27 - The Midas Plague - (1954) - novella by Frederik Pohl
• 81 - Un-Man - [Psychotechnic League] - (1953) - novella by Poul Anderson
• 161 - Granny Won't Knit - (1954) - novella by Theodore Sturgeon
• 215 - Natural State - (1954) - novella by Damon Knight
• 279 - Hobo God - (1944) - short story by Malcolm Jameson
• 295 - Blood Bank - (1952) - novella by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
• 343 - Origins of Galactic Etiquette - [Origins of Galactic ...] - (1953) - short story by Edward Wellen
• 352 - Origins of Galactic Law - [Origins of Galactic ...] - (1953) - short story by Edward Wellen
• 359 - Origins of Galactic Slang - [Origins of Galactic ...] - (1952) - short story by Edward Wellen
• 365 - Origins of Galactic Medicine - [Origins of Galactic ...] - (1953) - short story by Edward Wellen

Coming Attractions is a 1957 anthology of science fiction essays edited by Martin Greenberg. Many of the articles originally appeared in the magazines Thrilling Wonder Stories, Astounding, Science Fiction Stories and Fantasy and Science Fiction.

Table of Contents:

• 7 - Preface (Coming Attractions) - (1957) - essay by Martin Greenberg
• 12 - Introduction (Coming Attractions) - (1957) - essay by Dwight Wayne Batteau [as by Dwight W. Batteau]
• 18 - A Letter to the Martians - (1940) - essay by Willy Ley (variant of Calling All Martians!)
• 38 - How to Learn Martian - (1955) - essay by Charles F. Hockett
• 52 - Language for Time Travelers - (1938) - essay by L. Sprague de Camp
• 70 - Geography for Time Travelers - (1939) - essay by Willy Ley
• 104 - Time Travel and the Law - (1957) - essay by C. M. Kornbluth
• 110 - Space Fix - (1957) - essay by R. S. Richardson
• 158 - Space War - (1939) - essay by Willy Ley
• 186 - Space War Tactics - (1939) - essay by Malcolm Jameson
• 206 - Fuel for the Future - (1940) - essay by Jack Hatcher
• 232 - How to Count on Your Fingers - (1956) - essay by Frederik Pohl
• 250 - Interplanetary Copyright - (1953) - essay by Donald F. Reines (variant of The Shape of Copyright to Come 1952)

Table of Contents:

• Introduction - (1987) - essay by Jack Williamson
• The Metal Man - (1928) - short story by Jack Williamson
• The Jameson Satellite - (1931) - novelette by Neil R. Jones
• The Man Who Saw the Future - (1930) - short story by Edmond Hamilton
• The Machine Man of Ardathia - (1927) - short story by Francis Flagg
• The Tissue-Culture King - (1926) - novelette by Julian Huxley
• The Voice from the Ether - (1931) - novelette by Lloyd Arthur Eshbach
• The Coming of the Ice - (1926) - short story by G. Peyton Wertenbaker
• The Miracle of the Lily - (1928) - novelette by Clare Winger Harris
• The Man with the Strange Head - (1927) - short story by Miles J. Breuer, M.D.
• Omega - (1932) - short story by Amelia Reynolds Long
• The Plutonian Drug - (1934) - short story by Clark Ashton Smith
• The Last Evolution - (1932) - short story by John W. Campbell, Jr.
• The Colour Out of Space - (1927) - novelette by H. P. Lovecraft
• The Authors - (1987) - essay by Martin H. Greenberg

Table of Contents:

• Introduction - (1987) - essay by Isaac Asimov
• Robot AL-76 Goes Astray - (1942) - short story by Isaac Asimov
• Devolution - (1936) - short story by Edmond Hamilton
• The Four-Sided Triangle - (1939) - novelette by William F. Temple
• The Voyage That Lasted 600 Years - (1940) - novelette by Don Wilcox
• Adam Link's Vengeance - (1940) - novelette by Otto Binder
• The Living Mist - (1940) - novelette by Ralph Milne Farley
• Phoney Meteor - (1941) - novelette by John Wyndham
• The Council of Drones - (1936) - novella by William K. Sonnemann
• Shifting Seas - (1937) - novelette by Stanley G. Weinbaum
• I, Rocket - (1944) - short story by Ray Bradbury
• The Authors - (1987) - essay by Martin H. Greenberg

Tabled of Contents:

• Introduction - (1987) - essay by Robert Bloch
• You Could Be Wrong - (1955) - short story by Robert Bloch
• Breakfast at Twilight - (1954) - short story by Philip K. Dick
• Operation RSVP - (1951) - short story by H. Beam Piper
• Satisfaction Guaranteed - (1951) - short story by Isaac Asimov
• Restricted Area - (1953) - short story by Robert Sheckley
• Peacebringer - (1950) - novelette by Ward Moore
• The Little Creeps - (1951) - novelette by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
• The Draw - (1954) - short story by Jerome Bixby
• A Way of Thinking - (1953) - novelette by Theodore Sturgeon
• Skirmish - (1950) - short story by Clifford D. Simak
• They Fly So High - (1952) - short story by Ross Rocklynne
• Chrysalis - (1946) - short story by Ray Bradbury
• The Authors - (1987) - essay by uncredited

Contents:

• 5 - The Moon Is Green - (1952) - shortstory
• 25 - What's He Doing in There? - (1957) - shortstory
• 33 - The Improper Authorities - (1959) - shortstory
• 48 - Bazaar of the Bizarre - [Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser] - (1963) - novelette
• 79 - The Goggles of Dr. Dragonet - [Dr. Dragonet] - (1961) - shortstory
• 104 - Deadly Moon - (1960) - novelette
• 138 - Bread Overhead - (1958) - shortstory
• 156 - Nice Girl with 5 Husbands - (1951) - shortstory (variant of Nice Girl with Five Husbands)
• 172 - Appointment in Tomorrow - (1951) - novelette
• 206 - The Big Engine - (1962) - shortstory
• 212 - The Creature from Cleveland Depths - (1962) - novelette
• 264 - The Mind Spider - [Change War] - (1959) - shortstory
• 283 - Kreativity for Kats - [Gummitch the Cat] - (1961) - shortstory
• 294 - Martians Keep Out - (2012) - shortfiction (variant of Martians, Keep Out! 1950)

Toby Greene has been reassigned.

The Department: Section 37 Station Office, Wood Green.

The Boss: August Shining, an ex-Cambridge, Cold War-era spy.

The Mission: Charged with protecting Great Britain and its interests from paranormal terrorism.

The Threat: An old enemy has returned, and with him Operation Black Earth, a Soviet plan to create the ultimate insurgents by re-animating the dead.

A number of influential South Korean nationals are committing suicide on UK soil. In all cases they seem to simply drop whatever they're doing and swiftly -- almost vacantly -- end their own lives. An electronics importer falls from the top floor of his high-rise office, the ambassador to the UK shoots his chauffeur and drives his own car off London Bridge, an actor sets fire to himself during a movie premiere...

August and Toby investigate and slowly uncover the ancient force of the Rain-Soaked Bride, a ghostly spirit of vengeance that drags her enemies to their deaths.

Once summoned the spirit cannot be dismissed until it takes the life it is charged with, it will be unstoppable in its pursuit of the mortal it has in its sights. Unfortunately, after getting too close to the source of the spirit, that mortal is now Toby Greene.

Toby Greene, a Clown Service agent, is running for his life. Pursued around the globe by the relentless Rain-Soaked Bride, to stop is to die. But section Chief August Shining has problems of his own. Under investigation by MI6 and at the mercy of a mysterious entity, he's on his own.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction: Larger Than Life - (1984) - essay by Isaac Asimov
• The Gate of the Flying Knives - (1979) - novella by Poul Anderson
• Unicorn Tapestry - (1980) - novella by Suzy McKee Charnas
• Sleep Well of Nights - (1978) - novella by Avram Davidson
• Black Heart and White Heart - (1896) - novella by H. Rider Haggard
• Red Nails - (1936) - novella by Robert E. Howard
• Storm in a Bottle - (1977) - novella by John Jakes
• Ill Met in Lankhmar - (1970) - novella by Fritz Leiber
• The Lands Beyond the World - (1977) - novella by Michael Moorcock
• A Man and His God - (1981) - novella by Janet Morris
• Spider Silk - (1976) - novelette by Andre Norton
• Where is the Bird of Fire? - (1962) - novella by Thomas Burnett Swann
• Guyal of Sfere - (1950) - novella by Jack Vance
• Tower of Ice - (1981) - novella by Roger Zelazny

Table of Contents:

• Introduction - (1987) - essay by Charles G. Waugh
• Jerusalem's Lot - (1978) - novelette by Stephen King
• The Parasite - (1894) - novella by Arthur Conan Doyle
• Fearful Rock - (1939) - novella by Manly Wade Wellman
• Sardonicus - (1961) - novelette by Ray Russell
• Nightflyers - (1980) - novella by George R. R. Martin
• Horrible Imaginings - (1982) - novella by Fritz Leiber
• Jane Brown's Body - (1938) - novella by Cornell Woolrich
• Killdozer! - (1944) - novella by Theodore Sturgeon
• The Shadow Out of Time - (1936) - novella by H. P. Lovecraft
• The Stains - (1980) - novella by Robert Aickman
• The Horror from the Hills - (1931) - novella by Frank Belknap Long
• Children of the Kingdom - (1980) - novella by T. E. D. Klein
• Frost and Fire - (1946) - novella by Ray Bradbury

Table of Contents:

• Introduction: Novellas - essay by Isaac Asimov
• Profession - (1957) - novella by Isaac Asimov
• Who Goes There? - (1938) - novella by John W. Campbell, Jr.
• For I Am a Jealous People! - (1954) - novella by Lester del Rey
• The Mortal and the Monster - (1976) - novella by Gordon R. Dickson
• Time Safari - (1981) - novella by David Drake
• In the Western Tradition - (1981) - novella by Phyllis Eisenstein
• The Alley Man - (1959) - novella by Philip José Farmer
• The Sellers of the Dream - (1963) - short fiction by John Jakes
• The Moon Goddess and the Son - (1979) - novella by Donald Kingsbury
• Enemy Mine - (1979) - novella by Barry B. Longyear
• Flash Crowd - (1973) - novella by Larry Niven
• In the Problem Pit - (1973) - novella by Frederik Pohl
• The Desert of Stolen Dreams - (1981) - novella by Robert Silverberg

His voice was rich, a much loved baritone, as he handed his seven-year-old grandson a gun.

"It's time we had a talk, you and I. You won't remember it, but you need to know it, and one day, when it's time, I'll call it up in you. You'll know who you are, and what you're intended to do. You'll be a soldier, boy. Sealed to it. Life and limb, blood and bone. Not a soldier like others are, for it's not the kind of war most people fight on earth. But because we're not 'most people,' you and I, it will be far more important. The fate of the world will hinge upon it."

Now no longer that wide-eyed child, Gabe is fresh out of prison, a leather-clad biker answering Grandaddy's peremptory summons to, of all places, a cowboy bar in Northern Arizona. He is about to find out just how different he is from "most people"--and to meet the stranger with whom he will be sealed: life and limb, blood and bone, conscripted to fight an unholy war unlike any other.

For the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.

When he does.

And Gabe, thrown into the unlikely company of a country-music-loving rodeo cowboy from West Texas, an ancient Celtic goddess of war, an African Orisha who sings volcanoes awake, a Chinese goddess of mercy, Nephilim, and Grigori, finds himself fighting a battle he was bred for, but wants no part of.

It's the End of Days, and Gabe and Remi--an ex-con biker and a Texas cowboy--have been conscripted to join the heavenly host in a battle against Lucifer's spec ops troops: demons who inhabit characters from fiction, history, myths, legends, and folklore.

But Gabe and Remi, still learning their roles, now must deal with one particular demon wearing the body of an infamous murderer: Jack the Ripper. Young women bearing the names of the murder victims killed during the Ripper's time are turning up dead, setting Gabe and Remi on a perilous path to save whoever they can, while also battling members of Lucifer's vanguard bent on killing them.

Two of the biggest names in the fantasy field have put together a unique collection of fantastical cat tales for friends of furry felines. Cats work a special magic in these stories from the future, from the past, and from dimensions people never dream of.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction: Speaking of Cats - A Very Weighty Subject - essay by Andre Norton
• The Gate of the Kittens - novelette by Wilanne Schneider Belden
• The Damcat - novelette by Clare Bell
• Borrowing Trouble - novelette by Elizabeth H. Boyer
• Day of Discovery - shortstory by Blake Cahoon
• Wart - shortstory by Jayge Carr
• Yellow Eyes - novelette by Marylois Dunn
• It Must Be Some Place - novelette by Donna Farley
• The Dreaming Kind - novelette by C. S. Friedman
• Trouble - novelette by P. M. Griffin
• SKitty - shortstory by Mercedes Lackey
• The Game of Cat and Rabbit - shortstory by Patricia Shaw Mathews
• From the Diary of Hermione - shortstory by Ardath Mayhar
• It's a Bird, It's a Plane, Its... Supercat! - shortstory by Ann Miller and Karen Elizabeth Rigley
• Noble Warrior - novelette by Andre Norton
• Bastet's Blessing - shortstory by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough

Pad along this paw print covered pathway to such fur-raising adventures as those of a noble Siamese out to defend its young mistress from evil, a bioengineered tabby who proves a diplomat beyond all human expectations, a wizard's hazardous encounter with his own familiar's kittens, and other imaginative escapades certain to capture the hearts of fantasy and cat lovers alike.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction - essay by Andre Norton and Martin H. Greenberg
• Bomber and the Bismarck - (1991) - novelette by Clare Bell
• A Puma and a Panther - (1991) - shortstory by Wilanne Schneider Belden
• The Last Gift - (1991) - novelette by Elizabeth H. Boyer
• Papercut Luck - (1991) - shortstory by Patricia B. Cirone
• Shado - (1991) - shortstory by Marylois Dunn
• In Bastet's Service - (1991) - shortfiction by P. M. Griffin
• Shadows - (1991) - shortfiction by Caralyn Inks
• The Execution - (1991) - shortstory by A. R. Major
• Hermione at Moon House - (1991) - shortstory by Ardath Mayhar
• Quest of Souls - (1991) - shortfiction by Karen Elizabeth Rigley and Ann Miller
• Ede's Earrings - (1991) - shortfiction by Sasha Miller
• Clara's Cat - (1991) - shortfiction by Elizabeth Moon
• Hob's Pot - (1991) - shortfiction by Andre Norton
• The Queen's Cat's Tale - (1991) - shortfiction by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough
• The Keep-Shape Spell - (1991) - shortfiction by Mary H. Schaub
• Of Age and Wisdom - (1991) - shortstory by Roger C. Schlobin
• Critical Cats - novelette by Susan Shwartz
• In Carnation - shortstory by Nancy Springer

Here are all-new tales about those magical, mysterious dominators of humankind: the cats! Return to the cats' hunting ground with this third collection of stories. Twenty fur-flying fantasies are sure to capture the hearts of cat lovers everywhere.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction (1994) - essay by Andre Norton
• A Woman of Her Word - (1994) - shortstory by Lee Barwood
• A Tangled Tahitian Tail - (1994) - novelette by Clare Bell
• Saxophone Joe and the Woman in Black - (1994) - shortstory by Charles de Lint
• Teddy Cat - (1994) - shortstory by Marylois Dunn
• Cat o' Nine Tales - (1994) - shortstory by Charles L. Fontenay
• Partners - (1994) - shortstory by P. M. Griffin
• ...But a Glove - (1994) - shortstory by John E. Johnston, III
• Fear In Her Pocket - (1994) - shortstory by Caralyn Inks
• A Tail of Two Skittys - (1994) - shortstory by Mercedes Lackey
• Hermione as Spy - shortstory by Ardath Mayhar
• Moon Scent - (1994) - shortstory by Lyn McConchie
• Cat's World - (1994) - shortstory by Cynthia McQuillin
• Snake Eyes - (1994) - shortstory by Ann Miller and Karen Elizabeth Rigley
• One Too Many Cats - (1994) - shortstory by Sasha Miller
• Noble Warrior Meets With a Ghost - (1994) - shortstory by Andre Norton
• Connecticat - (1994) - shortstory by Elisabeth Waters and Raul S. Reyes
• The Cat-Quest of Mu Mao the Magnificent - (1994) - shortstory by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough
• The Cat, the Wizards, and the Bedpost - (1994) - novelette by Mary H. Schaub
• To Skein a Cat - (1994) - shortstory by Lawrence Schimel
• Asking Mr. Bigelow - (1994) - shortstory by Susan Shwartz

This latest volume of 17 new cat stories offers both familiar characters returning for further adventures as well as new furry friends to capture your heart. Meet wizards' four-footed helpers, who are often brighter than their so-called masters, a real cool cat who's the ultimate jazz connoisseur, and other terrific tabbies sure to make you purr with delight.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction - essay by Andre Norton
• The Last Answer - (1996) - shortfiction by Wilanne Schneider Belden
• The Quincunx Solution - (1996) - shortfiction by Anne Braude
• Circus - (1996) - shortfiction by Jayge Carr
• Tybalt's Tale - (1996) - shortstory by India Edghill
• The Tale of the Virtual Cat - (1996) - shortfiction by Heather Gladney and Don Clayton and Alan Rice Osborn
• Arrows - (1996) - shortfiction by Jane Hamilton
• Miss Hettie and Harlan - (1996) - shortfiction by Charles L. Fontenay
• The Neighbor - (1996) - shortfiction by P. M. Griffin
• Tinkerbell - (1996) - shortfiction by Sharman Horwood
• SCat - (1996) - shortstory by Mercedes Lackey
• Professor Purr's Guaranteed Allergy Cure - (1996) - shortfiction by Brad Linaweaver and Dana Fredsti
• Noh Cat Afternoon - (1996) - shortfiction by Jane Lindskold
• Totem Cat - (1996) - shortfiction by A. R. Major
• Deathsong - (1996) - shortfiction by Lyn McConchie
• Noble Warrior, Teller of Fortunes - (1996) - shortfiction by Andre Norton
• Born Again - (1996) - shortfiction by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough
• The Cat, the Sorcerer, and the Magic Mirror - (1996) - shortfiction by Mary H. Schaub
• One With Jazz - (1996) - shortfiction by Janet Pack

In these all-original stories, you'll meet the cats of the past, cats of the stars-wide future, cats who take power into their own paws, and cats who can face down Death itself. These are 24 tales certain to capture the hearts and imaginations of feline-lovers everywhere.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction - essay by Andre Norton
• The Golden Cats - shortstory by Robin Wayne Bailey
• Grow Old Along with Me - shortstory by Lee Barwood
• Puss - novelette by Jayge Carr
• Goliath - shortstory by Russell Davis
• Dragon, The Book - shortstory by David Drake
• The Courtesan Who Loved Cats - shortstory by India Edghill
• The Maltese Feline - shortstory by Rosemary Edghill
• A Cat's Tale - shortstory by Paul Goode
• Tenth-Life Cat - shortstory by P. M. Griffin
• Kindred Hearts - shortstory by Caralyn Inks
• A Better Mousetrap - shortstory by Mercedes Lackey
• The Big Ice - shortstory by Sharon Lee
• Preliminary Report - shortstory by Barry B. Longyear
• Lullaby - shortstory by Lyn McConchie
• The Very Early Hermione - shortstory by Ardath Mayhar
• Miss Lotte - shortstory by Sandra Miesel
• Kitten Claws - shortstory by Sasha Miller
• Noble Warrior and the "Gentleman" - shortstory by Andre Norton
• The Cat, The Sorceress, The Buttons, and Why - shortstory by Mary H. Schaub
• Hobson's Choice - shortstory by Susan Shwartz
• Rosemary for Remembrance - shortstory by Estelle Traylor
• Patches' Pride - shortstory by Laura J. Underwood
• Trixie - shortstory by Lawrence Watt-Evans
• Pick, Cry, and Grin (Ag'in) - shortstory by Rose Wolf

They were the Cheysuli, a race of magical warriors cited with the ability to assume animal shape at will. For centuries they had been allies to the King ofHomanc, treasured champions of the realm. Until a kings daughter ran away with a Cheysuli liege man and caused a war of annihilation against the Cheysuli race.

Twenty-five years later the Chesuli were hunted exiles in their own land, feared for their sorcery, their shapechanging.

This is the story of Alix, the daughter of that ill-fated union between Homanan princess and Cheysuli warrior, and her struggle to master the call of magic in her blood, and accept her place in an ancient prophecy she cannot deny.

For five long years the land of Homana had been strangling in the grasp of a usurper king--its people ravaged by strife, poverty and despair; its magical race, the Cheysuli, forced to flee or face extermination at the hands of their evil counterparts, the sorcerous llhini.

The time had come for Prince Carillon, Homana's rightful ruler, to return from exile with his Cheysuli shapechanger liege man, free his land from the evil domination of the tyrant Bellam and his villainous magicians, restore the Cheysuli to their rightful position of grace, and claim his birthright. To do this, he would not only have to raise an army, but overcome the fear and prejudice of an ignorant population and answer the call of a prophecy he never chose to serve.

For decades, the magical race of shapechangers called the Cheysuli have been feared and hated exiles in their own land, a land they rightfully should rule. Victims of a vengeful monarch's war of annihilation and a usurper king's tyrannical reign, the Cheysuli clans have nearly vanished from the world.

Now, in the aftermath of the revolution which overthrew the hated tyrant, Prince Donal is being trained as the first Cheysuli in generations to assume the throne. But will he be able to overcome the prejudice of a populace afraid of his special magic and succeed in uniting the realm in its life-and-death battle against enemy armies and evil magicians?

Niall, Prince of Homana, key player in a prophecy that spans generations, should have been the treasured link between Cheysuli and Homanan. Yet neither of the peoples he is destined to someday rule feel anything but suspicion of Niall. Homanans fear him for his Cheysuli heritage, while Cheysuli refuse to accept him as their own because he has acquired neither a lir-shape nor the lir companion which is the true mark of the Cheysuli shapechangers.

And now, despite his precarious situation within the kingdom, Niall must undertake a journey to fulfill yet another link in the ancient prophecy. He must travel through war-torn lands to claim his bride--a mission which may prove his doom. For searching for both his destiny and his lir, Naill is about to be plunged into a dangerous maelstrom of intrigue, betrayal, and deadly Ihlini sorcer.

Brennan, Hart, and Corin, the three Cheysuli sons of Niall, ruler of Homana, and the next link in the generations-old prophecy o the Firstborn. Now the time had come or all three to take the paths for which they were fated:

Brennan, the oldest, was heir to the throne ofHomana. Yet before he could claim his proper place he would face the menace of unknown assassins and treacherous Ihlini magic.

Hart, Brennansyounger twin, must journey to Solinde, the kingdom which would one day be his to rule, a land won forHomana by the sword and one that longed to see the Cheysuli prince overthrown.

And Corin, the youngest prince, must battle sorcery and madness in the court of distant Atvia, his by birthright, but a birthright challenged by the power of evil Ihlini enchantments.

Three princes, three destinies--and ff even one should fail to fulfill the patterns of prophecy, Homanan and Cheysuli alike would pay a deadly price.

She is Keely twin sister to Corin, and, daughter of Niall, the ruler of Homana, and she alone has the power to shapechange into any form, a power akin to that of the Firstborn. And like her brothers, Keely has been chosen to play a crucial part in the Firstborn s prophecy. Yet Keely a true daughter of the Lion, is no weak pawn to be used in men games of power and diplomacy. Trained alongside her brothers in the art of war, gifted with more of the old magic than most of her close kin, she will not easily give way even to Niall's commands, nor be forced against her will into an arranged marriage.

But others besides Keely's father have plans for her future. Strahan, the most powerful Ihlini sorcerer, is already preparing a trap from which even one as magic-gifted as Keely may find no escape.

And in the deepwood, another waits to challenge Keely, an outlaw fully as dangerous to her future freedom as Strahan is to her life.

Aidan, only child of Brennan and Aileen, and the grandson of Niall, is heir to the Lion Throne of Homana and inheritor, too, of a prophecy carried down through the generations and finally on the verge of fulfillment. But will Aidan--driven as he is by strange visions and portents--prove the weak link in the ages-old prophecy, the Chevsuli who fails to achieve his foretold destine.

For as Aidan prepares to set out for Erinn to claim his betrothed, he will become the focus of forces out of legend, visited by the ghosts of long-dead kinsmen, and by the Hunter, a mysterious being who may be a Chevsuli god incarnate. Commanded by the Hunter to undertake a quest to claim a series of "god-given" golden links, Aidan will find himself challenged by the Cheysuli's most deadly foe, Lochiel, the son of Strahan, who will use every trick of lhlini sorcery to stop Aidan and destroy the promise of the prophecy once and for all.

Nearly a century has passed since the Prophecy of the Firstborn was set in motion--the generational quest to recreate the magical race which once held sway in the lands ruled by Homana's Mujar.

Now, Kellin, heir to Homana's throne, has only to sire an offspring with an Ihlini woman to reach this goal. But Kellin wants nothing of prophecy, nor even of his own magical heritage. Embittered by tragedy, he refuses the sacred lir-bonding, becoming anathema in the eyes of his Cheysuli kin.

But willing participant or not, Kellin provides a very real threat to the Ihlini--the ancient enemies of the Cheysuli people for should the Prophecy be fulfilled, life as the Ihlini know it will end.

How can a lirless warrior ever hope to escape the traps of the Ihlini sorcerers? And how can the Prophecy ever be realized when the man born to become its final champion shuns his destined role?

Nebula Award winning and Hugo Award nominated novella. It originally appeared in Asimov's Science Fiction, October-November 2003. It can also be found in the anthologies Best Short Novels: 2004, edited by Jonathan Strahan, The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-First Annual Collection (2004), edited by Gardner Dozois, and Nebula Awards Showcase 2006, edited by Gardner Dozois. It is included in the collections The Green Leopard Plague and Other Stories (2006) and The Best of Walter Jon Williams (2021).

In the Ibar Mountains the necromancer Eremius is raising a demon-spawned army, using in of the fabled Jewels of Kurag. Snared in the court intrigues of Aghrapur, trapped by Lord Misrak, the King's deadly master of spies, Conan of Cimmeria must ride to comfort Ermius, accompanies against his will by the sorceress Illyanan. But Illyana herself carries the second Jewel, and whoever possesses both will gain power to challenge the gods. Plots and treachery loom at Conan's back, but those who seek to catch him in their web do not know that they face Conan of Cimmeria, Conan the Valiant.

In ancient Argos, fabled city by the sea, Conan of Cimmeria discovers that behind a facade of law, the intrigues of trading houses can be no less deadly than the wars he had left behind. Even a merchant prince can dabble with sorcery, and the schemes of event he most beautiful nobles can lay snares for unwary feet.

But those who think to use the Cimmerian, to brush him aside and grasp what he has sworn to protect, will discover that they face no ordinary man. He is--Conan the Guardian.

At first all Conan wanted was the width of a path through the Border Kingdom, that northern land full of bandits and brawling and sorcery. But that was before he encountered Raihna, a swordswoman as beautiful as she was dangerous. She alone is reason enough to pause a while in his journey. But the rebellion against King Eloikas, whom Raihna now serves, tears the land apart, and in the Vale of Pougoi, the dreaded Star Brothers have renewed their ancient, forbidden thaumaturgies--and summoned an insatiable creature from the depths of time.

The Star Brothers cannot believe that one man can stand against their power, but they have reckoned without Conan of Cimmeria....

Fleeing the sorcerous destruction of a long-lost city, Conan fights side-by-side with Valeria of the Red Brotherhood, that notorious and voluptuous she-pirate. Pursued by deadly spies and assassins, the Cimmerian and Valeria find themselves caught squarely in the front ranks of a bloody and savage war. But greater peril lurks in the shadow of a vast and forbidding mountain, where the Spirit Speaker wage occult battle with God-Men, who can read the future--and summon a Living Wind that consumes the soul even as it destroys the flesh.

Even a sword powered by barbarian might is of little use against spirits, much less against great beings of the elder dark, but the final struggle for survival will come down ton... Conan and the Gods of the Mountain.

No son of Cimmeria ever spent much time mourning what was gone forever... but Conan has never before lost a woman such as Belit, the fierce pirate queen. So great is his grief that the mighty barbarian disappears into the wild green depths of the Black Coat. But Conan cannot hide himself from adventure for long!

Ancient Evil is stirring deep in the heart of the Kezankian Mountains. A powerful sorceress known as the Lady of the Mists has revived ancient Acheronian magic, and along with her warrior Maidens she is terrorizing the local villagers. She is supremely skilled in demonic rites and savagely executes those few who dare oppose her.

When Conan rides into the Mountains with a handful of his followers he will face one of his most daunting challenges ever. He must confront an insidious curse and battle fierce warrior women, until the Kezankian Mountains are cleansed forever of the Mists of Doom.

Few places are as desolate as the Thanza Mountains on the border of Nemedia and Aqilonia. few area are so remote, so dangerous, or so inaccessible... which is why Conan chose these mountains as the perfect spot in the world for Conan to be.

Unfortunately, it is the single worst spot in the world for Conan to be.

Bandits and sorcerers--and worse--inhabit this lonely realm. Worst of all, it is the home of the Soul of Thanza. He who possesses the Soul will become the Death Lord--a post unfilled for many thousands of years. If the Death Lord should come into his full power, mountains will move, seas will be pushed back, the earth itself will shiver, and dead men will rise to fight again.

No army of puny humans will be able to stand against the Death lord. Only one man would even dare to try--Conan the Cimmerian!

Nebula Award nominated novelette. It originally appeared in Galaxy Magazine, April 1965. The story can also be found in World's Best Science Fiction: 1966, edited by Donald A. Wollheim and Terry Carr. It is included in the colection An Affair with Genius (1969) and Conscience Interplanetary (1975).

His name means mischief... Rimble, the Trickster, is a merry god - dancing through streets as a gust of leaves, hobbling along canals as an old hag, roaming through gardens as a wiry dog. And where Rimble travels, trouble follows. Trouble of a most peculiar nature. One has to be sanely mad in order to see its method. The residents of Speakinghast, unfortunately, are blind to Rimble's ways. From the Jinnjirri, whose hair changes color to match their moods (and whose gender fluctuates almost as often), to the Tammirring, who listen to the winds of the universe and translate its sigh - not one can see the significance of the Trickster's game. And see it they must, for now his odd pranks are becoming quite dangerous. And definitely deadly...

Bored with his life in the dull state of Speakinghast, Rimble the Trickster, the youngest god of the Greatkin family, decides to perform the ultimate prank, unraveling time and creating his own warped sense of temporal reality called "Shiftime".

Let us say that we have a green thing growing forever. Everything that is done is done by it. And on it we also have the red parasite crunching forever; and everything that is undone by that. It is required of each man that he rule over himself in justice, and that he rule over the world in justice. This has gone on forever, though it is hard to trace through garbled history. And it must still is hard to trace through garbled history. And it must still go on forever. For all your own life and for the life of all your children, you will carry on the green battle.

Man loses control over the outcomes of a scientific experiment the only aim of which is to create a way for the greediest man on earth to become even richer. The experiment is conducted on Bermuda grass, a harmless plant in its initial form, but one that becomes murderous and powerful after the salesman protagonist of the novel applies a fertilizer spray called the Metamorphosizer created by a female chemist on it.

The metamorphosis of the grass is very quick - it starts growing with incredible speed and soon it turns out that nothing can destroy the new species of grass, it feeds on anything and grows over anything. In the beginning, the grass grows at the same pace as its owner rises to prominence and wealth, but things get out of control very soon and it takes a team of the bravest to stop the murderous plant.

Owen Deathstalker, last of the infamous warrior Clan, always considered himself more of a writer than a fighter, preferring his history books to making any actual history with a sword. But books won't protect him from Her Imperial Majesty Lionstone XIV, who just Outlawed and condemned Owen to death, without any explanation, reason, or warning. No wonder she's called the Iron Bitch.

Now, on the run from Imperial starcruisers, shady mercenaries, and just about everyone else in the Empire, Owen's options are limited. Though the name Deathstalker still commands respect in certain quarters, out on the Rim, Owen is lucky he can cobble together a makeshift team of castoffs, including an ex-pirate, a cyborg, and a bounty hunter. But allies won't be enough to save him.

If he's to live, Owen can either run forever... or take down the corrupt Empire. To do that, he'll need the fabled Darkvoid Device--an artifact dating back to the first Deathstalker and perhaps the only weapon powerful enough to help this ragtag rebellion win. The time has come for Owen to finally embrace his Deathstalker heritage... and all the blood and death that go along with it.

Owen Deathstalker - outlawed, with a price on his head and the blood of a mighty warrior lineage in his veins - had no choice but to embrace a dangerous destiny. With nothing to lose, only he had the courage to take up arms against Queen Lionstone XIV.

Now as he gathers his unlikely allies - the legendary washed-up hero Jack Random, the beautiful pirate Hazel d'Arc, the original Deathstalker long since presumed dead, and the alien Hadenmen whose purposes no human can discern - the eyes of the downtrodden are upon him while the freedom of a galaxy hangs in the balance...

Owen Deathstalker's rebellion continues to strike out against Imperial tyranny, taking the battle straight to the Empire's heart on the planet of Golgotha, but the cunning Empress isn't about to surrender without a fight...

Owen Deathstalker became a hero after the great rebellion against the tyranny of Lionstone XIV, and now political factions are quarreling over who will replace the deposed Empress. But Humanity faces an even greater threat: an encroaching invasion fleet of alien origin...

Owen Deathstalker's greatest love - Hazel d'Ark - has been abducted by the Blood Runners, a culture dedicated to the extremes of genetic experimentation. Stranded in a mission on Lachrymae Christi, Owen busies himself with the task of ensuring the survival of the leper colony living there, awaiting an opportunity to rescue Hazel... or avenge her death.

It has been two hundred years since Owen Deathstalker fell, dying to save the Empire and all Humanity. Now it is a Golden Age for all: for men, for aliens and for the AIs of Shub. But one evil man has determined to bring it all crashing down, and now the Terror has finally arrived, threatening them all with extinction.

The old heroes have become legends, and the cry goes out for new heroes. It's time for the latest Deathstalker, Lewis, to do his bit. Unfortunately, he and his companions, a diva, a conman, a homicidal psychopath and a reptiloid, have been outlawed and declared traitors. Deathstalker luck. Always bad. Unless Lewis Deathstalker can defy the odds to get to the Madness Maze and tread the same dangerous path to glory that his ancestor did, the Golden Age is about to be wiped out for ever. Together with Humanity...

Lewis Deathstalker abandoned his place as Paragon and Imperial Champion for the love of Jesmine Flowers, the King's intended. Both have been branded traitors to the Empire and are now traveling in more notorious cicles - with immoral gladiator Rose Constantine, con man Brett Random, and alien reptiloid Saturday.

While Lewis is rooting out Finn Durandal, a real traitor to the Empire, he finds he has a greater threat to face. The Terror that was prophesied to destroy all Humanity is encroaching. Prophecy also dictates that the only one capable of stopping it is a legend who disappeared more than two hundred years ago - Owen Deathstalker. Now Lewis and his companions embark on a quest to find Owen, who Lewis believes -- must believe -- isn't dead at all...

More than two centuries ago, angry and grief-stricken after losing Owen Deathstalker, Hazel d'Ark entered the Madness Maze - which fed off her raw emotions and transformed her into the Terror, a force capable of devouring galaxies. To stop her, the recently resurrected Owen must use the powers he gained during his own stay in the Madness Maze - and go back in time to prevent Hazel's transformation.

Now, without Owen to guide him, Lewis Deathstalker has no choice but to assume command of an Imperial fleet loyal to the Deathstalker legacy and lead it to victory over Finn Durandal, the despot who seized the throne. Lewis knows that he has been branded a traitor by the Empire. But when he learns that Finn has executed his entire family, his mission to overthrow his former friend's tyranny is second to his desire for revenge...

Seven years ago, as Camm Smith herded a pack of little trick-or-treaters past the decaying mansion in her hometown of Trona, California, her young neighbor Hugh disappeared, becoming the latest in a string of vanished children. Now a high school senior, Camm is still haunted by the old tragedy and is convinced the answer lies hidden in the abandoned house. Joining forces with her best friend, Cal--who happens to be Hugh's older brother--Camm naively begins a perilous search for the truth. Events quickly spiral out of control, however, and as more people begin to die, Camm and Cal discover it will take all of their combined ingenuity to fend of the evil being lurking deep within the bowels of the mansion and federal agents determined to keep old secrets permanently hidden. The two friends must race against the clock to discover the truth about the house before they, too, disappear without a trace.

In Trona, California, an isolated mining town deep in the Mojave Desert, an unearthly creature preyed upon the town's folk for decades. Armed with secrets from a peculiar puzzle box, only Camm and Cal stood against the creature. Finally safe and far from the horror, the teenagers believe they have destroyed the monster--until they hear news that Trona's children are still disappearing. Caught in the nightmare since her childhood, Camm feels personally responsible for the town's children. As her life-long best friend, Cal feels responsible for Camm. With unsuspecting friends in tow, they return to warn the innocent people of Trona of the true nature of the creature.

But things have changed.

Death comes in a new form. The balance between dimensions is altered. Crossovers multiply. Trona is evacuated. Cal is pulled into another dimension. The situation spirals out of control.

Only Camm and a few misfits can stop the coming desolation--but it may already be too late.

In an ongoing fight with the unearthly predators invading their small hometown of Trona, California, Camm and Cal have watched their feelings for each other deepen. However, well-meaning but misguided federal agents have torn them apart, arresting Cal and expanding the manhunt for Camm. Attempting to protect Camm, Cal strikes a deal with the agents to guide an expedition through the portal in the Searles Mansion to the parallel dimension of the deadly Mojave Green, where Cal's friend, Lenny is lost. The agents believe the mansion holds the secret to controlling alien crossovers and believe Cal can help them uncover an ancient secret. Not understanding what Cal is doing, Camm is devastated by Cal's apparent betrayal. Making matters worse, Agent Allen, Camm's secret ally, is compelled also to join the mission to save Lenny. Camm is left alone to face her worst nightmare: a seemingly indestructible creature of unknown origins who is filled with a burning hatred and an all-consuming desire to track her down and eat her alive.

The Man of Bronze ride the mystery trail in a totally new kind of adventure. What is the strange fainting sickness? Who is the shadowy, white-haired McCain? Why would a starving man rather die than eat? And how many men must be brutally destroyed before Doc Savage can solve the riddle of The Green Eagle?

Lester Dent authored this book under pseudonym Kenneth Robeson.

From Matto Grosso -- in the deadly heart of the Green Hell -- comes an organic mystery that paralyzes even the Man of Bronze: an oozing horror that wipes out the line between life and death!

Harold A. Davis authored this novel under pseudonym Kenneth Robeson.

Join the Doctor on his travels and influence his adventures with your decisions. Will you explore the alien planet or get back in the T.A.R.D.I.S and travel to somewhere new? Choose a direction and let the adventure begin... Each page has two options for the reader to decide what happens next and each novel has several possible endings.

The Knights of Solamnia were the greatest order of chivalry in the history of Krynn.

All those who wish to become Solamnic Knights must first enter as squires of the Knights of the Crown, with whom they begin their training in the virtue of loyalty.

This is the story of Sir Pirvan the Wayward, whose reluctant and inauspicious beginnings as Pirvan the Spell Thief bore few clues to his potential as a Knight of the Crown.

Roland J. Green is the author of the Starcruiser Shennandoa and Wandor series and numerous Conan novels, and is coauthor (with Jerry Pournelle) of the Jannisaries series.

The Warriors series details the exploits of the heroes and villains of the War of the Lance.

The greatest order of chivalry in the history of Krynn.

After a knight has achieved the Order of the Crown, he must then begin his training in the virtues of courage and heroism in order to achieve the Order of the Sword.

This is the second tale of Sir Pirvan the Wayward, whose reluctant and inauspicious beginnings bore few clues to his potential as a Knight of the Sword or as a Knight of the Crown, nor as a mentor for another similarly dubious prospect for Krynn's greatest order of chivalry.

The Knights of Solamnia were the greatest order of chivalry in the history of Krynn.

After a knight has achieved the Order of the Crown and the Order of the Sword, he must then begin his training in the virtues of wisdom and justice in order to achieve the Order of the Rose, the highest of all orders.

This is the third tale of Sir Pirvan the Wayward, whose reluctant and inauspicious beginnings bore few clues to his potential as a knight of the highest order. In a time when others of Solamnia had become corrupt and self-serving, Sir Pirvan maintained the dignity of the Order, walking the fine line between personal codes of honor and loyalty, and diplomacy and duty.

Roland J. Green is the author of the Starcruiser Shenandoah and Wandor series and numerous Conan novels, and is coauthor (with Jerr Pournelle) of the Jannisaries series.

The Warriors series details the exploits of the heroes and villains of the War of the Lance.

The heroic conclusion to the tale of Sir Pirvan the Wayward!

Despite his humble beginnings, Sir Pirvan has managed to ascend to the highest orders of the knights of Solamnia. Along the way, he has become known as the founder of an obscure group of knights whose own dubious pasts have helped to dub them the Wayward Knights. On the verge of a well-deserved retirement, Sir Pirvan once again answers the call of duty and the only allies he can rely on now are the Wayward Knights he himself recruited so many years ago.

We hope you enjoy this complete story from Songs of the Dying Earth, about, in author Kage Baker's words, "a liar and thief in a doomed world of liars and thieves."

This story originally appeared in the George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois anthology Songs of the Dying Earth: Stories in Honour of Jack Vance (2009).

Read the full story for free at Tor.com.

The Banished have returned, and they have set their eyes on the walls of Solitude.

Zanna Alpenwood, a powerful mage, and two hundred aged and forgotten Sparkers are all that stand between the Banished and the nation of Haltveldt. With time running out and the world at stake, Zanna is forced to reach out to her estranged daughter, Calene, and set her on an impossible quest.

Calene quickly learns that enemies make unlikely allies as she teams up with both friend and foe on her journey to save her mother and Haltveldt. Forging their way over land and sea, uncovering dark plots and secret societies, Calene is forced to decide between her masters and her own conscience.

Will they arrive in time to save the fortress of Solitude from destruction? Only one thing is certain; Ruin is assured if Solitude falls.

Reeling from the events at Solitude, Calene Alpenwood embarks on a journey to find meaning in all that she's seen, and discover the answers she so desperately seeks. Finding herself more alone than ever, Calene is trapped between doing what's right, and doing what needs to be done.

Meanwhile, Kade Besem continues his search for his son, Arlo, and the strange warrior-monk Tilo. His hunt takes him deep into Banished territory and into the jaws of danger.

Revelations are revealed, ancient secrets are uncovered and those who stand in the Empire's way can't hope to win when Haltveldt walks the Path of War.

Please be advised this book contains trigger warnings for self-harm, violence, death, mention of drug use, deadly magic, violence and heartbreak.

The Spark is no more.

Separated from her companions, Calene Alpenwood resolves to finish her task and bring an end to the bloodshed drowning Haltveldt. But violence breeds violence, and a corrupting darkness spreads where the Spark once lived in Calene's soul.

Saved from death from a mind-spinning source, the elf Brina al'Loria is tasked with the 'simple' mission of uniting the warring factions of Haltveldt. Reeling from staggering truths, Brina must navigate a hostile world ruled by humans and succeed in her undertaking before disaster strikes and faith is lost.

Kade Besem faces a reality born from his nightmares. Alone with the Banished, the former politician pieces together the plans of a seemingly unknowable mind, and discovers plots and treachery millennia in the making.

Haltveldt edges closer to the brink of ruin. With events in motion that cannot be stopped, Calene, Brina and Kade find unlikely allies and face new enemies as they fight for a future they might never see. With the odds stacked against them from the beginning, but faint embers of hope still remain as an ancient threat shows its hand at last.

THE EPIC CONCLUSION TO THE EMPIRE OF RUIN SERIES

As a long-planned endgame begins, the future of Haltveldt balances on the edge of the slimmest of blades.

Calene Alpenwood rallies her comrades against the spreading darkness, but faces overwhelming threats from both sides of enemy lines. The entity known as the Corruption, the living culmination of Haltveldt's millennia-long abuse of the Spark, approaches. And it hungers for Calene, dead or alive.

Her allies, the former elven-renegade Brina al'Loria and the aged Sparker, Greton Bouseby, scramble to her aid, but Calene's plans for Haltveldt's salvation fracture her assembled friends' wills. Meanwhile, the Follower of the Dawn's mysterious goddess, the Widow emerges, her focus fixed on Calene, revealing her hand at last.

But there is a wild card in play. The treacherous Raas has fled from the Banished, and Kade Besem gives chase, desperate to put an end to the conniving ancient's plans. For the Corruption and the Widow aren't the only parties interested in the power Calene Alpenwood wields...

Nations unite, armies clash, and the past, present, and future converge in Haltveldt's final stand. Have Calene and her allies learned enough to chart a new path to a brighter existence? Or will it prove impossible to escape the weight of bitter memories and ancient grudges - dooming Haltveldt to descend into complete and utter corrupted darkness?

It all ends At Eternity's Gates.

An all-new volume featuring another of humankind's most enchanting companions--the horse. Among the hit parade of authors who have crafted original stories for this volume are Anne McCaffrey, Jennifer Roberson, Mercedes Lackey, Mike Resnick, and more.

Table of Contents:

• ix - Introduction: Equus Fantasticus (Horse Fantastic) - essay by Jennifer Roberson
• 9 - Stolen Silver - [Heralds Of Valdemar Prequels] - shortstory by Mercedes Lackey
• 26 - Love at First Ride - novelette by Mickey Zucker Reichert
• 49 - Dancer's Fire - shortstory by Josepha Sherman
• 59 - The Phantom Watch - novelette by Rhondi A. Vilott Salsitz [as by Charles Ingrid ]
• 81 - The Czechoslovakian Pigeon Farmer and the Pony that Wasn't a Paint - shortstory by Mary Stanton
• 87 - Riding the Nightmare - (1991) - novelette by Jennifer Roberson
• 108 - When Lightning Strikes - shortstory by Lee Barwood
• 127 - Classical Horses - novelette by Judith Tarr
• 153 - One Ten Three - shortstory by Barry N. Malzberg
• 162 - No Room for the Unicorn - shortstory by Laura Resnick
• 171 - The Horse Boy - novelette by Mary Stanton
• 193 - The Power of Young Girls - shortstory by Constance Ash
• 214 - Malish - (1991) - shortstory by Mike Resnick
• 219 - Wings - shortstory by Barbara Delaplace
• 234 - The Most Magical Thing About Rachel - novelette by Nancy Springer
• 256 - Dream's Quarry - shortstory by Elizabeth Moon
• 273 - Silverdown's Gold - (1991) - novelette by Janny Wurts

A collection of dragon tales offers new perspectives on the legends of these fierce fantastical creatures, as well as a healthy dose of classic dragon lore.

Table of Contents:

• 7 - Introduction (Dragon Fantastic) - essay by Tad Williams
• 15 - Lethal Perspective - short story by Alan Dean Foster
• 25 - The Champion of Dragons - short story by Mickey Zucker Reichert
• 41 - Phobiac - short story by Lawrence Schimel
• 45 - Home Security - novelette by Karen Haber
• 70 - The Stolen Dragon - short story by Kimberly Gunderson
• 82 - Cold Stone Barrow - novelette by Charles Ingrid [as by Elizabeth Forrest]
• 112 - Fluff the Tragic Dragon - novelette by Laura Resnick
• 135 - The Hidden Dragon - short story by Barbara Delaplace
• 156 - Take Me Out to the Ball Game - novelette by Esther M. Friesner
• 187 - The Dragon's Skin - short story by Ruth Berman
• 205 - Shing Li-ung - novelette by Tanya Huff
• 243 - Concerto Accademico - short story by Barry N. Malzberg
• 253 - Dragon's Destiny - novelette by Josepha Sherman
• 275 - Between Tomatoes and Snapdragons - short story by Jane Lindskold
• 285 - The Trials and Tribulations of Myron Blumberg, Dragon - short story by Mike Resnick
• 295 - Straw Into Gold: Part II - short story by Mark Kreighbaum and Dennis L. McKiernan

A collection of fantastic tales starring dinosaurs features the writing of Robert Sheckley, Pat Cadigan, Frank M. Robinson, Judith Tarr, Mercedes Lackey, Larry Dixon, Bill Fawcett, and others.

Table of Contents:

• 11 - Introduction (Dinosaur Fantastic) - essay by Mike Resnick
• 13 - Just Like Old Times - (1993) - short story by Robert J. Sawyer
• 27 - Disquisitions on the Dinosaur - short story by Robert Sheckley
• 45 - Dino Trend - (1993) - short story by Pat Cadigan
• 54 - The Greatest Dying - (1993) - short story by Frank M. Robinson
• 67 - Revenants - (1993) - short story by Judith Tarr
• 78 - One Giant Step - (1993) - short story by John E. Stith
• 85 - Last Rights - (1993) - short story by Larry Dixon and Mercedes Lackey
• 95 - After the Comet - (1993) - short story by Bill Fawcett
• 113 - Rex Tremandae Majestatis - (1993) - short story by Kathe Koja and Barry N. Malzberg
• 124 - The Skull's Tale - (1993) - short story by Katharine Kerr
• 132 - Cutting Down Fred - [Buckey the Space Pirate] - short story by Dean Wesley Smith
• 145 - Shadow of a Change - short story by Michelle West [as by Michelle M. Sagara]
• 160 - Wise One's Tale - short story by Josepha Sherman
• 167 - Curren's Song - short story by Laura Resnick
• 182 - Whilst Slept the Sauropod - short story by Nicholas A. DiChario
• 195 - Rex - (1993) - short story by David Gerrold
• 212 - The Pangaean Principle - (1993) - short story by Jack Nimersheim
• 228 - On Tiptoe - short story by Beth Meacham
• 242 - Betrayal - (1993) - short story by Susan Casper
• 249 - 'Saur Spot - short story by Kevin O'Donnell, Jr.
• 263 - Pteri - short story by Lea Hernandez
• 271 - Chameleon - short story by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
• 282 - Fellow Passengers - short story by Barbara Delaplace
• 295 - Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Dinosaur - (1993) - short story by Gregory Feeley
• 313 - Evolving Conspiracy - short story by Roger MacBride Allen

A unique brew of 32 spellbinding stories about both legendary and modern-day witches.

Table of Contents:

• 9 - Introduction (Witch Fantastic) - essay by Mike Resnick
• 11 - Clotilde La Bruja - short story by James A. Stevens
• 24 - Our Lady of the Toads - short story by Deborah J. Ross [as by Deborah Wheeler]
• 33 - Dealing in Futures - short story by Judith Tarr
• 46 - Circles - short story by Jane Yolen
• 52 - In a Yellow Dress - short story by Jo Clayton
• 64 - The Witch's Cat - short story by Byron Tetrick
• 76 - The Swineherd - short story by Lois Tilton
• 83 - Miracle at Devil's Crick - short story by Jeffry Dwight
• 95 - Giant Trouble - short story by Katharine Kerr
• 101 - Spell Check - short story by Terry McGarry
• 113 - Birds of a Feather - short story by Charles Von Rospach
• 123 - Lose Weight Like Magic - short story by Linda J. Dunn
• 130 - Witch Doctor - short story by Kate Daniel
• 141 - The Trouble with Big Brothers - [Haunted House & Nathan the Ghost] - short story by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
• 145 - Witch-Horse - short story by Josepha Sherman
• 152 - Glamour Profession - short story by Beth Meacham
• 157 - Witch War - short story by L. Emerson Wolfe
• 168 - Till Death Do Us Part - short story by P M F Johnson and Sandra Rector
• 178 - Threefold to You - short story by Deborah Millitello
• 187 - Taking Back the Night - short story by ElizaBeth Gilligan
• 196 - Witch Garden - short story by Debra Doyle and James D. Macdonald
• 203 - An Eye for Acquisitions - short story by Bruce Holland Rogers
• 217 - Diddling with Grandmother's Iron Maiden - short story by Nicholas A. DiChario
• 224 - The Three Tears - short story by Byron Tetrick
• 240 - That Old Black Magic - short story by Deborah J. Wunder
• 249 - The Journal of #3 Honeysuckle Lane - short story by Lea Hernandez
• 260 - Wooden Characters - short story by Roland J. Green
• 270 - The Witches of Delight - novelette by Kathe Koja and Barry N. Malzberg
• 298 - Stock Answer - short story by Leah A. Zeldes
• 307 - The Hidden Grove - short story by Michelle West [as by Michelle Sagara]
• 320 - An Un-Familiar Magic - short story by Mel. White
• 335 - The Spell - short story by David Gerrold

Sixteen short stories that take place within legendary castles include the writings of such popular authors as Roger Zelazny, Charles de Lint, Jane Yolen, David Bischoff, and Nancy Springer.

Table of Contents:

• 9 - Introduction (Castle Fantastic) - essay by John DeChancie
• 11 - Hall of Mirrors - [Amber Stories] - novelette by Roger Zelazny
• 33 - The Garrison - novelette by Lawrence Watt-Evans
• 54 - Castle Collapse - short story by Jane Yolen
• 56 - Broomworms and Nosewigs - novelette by John DeChancie
• 77 - Concrete Example - novelette by Nancy Springer
• 102 - Death Swatch - novelette by Esther M. Friesner
• 131 - Brigbuffoon - novelette by David Bischoff
• 160 - Gie Me Somethin' Ta Eat Afore I Dee - short story by John Alfred Taylor
• 178 - Gwythurn the Slayer - short story by Lawrence C. Connolly
• 182 - Collectors - novelette by Pamela Sargent
• 214 - Getting Real - short story by John DeChancie
• 226 - Merdinus - novelette by Linda J. Dunn and Mike Resnick
• 247 - Knight Squadron - short story by Sharon N. Farber
• 260 - Swimming the Moat - short story by Barbara Paul
• 279 - The Soft Terrible Music - short story by George Zebrowski
• 296 - Held Safe by Moonlight and Vines - [Newford] - short story by Charles de Lint

Sixteen spellbinding tales of those who dared to learn their futures through the magic of the cards...

Table of Contents:

• 11 - Shuffling Through History: A Brief Introduction - essay by Lawrence Schimel
• 16 - Song of the Cards - poem by Jane Yolen
• 18 - Symbols Are a Percussion Instrument - novelette by Tanya Huff
• 47 - The Court of the Invisible - short story by Billie Sue Mosiman
• 65 - New Beginner's Luck - short story by Mark Garland
• 80 - House of Cards - short story by Don Webb
• 91 - Articles of Faith - short story by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
• 106 - Wild Horses - [Newford] - novelette by Charles de Lint
• 135 - The Intersection of Anastasia Yeoman and Light - short story by Rosemary Edghill
• 150 - Chattel - short story by Lucy Taylor
• 162 - Elvis Lives - short story by Nancy Springer
• 179 - In the Cards - short story by Barbara Delaplace
• 197 - Turn of the Card - novelette by Michelle West
• 227 - Solo in the Spotlight - short story by George Alec Effinger
• 246 - The Gates of Joriun - novelette by Kate Elliott
• 270 - Tower of Brass - novelette by Teresa Edgerton
• 293 - The Sixteenth Card - novelette by Susan Wade

Let yourself be spellbound - They are beings of legend from a realm just beyond our own, a kingdom where time holds little power, where beauty casts its aura over the natural world and where magic can transform anything - or anyone.

From high elves holding court in the heart of Faerie... to mischievous wood sprites ready to have their fun with mere mortals... to dark lords working magic against all mankind... to those struggling to survive as the World of Iron spreads its rule - the whole of the elvish lands are explored in stories that may lead the unsuspecting into the fairy hills only to emerge into a world far different from the one they left behind.

So let such authors as Craig Shaw Gardner, Andre Norton, Dennis McKiernan, and Mickey Zucker Reichert reveal the perils and promises of elvish magic in the tales included in Elf Fantastic.

Table of Contents:

• ix - Introduction (Elf Fantastic) - essay by Martin H. Greenberg
• 11 - Bard's Crown - (1997) - short story by Andre Norton
• 24 - The Law of Man - (1997) - novelette by Michelle West
• 49 - I Sing the Dark Riders - (1997) - short story by Dennis L. McKiernan
• 58 - A Midsummer Night's Dream Team - (1997) - short story by Tanya Huff
• 68 - Home Key - (1997) - novelette by Barbara Delaplace
• 92 - Elfarama - (1997) - short story by Craig Shaw Gardner
• 104 - Jerlayne - (1997) - novelette by Lynn Abbey
• 132 - Spinning Webs and Telling Lies - (1997) - short story by David Niall Wilson
• 140 - The Dancing Ring - (1997) - short story by Jody Lynn Nye
• 160 - Sun and Hawk - (1997) - short story by Jane Lindskold [as by Jane M. Lindskold]
• 179 - Eine Kleine Elfmusik - (1997) - short story by Karen Haber
• 199 - By the Oaks - (1997) - short story by Janni Lee Simner
• 206 - All That Glitters - (1997) - short story by C. J. Henderson
• 219 - Jingles the Elf - (1997) - short story by Richard Gilliam
• 228 - Images of Smoke - (1997) - short story by John Goodnow
• 248 - Mercenary of Dreams - short story by Lawrence C. Connolly
• 258 - The Legend of Slewfoot - (1997) - short story by Mark Garland and Lawrence Schimel
• 271 - The Girl Who Was Taken Into the Hill - (1997) - short story by Diana L. Paxson
• 287 - Changeling - (1997) - novelette by Mickey Zucker Reichert