"A great, fun, romping collection of stories." —San Francisco Book Review "This volume's diverse list of well-known and rising stars . . . makes it a welcome addition to the 'Best American' series." —Washington Post "A powerful collection that is worth your time, attention, and love." —Tor In its inaugural edition, The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy featured a diverse array of authors, stories, and sources. John Joseph Adams scours the magazine racks and websites to find the very best stories, and this year's guest editor, Karen Joy Fowler, is sure to curate a collection that encompasses all corners of the genres. As the best-selling author of both The Jane Austen Book Club and We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, Fowler knows firsthand just how different one author's writing can be from work to work, and she will bring that literary sensibility to her selections. However, she is...

The beloved, bestselling author of The Birth House and The Virgin Cure is back with her most beguiling novel yet, luring us deep inside the lives of a trio of remarkable young women navigating the glitz and grotesqueries of Gilded-Age New York by any means possible, including witchcraft... The year is 1880. Two hundred years after the trials in Salem, Adelaide Thom ('Moth' from The Virgin Cure) has left her life in the sideshow to open a tea shop with another young woman who feels it's finally safe enough to describe herself as a witch: a former medical student and "gardien de sorts" (keeper of spells), Eleanor St. Clair. Together they cater to Manhattan's high society ladies, specializing in cures, palmistry and potions--and in guarding the secrets of their clients. All is well until one bright September afternoon, when an enchanting young woman named Beatrice Dunn arrives at their door seeking employment. Beatrice soon becomes indispensable as Eleanor's apprentice, but her new life with the witches is marred by strange occurrences. She sees things no one else can see. She hears voices no one else can hear. Objects appear out of thin air, as if gifts from the dead. Has she been touched by magic or is she simply losing her mind? Eleanor wants to tread lightly and respect the magic manifest in the girl, but Adelaide sees a business opportunity. Working with Dr. Quinn Brody, a talented alienist, she submits Beatrice to a series of tests to see if she truly can talk to spirits. Amidst the witches' tug-of-war over what's best for her, Beatrice disappears, leaving them to wonder whether it was by choice or by force. As Adelaide and Eleanor begin the desperate search for Beatrice, they're confronted by accusations and spectres from their own pasts. In a time when women were corseted, confined and committed for merely speaking their minds, were any of them safe?

REALMS WILL RIP. FAMILIES WILL UNITE... Return to the lives of the Novaks - pre-order your copy now! Beware of spoilers in the reviews below that are without spoiler alerts

Creole gentleman Remy Pigeon has a gift, or a curse. He can touch objects and read the past from them. He prefers to stay away from trouble, but when an attractive red-head with a serious problem and a supernatural secret wanders into his house on a hot summer day, Remy knows that trouble has just found him."Flashover" is a paranormal mystery short story.The Floyd sisters are Lynda, age 13, Cheri, age 11 and Sinda, age 8. They are amateur detectives who live with their mother. The girls seem to find themselves in sometimes scary situations which call for them to become sleuths. Lynda tries to be the responsible one while Cheri and Sinda bicker a bit like sisters sometimes do. They pull together when they need to or the situation calls for it. In Tips for the Beginning Detective, the Floyd sisters offer advice to others who may find themselves in scary or unknown situations. The girls also include a mini-mystery for the reader to solve using their newfound detective tips.

Long ago certain people of the world were given the power to communicate, merge with and control the spirits so they could protect the good heart creatures of the world. As before throughout time they have come close to defeat at the hands of the dark powers and now again they must make a stand risking all they love for the greater good.Join Caleb, Mace and Lydia the last spirit warriors left in their region as they fight to keep themselves and the noble creatures of light safe from the dark clans and it's leaders. With a little time and less training then the warriors before them they hope to find the legendary tunnel of light so they can not only win but survive, can they find it in time or will they fail losing to the leaders that seem to know what they will do before they do it? Fighting for love, honor and happiness they will give all they have for the good of the world.

A collection of the first twenty updates from the serial fantasy fiction "Enzi's Irregulars" as part of a weekly writing challenge. This tale follows the adventures of five unusual mercenaries and their struggles to survive and thrive in a world full of people who would be more than happy to see them dead.A collection of the first twenty updates from the serial fantasy fiction "Enzi's Irregulars" as part of a weekly writing challenge. This tale follows the adventures of five unusual mercenaries and their struggles to survive and thrive in a world full of people who would be more than happy to see them dead.Raw and unedited, this series was updated weekly for 80 continuous unbroken weeks. No edits or tweaks were allowed, the author had to complete a narrative taking any potential past writing mistakes into consideration, trying to avoid writing himself into a corner. This series gives a taste of the author's voice and the fantasy world of Doulairen.

"The Ugly Duckling" is a short story about a young girl who for years thought she was the ugly sister. She never saw herself as the pretty one. She was always awkward and very different from her older sisters and never stood out. It took her freshman year in college away from the shadow of her sisters to find the beauty that has always been there.Mutual global wellbeing clashes up against conservative international business-as-usual climate change policies. In a speculated near future, a consortium of High Impact Climate Change Countries opts to leverage geoengineering, the artificial cooling designed after natural volcanic eruptions, when negotiating climate change agreement with the rich countries of the OECD. As drones threaten anyone on the ground with Hellfire missiles, and as the political agenda heats up, the HICCC consortium selects Vince the story telling engineer and Tami the British Bangladeshi paleoclimatologist to inform Canada of their selection as a go between messenger.

Javan, a decorated general and military instructor, once swore an oath to his friend, King Orvan, that should he ever be needed he would answer the call. Now, Orvan is insane, taking advice only from his dog, and he has called Javan and his three best warriors to go on a suicidal mission to retrieve a magic orange petal from the Giant Kingdom, with only a chimpanzee named Mr. Prickles to aid them.King Orvan of Dargod has been cursed with insanity, passing all sorts of crazy laws and taking advice only from his dog. But when he calls for his oldest friend, a former general and military instructor, and his three best warriors to go on a mission to find a magic orange rose petal, they soon find out that this mission is not only legit, but is vital to the survival of their kingdom. On their way they encounter obstacles such as an insane wizard, drunken oafs and their hideous mother, zombies, enemy soldiers, and a giant princess who makes them into her living dolls, and their only hope seems to Mr. Prickles, the chimpanzee that King Orvan insisted that they take along.

In a world where magic is revered, what could be worse than the power to steal it?In a land where those with magic are esteemed and revered, Janir guards a secret that would send her to the headsman's block at a word. As one of the reviled Argetallams, she has the power to destroy enchantments and steal others' magic—an ability that has caused bloodshed for generations. Raised as the illegitimate daughter of an influential lord, she was determined to turn her back on her heritage, but when her power manifests, leaving a nobleman dead, she has no choice but to flee her adoptive home. In exile with the help of a fearless young enchanter and an elf sworn to protect her, she finds herself entangled in a quest to hide an ancient artifact from the kingdom’s enemies. But they are not the only ones after the relic and soon their paths cross with a rival from Janir's distant childhood. With no hope of help or rescue, the fate of nations will depend on a fifteen year old girl and her mastery of powers she doesn't understand.

A tale of high fantasy, with guns, swords, magic, and anything that makes the heart beat faster. Follow the lives of individuals that live and breathe the romances of the past and excitements of the future, all of who live in the shadow of the Goddess, Axiatés, destined to create a second sun for the earth.“What happened to mi casa su casa?”“Drew, mi casa es su casa, but not to go and make it look like a tornado hit the place.”“You want me to leave?”He stops scratching about and glares at Peter-John.“No one is forcing you to stay. You’re free to leave if you wish.”He looks at him.Drew can’t read him.“Fine! I’ll pack my stuff and go.”“I wish you wouldn’t.”He shakes his head.Despondence the only face he could manage.“I don’t get you, Pete?”He walks closer to the kitchen, where Peter-John is sitting.“Everyone else has told me to take a hike. I only give you problems and still you… wish… I wouldn't.”“What’s not to get, Drew?”Serious expression on Peter-John’s face.“Why are you doing this?”He starts pacing.“You’re my friend.”

A mysterious presence stalks the hallways of the Sky-King's palace, stealing dreams and condemning the king's dancers to a living death. The task of unraveling this mystery falls to young Aesva, the last living bearer of the Gift. But she is young; inexperienced; and the woman most able to assist her has already died.About 5000 words.A mysterious presence stalks the hallways of the Sky-King's palace, stealing dreams and condemning the king's dancers to a living death. The task of unraveling this mystery falls to young Aesva, the last living bearer of the Gift. But she is young; inexperienced; and the woman most able to assist her has already died.About 5000 words. Also available as part of the collection "The Breath of Heaven and Other Stories".

'Tis done. The world is a most confused and unsteady place -- especially London, center of finance, innovation, and conspiracy -- in the year 1714, when Daniel Waterhouse makes his less-than-triumphant return to England's shores. Aging Puritan and Natural Philosopher, confidant of the high and mighty and contemporary of the most brilliant minds of the age, he has braved the merciless sea and an assault by the infamous pirate Blackbeard to help mend the rift between two adversarial geniuses at a princess's behest. But while much has changed outwardly, the duplicity and danger that once drove Daniel to the American Colonies is still coin of the British realm. No sooner has Daniel set foot on his homeland when he is embroiled in a dark conflict that has been raging in the shadows for decades. It is a secret war between the brilliant, enigmatic Master of the Mint and closet alchemist Isaac Newton and his archnemesis, the insidious counterfeiter Jack the Coiner, a.k.a. Jack Shaftoe, King of the Vagabonds. Hostilities are suddenly moving to a new and more volatile level, as Half-Cocked Jack plots a daring assault on the Tower itself, aiming for nothing less than the total corruption of Britain's newborn monetary system. Unbeknownst to all, it is love that set the Coiner on his traitorous course; the desperate need to protect the woman of his heart -- the remarkable Eliza, Duchess of Arcachon-Qwghlm -- from those who would destroy her should he fail. Meanwhile, Daniel Waterhouse and his Clubb of unlikely cronies comb city and country for clues to the identity of the blackguard who is attempting to blow up Natural Philosophers with Infernal Devices -- as political factions jockey for position while awaiting the impending death of the ailing queen; as the "holy grail" of alchemy, the key to life eternal, tantalizes and continues to elude Isaac Newton, yet is closer than he ever imagined; as the greatest technological innovation in history slowly takes shape in Waterhouse's manufactory. Everything that was will be changed forever ... The System of the World is the concluding volume in Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle, begun with Quicksilver and continued in The Confusion.

Two classic novels in one volume includes a new introduction written by the author. In "The Ghost from the Grand Banks", the "Titanic" is raised 100 years after its sinking, but fatal obsessions rage and the ship may become a deathtrap again. In "The Deep Range", a traumatized astronaut becomes a submarine warden, and finds as many dangers underwater.

Milo's Louisiana bayou is overrun with alien bug invaders and magical creatures in this start to a breathtaking series from bestselling author Jonathan Maberry. In a world filled with Bugs - monsters that ceaselessly ravage the Earth - Milo Silk has a hard time keeping his dreams separate from reality. So he keeps them locked up in his dream journal and hopes they'll never come to pass. But too often, they do - like when his father disappeared three years ago. Lately, the Witch of the World has been haunting his dreams, saying he is destined to be the hero who saves everyone. But all Milo can think about is how he fears the Bugs will attack his own camp, and bring something even more terrible than ever before. What Milo doesn't know is that the Earth is already fighting back with its own natural power in the form of Nightsiders, magical creatures who prefer shadows to sunlight and who reside in trees, caves, and rivers. And the Nightsiders are ready to find an ally in Milo!

"Having lived long enough with the charming fairy tale created by my biographer, I feel the time has come for the truth to be known. I propose to tell all; of the origins of The Nine, the elixir that gives us nearly eternal youth and superhuman strength, the struggles between us that set the world atremble." The follow-up to Jose Farmer's shocking and controversial A Feast Unknown. A brand-new edition of the classic novel.