In each of these tales master storyteller Richard Ford is drawn to the themes of intimacy, love, and their failures. An illicit visit to the Grand Canyon reveals a vastness even more profound; an exacting career woman celebrates Christmas with her adamantly post-nuclear family; a couple weekending in Maine try to recapture the ardour that has disappeared, both gradually and suddenly, from their lives; on a spring evening's drive, a young wife confesses to her husband the affair she had with the host of the dinner party they're about to join.

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. **Review“[In] a Simon R. Green book, everything is larger than life—the heroes extremely heroic, the villains astonishingly villainous, the choices between good and evil very clear-cut. Still, if the ultimate outcome is never really in doubt, there’s plenty of entertainment in the journey, and the engagingly-drawn characters.” —SFF.net “If they’re making fantasy adventure much better than this, I don’t know about it.” —Science Fiction Chronicle on Beyond the Blue MoonAbout the AuthorSimon R. Green is the New York Times–bestselling author of Blue Moon Rising, Beyond the Blue Moon, the Adventures of Hawk & Fisher, the Novels of the Nightside, the Secret Histories Novels, and the Ghost Finders Novels. He is a resident of Bradford-on-Avon in England.

1975Condor 02The Condor is Back - and Everybody Wants HimThe Americans want him as a sitting duck in a deadly trap.The Russians want him out of the path of their perfect plan.The Chinese want him for a perverse purpose that no normal mind would ever imagine.The Condor is back - and this time it doesn't seem that even his luck and nerve and brains and sheer will to live will help him survive.

Even more desperate to save his family from ending up on his stack of squashed relatives, Limpy takes his quest to the airwaves. When a TV cooking show kidnaps Goliath to be their main ingredient, Limpy sets out to rescue him and ends up on camera himself. Can Limpy use his 15 minutes of fame to get humans to lay off the cane-toad squashing? Or will that be a recipe for disaster? A stirring saga of bravery, sacrifice and prime-time warts-and-all adventure. Tasty.

In the second volume of the Highroad trilogy, plucky interstellar adventurer Lily Ransome sets out with a ragtag group to defeat a cruel empire bent on consuming the universeLilyaka Hae Ransome grew up on the colonized planet of Unruli. Strong-willed and with a warrior's spirit, she broke free of her preordained life as part of a privileged mining family, choosing instead to venture into space in search of her missing martial arts instructor and mentor, Heredes. The journey took her into the maw of an explosive revolution where she became involved in an intergalactic rebellion and found love in an unexpected place—as well as true strength within herself. Now, as a tyrannical empire flexes its muscle in the universe, Lily and the charismatic, not-quite-human Hawk must band together with a motley crew of unforgettable characters, engaging in a conflict in which honor, love, and freedom are all at stake.Revolution's Shore is the second book of the Highroad trilogy, which...

A powerful, moving and tragic account of the families shattered and children abandoned as a result of the spread of HIV and, through the Memory Books project, a hope for the future.Henning Mankell is not a public figure in the way that politicians are, nor does he court publicity for himself, but he is one of the most successful authors of our time and has devoted his recent years to work with Aids charities. In I Die, but the memory Lives On, this master storyteller has written a fable to illustrate the importance of books as a means of education, of preserving memories and of sharing life. In a very personal account he tells of his own fears and anxieties for the sufferers of HIV and Aids and, drawing on his experiences in many parts of Africa of the journeys that he has made to remote villages and the impressions he has gained there, proposes a way to help. The problem of Aids has been kept largely under control in Europe, but in Africa it is a very different story. ...

When Captain Bjorn Gunderson docks with what he thinks is routine cargo, he embarks on a very different voyage. On a milk run from Welliver to Breakall, a tiny rock punctures his ship, The Wanderer, and leaves the crew adrift twenty-thousand years from home. With food, water, and air running out, a desperate crewman takes a reckless gamble, risking his life in a daring bid to find safety. What he finds instead puts them all at risk. Join Captain Gunderson and his crew on the final voyage of the Solar Clipper Wanderer in book one of Tales from the Deep Dark -- A Light in the Dark. An award winning producer of science fiction and fantasy podcasts, Nathan Lowell has produced eight novels totaling over 160 episodes and 70 hours of podcast fiction. Since 2008, four of his productions have been finalists in the Parsec Awards and his book--Captain's Share--won the 2010 Parsec Award for Best Podcast Fiction (Long Form). In 2010, Ridan Publishing began producing his work in paper and ebook formats. Those books are available online from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, the iBook Store, and from Ridan Publishing. A Light In the Dark is the first of a series of novellas set in the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper. The series focuses on the happenings in and around a renegade outpost, a place outside the jurisdiction of the Confederated Planets--a place where the normal rules don't apply and where anything might happen. For more information about the books and author, visit the Trader's Diary at http://www.solarclipper.com.

Amazon.com ReviewThe Terminal Experiment has propelled Robert J. Sawyer into the limelight as one of science fiction's hot new writers, earning him the prestigious Nebula Award in the process. In this fast-paced thriller, Dr. Peter Hobson's investigations into death and afterlife lead him to create three separate electronic versions of himself: one has no memory of physical existence and represents life after death; one has no knowledge of death or aging and represents immortality; and the third is left unaltered as a control. But all three have escaped into the worldwide matrix...and one of them is a killer.

They've helped orchestrate the perfect day for countless couples. Now twelve new couples will find themselves in the wedding spotlight in the second Year of Weddings novella collection.Mari wants her sister Crystal's wedding to be perfect. But a poorly-chosen maid of honor may turn it into a disaster.Mari Hays's older sister Crystal is getting married, and Mari is ecstatic to be part of the wedding. But she soon finds her expected role of maid of honor has been delegated to the worst possible choice: Sienna Jameson. She's catty, selfish, and totally into herself, and when Sienna discovers handsome professional baseball player Derrick Richardson is the best man, she sets her sights on her next boyfriend instead of on the wedding plans.Meanwhile, Mari is determined to keep the glamorous event afloat. Wrapped up in dress fittings, bridal showers, and baking teacup-shaped cookies, she is shocked when Derrick has taken notice...

ALIEN NATION was a ground-breaking and thought-provoking televison program that was part science fiction and part hard-hitting police drama—taking on tough social issues. Despite raves from critics as well as a loyal following, ALIEN NATION was canceled, but not before additional scripts were created. Now, Pocket Books is proud to present the novelization of one of these never-before-seen scripts. Matthew Sikes and his Tenctonese partner George Francisco try to unearth the truth behind the hysteria generated by the reports of the birth of the first half-human, half-Tenctonese child. Meanwhile, Sikes and his Tencotnese friend Cathy find their relationship heating up and realize they can no longer deny their feelings. They quickly learn just how dangerous human-Tenctonese love can be, and how far it can go . . .

Barbara Park’s New York Times bestselling chapter book series, Junie B. Jones, is a classroom favorite and has been keeping kids laughing—and reading—for more than twenty years. Over 60 million copies in print and now with a bright new look for a new generation! Meet the World’s Funniest Kindergartner—Junie B. Jones! Junie B.’s aunt Flo is getting married. What a perfect chance for her to show everyone how grown-up she is! Too bad she wasn’t picked to be the flower girl in the wedding so she could really show off. But surely Junie B. can still find some way to get everyone’s attention.   USA Today : “Junie B. is the darling of the young-reader set.”   Publishers Weekly : “Park convinces beginning readers that Junie B.—and reading—are lots of fun.”   Kirkus Reviews : “Junie’s swarms of young fans will continue to delight in her unique take on the world. . . . A hilarious, first-rate read-aloud.”   Time : “Junie B. Jones is a feisty six-year-old with an endearing penchant for honesty.” From the Trade Paperback edition.