VOLUME 1: The year is 2219; Erin Conyers suspended in animation deep in space for 52 years aboard her ship "Discovery." Her mission given to her all those decades ago; “Find the alien life forms who prophesized the coming apocalypse soon to occur on the planet Earth.” As she dreamt her mind wandered back to 2073, when the world collapsed in a hail of nuclear destruction on an unimaginable scale.The Apocalypse – Doomsday – Armageddon. It had been called so many things, always an ever-present possibility in the back of mankind’s collective psyche. Our story begins in the far distant future; Erin Conyers suspended in animation for over 52 years, further out in space than any had ever been. Ten years prior to the catastrophe that changed the face of the planet forever, mankind had been forewarned by an unknown intelligence of an impending disaster. One of the relatively few to survive, these are her remembrances of those very dark days, when the world collapsed in a hail of nuclear destruction occurring on an unimaginable scale.

Gunner is an immortal Anathergian warrior and an IT genius. When the sister of his friend and fellow hacker, Nay, is taken, they team up to save her. Using their brilliant minds and hacker skills, they go up against the seedy human trafficking network where Gunner fights to not only save Nay and her sister, but many others caught up in the nightmare of being forced to sell their bodies for sex.The Anathergians Saga continues…It’s a Fight Against the Sins of Sin CityIMMORTALGunner is an immortal Anathergian warrior sworn to protect the humans of the world his race adopted thousands of years ago. He’s also a genius when it comes to computers.DANGERWhen fellow hacker Nay tells Gunner her sister disappeared, he volunteers to help find her.What at first appears to be a kidnapping turns out to be a small part in a much larger Las Vegas crime ring. Danger haunts them at every turn and the situation gets deep—as does Gunner and Nay’s relationship.DETERMINEDTogether, they’re pulled in to the human trafficking network where Gunner fights to not only save Nay and her sister, but many others caught up in the nightmare of being forced to sell their bodies for sex.

There is a story that floats around Norway, passing from ear to ear - of a man, an old musician, who lives alone on the isle of Spitsbergen, Svalbard, maintaining the largest Global Seed Vault on Earth. Forlorn with the death of his wife, he spends his days obsessing over the Seedbank, wasting away until bitter death greets. But death does not have to be bitter.There is a story that floats around Norway, passing from ear to ear - of a man, an old musician, who lives alone on the isle of Spitsbergen, Svalbard, maintaining the largest Global Seed Vault on Earth. Forlorn with the death of his wife, he spends his days obsessing over the Seedbank, wasting away until bitter death greets. But death does not have to be bitter. For Florin Natvig, the subject of such a tale, life is hard. Day by day he battles the cruel elements of the Arctic Circle, while confused and disorientated in his psychological state. And when death finally does approach he must choose; die with closure, or die with pain. But for an elderly man alone in Svalbard, such emptiness and isolation before death, can destroy.

A short story, about 5000 words.Young Jacinta Jaara likes to sit by the old landfill mine and listen to the music ancient Neyerneyemeet plays. The music speaks of her of the old days, when the people of Australia were divided, before the war that changed everything. Soon, Jacinta's curiosity will lead her to an even more profound change, a change of growth, learning, and understanding.Our animal friends do fun, amazing, and silly things. These poems ask why our animal friends do such things. As you read each small poem, imagine what their answer would be or think of new questions of your own.This booklet includes the children poems: Zippy Dragonfly, Young Elephant, Giggling Hyena, and Slithering Snake

Still new to her duties as Lady Vorkosigan, Ekaterin is working together with expatriate scientist Enrique Borgos on a radical scheme to recover the lands of the Vashnoi exclusion zone, lingering radioactive legacy of the Cetagandan invasion of the planet Barrayar. When Enrique’s experimental bioengineered creatures go missing, the pair discover that the zone still conceals deadly old secrets. This novella falls after Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance in the Vorkosigan series timeline, but may be read entirely independently. The Vorkosigan saga was the recipient of the first Hugo Award for best science fiction series in 2017. “Bujold couldn't characterize badly if threatened with a firing squad.” - Booklist “Bujold is not just a master of plot, she is a master of emotion.” - SF Site “Bujold continues to prove what marvels genius can create out of basic space operatics.” - Library Journal “Bujold is one of the best writers of SF adventure to come along in years.” - Locus Magazine “A superb craftsman and stylist, Ms. Bujold is well on her way to becoming one of the great voices of speculative fiction.” - Rave Reviews “Bujold has a gift, nearly unique in science fiction, for the comedy of manners.” - Chicago Sun Times Bujold's "work remains among the most enjoyable and rewarding in contemporary SF." - Publishers Weekly “Superb far-future saga.” - Publishers Weekly, on the 'Vorkosigan' series Lois McMaster Bujold was born in 1949, the daughter of an engineering professor at Ohio State University, from whom she picked up her early interest in science fiction. She now lives in Minneapolis, and has two grown children. She began writing with the aim of professional publication in 1982. She wrote three novels in three years; in October of 1985, all three sold to Baen Books, launching her career. Bujold went on to write many other books for Baen, mostly featuring her popular character Miles Naismith Vorkosigan, his family, friends, and enemies. Her books have been translated into over twenty languages. Her fantasy from Eos includes the award-winning Chalion series and the Sharing Knife series.

New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal and international bestselling phenomenon David Weber delivers book #18 in the multiple New York Times best-selling Honor Harrington series. Honor Harrington’s Royal Manticoran Navy fights space battles alongside planetary rebels as its old rival, the corrupt Solarian League, begins to crumble. 18 in the multiply-bestselling Honor Harrington series. Wrong number? There are two sides to any quarrel . . . unless there are more. Michelle Henke, Queen Elizabeth of Manticore's first cousin, Honor Harrington's best friend, and the commanding officer of Manticore's Tenth Fleet, is just a bit surprised when a messenger arrives from the Mobius System to inform her that the Mobius Liberation Front is prepared to rise in rebellion against the hated regime President Svein Lombroso. She can understand why anyone would want to rebel against someone like Lombroso, but why tell her about it? After all, she has problems of her own, like the minor matter of a life-or-death war against the Solarian League. Michelle has just handed the "invincible" Solarian League Navy the most humiliating, one-sided defeat in its entire almost thousand-year history in defense of the people of the Star Empire's Talbott Quadrant. But the League is the most powerful star nation in the history of humanity. Its navy is going to be back – and this time with thousands of superdreadnoughts. Yet she also knows scores of other star systems — some independent, some controlled by puppet regimes, and some simply conquered outright by the Solarian Office of Frontier Security — lie in the League's grip along its frontier with the Talbott Quadrant. As combat spreads from the initial confrontation, the entire frontier has begun to seethe with unrest, and Michelle sympathizes with the oppressed populations wanting only to be free of their hated masters. And that puts her in something of a quandary when the messenger from Mobius arrives, because someone's obviously gotten a wrong number. According to him, the Mobians’ uprising has been carefully planned to coordinate with a powerful outside ally: the Star Empire of Manticore. Only Manticore — and Mike Henke — have never even heard of the Mobius Liberation Front. It's a set-up . . . and Michelle knows who's behind it. The shadowy Mesan Alignment has launched a bold move to destroy Manticore's reputation as the champion of freedom. And when the RMN doesn't arrive, when the MLF is brutally and bloodily crushed, no independent star system will ever trust Manticore again. Mike Henke knows she has no orders from her government to assist any rebellions or liberation movements, that she has only so many ships, which can be in only so many places at a time . . . and that she can't possibly justify diverting any of her limited, outnumbered strength to missions of liberation the Star Empire never signed on for. She knows that . . . and she doesn't care. No one is going to send thousands of patriots to their deaths, trusting in Manticoran help that will never come. Not on Mike Henke's watch. About Shadow of Freedom: “This entry is just as exciting as Weber’s initial offering. . . .The result is a fast-paced and action-packed story that follows [our characters] as they move from reaction to command of the situation. Weber builds Shadow of Freedom to an exciting and unexpected climax.”—Daily News of Galveston About Mission of Honor, #13 in the Honor Harrington series: “Weber combines realistic, engaging characters with intelligent technological projection and a deep understanding of military bureaucracy in this long-awaited Honor Harrington novel…Fans of this venerable space opera will rejoice to see Honor back in action.”–Publishers Weekly  “This latest Honor Harrington novel brings the saga to another crucial turning point…Readers may feel confident that they will be Honored many more times and enjoy it every time.”–*Booklist * About David Weber and the Honor Harrington series: “. . .everything you could want in a heroine …. Excellent … plenty of action.”–Science Fiction Age “Brilliant! Brilliant! Brilliant!”–Anne McCaffrey “Compelling combat combined with engaging characters for a great space opera adventure.”–Locus “Weber combines realistic, engaging characters with intelligent technological projection . . . Fans of this venerable space opera will rejoice . . .”–Publishers Weekly

Survival Tactics By Al Sevcik The robots were built to serve Man; to do his work, see to his comforts, make smooth his way. Then the robots figured out an additional service—putting Man out of his misery. THERE was a sudden crash that hung sharply in the air, as if a tree had been hit by lightning some distance away. Then another. Alan stopped, puzzled. Two more blasts, quickly together, and the sound of a scream faintly. Frowning, worrying about the sounds, Alan momentarily forgot to watch his step until his foot suddenly plunged into an ant hill, throwing him to the jungle floor. "Damn!" He cursed again, for the tenth time, and stood uncertainly in the dimness. From tall, moss-shrouded trees, wrist-thick vines hung quietly, scraping the spongy ground like the tentacles of some monstrous tree-bound octopus. Fitful little plants grew straggly in the shadows of the mossy trunks, forming a dense underbrush that made walking difficult. At midday some few of the blue sun's rays filtered through to the jungle floor, but now, late afternoon on the planet, the shadows were long and gloomy.

Ellie Simmons lost the love of her life, her husband Daniel. And now, two years later, baby Daniel is born -- a clone of the man she lost.But human cloning is illegal, and Ellie must be very, very careful. . . .Logan woke up with a big problem.He’s extremely dead.No one from his former life seems able to see or hear him, making his afterlife little more than a miserable nightmare. That is, until the day of his funeral, when the bitterly sarcastic Zoe, a friend from his childhood, starts calling him out at his own wake. Now his only chance at moving on means dealing with his sordid past—and the girl he never really got over.

Can interspecies diplomacy begin in the womb? After seventy years on Tofarn, the human colonists still know almost nothing about the native Tofa. Misunderstandings breed conflict, and the conflicts are escalating. Scientist Mara Cadell’s radical proposal: that host mothers carry fraternal twins, one human and one Tofa, who might understand each other better. (The sequel, REACH, now available!)Humans have lived on Tofarn, planet of creeks and rivers, for seventy years, but they still don't understand the Tofa. The Tofa are an enigma, from their featureless faces to the four arms that sometimes seem to be five. They take arbitrary umbrage at the simplest human activities, while annoying their human neighbors in seemingly pointless ways. The next infuriating, inexplicable incident may explode into war.Scientist Mara Cadell's radical proposal: that host mothers carry fraternal twins, human and Tofa, in the hope that the bond between twins can bridge the gap between species. Mara knows about the bond between twins: her own twin, Levi, died in utero, but she has secretly kept him alive in her mind as companion and collaborator.Mara succeeds in obtaining governmental backing for her project – but both the human and Tofa establishments have their own agendas. Mara must shepherd the Twin-Bred through dangers she anticipated and others that even the canny Levi could not foresee. Will the Twin-Bred bring peace, war, or something else entirely?... This revised edition removes some unnecessary minor character names, relocates a few scenes into more logical places, and divides chapters that lacked focus as originally organized.*Now available -- Reach: a Twin-Bred novel (the sequel)!*

Just when something feels played out, a fresh viewpoint can revitalize it. That's the power of being a writer. You get to show people a way of perceiving the world they had never considered before.Life is full of surprises, and sometimes you find yourself doing something you never thought you'd do. For instance, this issue includes something we swore we'd never publish: a vampire story.We've sworn off certain kinds of stories because they're so overdone. Vampires fit snugly into that category, whether they sparkle or not. But one day our inbox was graced with a submission that showed us vampires could still feel new and interesting.That's wonderful in it's own right, but it's also a fantastic reminder of the power of good storytelling. Just when something feels played out, a fresh viewpoint can revitalize it. That's the power of being a writer. You get to show people a way of perceiving the world they had never considered before. In a way, all our stories this month include people with a new way to look at the world. We sure enjoyed their viewpoints, and we hope you do to.

This short story is as ode to the theories of the late Zachariah Sitchin, author of the "Twelfth Planet" though his theories have been modified some to enhance this tale. Go back in time to when pretender gods interfere with natural evolution to create their slaves, us. Be there when the mighty Nimrod rises up to rebel against them and battles for the the destiny of mankind.This short story is an ode to the theories of the late Zechariah Sitchin, author of the "Twelfth Planet" though his theories have been modified some to enhance this tale. Go back in time to when pretender gods interfere with natural evolution to create their slaves, us. Be there when the mighty Nimrod rises up to rebel against them and battles for the destiny of mankind.

What do you do when an alien with exceptional physical abilities crash lands on Earth and leaves a path of death and destruction in its wake? You use biological modification to create an enhanced human able to match the alien in strength and speed. But is the result still human? Find the answer to this question in Randall Garrett's novel Anything You Can Do...

Bruce Gordon was an ex-fighter, ex-gambler, ex-cop, ex-reporter, and now he was an ex-patriot of Earth. Security shipped him to Mars with a knife, 100 credits, and a yellow card that meant no return. An SF novel that would appeal to Mickey Spillane fans, Police Your Planet features lots of hands-on violence, assorted beatings, and blood. But this isn't just a crime novel sat in space; this is a hard sf novel, and about the terraforming of Mars which is central to the story. Among the most powerful, hard-boiled, noir & funny of Lester's sf stories. A superb book - well recommended! Time to read the missing Del Rey classic! From Prof. Muggins review: This is a thrilling, rollercoaster of a Martian adventure - mix a real man's hero, a fast paced plot and very plausible plans for the terraforming of Mars and you have a classic science fiction story and by far one of the best Del Rey books ever! --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

When Russell is caught in an explosion that gives him super powers, his life is changed forever. But when he becomes the target of a murderous, power hungry CEO's hostility, there really is no going back. Russell must find a way to come to terms with his new powers, keep the public safe and, hopefully, get the girl all while trying to stay alive. Cartoon Heroes is the first book in the Dark SkiesWhen Russell is caught in an explosion that gives him super powers, his life is changed forever. When he becomes the target of a murderous, power hungry CEO's hostility, there's no going back. Russell must come to terms with his new powers, keep the public safe and, hopefully, get the girl all while trying to stay alive. Cartoon Heroes is the first book in the Dark Skies series.

Far in the future, Ajita lives in a steel-cold institution called School, where the humanity of Students is all but erased. While her thoughts remain trapped during the day, at night Ajita experiences strange and wondrous visions. Can her dreams of the past help save mankind's future?Ajita has been trapped in School for as long as she can remember; it is a steel-cold institution with sharp rules and stone-faced Instructors. Unfortunately, Ajita thinks in pictures rather than numbers, and fails every Assessment and Exam. Her only escape is through her dreams, where strange people visit her and tell her star stories. When she befriends Yallie, a young Trainee who takes interest in her art, she believes she’s found a kindred spirit...until her dreams give her warnings of betrayal.