In the short story of The Lava Miner, follow prisoner Finch as he desperately struggles to escape from the hellish prison planet Thermos, all while avoiding capture at the hands of the prison's nefarious warden.In the short story of The Lava Miner, follow prisoner Finch as he desperately struggles to escape from the hellish prison planet Thermos, all while avoiding capture at the hands of the prison's nefarious warden. That's not the only person standing in Finch's way, as he'll have to learn to conquer his inner demons before he can ever hope to escape.

Time Code: The Best Collection of 52 Stories You Should Be Reading This YearThe stories in ‘Time Code: The Best Collection of 52 Stories You Should Be Reading This Year’ are:1- Big Bang Serenade2- Mercury Heaven3- Twilight's Last Gleaning4- Ginkey's Garden5- White Van6- Finding Footprints7- Timid Bunny8- Red Moon9- Some Pig10- When the Doorbell Rings11- Slush Pile12- To Whom It MayTime Code: The Best Collection of 52 Stories You Should Be Reading This YearThe stories in ‘Time Code: The Best Collection of 52 Stories You Should Be Reading This Year’ are:1- Big Bang Serenade2- Mercury Heaven3- Twilight's Last Gleaning4- Ginkey's Garden5- White Van6- Finding Footprints7- Timid Bunny8- Red Moon9- Some Pig10- When the Doorbell Rings11- Slush Pile12- To Whom It May Concern13- Blood Draw14- Are We Superman?15- Moon Tweets from the Sea of Tranquility, 196916- Time Code17- The Ink Beneath18- Christmas Poinsettias19- After the Last Showing20- September Remembered21- Grafting In the Dark22- Test of a Lifetime23- Coffee Lover, Muffin Lover24- Pink Unicorn Gunfight at the O.K. Corral25- All I Want For Christmas...Beets26- Sitting Next to the Bug27- Sir John Falstaff Pleads With HAL: A Sonnet Not Penned By the Bard nor an Odyssey Presented By Kubrik28- Mac Morris…Sick Day29- Maidens and Monsters; Tokyo Footfalls30- The Typist31- There goes a Tenner...Beans32- Excellent to Bad and Everything In-Between: A Quick Glance at Fredrick Culvert-Owen’s Credit Score33-Eating Acrylic Pancakes with the Dictators at IHOP on my Birthday34 -Fallen Hero35- Girl Wrestler36- Everything is Clear37- Five Voice Mail Messages38- Tourists of Apocalypse39- Yellow Hair Lures Them All40- Writer's Time41- After the Game42- Home Renovation TV43- Bard's Muse44- Fan Fic45- Conan the Barber46- Let's Make A Yggdrasil Tree Deal47- Z-Garten48- Stupid Fucking Story49- Free Range Human50- Sounds of Segregation51- Nemo Found52- Nona’s Christmas Cookies

A collection of early Asimov short stories, showcasing the development of the author's oeuvre. The title comes from Asimov's breakthrough short story. CONTENTS: Nightfall - Astounding, Sept 1941 Green Patches - Galaxy, Nov 1950 Hostess - Galaxy, May 1951 Breeds There a Man . . . ? - Astounding, June 1951 C-Chute - Galaxy, Oct 1951 In a Good Cause - "New Tales of Space & Time", 1951 What If--- - Fantastic, Summer 1952 Sally - Fantastic, June 1953 Flies - F&SF, June 1953 Nobody Here But--- - Star SF #1, 1953 It's Such a Beautiful Day - Star SF #3, 1954 Strikebreaker - Original SF Stories, Jan 1957 Insert Knob A in Hole B - F&SF, Dec 1957 The Up-to-Date Sorcerer - F&SF, July 1958 Unto the Fourth Generation - F&SF, April 1959 What is this Thing Called Love? - Amazing, March 1961 The Machine That Won the War - F&SF, Oct 1961 My Son, the Physicist - Scientific American, Feb 1962 Eyes Do More Than See - F&SF, April 1965 Segregationist - Abbottempo, Book 4, 1967

A volume containing all 18 short stories written by Arthur C. Clarke in the 1960s. They depict a future in which technologies are beginning to dictate man's lifestyle - even to demand life for themselves. Contents vii • Preface (The Wind from the Sun) • (1972) • essay by Arthur C. Clarke 3 • The Food of the Gods • (1964) • shortstory by Arthur C. Clarke 8 • Maelstrom II • (1965) • shortstory by Arthur C. Clarke 24 • The Shining Ones • (1964) • shortstory by Arthur C. Clarke 43 • The Wind from the Sun • (1964) • novelette by Arthur C. Clarke 65 • The Secret • (1963) • shortstory by Arthur C. Clarke 71 • The Last Command • (1965) • shortstory by Arthur C. Clarke 74 • Dial "F" for Frankenstein • (1965) • shortstory by Arthur C. Clarke 82 • Reunion • (1971) • shortstory by Arthur C. Clarke 84 • Playback • (1966) • shortstory by Arthur C. Clarke 88 • The Light of Darkness • (1966) • shortstory by Arthur C. Clarke 95 • The Longest Science-Fiction Story Ever Told • (1966) • shortstory by Arthur C. Clarke 96 • Herbert George Morley Roberts Wells, Esq. • [Editorial (If)] • (1967) • essay by Arthur C. Clarke 99 • Love That Universe • (1961) • shortstory by Arthur C. Clarke 103 • Crusade • (1968) • shortstory by Arthur C. Clarke 108 • The Cruel Sky • (1967) • shortstory by Arthur C. Clarke 129 • Neutron Tide • (1970) • shortstory by Arthur C. Clarke 131 • Transit of Earth • (1971) • shortstory by Arthur C. Clarke 146 • A Meeting With Medusa • (1971) • novelette by Arthur C. Clarke

Europe in the 21st Century is a stricken continent. Cities crumble with neglect. Governments topple to military coups. But one man may have the answer. It is a viral drug that drastically alters the human mind, a cure for depression, unemployment, war, madness, national hatreds, prejudice, crime & mass hysteria, but there were those who wanted the cure suppressed until the world collapsed.

Number Nine—when John frees him from his cell in the power of six, he's ferocious, reckless, and ready to fight back. But being held captive changes a person—even a Lorien. See what Nine was like before his capture, and read about his dramatic escape from his point of view.

The first book of the definitive three-volume collection of short stories by the prolific Isaac Asimov, whose tales have delighted countless fans for over half a century--a must for every science fiction bookshelf. The first book of the definitive three-volume collection of short stories by the prolific Isaac Asimov, whose tales have delighted countless fans for over half a century--a must for every science fiction bookshelf.

Originally published in Galaxy Science Fiction, December 1953. "Robert Sheckley: the best short-story writer the field has produced." — Alan Dean Foster "I had no idea the competition was so terrifyingly good." — Douglas Adams "Sheckley at his best is Voltaire and Soda." — Brian W. Aldiss "Probably the best short-story writer during the 50s to the mid-1960s working in any field." — Neil Gaiman "Always he crackles with ideas." — Kingsley Amis "[Robert Sheckley is] witty and ingenious... a draught of pure Voltaire and tonic." — J. G. Ballard "If the Marx Brothers had been literary rather than thespic fantasists ... they would have been Robert Sheckley." — Harlan Ellison "Journey of Joenes is a mid-20th century version of Voltaire’s Candide." — James Lovelock Something had gone wrong when they'd loaded the ship, and the rations hadn't quite lasted long enough to make the outbound end of the uranium prospecting trip. Then they found an abandoned world, and landed the ship on an old warehouse facility . . . desperately searching for something to eat. Not an easy thing to do, going through an alien warehouse when they could barely read the manuals, without as much of an inkling as to the nature of the local biology. They would have eaten a horse, if there'd been one. But there wasn't. And that was probably for the best -- it might have eaten them first!

The Shades of Gray series follows the adventures of Kat and Kim. Start by reading the first book of this serial series and be introduced to this world of danger and mystery.Noir a mega-city plagued by sun blocking mass called Dry Clouds had mysteriously appeared three decades earlier. Dry Clouds covered half the planet and forced those living under them to live in endless night...The Shades of Gray series follows the adventures of Kat and Kim. Start by reading the first book of this serial series and be introduced to this world of danger and mystery.Noir was a mega-city plagued by a sun blocking mass called Dry Clouds that had mysteriously appeared three decades earlier. The Dry Clouds covered half the planet and forced those living under them to live in endless night. On this world, corporations were in charge and breaking your contract with them could mean the termination of your life.Kimberly Griffin, a Life Closer (legal assassin) existed in a world of death. She Closed people for a living. It was a lonely demeaning existence, though she wouldn't admit it. There was nothing to drive her in the bleak reality until one day she ran into Kat.Kat, also known as the Pandora Project, was hunted by bio-mechas called Un-Men. She was an experiment of the Sphinx Corporation, and they were testing her to see if she could be the ultimate weapon. Kat refused to be a killer and tried to discover the truth behind her existence. Could she be a new form of bio-mechas?Kim discovered someone close to her had been murdered. Is Kat the key to finding out who did it? Or will her association with Kat only cause her more grief?Pandora of ancient times opened a box and let all good escape. Would Pandora be the hope the planet needed? Or would she destroy the world?**Shades of Gray Series **1. Noir, City Shrouded By Darkness2. From Moscow, With Love3. Cerberus Versus Pandora4. Sisters

While only women can command the power of the matrix and the secret sciences which keep Darkover from Terran hands, in most respects they are still chattels. But the Free Amazons are considered equal to men, and it is they who provide the key to the Terran-Darkover dilemma.

To get out of debt, spacer Jake Bonner takes on two odd jobs. The first, chauffeur pop star Evvie Martini on her tour; the second, helping Daniel and Clarissa Rosen overthrow their planet’s tyrannical ruler. Unfortunately for Jake, Evvie finds out about his second assignment and, hoping to advance her career, invites herself to the revolution.To get out of debt, spacer Jake Bonner takes on two odd jobs. The first, chauffeur pop star Evvie Martini on her tour; the second, helping Daniel and Clarissa Rosen overthrow their planet’s tyrannical ruler. Unfortunately for Jake, Evvie finds out about his second assignment and, hoping to advance her career, invites herself to the revolution. From there the absurdity grows for Jake and his band of “freedom fighters.” Expert Assistance pokes fun at revolutions, pop culture, and some of the cliches of sci-fi.

First contact with an alien race is always a problematic event. Especially when that first contact is unplanned, and by the wrong people. Alex and his recent aquaintance Laura are thrust into a mystery neither one of them was ready for. They seek the answers before the inevitable takes its course and leads to mass destruction.The Incident at Kruger 60A miner on a journey to search for Ununpentium, also known as UUP takes on a young girl in space as a partner, and they discover something neither of them believe. It could be alien life, and looks that way. Or is it?Alex and Laura have to find the answer before a incident occurs in the history of space that could have severe consequences for mankind itself. Along the way they meet the worst kind of people, and some of the best as well. But the question is who can you really trust when everyone is trying to advance their own interests.Follow Alex and Laura from Kruger 60 to Kroatzys' Station, Tau Ceti, Morda Prima, and finally to Trajians 7 while they try to find out what is really going on in space...

An experimental atomic powered rocket from Earth goes out of control and crashes on an alien planet killing millions. They want revenge very badly, so they build a robot death ship and send it on its way to find and destroy the murderers of their people.The protagonist’s advocacy against mass accusation on him being ‘not man enough’. He also contests the parallel label of ‘not woman enough’. The jury is already out as he puts up his witty advocacy against the pop cultural benchmarks over gender appropriates and massive peer pressure on men and women alike for being ‘something enough’. It is for readers to preside on the judgment. He needs you!It is not only about being not a man enough. This predicament is similar for women too. This label of not man enough also extends to women as being not women enough. Rather, women in contemporary culture have to struggle with this label far more than men. In modern culture, there are so many stupid and populist benchmarking of a women’s desirable persona and imagery that it is really tough for a woman to feel comfort and wellness with her natural body and mind, let alone with a choice, which does not conform to populist imagery.The protagonist not only attempts a joint advocacy against the label of being ‘not man enough’ as well as being ‘not women enough; he also has a silly perspective on what ‘enough’ benchmark the populist cultures must have for larger wellness of gender mutuality. He surely needs your vote. Do bail him out!

Eric lived his life on a garbage world, a heaping mound orbiting a solar body so close the heat tore through its core and turned weak scraps to cinders. His dwelling protected him and Eric built bots to do outdoor chores and scavenge for supplies. An early morning, one of his drones returned with a toy that managed to survive the fires of his world. Buried inside was a love not forgotten.Harry, an air conditioning repairman, and his son Frank have journeyed to a fishing bungalow on the Rio Mayo, fulfilling a prior promise Harry made to his son. Frank has returned to Arizona from Chicago where he worked at a Naval hospital during World War Two. Their early-morning encounter with a Mayo Indian brings the father and son into conflict when Frank refuses to believe the man's story. Will they resolve their differences or remain at odds?

This humorous short story introduces a fictional world called "Hilbert Space".The name, an homage to the mathematical concept of a Hilbert Space, is not the only reference to modern day science you will find. Let Professor Tinwin, an eccentric scientist, explain to you what makes Hilbert Space the most interesting place in the observable universe and how it all comes down to entropy in the end.This humorous short story introduces a fictional world called "Hilbert Space".The name, an homage to the mathematical concept of a Hilbert Space, is not the only reference to modern day science you will find.Let Professor Tinwin, an eccentric scientist, explain to you what makes Hilbert Space the most interesting place in the observable universe and how it all comes down to entropy in the end.Follow him on an adventure at the desert planet Kevar 7 where you can learn a lot about ancient Tinillian poetry and find out, how neglacting air resistance can save your life.