Worlds Without End: The Mission (Book 1)

      Shaun F. Messick
     Worlds Without End: The Mission (Book 1)

The discovery of a new world may be the very thing that threatens the freedom of the human race and changes the destiny of mankind forever.The discovery of a new world may be the very thing that threatens the freedom of the human race and changes the destiny of mankind forever. Twenty-three years after the disappearance of the Mars I space shuttle, NASA receives a mysterious transmission from Adrian Palmer, the commander of the mission. Adrian's brother, Kevin, wastes no time funding the Mars II rescue mission commanded by Jake Palmer, Adrian's son. Jake and Dr. Steven "Skip" Hendricks, a NASA physicist, travel through a wormhole that Skip believes was the reason the Mars I crew disappeared. They eventually crash-land on the planet Terrest and are thrust into a war beyond their human limitations. The native Terrestrians are at war against a super-race of humans called the Gnols, led by Koroan Chast. However, the Terrestrian's struggle is futile because of the godlike abilities of the Gnols. Now, the only hope mankind has may rest on a 2000-year-old prophecy discovered in an ancient temple on Terrest. But before the prophecy can come to pass. Adrian and Jake must first stop the Gnols from attacking Earth and enslaving the human race.

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    Chanur's Homecoming

      C. J. Cherryh
     Chanur's Homecoming

The epic conclusion to the Hugo Award-nominated saga begins as alien entities called "humans" send their first exploration ship into Compact space, disrupting the seven Compact races' alliance. Pyanfar Chanur and her feline hani crew give shelter to the only surviving human from the ship, pitching them into the center of a galactic maelstrom which could cause interstellar war.

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    Iron Angel

      Alan Campbell
     Iron Angel

In this stunning follow-up to his epic fantasy debut, Alan Campbell propels readers into a captivating city battling for its own survival—and that of humankind—in a world of deities and demons, fallen angels and killers.** **After a destructive battle, the ancient swaying city of Deepgate has been overtaken. Most of the chains that suspend it have given way, toxic fumes are emanating from blazing structures, and the temple once inhabited by the ruling Presbyter now dangles upside down above the once-uncharted abyss. The victorious Spine have initiated martial law and are ruthlessly pursuing all who attempt to leave. Amid the turmoil, two captives are returned. Arriving by ship are the young angel Dill, now toughened by war, and traitor assassin Rachel Hael. Incarcerated in the slowly crumbling temple, the two await their fate, while from the abyss beneath them ghosts rise—for the death of the god Ulcis has left open the gates to Hell. But on orders from his divine brethren, Cospinol, the god of brine and fog, is traveling the world to Deepgate to seal this breach. His great skyship is being dragged through the air by the giant John Anchor, a monster of a man enslaved to pull the god’s vessel, moving slowly, inevitably, toward the city. As the city waits, teetering on the brink, myriad plans for vengeance are set in motion, from the continent of Pandemeria to Heaven itself. Among them is a ghostly archon sent to deliver a message to the gods on earth—using Dill as his vessel. Thrust from his body, Dill’s own soul returns to Hell. When Dill and Rachel are attacked by Spine assassins, Rachel has no choice but to try to escape with the creature that calls itself Dill…and to somehow find a way to restore her friend’s soul before it’s too late. For powerful forces are stirring, and in the coming battle between gods, it is the world of men that is at stake. From the Hardcover edition.

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    Relic of Sorrows

      Lindsay Buroker
     Relic of Sorrows

Captain Alisa Marchenko finally has a lead on finding her daughter, but her passengers want her to take them on their quest instead. Even though the Star Nomad is her ship, they have power she cannot fight, and she finds herself with no choice but to accept another detour. But the ancient relic they seek has the ability to destroy worlds and is coveted by many. The path leading to it is riddled with competitors and littered with the dead, and even a cyborg and a Starseer may not be strong enough to fight the obstacles in the way. Swept up in a fate she never chose, Alisa must find a way to survive against impossible odds, knowing that if her passengers succeed, they will change the course of history—maybe not for the better.

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    Questing Beast

      Ilona Andrews
     Questing Beast

On a world far far away, where cute things eat computers and the sky is emerald green, a small team of scientists struggles to save the planet and their own careers by mixing genetic engineering and Arthurian legend. Too bad they had forgotten the first rule of planet exploration: Nature always has the last laugh.

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    Cum Grano Salis

      Randall Garrett
     Cum Grano Salis

Cum Grano Salis is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Randall Garrett is in the English language, and may not include graphics or images from the original edition. If you enjoy the works of Randall Garrett then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection.

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    Revival (Prologue)

      Trynda Adair
     Revival (Prologue)

Join a mother and daughter as they travel through the post-apocalyptic world; putting their relationship to the test in their search for a place in this strange new world."We interrupt this broadcast to report an incoming attack. Seek shelter immedi-ately. Stay away from all -" Sirens began to wail making me want to cover my ears. "Quickly, into the shelter," my grandma whispered. My mother picked me up in her arms and rushed to the basement. Over my mother's shoulder I could see the horizon growing brighter and brighter with every passing second. "Mommy, why is the sky turning white?" My mother did not turn to look, she turned and ran.

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    Steam Submarine Zelf

      Robert Denethon
     Steam Submarine Zelf

Zelf, a Welfing humanoid wolf lost in a hostile alternate universe: London in the 1930s. Will she ever get home to First Den? But the unthinkable happens: she impresses on Zev the werewolf on the docks. The first book in the Steam Submarine series. If you like Tolkien, CS Lewis, Fringe, Naomi Novik, you will love this paranormal alternate history adventure. Download now and be captivated!Zelf, a Welfing, a humanoid wolf, is lost in a hostile alternate universe: the world of 1935 London. Will she ever get home to First Den? But the unthinkable happens: she impresses on Zev the werewolf, standing in his wolf form gazing at her on the docks. This is book one in the Steam Submarine series. If you like Tolkien, CS Lewis, Fringe, Susanna Clarke's supernatural alternate histories, Naomi Novik, you will love this paranormal alternate history adventure. Download now and be captivated!Proloup: Reflexion of a WolfThere was no sound but for the steady murmuring of the drizzling rain pelting the submarine’s hull. In the shiny brass dashboard she caught a glimpse of her own reflexion. Bright golden eyes stared back at her, and in the shadow of her grey cape she glimpsed the grey and white fur on her muzzle and ears, and the wet black nose of a wolf.She bared her teeth at her own visual echo and growled a deeply satisfying growl.In this realm, she was the monster.If she was caught they would surely kill her, or even worse, in this strange world of vivisection and animal experimentation, she would end up in a laboratory somewhere, being prodded by sticks and pricked with needles and cut apart by knives, so that human scientists could see what it was that made her different from everything else.In her home, in her cubhood the monsters in the fairytales and stories were all humans: evil hunters with their guns and bombs and bad knights slashing and killing with swords and pikestaffs; crazed, savage, barbaric men.In the Red Riding Hood story in her world, the heroine was a wolf cub, and her grandmother was killed by a woodsman who lay in wait in Red Riding Hood’s bed for her to return, lying there inside her grandmother’s skin that had been flayed from the poor unfortunate old wolf matriarch. It was not a comforting story, and it did not end nicely, not in the version she knew. She did not like to think of the end of it - that one was not a story for cubs. But she had to admit that, despite its gruesomeness, there was a grain of truth in it.Hmph.In the Fallen Realms, she thought to herself, something is broken in the very fabric of the world - fruit and vegetables are no longer nutritious enough to sustain life - Zelf had almost died of malnutrition before she finally relented and ate meat, and only because she would not have been able to fulfil her mission if she had died.Hunting was not a pleasure for her; it was a sad necessity. She always killed her prey quickly and cleanly, and only took what she needed.

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    Sketches of Ron Gosip and Others

      Kip Larcen
     Sketches of Ron Gosip and Others

A lost and found notebook has new entries. A series of flash fiction.Bumble Jacket Miscellany: a miscellany for poetry and fiction, a biannually published literary magazine, has been created with the purpose of publishing the best poetry and short fiction, regardless of style, genre, or approach. In this Winter 2011 issue of Bumble Jacket Miscellany: Go to the race tracks, have a little wine with your breakfast, and overhear a conversation between the ghosts of Henry the VIII and Anne Boleyn in this winter's issue of Bumble Jacket Miscellany.

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    Saint Vladnitz

      David Wiley
     Saint Vladnitz

Humanity is imprisoned within a solar system running out of resources. Divine intervention is needed. Instead, Captain Vladnitz and his crew limp onto the scene in their battered spaceship, Arkhangel. In search of enough asteroid metals to make the next loan payment, they instead make a discovery that changes everything, if the ship and its crew can stay in one piece.Over five hundred years since the start of the Space Age and humanity has still not yet broken out of the prison of the solar system. Generation ships have been sent to nearby star systems, but the sublight speeds involved means that nobody has returned yet. Warp drives and worm holes have been around for centuries, although only in science fiction. Running short on resources in the solar system–even Saturn's rings have been strip-mined–humanity needs some divine intervention. Instead, they get Boris S. Vladnitz, a down on his luck captain of a battered spaceship. Follow along with Captain Vladnitz and his crew of wildcatters on board the Arkhangel as they eke out a living among the snowballs and rocks of the Kuiper Belt and finally get the chance of humanity's lifetime, if they survive the trip–and each other.Saint Vladnitz is the first story in the Borgia Trajectory, a series set in the same universe as the Eichi Testaments, back when the Galactic Empire wasn't even a glimmer in the eyes of the corporations that ruled Earth.

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    Mind Games

      Teri Terry
     Mind Games

Luna is a no-hoper with a secret: in a world of illusion, she can see what is real. But can she see the truth before it is too late? Luna has always been able to exist in virtual and real worlds at the same time, a secret she is warned to keep. She hides her ability by being a Refuser: excluded by choice from the virtual spheres others inhabit. But when she is singled out for testing, she can’t hide any longer. The safest thing to do would be to fail, to go back to a dead-end life, no future. But Luna is starting to hope for something better, and hope is a dangerous thing...

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    Xenolith

      A. Sparrow
     Xenolith

Lassoed, knocked down, face planted in the dirt -- best thing to happen to Frank Bowen in years. When wife Liz went missing in the wilds of Belize, the constables of San Ignacio could find no trace. Years later, on a pilgrimage to her remote 'grave,' Frank is abducted and whisked away to a place he can't identify, by people whose motives and origins baffle him. Could this be what happened to Liz?Two lightly intertwined stories of strangers lost in strange lands.Lassoed, knocked down, face planted in the dirt -- best thing to happen to Frank Bowen in years. When wife Liz went missing in the wilds of Belize, the constables of San Ignacio could find no trace. Years later, on a pilgrimage to her remote 'grave,' Frank is abducted and whisked away to a place he can't identify, by people whose motives and origins baffle him. Could this be what happened to Liz? Meanwhile, at a relay site in a New England mill town, a band of scouts from that world awaits passage home. In the wrong place at the wrong time, they discover dealings that would give access to Earth to their enemies. The only way to stop this conspiracy is to destroy the 'xenoliths' that regulate convergences between the worlds. Can they find their way home and prevent their war from spreading to a new battleground called Earth?

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    Errant Shot

      William Petersen
     Errant Shot

A meteor falls to Earth, exploding high in the atmosphere and wreaking havoc on the ground. An amateur rock hunter discovers a piece of the interstellar visitor and cashes in on the find, only to learn that it is much more than just a rock...To think that there are no other sentient beings in the universe borders on vanity.-To think that other sentient beings would be any less prone to violence and war than humans borders on naivety.-Collateral damage is a reality with any conflict.-What if there is undelivered ordinance... stray bullets... from distant, cosmic conflicts floating through space like wandering asteroids or long-period comets?-What if bystander Earth was the victim of one of these... errant shots?

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