IN Clifden, the chief coast town of Connemara, there is a house at the end of a triangle which the two streets of the town form, the front windows of which look straight down the beautiful harbour and bay, whose waters stretch out beyond the islands which are scattered along the coast and, with the many submerged reefs, make the entrance so difficult. In the first-floor double-windowed room of this house, furnished as a bed-sitting room, there was a man sitting at a writing-table--not an ordinary writing-table, but one the dimensions of which were more suited to the needs of an architect or an engineer than to those of a writer. In the middle of the table was a large drawing-desk, and on it was pinned a sheet of cartridge paper, which was almost covered with portions of designs. In one corner there was what might be the conception of an engine designed for a destroyer or a submarine. In another corner there was a sketch of something that looked like a lighthouse, and over against this the design of what might have been a lantern. The top left-hand corner of the sheet was merely a blur of curved lines and shadings and cross-lines, running at a hundred different angles which no one, save the man who had drawn them, could understand the meaning of.

George Griffith, full name George Chetwynd Griffith-Jones, was a prolific British science fiction writer and noted explorer who wrote during the late Victorian and Edwardian age.

This collection of literature attempts to compile many of the classic works that have stood the test of time and offer them at a reduced, affordable price, in an attractive volume so that everyone can enjoy them.This collection of literature attempts to compile many of the classic works that have stood the test of time and offer them at a reduced, affordable price, in an attractive volume so that everyone can enjoy them.

Have we got a treat for you! We are thrilled to share * Open and Shut *, an exclusive short story by Alastair Reynolds, today. Step into the futuristic world of Prefect Dreyfus for a fast paced new SF crime story. This is your new SF obsession.

This free e-sampler contains three short stories, one each from Third Person Press's anthologies Undercurrents, Airborne, and Unearthed.This free e-sampler contains three short stories, one each from Third Person Press's anthologies Undercurrents, Airborne, and Unearthed. If you're wondering whether to take a chance on any of these books, this is a great way to find out what kinds of stories you might find inside...

When a UFO crashes into the sandy world of Evon, Roym Rosyth and his family must do all they can to evade the senseless transformations befalling anyone who becomes caught within the influence of the alien technology. With the number of safe havens disappearing as quickly as he can get to them, Roym can start to see that not only is his own survival coming into question, but that of his species.When a huge, mysterious spacecraft crashes into the sandy world of Evon, Roym Rosyth, his family, and those they meet in the midst of the swelling chaos must do everything in their power to evade the swift and seemingly senseless transformations befalling anyone who becomes trapped within the expanding influence of the alien technology. With the number of safe havens disappearing as quickly as he can get to them, Roym can start to see that not only is his own survival coming into question, but that of his species.

A thief extraordinaire and general rapscallion teams up with his old partner in crime, an intelligent woman of humble upbringing and excellent swordsmanship, in order to escape the wrath of a vengeful inspector.The first installment in a series of thrilling tales of high stakes Victorian adventure, The Viatic of Thaddues Moon is a story of exhilarating heroics and narrow escapes. Thaddeus Moon, thief extraordinaire, finds himself trapped in a prison cell beneath the streets of Victorian era London, with nothing to aid him but his wit and a friend on the outside. Things are not going well for Thaddeus, who quickly finds himself at the end of his rope, or more accurately, on his way to that of a hangman. When a sudden explosion tears through the walls of the cell, his interrogation at the hands of a vengeful inspector comes to an abrupt halt. With his old partner coming to his rescue, the duo must outrun and outsmart the police as they rush to the docks and the ship that can carry them to safety.

Following her husband's funeral, Elizabeth starts getting mysterious phone calls...(A short story, approx. 2,800 words)Noon wishes fate would give him a break. He's survived an attack from an ancient robot and just wants to go home. Also his body might be dying, and he's stranded in the middle of nowhere. He should really know better by now.This short story takes place in a lush, overgrown post apocalyptic world where the majority of the population are descendants of genetic experiments and have strange powers.

A temporal exploration craft is struck by lightning and is forced to crash land at some point in the past. With their prime directive compromised, both the crew of the ship and, and the team sent to recover them, must race against time to avoid detection and prevent an earth-shattering disaster.The temporal exploration craft, 'Kolibri', is struck by lightning and is forced to crash land at some point in the past. With the possibility of their prime directive becoming compromised, and with time against them, both the crew of the 'Kolibri' and, and the team sent to recover them, must find a way stop the stricken ship's technology from falling into the wrong hands, or face the prospect of an earth-shattering disaster.

The wondrous Black Ship, the oldest creation in the universe, takes Doella and her daughter Lucessa to the home world of Varan. Here Lucessa learns art is as important as science, and when the two co-exist in harmony more may be achieved. She also compares two cultures, one ancient and set in its ways, the other new and able to change.Lucessa, Doella’s daughter, is obsessed by her scientific work, so much so her family worry about her preoccupation and lack of social graces. They ask their matriarch Doella to intervene and she agrees to take her Varan to meet her family. Doella of course knows what her daughter is struggling to achieve, and why, and why it is for her to find. The wondrous Black Ship, freed from time and space, takes them to Varan and Doella’s family. Here she sees why the Varan rejects her mother and family, The Varan race have followed similar inflexible patterns for many millennia. This is different from her home planet Astras, where no one sees one race as superior. Lucessa meets, the poet Ralse, someone at first glance so unlike her, for on Astras there is little time for art. They find love as she tells him why she must complete her dreams…

Confronted with the hatred of the goddess of justice, Jaime is a victim of a corrupt judicial system. When his friend becomes a martyr on his behalf, he's absolved. Conflicted over her decision to suffer in his stead, Jaime sets out to right a horrible wrong. Except that to right this wrong, he must come to terms with a grave sacrifice.Journalist Carson Wade is searching for that component called gumption that launches a simple passion for music into the desire to perform it and actually put oneself out there for the examination of the masses. In order to accomplish this mission, he has managed to embed himself with a rock band. There’s only one problem. He’s unknowingly embedded himself with the worst Southern cover band in history. For the duration of his embedment, Carson keeps a journal of his experiences with the ultimate goal of writing a book about music, inspiration, and the gumption to turn dreams into reality. Over the course of a year, Carson follows Harley, Randy, Chip, Dale, and The Bass Player from pawn shops to dive bars, noting their eccentricities with peculiar wit, his only solace while watching this train wreck. Through the band’s horrific gigs, to the tumult of recording songs, the band break-ups, and the occasional brawl—Carson follows it all. Like any documentary work, Carson’s mission and original intentions take a turn towards revealing a different and unexpected perspective. This band will never make the cover of a magazine, like they imagine. But the journey they are on speaks to dreaming big, why it’s important, and to the fact that a little ignorance goes a long way...a really long way.

Pulitzer Prize–winning author Siddhartha Mukherjee, a leading cancer physician and researcher, selects the year’s top science and nature writing from journalists who dive into their fields with curiosity and passion, delivering must-read articles from a wide array of fields.

The Real Hard Sell is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by William W. Stuart is in the English language, and may not include graphics or images from the original edition. If you enjoy the works of William W. Stuart then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection.

It's 2097 and teens can fledge and grow wings. Fifteen year old Prissi Langue loves flying, school and her friends. However, after Prissi finds pictures of her dead mother with the man who invented fledging, she begins an investigation that uncovers long hidden secrets. Suddenly, it seems like everyone wants Prissi dead. Can Prissi fly far enough and fast enough to escape her enemies?Why is everyone trying to kill Prissi Langue? It's 2097 and teens can fledge and grow wings as they go through puberty. Fifteen year old Prissi has been having fun flying, goofing with her BFF Nancy, and stirring up arguments with her NQB (not quite boyfriend) Joe Fflowers. Despite her mother's death three years before, her dad's unending and very depressing grief, and Joe's threats to run away from school to avoid fledging, Prissi's life is pretty good.That is, until Prissi meets Joshua Fflowers, the man who invented fledging and one of the world's richest men. Intrigued with Joshua Fflowers, Prissi does some research and finds a picture of him with someone who looks just like her mother--except that her name is different and her dad professes to know nothing about it. As Prissi investigates, she meets a man who worked with her mother on some radical meta-mutational research a half-century before. Intrigued, Prissi keeps investigating and before she knows it her good life is gone. The chase is on. Over the skies of Manhattan, into the bowels of the drowned subway system, across the wasteland of eastern Long Island, the question becomes can Prissi fly fast enough and far enough to elude all the people who are trying to kill her?

The second in a series of short stories about the I.S.S. Fenghuang, the last faster-than-light starship in the galaxy. In this volume, Governor Caitlin Adair struggles with her place among the crew while they investigate an isolated solar mining platform.The Heilmann Drive allowed humanity to spread across the stars and prosper for nearly two thousand years. But when the use of the device begins to eat into the fabric of the universe, the People's Interstellar Republic bans all faster-than-light travel. A new age begins, one of isolation and stagnation, and becomes known as the Fall.One rebel, Captain Seth Garland, steals the last starship in existence. He is now mankind's only hope of re-uniting the stars.Dobhriathar: As Caitlin tries to figure out how she fits in aboard the ISS Fenghuang, the rebel crew visits an ancient solar mining station in search of materials to improve the ship. There, they discover an abandoned mining team that has been stuck on the station since the beginning of the Fall.