The fact that humanity is not alone in the universe has long preoccupied our thoughts. In this compelling new collection of short stories from SF's classic age our visions of `other' are shown in a myriad of forms - beings from other worlds, corrupted lifeforms from our own planet and entities from unimaginable dimensions. Amongst these tales, the humble ant becomes humanity's greatest foe, a sailor awakes in a hellish landscape terrified by a monstrous creature from the deep, an extra-terrestrial apocalypse devastates our world but also brings us together, and our race becomes the unwitting agent of another species' survival. Be prepared to face your greatest fears and relinquish your hold on reality as you confront the menace of the monster.

From the most celebrated writers of modern fantasy fiction, the most fabulous worlds ever created. Eleven breathtaking new short novels, each set in the unique universe that brought its author world-wide acclaim, are here gathered together in one outstanding volume. Robin Hobb introduces us to another part of her Realm of the Elderlings in Homecoming. George R. R. Martin returns to an earlier era of the world of A Song of Ice and Fire to tell the tale of The Sworn Sword. The Yazoo Queen is a new story from Orson Scott Card's world of the Tales of Alvin Maker. Diana Gabaldon gives us Lord John and the Succubus, a new Outlander tale. Robert Silverberg returns to the giant world of Majipoor for The Book of Changes. Tad Williams brings us a new tale from the Otherland: The Happiest Dead Boy in the World. Anne McCaffrey returns to Pern for Beyond Between. The Messenger, by Raymond E. Feist, is a new story from his ever-popular Riftwar. Elizabeth Hayden brings us Threshold, a fresh tale from The Symphony of Ages. With The Monarch of the Glen Neil Gaiman returns to the world of American Gods. Terry Brooks gives us Indomitable, a new Shannara story.

Years ago he had comrades in arms and a cause to believe in, but now the man who calls himself Nomad knows only a life on the run. Forced to hop from world to world in the Cosmere whenever the relentless Night Brigade gets too close, Nomad lands on a new planet and is instantly caught up in the struggle between a tyrant and the rebels who want only to escape being turned into mindless slaves-all under the constant threat of a sunrise whose heat will melt the very stones. Unable to understand the language, can he navigate the conflict and gain enough power to leap offworld before his mind or body pay the ultimate price?

From New York Times bestseller and Hugo Award-winner John Scalzi, The Android's Dream is a wild-and-woolly caper novel of interstellar diplomacy. 'The Android's Dream is just the right gene-splicing of fast action and furious comedy SF has been needing for ages' - SFF180 When a human kills an alien during diplomatic negotiations, the fall-out is astronomical. To prevent interstellar war, humanity must deliver an extremely rare sheep for the aliens' coronation ceremony - or face enslavement. So Earth's government turns to Harry Creek: ex-cop, war hero and hacker extraordinaire. It should be a straightforward mission, but there are others who covet the priceless animal. Ruthless mercenaries, a religious cult, and alien races eager to spark revolution. Harry's mission will take him across the galaxy, as he tries to pull off the grand diplomatic coup of the century. There'll only be one chance to save the life of the sheep - and ensure the future of humanity. Praise for John Scalzi: 'John Scalzi is the most entertaining, accessible writer working in SF today' - Joe Hill 'Scalzi is one of the slickest writers that SF has ever produced' - Wall Street Journal

Now, for the first time, the best of the Locus Awards for short fiction are gathered in one volume. Spanning the absolute finest in science fiction and fantasy short fiction for the last thirty years, this anthology is an indispensable guide to speculative fiction from the classic to the outrageous by the leaders of the field.

An original full-length novel set in the Halo universe and based on the New York Times best-selling video game series! Find. Claim. Profit. In a post-Covenant War galaxy littered with scrap, it's the salvager's motto-and Rion Forge certainly made her mark on the trade. All she wanted was to grow her business and continue the search for her long-lost father, but her recent discovery of a Forerunner debris field at the edge of human-occupied space has now put her squarely in the crosshairs of the Office of Naval Intelligence and the violent remains of the Covenant. Each faction has a desire to lay claim to the spoils of ancient technology, whatever the cost, sending Rion and the crew of the Ace of Spades on a perilous venture-one that unexpectedly leads them straight into danger far greater than anything they've ever encountered...

A wicked woman, an evil curse, and a love that must triumph over impossible odds…

In the Celtic twilight of ancient Ireland, Sorcha, seventh child of a seventh son, lives with her six beloved brothers and their father Lord Colum, protected from foreign raiders in the remote and closely-guarded keep of Sevenwaters.

But now there is an invader inside the keep: the Lady Oonagh, a sorceress as fair as day, but with a heart as black as night. Though she captivates Lord Colum, she cannot enchant the wary Sorcha. Frustrated in her attempts to destroy the family, Oonagh binds the brothers with a spell that only Sorcha can lift. If she fails, they will die.

Then the raiders come, and Sorcha is taken captive. Soon she will find herself torn between her duty to break the curse, and a growing, forbidden love for the warlord who is her captor.

'Juliet Marillier's intesnly romantic first novel takes the reader to an Ireland on the edge where history and fairy tale meet… a stunning debut'
AMAZON.CO.UK

A glorious companion volume to Robinson's world-wide bestselling trilogy. All Colours Mars Red Mars. Green Mars. Blue Mars. The Mars trilogy has rapidly assumed the status of modern science fiction classic, capturing the imagination of hundreds of thousands of readers around the world. Now, with The Martians, comes Kim Stanley Robinson's essential companion to the Mars series. New novellas and short stories head the collection, along with texts on the Martian constitution, maps and Martian inspired poetry. In short, The Martians is a unique collection of previously unpublished fiction, a fascinating addition to Robinson's oeuvre, and a must for all lovers of the red planet.

The Lost Fleet continues its perilous journey home. Badly damaged and low on supplies, the Alliance Fleet is raiding Syndic mines for raw materials and Captain 'Black Jack' Geary hopes they can continue to remain one step ahead of their enemies. But the Syndics are the least of Geary's worries when he learns of the existence of aliens with the power to annihilate the human race.

In 2023, the Accelerated Regeneration Compound (ARC) was created: a serum that stimulates regrowth of human tissue - and which quickly drew notice from the United States government. In 2035, 'Project Golem' was created: Five genetically augmented super-soldiers, imbued with ARC... Twenty years later, the world is finally beginning to recover from the effects of the 'Turmoil': a near-apocalyptic collision of terrorist attacks, brushfire wars, economic collapse, industrial accidents, and internal disorder and uprisings across the globe. Here and there, rumors circulate of 'giants in black' who fought against the worst violence - and then suddenly disappeared, hidden or dead. Cut off from the Project, a small group of surviving Golems has spent the past five years in hiding. In that time, they have been seeking out others of their kind, trying to bring them together in a community all their own. They know nothing of their lives before the Project - if those even existed. Now, however, two of them are setting out on a journey to find answers. But the truth of their origins goes far deeper than they could ever believe. And there are some in the covert world they left behind who will kill to keep this truth buried...

Only the most talented storytellers create worlds that are beyond fantasy, worlds that become realities. In 'Legends' the reader can visit the most fabulous worlds ever created – by Terry Pratchett, Anne McCaffrey, George R.R. Martin, Tad Williams and Robert Jordan.

'The biggest names in contemporary fantasy have written novellas set in their most popular worlds. Fortunately, the standard matches the notion; maybe the contributors were spurred on by group rivalry' 'Time Out'

'An essential buy for every fantasy fan' 'SFX'

By the fall of 2007, one well-timed leak revealing that the U.S. government might have engaged in first contact has sent the country into turmoil, and it is all Cora Sabino can do to avoid the whole mess. The force driving this controversy is Cora's whistleblower father, and even though she hasn't spoken to him in years, his celebrity has caught the attention of the press, the Internet, the paparazzi, and the government and redirected it to her. She neither knows nor cares whether her father's leaks are a hoax, and wants nothing to do with him until she learns just how deeply entrenched her family is in the cover-up, and that an extraterrestrial presence has been on Earth for decades. To save her own life, she offers her services as an interpreter to a monster, and the monster accepts. Learning the extent to which both she and the public have been lied to, she sets out to gather as much information as she can, and finds that the best way for her to find the truth is not as a whistleblower, but as an intermediary. The alien presence has been completely uncommunicative until she convinces one of them that she can act as their interpreter, becoming the first and only human vessel of communication. But in becoming an interpreter, she begins to realize that she has become the voice for a being she cannot ever truly know or understand, and starts to question who she's speaking for and what future she's setting up for all of humanity.

Without Lazar's guiding hand and presence, the Stone Palace of Percheron has become a different place. Young Zar Boaz, mistrusting of his mother, Herezah, but too inexperienced to stand on his own, seeks counsel from the suddenly changed and secretive Vizier, who has a sinister agenda of his own.

As Herezah privately grieves for Lazar, she hatches an audacious plot to destroy the odalisque Ana, who flouts the rules of the harem but has found a measure of protection in having caught the eye of Zar Boaz. And Ana shoulders a tremendous burden of guilt as she matures from a beautiful girl into a stunning young woman . . . and fears what her future in the harem might hold.

Yet Lazar, unbeknownst to nearly everyone in the palace, is slowly recovering on a secret island. As he struggles to return to health, war from a distant realm threatens Percheron, and, as the cyclical battle of the gods continues to build, the first of the Goddess's disciples falls into the grip of the demon Maliz. Success or failure--for both Percheron and Lyana--hinges on Lazar, whose illness has left him with a new gift he fears is a curse, and if he cannot take action soon, all may well be lost.