Two men begin to suspect that mankind's much-heralded First Contact with aliens is anything but. Now all they have to do is prove it. A time of flux, a time of change... While mankind is adjusting to its first ever encounter with an alien civilisation - the Byrzaens - black ops specialist Jim Leyton reluctantly allies himself with the mysterious habitat in order to rescue the woman he loves. This brings him into direct conflict with his former employers: the United League of Allied Worlds government. Scientist and businessman Philip Kaufman is fast discovering there is more to the virtual world than he ever realised. Yet it soon becomes clear that all is not well within the realm of Virtuality. Truth is hidden beneath lies and there are games being played, deadly games with far reaching consequences. Both men begin to suspect that the much heralded 'First Contact' is anything but first contact, and that a sinister con is being perpetrated with the whole of humankind as the victim. Now all they have to do is prove it.

On the brink of perfecting the long sought-after human/AI interface, Philip Kaufman finds his world thrown into turmoil as a scandal from the past returns to haunt him
On the brink of perfecting the long sought-after human/AI interface, Philip Kaufman finds his world thrown into turmoil as a scandal from the past returns to haunt him and dangerous information falls into his hands. Pursued by assassins and attacked in his own home, he flees. Leyton, a government black-ops specialist, is diverted from his usual duties to hunt down the elusive pirate vessel The Noise Within, wondering all the while why this particular freebooter is considered so important. Two lives collide in this stunning space-opera from debut novelist Ian Whates

Every short story in this wonderfully varied collection has one thing in common: each features some alteration in history, some divergence from historical reality, which results in a world very different from the one we know today. As well as original stories specially commissioned from bestselling writers such as James Morrow, Stephen Baxter and Ken MacLeod, there are genre classics such as Kim Stanley Robinson's story of how World War II atomic bomber the Enola Gay, having crashed on a training flight, is replaced by the Lucky Strike with profoundly different consequences. Praise for the editors: 'Mr Watson wreaks havoc with what is accepted - and acceptable.' The Times 'One of Britain's consistently finest science fiction writers.' New Scientist

For anyone who still considers woman to be the weaker sex, think again... Tales of Dark SF, Fantasy and Horror from: Frances Hardinge Storm Constantine Ruth Booth Andrew Hook Stewart Hotston Holly Ice Adele Kirby Maura McHugh Jonathan Oliver Stephen Palmer John Llewellyn Probert Benjanun Sriduangkaew

An anthology of original stories; tales from the dark side, featuring Dark SF, Fantasy and Horror from: Adam Roberts Simon Morden E.J. Swift Jay Caselberg Emma Coleman Paul Kane Alex Dally McFarlane Marie O'Regan Paul Graham Raven Donna Scott Simon Kurt Unsworth Paula Wakefield James Worrad