Gena and Don seemed an ideal couple. Young. In love. Playful and imaginative. They often pretended to be cats, purring and playing and taking on pretend roles in their made-up cat-world of "Cat"-alonia! When they move into their first house and money becomes tight, management of household finances -- what the shared Household account pays for versus what share goes to personal expenses -- becomes a contention point. And their imaginary world takes a darker turn, with Household becoming an evil that threatens the harmony of their beloved Catalonia. But Catalonia and its feline residents have become so real that they begin to intrude into Gena and Don's world, appearing as stray cats -- with a mission of their own. And they aren't going to let the young couple destroy their world, at any cost! SEASON OF THE CATS is a delightfully contemporary fantasy by the award-winning author of EARTHSEED, the Venus Trilogy, and The Alien Upstairs.

Gena and Don seemed an ideal couple. Young. In love. Playful and imaginative. They often pretended to be cats, purring and playing and taking on pretend roles in their made-up cat-world of "Cat"-alonia! When they move into their first house and money becomes tight, management of household finances -- what the shared Household account pays for versus what share goes to personal expenses -- becomes a contention point. And their imaginary world takes a darker turn, with Household becoming an evil that threatens the harmony of their beloved Catalonia. But Catalonia and its feline residents have become so real that they begin to intrude into Gena and Don's world, appearing as stray cats -- with a mission of their own. And they aren't going to let the young couple destroy their world, at any cost! SEASON OF THE CATS is a delightfully contemporary fantasy by the award-winning author of EARTHSEED, the Venus Trilogy, and The Alien Upstairs.

A dystopian tale of a power struggle between the sexes in the post-nuclear future, perfect for readers of Margaret Atwood and Ursula K. Le Guin. After a nuclear holocaust, women rule the world. Using advanced technology, they've expelled men from their vast walled cities to roam the countryside in primitive bands, bringing them back only for the purpose of loveless reproduction under the guise of powerful goddesses. When one young woman, Birana, questions her society's deception, she finds herself exiled among the very men she has been taught to scorn. She crosses paths with a hunter, Arvil, and the two grow close as they evade the ever-threatening female forces and the savage wilderness men. Their love just might mend their fractured world--if they manage to survive. Hailed as "one of the genre's best writers" by the Washington Post Book World, Pamela Sargent is the author of numerous novels, including Earthseed and Venus of Dreams. The winner of the Nebula and Locus awards, she has also coauthored several Star Trek novels with George Zebrowski.

In the tradition of the old Ace Doubles (flip one book over to read the second title), here's the twenty-seventh Wildside Double: DREAM OF VENUS AND OTHER SCIENCE FICTION STORIES, by Pamela Sargent. Sargent published the first novel in her "Venus" trilogy, Venus of Dreams, in 1986; it was followed by Venus of Shadows (1988) and Child of Venus (2001). For the first time, Dream of Venus collects the short fiction set against the backdrop of the author's Venus novels, comprising four stories written after the trilogy had been completed. As Sargent writes in her Introduction: "Characters and stories existing in the interfaces of the novels began to speak to me." These are tales that can be enjoyed both for themselves and by longtime fans of the Venus trilogy. DECIMATED: TEN SCIENCE FICTION STORIES, by Jack Dann and George Zebrowski. Long before their award-nominated and awarded stories and novels, these two writers word-jammed together, learning the music of story writing and the blood and bones of distinctive prose. And all these early efforts were published Here they are again, together in one place--ten riveting stories of science fiction--as entertaining as they were fun to write--including the previously unpublished tale, "The Standard Crisis Scenario"

With their sun about to go nova, the people of Epictetus III face annihilation. Although the "U.S.S. Enterprise(TM)" has come to lead the rescue operation, there is no way to evacuate a population of over twenty million, leaving Captain Picard to make an agonizing decision. Should he try to salvage the planet's children, its greatest leaders and thinkers, or its irreplaceable archeological treasures? No matter what he decides, millions must be sacrificed -- unless another solution can be found.

With time running out, Data proposes a revolutionary scientific experiment that could save all of Epictetus III, or doom both the planet and the "Enterprise" as well.

Ship hurtles through space. Deep within its core, it carries the seed of humankind. Launched by the people of a dying Earth over a century ago, its mission is to find a habitable world for the children - fifteen-year-old Zoheret and her shipmates - whom it has created from its genetic banks. To Zoheret and her shipmates, Ship has been mother, father, and loving teacher, preparing them for their biggest challenge: to survive on their own, on an uninhabited planet, without Ship's protection. Now that day is almost upon them...but are they ready to leave Ship? Ship devises a test. And suddenly, instincts that have been latent for over a hundred years take over. Zoheret watches as friends become strangers - and enemies. Can Zoheret and her companions overcome the biggest obstacle to the survival of the human race - themselves?

"This formidably researched and exquisitely written novel is surely destined to be known hereafter as the definitive history of the life and times and conquests of Genghis, mightiest of Khans." -Gary Jennings, author of Aztec "I love it...Scholarly without ever seeming pedantic, the book is fascinating from cover to cover and does admirable justice to a man who might very well be called history's single most important and compelling character." -Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, author of Reindeer Moon "Sargent...has produced a neatly crafted work that manages to provide a panoramic view of the charismatic leader Genghis Khan while at the same time presenting the background mosaic of warring Mongol tribes in enough detail to keep the reader from getting hopelessly confused. A nice touch is Sargent's telling the conqueror's story from the viewpoints of the women in his life-mothers, wives, and daughters...an appealing novel to fans of historical fiction." -Library Journal ." . .Genghis Khan lives again in this expansive saga, as perceived through the eyes of the women who loved him. 'Behind every great man...' they say; and befitting a king who in one lifetime accomplished what ten average kings might, there is more than one great woman here. Ruler of the Sky chronicles the birth, coming-of-age, reign, and death of this vastly complex warrior-king from an intimate perspective. In an age in which women were subjected to barbarous conventional practices, the courage, wisdom, tenacity, and ingenuity of these particular women are remarkable. An impressive novel from a veteran writer." -The ALA Booklist ." . . a successful attempt to flesh out a mythic figure...Genghis Khan seen through the eyes of significant women. Ruler of the Sky will be a pleasant surprise for readers." -Chicago Tribune In 1167, in the harsh homeland of Mongol tribes, a child was born who was to change the course of human history. His father named him Temujin, but the world knows him as Genghis Khan. Set amid the barbaric splendor of the Mongol hordes, Ruler of the Sky tells the tale of the warrior who forged one of the greatest and most terrifying armies the world had ever seen, and conquered the world from Peking to Persia. Not only is this the story of Genghis Khan, it is also the story of those who were closest to him, especially the women who played such an important role in his life. From the windswept plains of Mongolia to the opulence of the Chinese court, Ruler of the Sky is unforgettable. Pamela Sargent is the author of the futuristic novel The Shore of Women and the alternative history Climb the Wind: A Novel of Another America. Her other novels include Watchstar, Venus of Dreams, The Golden Space, The Alien Upstairs, and Earthseed, recently optioned by Paramount Pictures. She lives in upstate New York.

The prestigious Nebula Awards are the Oscars of science fiction and fantasy, the only SF awards bestowed annually by the writers' own demanding peers, the Science-fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Just as the Nebula Awards honor only the finest science ficiton and fantasy, the Nebula Awards series showcases only the best of the ballot, offering as well fiction and nonfiction not collected elsewhere and a dazzling selection of essays written expressley for each volume. No other best-of-year anthology represents the achievement of the Nebula Awards so well. Nebula Awards 31 is, as Publishers Weekly said of a previous volume, "essential reading for anyone who enjoys science fiction."

For the eleventh consecutive year, Harvest offers the best of sci-fi and fantasy writing--featuring works by Greg Bear, Mike Resnick, David Gerrold, Martha Soukup, Ben Bova, Joe Haldeman, Ursula K. Le Guin, and many others--as well as a spirited essay on the latest in science fiction and fantasy films.

Nebula Awards 29 continues the series tradition of featuring fiction, poetry, and essays not found in any other best-of-the-year anthologies. Includes "The Man Who Rowed Christopher Columbus Ashore" by Harlan Ellison, "Red Mars" by Kim Stanley Robinson, "Alfred" by Lisa Goldstein, plus works by the winners in all four Nebula categories.