Fantasy Adventure Short Stories

For 20 long unholy years, Hurtz, the pilot, dreamed of retirement...and found his "acre of heaven" on a death star. Hurtz went through the automatic motions of preparing himself for their landing on the small unnamed planet, but each thing he did was a wasted motion because it was really the boy, Jones, who was going to put the rocket down. And, what could Hurtz do now? The hard, aging muscles of his body were taut, and although the lines about his eyes had deepened, his eyes - blue and sparkling - still retained their old ferocity.

This collection of short stories and novelettes includes the previously published stories "The Potter's Daughter" (a prequel to the novel The Element of Fire), "Holy Places", "Rites of Passage", "Houses of the Dead", "Reflections" (the Giliead and Ilias stories, prequels to the Fall of Ile-Rien trilogy), as well as "Night at the Opera" (a Nicholas and Reynard story original to this collection, set before the Nebula-nominated novel The Death of the Necromancer).

In a landlocked galaxy that tunnels through our own, the Entire is a bizarre and seductive mix of long-lied quasi-human and alien beings gathered under a sky of fire, called the "bright". A land of wonders, the Entire is sustained by monumental storm walls and an exotic, never-ending river. Over all, the elegant and cruel Tarig rule supreme. Into this rich milieu is thrust Titus Quinn, former star pilot.

Humans - there's no understanding them, and no dealing with them either. Or even their planet. Pity the poor aliens, whose shape-changing ability should let them take over the planet Earth before the humans even know they're there - if it weren't for all that omnipresent pollution. Or consider another set of invaders, from a planet where the weather is always mild and the changing of the seasons is hardly noticeable. They land in force; their weapons more powerful than those of the primitive humans, but they've never had to deal with below-zero temperatures, flash floods, or tornadoes.

Alice saw the Beachcomber as a glorious hunk of man; Maxwell saw him as a super being from the future. Tragically, he was both.... Maxwell and the girl started their weekend on Thursday, in Venice. Friday, they went to Paris, Saturday to Nice, and on Sunday, they were bored. Alice pouted at him across the breakfast table. "Vernon, let's go someplace else," she said. She leaned forward across the table and put up one long white hand to keep her honey-colored hair out of her eyes. "You don't know what I mean. I mean, let's go to some other planet."

Gentle Marene was next when the black space cruiser called for its youth-levy. If only Zurk would spark to life - Zurk, this huge, part-human war machine of tubular steel muscles and blank, mechanical mind. There was both agony and defeat etched deeply into Guyard's lean face as he stood there in the center of the hidden attic laboratory. His fists were clinched tightly at his sides and his hollow eyes were staring tensely and with supplication at the steel monstrosity before him. "Zurk, you must save her!" he pleaded. "You must save Marene!" Zurk, the man of steel, made no move.

Harry spent three years in space, waiting to get home to Earth - and his family. They were waiting for him, too - that is, for his corpse. Captain Greene shook his shaggy head and studied Allerton with patient eyes. "You're making a mistake," he said. "You'll be back." The inside of the spaceship was quiet now, not with the silence of the tomb, but with the silence of barely inaudible echoes, as if Allerton might still be able to hear the crew clomping about the companionways on metal-shod feet if only he knew how to listen.

You must understand that Palmer loved his wife as much as ever, or he would never have thought of his simple little scheme at all. It was entirely for her own good, as he had told himself a dozen times in the past day. And with that, he stilled whatever qualms of conscience he might otherwise have had. He didn't think of himself as being something of a murderer. Life here had been wonderful, incredibly satisfying. At least it had been that way for him. And now it would be the same way for his wife as well.

Prescott stood to make a young fortune if he could capture a Martian zloor - dead or alive! Was there a catch to it? Only for the hunter!

Award-winning author Pat Murphy takes us aboard a luxury cruise ship and into the strange confluence of time and space known as the Bermuda Triangle, in an engaging science-fiction romp that recalls the work of Kate Wilhelm.

In the year 2020, after Zelda—evil queen of the planet Guk—has destroyed NASA's Mars base and Earth is under threat. Zelda intends to use Mars as a stepping stone to conquer the Earth, and enslave the human race. The Terrahawks have been formed to defend the planet. From Hawknest, their secret base in South America, they prepare for the battles to come.

Twenty-six short stories that will amaze you. Among others: Curiosity Rover discovers a locked door in the side of Mount Sharp, on Mars, and three scientists are sent on a mission to discover what lies within the ancient structure. Will they locate the mysterious libraries of a civilization lost, and survive to tell about their discoveries in "The Mars Tetrahedron"? Plus, you'll hear "The Day Satan Quit" and much much more.

Time travel is a dream long held by human beings. Who hasn't had fond thoughts about showing Nicola Tesla their personal Tesla coil or taking him for a drive in an electric car that bears his name? The devil is in the details of the technology, which is what ties together this collection of short fiction. The stories in this collection appeared in Analog science fiction magazine between 1990 and 2000.

Space pirates! Words that conjure up rousing tales of adventure, derring-do, brave heroes battling the scurvy vermin of the galaxy. Those vermin have taken to pillaging cargo ships and, even worse, space liners, relieving the helpless passengers of their valuables, and worse with the comely women passengers, then spacing the lot - unless one or more of the aforementioned brave heroes arrive in the nick of time, and turn the tables, making the spaceways safe again for the innocent and helpless.

Follow Caveman and his bros in the Road Dogs MC from Biker Heaven, to the pits of Biker Hell. In the first story, Biker Heaven, after receiving a zombie bite, Caveman hits a tree on his motorcycle at over 100 miles an hour, buying his ticket to Biker Heaven; but when there is trouble in the biker world, Caveman comes back to help his bros in the Road Dogs MC. Taking on vampires and werewolves plus evil demons from the depths of Hell, Caveman and the Halo riders, a band of trouble shooters from the great beyond, have their hands full protecting the bros on Earth.

Your favorite award-winning, critically acclaimed, and best-selling authors unite to tell stories set in the Dungeons & Dragons world, filled with desperate dragons and cruel elves, honorable demons and fickle gods, wild magic and the sharpest of steel. You don't want to miss this rarest of opportunities to get a glimpse into the D&D adventures created by some of the most brilliant fantasy writers of our age.

Few options remain for Byron. Slated to train as a Cosbolt pilot, Byron is determined to prove his worth to his instructor, Bassa. As war brews on the edge of space, Bassa must make a decision that could decide the fate of both men. Will their skills be enough as they embark on a mission destined to stretch their abilities to the limit?

James Patrick Kelly rappresenta il lato umano del cyberpunk e "Festa a sorpresa" è la sua prima raccolta di racconti mai pubblicata in doppia lingua, inglese e italiano. Include i seguenti racconti: La casa di Bernardo, Festa a sorpresa, La promessa dello spazio, Dichiarazione, Yukui!, La scimpanzé dei papi, Una sorella, due sorelle, tre. L'autore: James Patrick Kelly ha avuto una carriera eclettica: ha scritto romanzi, racconti, saggi, recensioni, poesie e sceneggiature.

Zeiten ändern sich - Menschen jedoch nur selten. Die Errungenschaften der modernen Wissenschaft scheinen die Tore in eine aufregende Zukunft zu öffnen. Doch alle Technik des Universums kann die Menschen nicht vor ihren Sehnsüchten befreien. Um seine Schwester zu retten, lässt sich ein Polizist auf einen Handel mit einem wortwörtlich "unmenschlichen" Verbrecher ein. Die irrationale Sehnsucht nach einer KI verwischt die Grenzen zwischen Realität und virtueller Welt.

The DOSA Files Volume 3 brings you EIGHT new Superhero Stories! The Award-Winning Supervillain Rehabilitation Project series expands with this new eight-story anthology of exciting superhero (and villain!) tales. Enter a world of superpowered heroes... and villains. Of epic adventure and hope. In this collection, you'll find tales of humor, action, and suspense. Meet brave heroes, quippy villains, and desperate vigilantes. All featured stories are PG or lower, making this a great listen for all ages, but especially for fans of superhero fiction, heartfelt moments, and snarky humor.