Military Science Fiction Anthology

A long-forgotten pulp hero makes his glorious return to action and adventure in this special volume featuring Lance Star and his team of rough-and-ready Sky Rangers. Four brand-new, action-packed tales of highflying thrills await you.

The Hunter and The Trap presents two thrilling and suspenseful stories by Howard Fast, one of the most prolific authors of the 20th century. In “The Hunter,” celebrated but down-on-his-luck novelist Andrew Bell returns to New York from an African safari only to find himself the prey in someone else’s big game hunt. Bell must seek the help of an old friend in order to escape with his life.

Wars end, enemies are defeated and territories are conquered and the combatants have to return to a life changed. America and the rest of humanity have fallen to the Fae, ancient mortal enemies of mankind. After building their strength for two thousand years, the Elves have claimed their vengeance and now rule Earth with an iron fist and dragon fire. Down but not out, a human resistance is building, but first daily life needs to be lived.

There is a thin wall between our world and that of the Fae, and, during times of war, it is easily stepped through. The passions and emotions stirred by violence and combat bleed over, and the supernatural often awake from long slumber to meddle in mortal affairs. Then also, there are the humans who purposely force that wall down seeking glory and power.

A damaged cyborg soldier and an enemy alien fighter turn their backs on the war and try to escape. But the human and alien governments can't tolerate the two deserters working together, so they join forces to hunt them down.

It's the year 2030, and the whole world is watching while American soldiers fight insurgents in Syria. But with TV networks in charge of the war, what's the real goal, and is a hero really a hero?

The war between those of the Sky Empire and those of the Sea Kingdom is as old as this world of endless water itself, and Stella is trapped inside its deadly confines. Stella finally agrees to her highly anticipated betrothal with the most promising leviathan mech fighter. This fighter, a military hero, has an alarming amount of blood on his hands. She isn't after his title, but something more dangerous. Stella's plan may give her the absolution she's been searching for, or she may end up losing her life for nothing.

One sneak attack on the very heart of the galaxy turns a space station full of families into ground zero for war. Veteran-turned-lawyer Helaman must make a stand to save his wife and kids, along with everyone else on the station. Invading soldiers want him dead. Local politicians are out to undermine him. Can he hold things off long enough for the fleet to arrive, or will his efforts just get more people killed?

Lee’s too wild for the military, but too good at his job to get rid of. The government's solution is to banish him to the outer planets until he’s deemed civilized. His latest attempt at rehabilitation has him signed on with an outpost colony. He hates ranching. He hates taking orders from his boss. But he likes shooting aliens. Luckily, the planet he’s on is about to face a full blown infestation.

Embittered by past failures and broken dreams, American fighter pilot David Duane believes in but one cause - his own. Europe is at war, and he’ll fight it for a price, selling his deadly flying skills to the highest bidder. Duane has come to the icy white wastes of Scandinavia to wage a private war in the skies. But he’s about to take off on a flight and undertake an unforgettable journey - On Blazing Wings - to a place beyond the imagination...leading to a revelation that will open his eyes and his heart.

The Japanese military has turned the once-thriving Chinese city of Nencheng into a reeking pile of blood and ash. And now the Japanese Rising Sun threatens to scorch the ancient - and oil-rich - Kingdom of the Silver Lake. Can the Chinese survive the onslaught? Do they have a prayer? The answer is about to fall out of the sky. He is The Falcon Killer.

When the captain and senior crew abandon the Renegat, linguist Raina Serpell assumes command. She needs to get the ship and remaining crew home. As the ship comes under attack from the planet below, Raina must first figure out how to operate the ship’s firepower. Harder still, she must battle her own past to become captain in more than just name alone.

One devastating event changed the course of humanity. They came in a blink of an eye and without warning, and intentions unknown. But when aliens made landfall, they began destroying everything in their path.

Barto is a genetically engineered soldier in a future war. He has body armor, enhanced reflexes, and a laser lance as a deadly weapon, but he can kill with his bare hands as well. His entire life has been designed for combat, to kill and die on the battlefield, to destroy the enemy. That is all he knows. He doesn’t have to worry about making complex decisions. But when he is cut off from the rest of his squadron, freed from the constant drone of commands, he is confronted with the most terrifying crisis - the possibility of peace.

Get ready for a fresh take on the zombie genre when the SEALs fix their crosshairs on the undead and the unsavory. James Enroy, a former Navy SEAL, thinks he is the sole survivor left in L.A. after a bioweapon cripples humanity, turning the infected into pudding-faced zombies. A chance meeting with an old mentor and a young heroine brings the trio into a confrontation with a criminal kingpin who has turned the L.A. Zoo into a gladiator arena, pitting zombies against humans.

Bane was created by an Ecran scientist to travel to distant stars. But, the Ecran military quickly realized how a wormhole generator could be used as a weapon against their only enemy, Meran. After a successful test, a Marine detachment led by Bassar Raad is transferring the weapon of mass destruction to a secret lab. This was Meran's only chance to seize this terrible weapon and save their planet.

RIZEN is a chilling collection of stories that will have you on the edge of your seat! A plague has caused the dead to rise and stalk the living.... "The Chosen": Ten years after the zombie apocalypse, Dan and his family try to stake out a new life for themselves in rural Wyoming. When he encounters a mysterious group of survivors who call themselves The Chosen, Dan is unsure whether he can trust them. "The White Fist": Five years after the first of the infected reach Texas, pockets of survivors are reminded that the living can be even more dangerous than the dead.

When Fadey comes home from the war in space, what will he find?

Eric is an operating system that was designed to be human. Recently, he was placed inside a large ABD-1250 Battle Droid and sent to the front lines of a drug war. There, he has to make choices that his all-machine counterparts wouldn't have to - including whether or not he feels his life is worth less than a human's.

Unlearning is a science fiction short story written by Lamees Alhassar. It is a display of the most boundary-pushing, genre-blurring, creative sophistication. By sending us to alternate universes and engaging with a wide spectrum of emotions from tenderness to fear, it challenges the way we see our place in the cosmos. It dazzles with ambition, striking style, and the promise of imagining the unimaginable.