Science Fiction Exploration

Look outward beyond the stars with six stories from bestselling visionary authors. An AI awakens to its purpose. A researcher seeds a thousand new worlds for one more chance at love. A murder rocks the crew of an interstellar ship. With a sweeping sense of wonder, these stories explore the galaxy . . . and the horizons of humanity’s potential.

A novella set in the hard-scrabble world of James S. A. Corey's NYT best-selling Expanse series, Strange Dogs follows a family of colonists on Laconia where a new generation of humanity struggles with the profound changes that come with making a home on an alien world. Like many before them, Cara and her family ventured through the gates as scientists and researchers, driven to carve out a new life and uncover the endless possibilities of the unexplored alien worlds now within reach.

Too many years of hunting psychotic vampires night after night have left Rachel with a need for change. So when the opportunity to travel across the galaxy aboard a Lasaran warship to a utopian planet arises, the powerful Immortal Guardian jumps at the chance. Rachel eagerly looks forward to making a fresh start . . . until an enemy attacks and she ends up alone in an escape pod so far from alliance-occupied space that no one can hear her communications. No one except a renegade cyborg who shouldn't exist.

Shopping in the Empire's biggest shipbuilding star system, Hiro's offered a bargain on an intriguingly uncanny vessel! Then he crosses paths with Kugi--a devout fox shrine maiden hailing from a mysterious sect. She can speak to him telepathically and volunteers to teach him to use his powers. Hiro signs on, but he's about to be put through his psionic paces!

Get ready to experience two more origin stories in the Backyard Starship universe.

Hiro and the gang get dragged into rescuing the daughters of an elf patriarch and receive a warm welcome from the elven home planet. The elves here are nothing like Hiro imagined--they know nothing of modern science and rely on magic rather than technology. As Hiro and the girls sample local delicacies, enjoy the sights, and get a crash course in elven fashion, they find that Hiro seems to wield a power much like the elves' magic...

Civil War veteran John Carter is transported to a dying planet, where he must elude capture by giant green barbarians to rescue a Martian princess from certain doom. In this landmark of science fiction, the myths and mystery of the red planet supply a vibrant backdrop for a swashbuckling epic.

According to Sumerian scholar Zecharia Sitchin, a superior race of beings once inhabited our world. In The 12th Planet—the product of 30 years of intensive research—Sitchin persuasively argues that humanity sprang from extraterrestrial forebears. In this remarkable account, you'll hear the story of how these ancient visitors traveled to Earth from the stars and planted the genetic seed that would ultimately blossom into a remarkable species—the human being.

Nathan Myers and the crew of the Legacy have been taking down some of the galaxy's worst criminals. The corrupt leaders that are hiding in the shadows have taken notice. They are combining forces and sharing technology, even resorting to acts of terrorism in hopes of putting a stop to Nathan's conquests. If the face of growing opposition, Nathan and his allies discover an even deadlier threat. The Prule that have been hiding in the galaxy for more than 200 years have suddenly come out of hiding.

It’s time for the humans to strike back! Vile, ant-like aliens have already consumed the colonies of the Faustian Chain. Known as the Skaintz, these creatures destroy all living things and carry them back to their nests to be devoured. Now, they’ve begun to invade the stars of the Conclave. Captain Bill Gorman, a smuggler from the Fringe, is called upon by the Conclave rulers to scout the enemy. Fleets and armies are launched in a desperate attempt to annihilate the Skaintz before they consume humanity. Find out what happens next in Androids and Aliens.

On a mission to a planet threatened by a toxic disaster, Obi-Wan and Anakin are separated. Anakin and three other apprentices - one of them his rival - must work together in order to survive. Anakin's instincts are clear...but are they right?

When Gyre Price lied her way into this expedition, she thought she’d be mapping mineral deposits and that her biggest problems would be cave collapses and gear malfunctions. She also thought that the fat paycheck - enough to get her off-planet and on the trail of her mother - meant she’d get a skilled surface team, monitoring her suit and environment, keeping her safe. Keeping her sane. Instead, she got Em. Em sees nothing wrong with controlling Gyre’s body with drugs or withholding critical information to “ensure the smooth operation” of her expedition.

An interstellar craft is decelerating after its century-long voyage. Its destination is V538 Aurigae, a now-empty planet dominated by one gigantic megastructure, a conical mountain of such height that its summit is high above the atmosphere. The ship's crew of five hope to discover how the long-departed builders made such a colossal thing, and why: a space elevator? a temple? a work of art? Its resemblance to the mountain of purgatory lead the crew to call this world Dante.

Captain Brian Royce brings Hadad to his home planet, which shows obvious signs of battle. Did any of his family survive? Where are all the children; did the Zodarks take them? Admiral Miles Hunt finds himself appointed to a new position beyond his current skill set. He now has to become more than just a ship captain and fleet commander: he must become the Viceroy of the Milky Way Galaxy.

Paul Mitchell wasn't sure how things could get any worse. Sure, he'd been booted from the Marine Corps and was forced to work as a freelancer because he couldn't hold down a regular job. He'd signed on with a mysterious crew of women, sailed across the void, and met interesting aliens and new people who tried to kill him. Against all odds, he'd somehow found himself stuck between a criminal psycho, Naval Intelligence, and a drop-dead gorgeous skipper who actually liked him. He'd even pulled a regular Prince Charming and saved a damsel in distress.

All I ever wanted was to explore new worlds, but when my sister vanished during a battle with a ruthless alien horde, my mission became clear—find her at all costs. My search for her leads me to join forces with a desperate blonde princess seeking help. Now, we’re both caught in a war that threatens not just her empire, but the entire galaxy.

When the Fafnir responds to a desperate distress call, their act of kindness is turned against them, making Van the most wanted man in the known universe. Targeted by a vicious, charismatic politician and his shadowy partner, Van and his friends are faced with a decision that carries long term consequences—deliver justice...or run and hide. The choice is easy. The Fafnir will attack, and criminals will pay regardless of the bounty chasing them across the stars.

What could be more commonplace than grass or a world covered over all its surface with a wind-whipped ocean of grass? But the planet Grass conceals horrifying secrets within its endless pastures. And as an incurable plague attacks all inhabited planets but this one, the prairie-like Grass begins to reveal these secrets - and nothing will ever be the same again.

Kyran Loyal is the last heir to the lost throne of a forgotten planet, the figurehead of a nomadic people fleeing the galactic tyranny of a brutal regime. Davia Sifane is the unrecognized daughter of an imperial despot. When happenstance pits them against each other in battle, neither expects the outcome: they are the only two people to survive. Marooned on a barren moon, their only hope of survival is to rely on each other, but what they learn will either kill them or change the galaxy forever.

From the halls of power in Washington to the vastness of space, the Guild moves closer to outright war as shifting alliances force everyone—including Van—to pick a side, take up arms, and fight. But there are ghosts out there in the black, and some of them carry secrets that Mark Tudor and Petyr Groshenko refused to reveal. In the expanse of his memory, Perry finds an ancient ship, and an even older war—and neither of those things have truly gone away.