Science Fiction Fantasy First Life

Hacker Kita Yamasaki would do anything to escape the post-apocalyptic landscape that was the result of the Forever Winter. But for a normal person, the only options are the war-hungry nation-state of Ex Cathedra or the isolationist United California. Fortunately, Kita is anything but normal. When she finds a faded brochure for the BC Oasis—an underground greenhouse capable of sheltering a quarter million people—she jumps at the opportunity, even going so far as to steal a fission battery the oasis requires to operate at full capacity.

The best science fiction scrutinizes our culture and politics, examines the limits of the human condition, and zooms across galaxies at faster-than-light speeds, moving from the very near future to the far-flung worlds of tomorrow in the space of a single sentence. Neil Clarke has selected the short science fiction (and only science fiction) best representing the previous year's writing, showcasing the talent, variety, and awesome "sensawunda" that the genre has to offer.

Stories of Your Life and Others presents characters who must confront sudden change-the inevitable rise of automatons or the appearance of aliens-while striving to maintain some sense of normalcy. In the amazing and much-lauded title story (the basis for the 2016 movie Arrival), a grieving mother copes with divorce and the death of her daughter by drawing on her knowledge of alien languages and non-linear memory recollection.

A walk around the block, a quick drive, before shutting down your PC ? these short story collections are perfect for when you only have a few minutes to listen."

With The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume 3, award-winning editor Neil Clarke provides a year-in-review and 27 of the best stories published by both new and established authors in 2017.

An unabridged audio collection spotlighting the "best of the best" hard science fiction stories published in 2016 by current and emerging masters of the genre, edited by Allan Kaster, as narrated by top voice talents.

Dr. Daniel North has spent his life chasing the impossible. After witnessing his brother’s death as a child, Daniel dedicates himself to unraveling the greatest mystery of all—what happens after we die? Through relentless research, secret experiments, and one forbidden breakthrough, he edges closer to a terrifying, beautiful truth: consciousness might not end with the body. But every discovery comes at a cost. As his obsession grows, so do the consequences, academic disgrace, ethical lines crossed, and a therapy mandate that leads him to Anna, a psychologist with her own quiet fractures.

The science fiction genre has become increasingly influential in mainstream popular culture, evolving into one of the most engaging storytelling tools we use to think about technology and consider the shape of the future. Along the way, it has also become one of the major lenses we use to explore important philosophical questions. The origins of science fiction are most often thought to trace to Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein, a story born from a night of spooky tale-telling by the fireside that explores scientific, moral, and ethical questions that were of great concern in the 19th century - and that continue to resonate today.

CONTENTS: Introduction; I Just Make Them Up, See; Someday; The Feeling of Power; Living Space; Satisfaction Guaranteed; The Last Question; Jokester; The Immortal Bard; Spell My Name With an "S"; The Ugly Little...

Hacker Kita Yamasaki is a survivor, a fighter, and the granddaughter of Dr. Benjamin Yamasaki. Once the sole human ambassador seeking peace with the alien Teth, now the doctor is long dead—and only Kita holds the knowledge that can save humanity. Though she's already foiled one effort to destroy Earth and forged an alliance with the violent, power-armored Judge Gascoigne, new threats arise. Namely, the Iron-Blooded cultists, who wish to ally themselves with the aliens in exchange for their own lives.

on Fanwath. But he had other ideas—bigger, bolder, bloodier ideas. Now known as Lord Victor after a hard-fought campaign to claim the newly christened Free Marches, his legend grows beyond his own lifetime. With yet another conquest, Victor must set order in his new realms, a task more daunting than battle with all it entails. But above all, he must somehow save his dear ally Edeya, whose spirit was stolen in the chaos of war.

Magic is fading, and humanity is at the brink of extinction. Sybil lived and breathed the life of a miner, delving deep into monster-infested caverns and perilous shafts, risking her life to unearth Relics of an ancient past for food and shelter. That is until one day, she discovers a Relic that would change her fate from a simple miner to an Ascended—a Relic that connected her to the magic that was once lost.

As Sol and Kyriel race back to the capital to warn the Sovereign about the growing Tirzak threat, an even darker force stirs within the ranks of the enemy. If the heroes can't convince the Great Houses to stand together behind their unlikely union, all of Lostrien will be consumed by the bloodthirsty swarm.

Captain Mead sold his banking gig for space raising his children between Earth and Pluto for over a decade. With all but one of them moved on, and with business on the upswing, it's time to hire. When an overqualified young man lands on his ramp eager for work, he ignores the shady history on his resume, especially since his past has its own flaws. After a boring decade of living as a trading merchant, the Sol System heats up in more ways than one.

It is the year 2051, and the International Space Institute has just sent two rival astrobiologists to search for extraterrestrial life on Europa, the mysterious ice moon of Jupiter. What they encounter could not only revolutionize science, it might make one of them the most famous person on Earth. Or does the Universe have other plans?

Charlie is just your average teenage boy living a normal life until it flips upside down. Learning you're adopted is hard enough, but learning that your parents are genius scientists that are labeled crazy for their work; that's an entirely new level of insane. When Charlie gets an opportunity to meet with his real parents and get his answers, they not only change his life and world view, but they also give him a choice - a choice that will irrevocably change his life.

Hacker and freedom fighter Kita Yamasaki has a new world to build. The granddaughter of Benjamin Yamasaki, a scientist and ambassador striving to make peace with the invading alien Teth, Kita was raised in the Forever Winter, a freezing, gray post-nuclear wasteland where humankind's last survivors dodge the murderous alien Vay and ally with the Teth, who arrived on Earth with the A-tech now critical to survival.

The thrilling conclusion to the Next series. Struggling to survive in a hostile post-apocalyptic world, Rachel Wheeler and her friends are caught between a strange mutant species and a desperate military government. Rachel is torn between two mighty forces, but she is the last hope for altering a terrible, ruthless verdict that will destroy them all.

Aliens and UFOs around Earth as seen from the "Island" (cloaked Alien Mother Ship) where a select few - those who excel in perfecting themselves while on Earth - arrive after conversion ("death").

Convicted of three murders, whistle-blower Willie Klein finds himself transported to a penal colony on Domremy where his unlikely job is to kill fellow colonists before they fall into the clutches of insectoid locals. His gruesome task is only relieved by the growing affection of Entara, an alien pleasure worker from a matriarchal world. Until, that is, their brief happiness is destroyed, as Entara is called home to an arranged marriage and Willie discovers he is still being stalked by the conspirators he tried to unmask.