Science Fiction War

In the midst of war, love might be the deadliest weapon of all. For ten long years, Angels and Demons have waged a brutal war, with one man standing between the Demons and total annihilation: Rokath, the cruel and merciless general feared for his power to raise the dead. A prophecy whispers of a woman with eyes of devious burgundy who will shift the balance of power, but Rokath has plans of his own. After a deadly plague wipes out millions of Demons across the realm, Rokath issues an unforgiving command—every family must send one male to the front or face being put to the sword.

Tucked away deep in the forest, Eres is hidden not only due to his condition, but also because he is the forbidden heir to a magical ring - a ring that if in the wrong hands, will end an era of peace sought for centuries. He cannot be discovered by any means, lest the infamous assassin, Seren Night, be one step closer to completing his collection and plunging the world into chaos. Knowing he can't hide forever, Eres disguises himself so he can attend the local academy, Kor Vinsánce, where he will learn to become a Skrol.

The Terran Coalition faces repeated and brutal attacks from the repressive League of Sol. To defend his home planet, David trades his dream of becoming a rabbi for a battlefront in the far reaches of space. When particle beams fly, his courage under fire brings quick promotion. But in the lulls between battles when he must confront his soul, David finds a different enemy: the ghosts of those killed under his command. Yet in war, it’s kill or be killed - and the enemy shows no mercy.

At a time when Humans were just starting to venture forth into the Galactic Union as mercenaries, Martin Quincy survived long enough to do something no one else had - he retired. There was only one problem: He got bored. After battling aliens for many years - killing aliens and getting paid - retirement didn’t suit him, and he decided to strap on the combat armor and go back to the stars. Along with his old friend Kal, Martin joined Cartwright’s Cavaliers, humanity’s best merc company. Life was exciting! But he got bored. Again.

At long last, humanity has moved beyond Earth and begun seeding new worlds. Colonies extend across the solar system, from Luna to Mars to Saturn's satellite Titan. Even Jupiter's moon Europa has become home to a couple thousand brave souls willing to risk their lives adapting to its frozen and deadly landscape.

Jack Bennet returns from the war to find the life he left behind has moved on without him. The only option he has to make ends meet lies in a military surplus junkyard starship. What’s a former Combat Search and Rescue soldier to do? Fix up the ship, hire the cheapest pilot—a notorious drunk—and take the first contract that comes up: collect a bounty on one of the most ruthless killers in the Pirate Worlds, a place crawling with thieves, cutthroats and con artists whose primary language is violence. Jack must abandon his nice guy persona, or exploit it, if he is to survive.

New research has uncovered deeply buried military secrets—both the Allied and Axis special operations during WWII included monsters. Did the Soviets use a dragon to win the Battle of Kursk? Did a vampire fight for the Canadians in Holland? Did the US drop the second atomic bomb on a kaiju? This collection takes real events from World War II and injects them with fantastical creatures that mirror the “unreality” of war itself. Each story—and two poems—feature mythical, mystical, and otherwise unexplainable beings that change the course of history.

After the arrival of the multiversal monopoly BuyMort, life got brutal. All systems were through BuyMort. All currency was through BuyMort. All sales were through BuyMort. You could resist, you could compete, but it didn’t really matter because in the end you used BuyMort—or you perished. BuyMort be praised. But not everyone’s happy with the new system. Some, even, want to see it destroyed. It’s quick. It’s convenient. And it will help people kill you and your family as readily as it will help them sell you knickknacks for a quick mortie.

Harmon Waite is the son of the most powerful angel in the universe. He will undergo 12 trials by fire in an unrivaled hero's journey. If he is to survive, Harmon must discover his power to fight evil on the immense stage of the Celestial Wars.

First published by H. G. Wells in 1898, The War of the Worlds is the granddaddy of all alien invasion stories. The novel begins ominously, as the lone voice of a narrator intones, "No one would have believed in the last years of the 19th century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man's."

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.

William Mandella is a soldier in Earth's elite brigade. As the war against the Taurans sends him from galaxy to galaxy, he learns to use protective body shells and sophisticated weapons. He adapts to the cultures and terrains of distant outposts. But with each month in space, years are passing on Earth. Where will he call home when (and if) the Forever War ends?

His academy razed to the ground, Arik barely survives a deathly fall out of a cliffside window and a vicious attack by winged wolves. Imprisoned by slave traders, battered and bruised, Arik decides to fight back or die trying. He escapes and joins forces with an irritable water spirit, one who can guide him through new lands. Together, they head to the realm of the enemy in search of answers and revenge. But Arik will need more than a powerful companion to stop the advance of the nefarious Crimson Realm.

From the thrilling Ember War story arc, the epic sci-fi adventure continues with Ember War Pathfinders. Light the Way: When a mysterious gate is found on an ancient planet, the Pathfinders are called in to light the way into the mysterious dimension it holds. Lieutenant Karl Anderson leads his crack team on a mission to a mysterious world, and what awaits them is an alien menace beyond anything they’ve ever encountered before.... Belisarius: The greatest disaster in Pathfinder history. What happened to the crew of the starship Belisarius?

Humanity has been banished to a distant star. Left to fight over resources rationed to them by mysterious machine-overlords known as Wardens. Commander Rylan Holt labors against inter-colony arms trafficking when an informant gives him horrific news. The ruthless cartel boss, Lilith, has stockpiled outlawed weapons of mass destruction. Worse, she claims to have permission from the Wardens to unleash them upon the system.

Millennia ago, the great empire of the Lazax brought the galaxy to heel, but now their ancient doctrine of strength and peace is failing. In the shadows, other factions begin to move against each other and their authoritarian masters. To rule themselves they must first tear down the crumbling regime they are forced to serve. When the Barony of Letnev, supplier of the Lazax's grand fleet, blockades a crucial wormhole to force the empire to listen to its demands, the spark of war is ignited and Zara Hail, an official for the Federation of Sol, is caught in the middle.

1983. The US nuclear submarine USS Roanoke embarks on a classified spy mission into Soviet waters. Their goal: to find evidence of a new, faster, and deadlier Soviet submarine that could tip the balance of the Cold War. But the Roanoke crew isn't alone. Something is on board with them. Something cunning and malevolent. Trapped in enemy territory and hunted by Soviet submarines, tensions escalate and crew members turn on each other. When the lights go out and horror fills the corridors, it will take everything the crew has to survive the menace.

Shining Smith and her crew have obtained the weapons they need to rescue one of their own from the grips of their mortal enemy, Clarisse Warhammer. But to mount an assault on her fortified bunker, they have to cobble together an army of fighters. That could be the biggest battle of them all. Shining will need to step back into the biker world she left behind to broker an uneasy peace, then lead rival factions into a certain death trap.

Eco-terrorists unleash the worst attack the world has ever seen. Over 25,000 autonomous combat drones are released in Manhattan. Hundreds of thousands are dead, and the entire island is evacuated and quarantined in just a few days' time. Ten years later, Manhattan is still empty of humans, with the exception of the salvage specialists of the most watched reality show in history: Zone War. Produced live and unedited, the show follows five teams of armored vehicle specialists who brave the active drones to recover lost riches and collect bounties on dead ones.

Jim, the Mayor of Noobtown, journeys to the depths of Ordinal in search of Jarra before he prepares for war against the Dark Overlord. He is doing his best, but outside forces keep getting in his way. Between playing politics, the increasing difficulty of avoiding the admins, and building an army, does Jim even have time to formulate a plan for victory?