Showing results by publisher "Phoenix Books" in Science Fiction & Fantasy

Six-time Hugo Award winner Bova likes to tell big stories in a small way. This approach both helps and hurts in this collection of stories, excerpts and outtakes from his "Grand Tour" novels (Saturn, etc.), which explore the colonization of the solar system. Despite his vast subject, Bova focuses tightly on the heroes and villains whose striving makes up his future history. While some characters are standards of the SF genre (megalomaniac capitalist, lone-wolf entrepreneur, love object caught between them), Bova imbues each with Homeric virtues and flaws.

The moment Ivan stumbled upon a clearing in the dense Carpathian forest, his life was forever changed: atop a pedestal encircled by fallen leaves, the beautiful princess Katerina lay still as death. But beneath the foliage a malevolent presence stirred, sending the 10-year-old scrambling for the safety of Cousin Marek's farm. Now years later, Ivan is an American graduate students engaged to be married.

In the hustle of modern technology it might seem odd to discover an angel surfing the Internet, but what an interesting paradox that would be. Here, in Andrew M. Greeley's fine tale of young love and faith, Toby Tobin considers the peculiar terms of his great-uncle's will. Ten million dollars, a required visit to Ireland, ending a Tobin family feud, and a request to court his eight cousin once removed, Sara Elizabeth Anne Tobin.

For President Spencer Jefferson Lee—the great-great-grandson of both Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee—it's politics as usual. On one side, the lily-white Senate wants quid pro quo; on the other, the all black House has an agenda of its own. But whatever their differences, the powers-that-be agree on one thing: Utter separations between the races is the key to peace and prosperity. To love someone of the opposite race is to court disaster; to act on that love is to become officially nonexistent.

Fresh from solving the mystery of who killed Michael Collins in Irish Gold, Dermot Michael Coyne and Nuala Anne McGrail are reunited in Chicago. An accountant by day, Nuala sings in a local pub at night, while dreaming of making it big. Dermot compares Nuala to Irish lace-"thin and delicate and pretty, and just a little bit complicated."But their courtship in once again interrupted, this time by one of Nuala's "spells". Nuala is fey, as they say in the Old Country, and she occasionally has visions from the past.

In October 1872, the fastidious Phileas Fogg—a British gentleman who rarely ventures outside the comforts of home or his beloved club—bets his compatriots that he can travel around the entire world in just eighty days. With his newly hired valet, Passepartout, as his traveling companion, Fogg embarks on a wild journey, traversing the continents. He is determined not to lose the bet, no matter what obstacles arise—and they do arise—in this classic tale of adventure and romance!

On icy Petaybee, the planet itself seems to be orchestrating its own evolution, but the planet is also rich in resources, and a ruthless company is poised to take advantage. Yana, an ex-company soldier with strong ties to the planet, tries to intervene. She and her friends must find a way to prove that Petaybee is more valuable to the company alive than dead.

Molly, Charity, Barbara, Dorotea, and Amalda are members of an elite cadre of beings who have stepped out of the ordinary human race to enter their own! “Talents” are extraordinary people who read minds, heal bodies, divert disasters, and foretell the future. Despite this, they have become pariahs in their own land.

Strange things are happening on the icy planet of Petaybee. Unauthorized, genetically engineered species have been spotted, and the locals may be deliberately hiding something—perhaps even plotting rebellion. As a combat veteran and a medical retiree, Yana is the ideal person to get close to the natives. She is quickly adopted by the people of Petaybee, who feed her a home remedy that soothes her ragged lungs. Her strength and health return, and she becomes determined to protect her new home and her people from a greedy and increasingly ruthless corporation.

From the 18th century into the early years of the 19th, Americans—traveling to find new homes and new lands—crossed the Appalachian Mountains and moved across the Northwest Territory, spreading west to the banks of the great river. But in this alternate frontier America, the men and women use lore and folk-magic to settle the continent. When Alvin arrives in Hatrack River to take up his apprenticeship with Makepeace Smith and learn to be a blacksmith, he finds that nothing is as he expected. This would-be maker is on his own and the work of the Unmaker is close at hand.

Mick Winger is only 17, and he's already killed over a dozen people—not on purpose, though. He never means to hurt anyone. But when Mick gets angry, people die—even the people he loves the most. Now he's on the run from his own terrible talent and from those who would use his power for their own purposes. But Mick is not alone. There are others like him. And if he will not join them, they will make him pay.

This classic adventure story chronicles a fantastic voyage from the lost continent of Atlantis to the South Pole. Professor Aronnax begins his incredible underwater journey with his faithful servant Conseil and a Canadian harpooner, Ned Land. They set out on a hazardous voyage to rid the seas of a little-known and terrifying sea monster. After discovering that the “monster” is actually a giant submarine, they are captured by the vessel's mysterious commander, Captain Nemo.

The discovery of concealed remains in a mass grave in Russia forces top scientists to question everything they believed about human origins. For molecular biologist Kaye Lang and "virus hunter" Christopher Dicken, it means pursuing a mysterious flu-like disease that has been dormant for millions of years—and is now coming back to life. With the world threatened by a deadly epidemic, they must solve an elusive puzzle and find a way to prevent the next terrifying step in evolution.

In this brilliant retelling of the classic tale about the transcendent power of love, author Stephen Mitchell writes, "There are two kinds of women: those who marry princes and those who marry frogs.” While the frogs never become princes, over the course of an ordinary marriage, a prince may turn into a frog. However, Mitchell tells of a different kind of love story. This adult fairytale is the story of a meditative frog's love for a rebellious princess, how she came to love him in spite of herself, and how her refusal to compromise helped him become what he was truly meant to be.

What would happen if a tycoon decided to turn England into a theme park? Before anyone can say "Windsor Castle," replicas of all of the kingdom's great landmarks—from the Tower of London and Westminster Abbey to the National Gallery and everything in between—all turn up in one place. And what if credit-worthy tourists could escape to this island that permits vast expense accounts and prohibits paparazzi? Here is a "wickedly funny" (The New York Times) tale about an idyllic land of make-believe in England that gets horribly and hilariously out of hand.

This disturbing and insightful novel explores the question of morality when a man is free to do as he pleases without risk of being caught. This masterpiece of science fiction depicts the fascinating story of a young scientist's experiments that allow him to become invisible. Much to his anger and dismay, he realizes his condition is irreversible and descends into madness and brutality. Freed from the constraints of the law and rejected by a society that fears him, he takes advantage of the opportunity to terrorize a remote English village. Can an invisible criminal ever be stopped?

Renegades with telekinetic and telepathic abilities, “scanners” know your innermost secrets. They see through your own eyes, and they kill by thought. David Ketchum has no idea about scanners—until the night he saves a young girl's life by thinking a gunman to his horrific death. And now Commander Wayne Forrester has plans for young David. Forrester wants to rule America with a secret army of drugged, zombie supermen. After David rebels, he is framed for murder and hunted by psychic killers. Fighting Forrester's New Order, David may be humanity's one slim chance for survival.