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

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 Mars, Ben Bova gives us a compelling look at the possibility of life on another planet, and the mystery that surrounds its discovery. The very name of the mysterious Red Planet brings to mind images dramatic and dangerous - and both are accurate, as an international team of 25 astronauts discover when they land there for the first manned expedition.

These 16 stories represent a unique perspective on Orson Scott Card's short fiction, from science fiction to social commentary to pure fairy tale. Included are three new stories not yet published in book form. None have ever been released in audio before.

Are vampires a bloodthirsty menace to mankind? Or simply misunderstood creatures struggling to survive? After hearing these six entertaining stories, you'll be able to decide for yourself. From the horrifying to the humorous, some of today's finest authors share stories about one of the oldest imagined evils, the vampire. From Tanith Lee's chilling story to Esther Friesner's comic tale of rival teens trying to best one another, these stories bring vampires to (un)life, in all their majesty and terror.

In a future uncomfortably close to the present day, the apocalypse has surpassed all expectations. Hideous demons roam the streets in an orgy of terror, drawing pleasure from torturing humans as sadistically as possible. Ira, a young San Francisco artist, becomes involved with a strange group of scientists and philosophers desperately trying to end the bloody siege. But the most shocking revelation is yet to come.

Sappho's Leap is a journey back 2,600 years into the heart and mind of the greatest romantic poet the world has ever known. At the age of 14, Sappho is seduced by the beautiful poet Alcaeus and plots with him to overthrow the dictator of their island. Sappho is caught and married off to a repellent older man in hopes that marriage will cause her to behave. Instead, it leads to a series of amorous adventures with both men and women, taking her from Delphi to Egypt, to the Land of the Amazons and the realm of Hades.

It's the 1950's; after a nuclear blast in the mid-Pacific, a Thoreau-reading American Air Force General makes an unexpected and troubling discovery. There, in a flowery field on a tiny island in the middle of a vast ocean, is an angel, its beautiful face frozen in a death mask and its huge wings wrapped around an inert body. As the general ponders this mystery, the Soviets discover their own angel after a similar nuclear test in Siberia. Are these twin phenomena a ploy in the ongoing hostilities between two international powers?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?