Solarpunk is a type of optimistic science fiction that imagines a future founded on renewable energies. The seventeen stories in this volume are not dull utopias—they grapple with real issues such as the future and ethics of our food sources, the connection or disconnection between technology and nature, and the interpersonal conflicts that arise no matter how peaceful the world is. In these pages you'll find a guerilla art installation in Milan, a murder mystery set in a weather manipulat...

New York City flooded following decades of climate change and earthquakes. And after his father died, Jackson Lowry rowed a small taxi-boat to help his friends and neighbors. But now a mysterious realtor sets in motion a cryptic plot laced with the nefarious Circuit and a wealthy investor who pits Jackson against his better judgment.This novelette also contains two bonus short stories. In the special feature “Five Paintings,” two art critics battle over the value of a rich collecto...

New York Times bestselling author Kim Stanley Robinson returns with a bold and brilliant vision of New York City in the next century.As the sea levels rose, every street became a canal. Every skyscraper an island. For the residents of one apartment building in Madison Square, however, New York in the year 2140 is far from a drowned city.There is the market trader, who finds opportunities where others find trouble. There is the detective, whose work...

A comedy set in David Brin's Uplift Universe. In the distant future, chimpanzees and dolphins have been uplifted to starfaring status -- and are helping humans choose the next species for uplift, when powerful alien starships arrive to wipe out all life on Earth.

Collected by the editor of the award-winning Lightspeed magazine, the first, definitive anthology of climate fiction—a cutting-edge genre made popular by Margaret Atwood.Is it the end of the world as we know it? Climate fiction, or cli-fi, is exploring the world we live in now—and in the very near future—as the effects of global warming become more evident. Join bestselling, award-winning writers like Margaret Atwood, Paolo Bacigalupi, Kim Stanley Robinson...

In the new millennium, what secrets lay beyond the far reaches of the universe? What mysteries belie the truths we once held to be self-evident? The world of science fiction has long been a porthole into the realities of tomorrow, blurring the line between life and art. Now, in The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Thirty-Fourth Annual Collection, the very best SF authors explore ideas of a new world. This venerable collection brings together award-winning authors and masters of the fi...

The past through tomorrow are boldly imagined and reinvented in the twenty-five stories collected in this showcase anthology. Many of the field's finest practitioners are represented here, along with stories from promising newcomers, including:William Barton * Rob Chilson * Tony Daniel * Cory Doctorow * Jim Grimsley * Gwyneth Jones * Chris Lawson * Ian McDonald * Robert Reed * William Browning Spencer * Allen Steele * Michael Swanwick * Howard Waldrop * Cherry Wilder * Liz Williams

Readers usually remeber the plot and characters of a story, but Setting is every bit as important in creating a memorable world. Discover the difference between Ordinary Setting that bogs down your story, and Active Setting that empowers your story -- creating a compelling story world, regardless of what you write.See how to spin boring descriptions into engaging prose.Learn to deepen the reader's experience of your story world through sensory details.Notice how changi...

Learn to use Setting to quickly anchor the reader into the world of your story.Use Setting as movement through space effectively.Explore Setting in a series.Learn the most common Setting pitfalls.Readers usually remember the plot and characters of a story, but Setting is every bit as important in creating a memorable world. Discover the difference between Ordinary Setting that bogs down your story, and Active Setting that empowers your story -- creating a compe...

This collection of tightly crafted, highly imaginative short stories employs surrealist, satirical, and fantastical devices to explore politics, class, and gender. From creatively homicidal bioengineering to counter the stresses of climbing the corporate ladder, to a woman who loses a sock at the laundromat and finds she's missing a bit of her soul, these science-fiction gems showcase an award-winning writer's compelling vision of the universe. Computer pioneers, cross-country skiers, and ...

There are many different kinds of horses in the world. Some are short. Some are huge. Some come in one color, and some come in many colors. But they are all beautiful.All horses have long, thin legs and a big round body. They have a long, curved neck and a big head with large eyes.Horses have been a help to man for thousands of years. In that time, we have changed the horse into the kind of animal we want it to be. Man has bred horses for many years.To breed a horse me...

Enhance Your Fiction with the Power of an Active Setting!Setting is one of the most underutilized and misunderstood elements of the writing craft. And when writers do focus on setting, they often pull readers out of the narrative and jolt their attention from the action on the page.A Writer's Guide to Active Setting will show you how to create vivid, detailed settings that bring your story to life. You'll learn how to deepen character development, anchor readers to...