Welcome to Old North Australia, or Norstrilia, the only planet that has "stroon," a substance that indefinitely delays aging in humans. Stroon is cultivated from huge, deformed sheep farmed by the wealthiest estate owners to ever exist in all of humanity's existence.Rod McBan is the last of one of the oldest and most honorable families on Norstrilia. But he himself has shortcomings that would normally have led to his death under the strict laws governing population control on a pla...

"No one ever wrote like Smith, with his special blend of intense myth-making and rich invention!"—Publishers WeeklyCordwainer Smith was one of the original visionaries to think of humanity in terms of thousands of years in the future, spread out across the universe. This brilliant collection, often cited as the first of its kind, explores fundamental questions about ourselves and our treatment of the universe (and other beings) around us and ultimately what it means to be ...

A must-read for any science fiction fan, The Science Fiction Hall of Fame Volume Two (published in two volumes, A & B) is a compilation of twenty-two of the best novellas published between 1895 and 1962.The two volumes were originally published in 1973 (Two-A) and 1974 (Two-B) after the stories were selected by a vote of the membership of the Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA, now known as the Science Fiction and ...

Speculatief is een viermaandelijks speculatief magazine, eerst gepubliceerd in 2022. Elk nummer bevat enkele vertaalde kortverhalen en gedichten, meestal bekroonde werken of van grote internationale namen. Onze uitgaven zijn ook beschikbaar als ebook edities en audio podcasts.Speculatief is een nieuw magazine met als doel om meer mensen kennis te laten maken met speculatieve literatuur. Al onze verhalen en poëzie kennen hun eerste Nederlandstalige verschijning in onze numm...

Galactic empires. Mighty heroes blasting their way to victory. Galaxy-spanning quests. They're all essential ingredients for a space opera! Here are 6 classic novellas from the pulps, showcasing galaxy-spanning adventures. Included are:"Thunder to Venus," by Joseph J. Millard"The Last Outpost," by Nelson S. Bond"Martian Adventure," by Robert Moore Williams"A Planet Named Shayol," by Cordwainer Smith"The Superstition Seeders," by Edward Wellen"And ...

The story is set in a future where humanity has colonized other planets and faces a deadly threat during space travel known as "dragons." These dragons are invisible creatures that attack spaceships in a flash, causing catastrophic damage and death to the crew. To combat these creatures, human pilots are paired with telepathic cats called "underpeople," who can sense the dragons and fight them using mental powers.The protagonist of the story is a pilot named Joanie, who is assigned to work...

This issue, we have original mysteries by Christina Hoag and Greg Herren (both courtesy of Acquiring Editor Michael Bracken), plus a crime tale by Greg Herren (courtesy of Acquiring Editor Barb Goffman). Our mystery novel is Annihilation by classic American mystery novelist Isabel Ostrander, whose detective fiction was influential in the early 20th century. Of course, there’s a solve-it-yourself puzzler by Hal Charles, too!On the science fiction and fantasy front, we have ...

Cordwainer Smith was one pseudonym of Paul Myron Anthony Linebarger, a U.S. Army officer, scholar on East Asian matters, classmate of L. Ron Hubbard, advisor and godson of Sun Yat-Sen, and an expert in psychological warfare. His identity remained a secret until shortly before his death.Though his writing was cut short by his relatively early death, his stories, mostly concerning a far future involving a millennia-spanning "Instrumentality of Mankind," were nominated for two Hugo aw...

This issue features original mysteries by O’Neil De Noux and Shannon Taft (thanks to our Acquiring Editors, Michael Bracken and Barb Goffman), a Gil Brewer crime classic, and another entry in the Biff Brewer mystery series by Andy Adams. And what issue would be complete without a solve-it-yourself puzzler from Hal Charles?On the more fantastic side of things, you might say things have gone to the birds…we have a pair of classic avian-themed stories by Cordwainer Smith and Richard M...

This issue features a pair of original tales: a mystery from Kaye George (thanks to acquiring editor Michael Bracken) and a fantasy from Adrian Cole (written especially for this Halloween issue).On the mystery front, we have a pair of great modern tales by William Dylan Powell (thanks to acquiring editor Barb Goffman) and James Holding, plus a classic novel by British master A.E.W. Mason, who is best known for his tale of courage and cowardice in wartime, The Four Feathers...

Cordwainer Smith's "On the Gem Planet" is a captivating exploration of human identity and societal dynamics within the framework of an imaginative science fiction narrative. Set against the backdrop of a distant future where humanity's existence intertwines with alien species and cosmic forces, the story unfurls through Smith's distinctive prose, characterized by poetic elegance and philosophical depth. The novella intricately weaves themes of power, subjugation, and the intrinsic worth of...

In "On the Sand Planet," Cordwainer Smith crafts a captivating narrative set within his richly imagined Instrumentality universe, where human destiny intertwines with the vastness of space and the psychology of the human condition. The novella intricately weaves themes of power, sacrifice, and ecological collapse in a prose style marked by Smith's signature blend of lyricism and stark imagery. The story unfolds against the backdrop of the arid Sand Planet, exploring the complex dynamics be...