From the 1898 Martian Siege of Baltimore to a forlorn AI attack dog on the blue-star-scarred surface of MZ458-C and from the merc-manned Freestead Mayflower off the coast of post-apocalyptic Portland to the man-desperate shores of the Red Sea, here are seventeen science fiction stories of valiant endurance. These heroes battle conspiracies of usurpers, confront the unearned consequences of others’ willful lunacy, seek out buried truths at unbearable personal expense and endure the ...

The island of St. Martin is the glittering jewel of the French Caribbean. When fire threatens its narrow streets and skyscraper-studded waterfronts, the daring airborne firemen of Marin-Pyronef answer the call. Their remotely piloted drones can suffocate flames before conventional fire engines could even roll out of the station, while their jumpcraft can drop rescuers onto the roofs of buildings that no ladder could reach. This is the vision that the company's founder, veteran smoke jumper...

From the streets of Cairo in the midst of the Arab Spring, to rebellions on distant planets, and from a daring rescue on a seastead-studded ocean to the gallows and grimy streets of 17th century London, here are ten short stories of liberty and revolution.Imagine...a world where independent seasteads and private airship companies keep the peace on the high seas.Imagine...a dying planet ruled by a rigid caste system, but with one last chance to be free.Imagine...a jo...

From the Imperium-controlled aetherlanes to a tech noir restitution agency in the Free Zone and from a steampunk, 1894 China with clockwork automatons to a post-1984 Orwellian dystopia with mandatory goodpharm, here are ten science fiction stories of defiance and daring.Split evenly between strong female and male leads, these heroes fight losing battles on principle alone, discover lies hidden deep inside themselves, execute daring rescues and fight for love and liberty in a societ...

Eighteen exhilarating journeys into Rush-inspired worldsThe music of Rush, one of the most successful bands in history, is filled with fantastic stories, evocative images, and thought-provoking futures and pasts. In this anthology, notable, bestselling, and award-winning writers each chose a Rush song as the spark for a new story, drawing inspiration from the visionary trio that is Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart.Enduring stark dystopian struggles o...

Under normal conditions a whole person has a decided advantage over a handicapped one. But out in deep space the normal may be reversed--for humans at any rate.

Science Fiction is our conversation with the future; politics are our conversation with each other. Strange Bedfellows - as in 'politics makes strange bedfellows' - contains short fiction from the best writers in the field including including Nebula Award-winner Eugie Foster; writers who are passionate about the importance of ideology and political action as a source of solutions as well as problems.

Post-Apocalyptic TP Blues is the tale of a not particularly likeable fellow named Norman Joyner. A doomcryer from birth- Norman gets his wish when 94% of the population dies of the flu. When the dust clears- Norman has a plan to rule what remains of America- one little white square of TP at a time.

Xyggy and Church is the short story of two assassins who've been contracted to eliminate all of Gonzo Goldstein's competitors in the settlement called Newtown before an influx of newcomers arrive…just in time for Gonzo to hold the monopoly on sin.

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 Mammoth Book of Best New Science Fiction 23 the very best SF authors explore ideas of a new world. With an extensive recommended reading guide and a summation of the year in science fiction, this...

For decades now Gardner Dozois has been presenting his annual selection of the very best of recently published SF stories, both byoutstanding up-and-coming writers and undisputed masters of the genre. It has been voted Year's Best Anthology by the readers of Locus magazine an unparalleled eighteen times and remains the definitive anthology for both diehard sci-fi fans and newcomers to the genre.Without fail, Dozois pinpoints the previous year's most exciting and ambitious ...

The Time Traveller's Almanac is the largest, most definitive collection of time travel stories ever assembled. Gathered into one volume by intrepid chrononauts and world-renowned anthologists Ann and Jeff VanderMeer, here is over a century's worth of literary travels into past and the future. The anthology covers millions of years of Earth's history – from the age of the dinosaurs to strange and fascinating futures, through to the end of Time itself. The Time Traveller's Alman...