They came out of the great abyss which lay around the Earth, from the planet of a star so distant that it could not be seen with the naked eye. Their purpose was survival and the conquest of Earth. They were alien and possessed a mysterious force which lay at the very origin of human comprehension; the ability to enter into a man's mind, to make him think the thoughts they chose, to make him hear and see and feel the things they wanted.Against such a force there seemed no defence; ...

These were the last weeks and days before the end of the world, before total destruction overwhelmed Earth and every living thing on the surface of the planet. No one knew exactly how long they had before the sun turned nova and destroyed not only Earth but all of the other planets in the Solar System. For mankind, the only excape lay in flight to the stars, to Alpha Centauri, more than four light years distant.The hyperdrive, capable of carrying them there at close to the speed of...

Earth was a crowded world of vast cities, manned by robots who carried out all of the menial tasks, who saw to it that everything contained functioning normally. Interplanetary travel was now an established fact. The planets favourable to Man's existence had been colonised but where, as yet, under-developed according to Earth standards.In the whole of the Solar System, mankind was supreme. There was life on Mars, Venus and the outer moons of Jupiter and Saturn, but nothing which co...

Two young boys find some very unusual new pets in this short story from a Grand Master of Science Fiction.Tagging along while his astronomer father visits an industrialist at his vast estate, young Slim is lucky enough to make fast friends with the industrialist's son, Red, who has recently caught some very strange animals on the property.The animals seem intelligent enough, and Red recruits Slim to help him train the odd creatures to do circus tricks. But t...

One man in the Universe holds the key to the mystery of Flinx’s past–and that man is trying to kill him!It is a strange childhood for a kid, to be adopted by the restless Mother Mastiff and raised in the bustling marketplace of Drallar. Flinx never knew the mom and dad who abandoned him years ago. In fact, his birth has always been shrouded in mystery. But Flinx eventually discovers that his unknown parents have left him a curious legacy–extraordinary mental powers...

This is the gripping story of the collision between two vastly different human civilisations. One is Earth in the early 21st century, rushing toward self-inflicted nuclear doom. The other is the distant world of Mollan, whose inhabitants have achieved great longevity and the power to transport themselves instantly from star to star.Bob Shaw's novel unfolds a tale which spans thousands of years and the reaches of interstellar space. On Earth's side, there is Denny Hargate, whose ind...

FAILWAY- the organisation whose process could break through into an inferior energy level, transporting the people into other dimensions, bringing them pleasures simple, exciting, exotic or erotic...FAILWAY- a police state, which tolerated no opposition. It was ruthless, thorough, and invariably fatal to its opponents...FAILWAY- against whose other-world power stood one man...DALROI

This is an amazing collection of some of the best short fiction ever written in the SF genre, by an author acclaimed as 'the mastersinger of space opera' The Times This collection includes ZIMA BLUE, one of the standout episodes in Netflix's LOVE, DEATH AND ROBOTSWith an introduction by noted SF critic Johnathan Strahan, this collection of twenty short stories, novellettes and novellas includes ZIMA BLUE, one of the standout shorts in N...

A group of scientists. An object buried under the ice. A terrifying fight for survival.When a group of scientific researchers, isolated in Antarctica, stumble across an alien spaceship buried in the ice it seems like an incredible opportunity.The alien pilot can just be seen - a shadowy figure frozen just a short depth into the ice. It looks as though he survived the crash only to be flash-frozen on the Antarctic plateau.The team fight the frozen co...

Slippery Jim di Griz - the Stainless Steel Rat - is still recovering from his efforts to save his beloved Angelina from the notorious Interstellar Internal and External Revenue when he is called upon to perform the impossible. Saving the galaxy. But can he pull it off? The galaxy is being attacked by every kind of alien race - untold billions of tentacled, slimy, green, clawed mutations - and time is running out. Aided and abetted by his wife Angelina and his teenage sons, James and Boliva...

A remarkable collection of short fiction from one of our greatest SF authors, including two brand new short stories.This collection contains stories set in the universe of the bestselling duology PROXIMA and ULTIMA, which expand on the characters and worlds of that series. There are also a selection of alternate histories and possible futures, echoing Baxter's work with Terry Pratchett on the LONG EARTH series.Confirms Stephen Baxter's place as one of the greatest practitio...

Racing from the certain vengeance of Earth's tyrant ruler, space captain Vance Garamond flees the Solar System.And discovers the almost unimaginably vast spherical structure soon to become famous as 'Orbitsville' - a new home for Earth's huddled masses.Behind Garamond comes Earth's space fleet...Winner of the BSFA Award for best novel, 1975