- Table View
- List View
Dr. Franklin's Island
by Ann HalamWhat's it like to see your friend transformed into a raven before your very eyes, and to know it's your turn next? How does it feel to morph into a manta ray or slide into the body of a snake?This is what happens to Miranda, Semi and Arnie, three friends who are the sole survivors of a plane crash. They find themselves on a tropical island of azure waters and white sands. But beyond the palm-fringed beaches lies the hospital run by the sinister Dr Franklin, and the three teenagers are about to become his next patients. Perfect candidates for his experiments in genetic engineering. . . A horrifying, fascinating story that is Ann Halam's most unusual and challenging novel so far.
Bras & Broomsticks (Magic in Manhattan: All about Rachel #1)
by Sarah MlynowskiEveryone needs a little magic. Especially 14-year-old Rachel. Not only did her younger sister, Miri, inherit her mother's ample bosom (so not fair), it turns out that her little sis is also a witch! Of course, there's a chance that Rachel is a witch too--maybe her powers just haven't kicked in yet. If only they would . . . in the meantime she's got to suffer being a B-lister with a crush on an A-list guy, watch her best friend and social schemer Rosie desert her, and be an unwilling participant in her hapless father's remarriage to STBSM (soon-to-be-stepmonster). Retch. Samantha Stevens? Sabrina? Anyone in Salem home? Rachel Weinstein needs your help! "From the Cassette edition. "
Doom of the Darksword (Darksword #2)
by Margaret Weis Tracy HickmanBorn without magic, Joram was one of the Dead, denied the throne of Merilon. For years, he lived among outlaws, surviving by wit and sleight-of-hand. Now, wielding the powerful, magic absorbing Darksword, Joram retums to the enchanted Kingdom that once was his home to win revenge and claim his birthright. Here he will test Bishop Vanya and his fierce army of Duuk-tsarith in a battle unlike any their world has known. Joined by the scholarly catalyst Saryon, the young mage Mosiah, and the trickster Simkin, Jorma confronts the shattering secret of his past and discovers the ancient prophecy that puts the fate of the world in his hands--the hands that forged the Darksword.From the Paperback edition.
Contacting Aliens
by David Brin Kevin LenaghThe award-winning Uplift novels comprise one of the greatest achievements in science fiction history. Dramatic, thought-provoking, and inventive, these books describe a fully realized world rich in character, detail, and ideas. Now Uplift author David Brin collaborates with acclaimed artist Kevin Lenagh to compile the definitive guide to the species, societies, and technology of one of the greatest feats of literary world-building ever accomplished.CONTACTING ALIENSHere in the form of a handbook for Terran field agents is a detailed look at Uplift's many alien races--from the friendly Tymbrimi to the warlike Tandu, from the wise and enigmatic Kanten to the fiercely reptilian Soro, from the bureaucratic Hoon to the manipulative Thennanin--their physiology, psychology, history; their clans and alliances; and their shifting attitudes toward Earth and its representatives.Here, too, is a history of Earth's contact and challenging interactions with the mysterious and powerful Civilization of Five Galaxies, a look at its institutions, languages, and customs, plus a time line of momentous events going back 3 billion years. For the millions of fans of the Uplift novels, this long-awaited guide will be an essential reference work, filled with vital information and never-before-seen illustrations that reveal, for the first time in one volume, the keys to the ambitious vision and bold speculation of the Uplift universe.From the Trade Paperback edition.
When the Sleeper Wakes
by H. G. Wells Orson Scott CardGraham, an 1890s radical pamphleteer who is eagerly awaiting the twentieth century and all the advances it will bring, is stricken with insomnia. Finally resorting to medication, he instantly falls into a deep sleep that lasts two hundred years. Upon waking in the twenty-second century to a strange and nightmarish place, he slowly discovers he is master of the world, revered by an adoring populace who consider him their leader. Terrified, he escapes from his chamber seeking solace--only to realize that not everyone adores him, some even wish to harm him.From the Trade Paperback edition.
The First Men in the Moon
by H. G. Wells Ursula K. Le Guin"Why do people read science fiction? In hopes of receiving such writing as this--a ravishingly accurate vision of things unseen; an utterly unexpected yet necessary beauty." So says Ursula K. Le Guin in her Introduction to The First Men in the Moon, H. G. Wells's 1901 tale of space travel. <P><P>Heavily criticized upon publication for its fantastic ideas, it is now justly considered a science fiction classic. Cavor, a brilliant scientist who accidentally produces a gravity-defying substance, builds a spaceship and, along with the materialistic Bedford, travels to the moon. The coldly intellectual Cavor seeks knowledge, while Bedford seeks fortune. Instead of insight and gold they encounter the Selenites, a horrifying race of biologically engineered creatures who viciously, and successfully, defend their home. From the Trade Paperback edition.
Selected Stories of H. G. Wells
by H. G. Wells Ursula K. Le GuinLe Guin's selection of twenty-six stories showcases Well's genius and reintroduces readers to his singular talent for making the unbelievable seem utterly plausible.
A Princess of Mars
by Edgar Rice Burroughs Ray Bradbury Frank E. SchoonoverVirginia gentleman John Carter, unexpectedly transported to the perilous red planet, Mars, finds himself captured by the loveless Green Men of Thark. As Carter struggles to win his freedom -and the affections of fellow captive Dejah Thoris, princess of the rival clan of Helium -the fate of the entire planet hangs in the balance: warring Martian tribes collide and the beleaguered Atmosphere Factory grinds to a suffocating halt. Ray Bradbury, reminiscing on the enduring thrill of Burroughs's Martian adventure, writes, "I stood on the lawns of summer, raised my hands, and cried for Mars, like John Carter, to take me home. I flew to the Red Planet and never returned."
Vintage PKD
by Philip K. DickA master of science fiction, a voice of the changing counterculture, and a genuine visionary, Philip K. Dick wrote about reality, entropy, deception, and the plight of being alive in the modern world. Through his remarkable career Dick has established himself as a writer of the first order and his dreams of the future have proven to be eerily prophetic and even more prescient than when he wrote them. Vintage PKD features extracts from The Man in the High Castle, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, Ubik, A Scanner Darkly, VALIS, and stories including "The Days of Perky Pat," "A Little Something for Us Tempunauts," and "I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon," along with essays and letters currently unavailable in book form. Vintage Readers are a perfect introduction to some of the great modern writers, presented in attractive, affordable paperback editions. From the Trade Paperback edition.
The Blind Assassin: A Novel
by Margaret AtwoodThe bestselling author of The Handmaid's Tale and The Testaments weaves together strands of gothic suspense, romance, and science fiction into one utterly spellbinding narrative, beginning with the mysterious death of a young woman named Laura Chase in 1945. Decades later, Laura&’s sister Iris recounts her memories of their childhood, and of the dramatic deaths that have punctuated their wealthy, eccentric family&’s history. Intertwined with Iris&’s account are chapters from the scandalous novel that made Laura famous, in which two illicit lovers amuse each other by spinning a tale of a blind killer on a distant planet. These richly layered stories-within-stories gradually illuminate the secrets that have long haunted the Chase family, coming together in a brilliant and astonishing final twist.
Typhon’s Children
by Toni AnzettiTo the new colonists, the teeming, ocean-dominated planet of Typhon seems a wondrous and exotic paradise--until the land erupts with incomprehensible violence, consuming the colony in a fiery hell. Their supplies lost, the survivors find themselves struggling against a world where death wears many guises. But the deadliest menace strikes from within--for every child born on Typhon suffers strange, degenerative mutations. Unless the situation can be reversed, the Typhon colony is doomed. Per Langstaff is a scientist obsessed with the life-and-death mystery, certain that the answer to the colony's survival lies with the virulent planet itself. His staunchest ally, Dilani, is a rebellious young girl born deaf to sound and convention, an orphan as unruly as the oceans themselves. Together these two outcasts, bound by a shared love of the depths, embark on an unforgettable journey that will take them to the utmost reaches of humanity . . . and beyond.
Toward the End of Time
by John UpdikeBen Turnbull, the hero of John Updike's eighteenth novel, is a sixty-six-year-old retired investment counselor living north of Boston in the year 2020. A recent war between the United States and China has thinned the population and brought social chaos. The dollar has been locally replaced by Massachusetts scrip; instead of taxes, one pays protection money to competing racketeers. Nevertheless, Ben's life, traced by his journal entries over the course of a year, retains many of its accustomed comforts, as supervised by his vibrant wife, Gloria. He plays golf; he pays visits to his five children and ten grandchildren. Something of a science buff, he finds his personal history caught up in the disjunctions and vagaries of the "many-worlds hypothesis derived from the indeterminacy of quantum theory. His identity branches into variants extending back through history and ahead in the evolution of the universe, as both it and his own mortal, nature-enshrouded existence move toward the end of time.From the Hardcover edition.
After the Quake: Stories (Vintage International)
by Haruki MurakamiSet at the time of the catastrophic 1995 Kobe earthquake, the mesmerizing stories in After the Quake are as haunting as dreams and as potent as oracles.An electronics salesman who has been deserted by his wife agrees to deliver an enigmatic package— and is rewarded with a glimpse of his true nature. A man who views himself as the son of God pursues a stranger who may be his human father. A mild-mannered collection agent receives a visit from a giant talking frog who enlists his help in saving Tokyo from destruction. The six stories in this collection come from the deep and mysterious place where the human meets the inhuman—and are further proof that Murakami is one of the most visionary writers at work today.
Tanequil (High Druid of Shannara #2)
by Terry BrooksBONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Terry Brooks's The Measure of the Magic.Events that began in Jarka Ruus, Book One of High Druid of Shannara, come swiftly to a head in this second thrilling volume. Alliances are made, trusts are betrayed, and prices are paid. Through it all, Terry Brooks orchestrates the action with the flawless hand of a master mythmaker- fashioning another exquisite link in his chain of bestselling epics. Loyal to none but herself and lethal even to those closest to her, Shadea a'Ru now holds sway as High Druid of Paranor-her ascension to power all but unchallenged in the wake of Grianne Ohmsford's sudden, mysterious vanishing. Only Shadea and her catspaw-the treacherous Prime Minister Sen Dunsidan-know the secret fate of the true Ard Rhys . . . for it was they who engineered it, by means of dark magic. And now Grianne languishes in the fearsome and inescapable netherworld called the Forbidding. Their bloodless coup a success, the corrupt pair, and their confederates within the Druid Council, seeks to make their dominion over the Four Lands absolute-with the aid of a devastating new weapon. But it could all be undone if Grianne's young nephew, Penderrin, succeeds in his frantic quest to rescue her. Shadea's airship-borne minions and the relentless assassin under her command continue their fierce pursuit of Pen and his comrades. Eluding death is only half the battle for Pen. To breach the Forbidding and bring Grianne back to the natural world means finding the fabled Tanequil . . . and the talisman it alone can provide. That means journeying into the Inkrim-a dreaded region thick with shadows and haunted by harrowing legends. It also means striking a bargain more dire than Pen could ever imagine. But there can be no turning back. For in her unearthly prison, the Ard Rhys faces a demonic plight too hideous to countenance. . . .
Riders of Leviathan
by Toni AnzettiTrapped on the exotic alien world of Typhon, their DNA forcibly altered by a strange (and often capricious) godlike entity, Dilani and her fellow colonists no longer know who or what they are. What they do know is that they are being stalked across the seas by the vicious Bone Killers, who are bent on their extinction. Their only hope for survival may lie with relics of a vanished past-- a past which still lies waiting, deep beneath the waves. But the past isn't all that awaits there. While a struggle for control erupts within the god itself, something vast and ancient is stirring in Typhon's secret depths. Something as strange and powerful as any deity. And the consequences of its coming will forever affect the lives of every creature living beneath the seas . . . From the Paperback edition.
Legend (Area 51 #10)
by Robert DohertyFROM THE TEMPLE OF SOLOMON TO THE MISTS OF AVALON THEY WERE THERE. NOW THEY ARE OUR ONLY HOPE. They were born on a planet in the spiral arm of the Milky Way Galaxy. In a bloody revolution they became known as godkillers two humans who led a revolt against the deathless race, the Airlia, and a plan to breed human foot; soldiers for ceaseless intergalactic warfare. Now Donnchadh and Gwalcmai are on their way to a planet called Earth, where the Airlia have forged a foothold in the land of Atlantis. For a man and a woman who have lost everything but each other, an incredible journey through history is about to begin. Spanning centuries and epochs, they will travel from the teeming streets of ancient Rome to Pharaohs bloodied pyramids to the realm of King Arthur. Sustained by the mysterious technology of the Airlia, Donnchadh and Gwalcmai must safeguard one extraordinary golden grail, a heavy, bloodstained sword called Excalibur and each others lives. For while an unquenchable evil struggles to take hold of the planet, they are the watchers, waiting for the moment when humankind can wage its last battle for survival.
The Maid of the White Hands (Tristan and Isolde #2)
by Rosalind MilesIsolde's day has come. In Ireland her mother, the Queen, lies dying. The throne of the Emerald Isle, one of the last strongholds of the Goddess, awaits her. But while Ireland is her destiny, Isolde is already Queen of Cornwall, trapped in a loveless marriage to the mean-spirited King Mark. Her true love is his nephew, Tristan of Lyonesse, who has never married, remaining faithful to Isolde. Across the sea in France, a young princess who shares Isolde's name enters the story. King Hoel named his daughter in honor of Isolde of Ireland, but young Isolde of France has always been determined to outdo Queen Isolde. She, too, is a physician and is called "Blanche Mains," for her white hands and healing touch. Blanche is of an age to be married, and she has chosen her husband--Tristan of Lyonesse. Her father objects, but fate favors Blanche. King Mark has become suspicious of his wife and nephew, and when Tristan is wounded in battle, he sees a chance to separate them for good. Mark sends Tristan to France to be healed by Blanche, who makes the most of the opportunity. Tristan's letters to Isolde are intercepted, and he is told that she has given him up. Near death from his wounds, Tristan sends one last desperate letter to Isolde by a trusted servant. He is dying, he tells her, and asks for one final sign of their love. If she can forgive him for marrying another, she must come to France in a ship set with white sails. If the ship's sails are black, he will know that she no longer loves him. Isolde immediately leaves for France, but when Blanche sees the white sails from the castle window, she pulls the curtains and tells Tristan that they are black. To her horror, he turns his face to the wall and dies. There ends the traditional medieval story of Tristan and Isolde--with betrayal, death, and grief. But the original Irish legend ends differently, and so does this book, with magic and drama as only Rosalind Miles can write it.
Guenevere, Queen of the Summer Country
by Rosalind MilesCamelot--a vibrant pageant of love, heartbreak, hatred, jealousy, revenge, and desire--as seen through the eyes of its queen, GuenevereRaised in the tranquil beauty of the Summer Country, Princess Guenevere has led a charmed and contented life, until the sudden, violent death of her mother, Queen Maire, leaves the Summer Country teetering on the brink of anarchy. Only the miraculous arrival of Arthur, heir to the Pendragon dynasty, allows Guenevere to claim her mother's throne. Smitten by the bold, sensuous princess, Arthur offers to marry her and unite their territory while still allowing her to rule in her own right. Their love match creates the largest and most powerful kingdom in the Isles. Arthur's glorious rule begins to crumble, however, when he is reunited with his mother and his long-lost half-sisters, Morgause and Morgan. Before Arthur's birth, his father--the savage and unscrupulous King Uther--banished his wife's young daughters, selling Morgause into a cruel marriage and imprisoning Morgan in a far-off convent. Both daughters will avenge their suffering, but it is Morgan who strikes the deadliest blows against the King and Queen, using her evil enchantments to destroy all Guenevere holds dear. When the Queen flees to Avalon, Morgan casts a spell on Arthur and seduces him. In the chaos that follows his betrayal, Arthur sends a new courtier to protect Guenevere, the young French knight Lancelot. Her loyalty to Arthur already destroyed, Guenevere falls in love with Lancelot, a love that may spell ruin for Camelot.From the Hardcover edition.
Command & Conquer: Tiberium WarsTM
by Keith R. A. DecandidoIn the twenty-first century, Earth is infested with Tiberium, an alien substance that could be humanity's salvation . . . or its downfall. Though Tiberium is a resource that could solve the world's energy crisis, it is also incredibly destructive, spreading disease, death, and devastation. Tiberium has divided the planet into two factions: the Global Defense Initiative (GDI), which tries to maintain order at any cost; and the Brotherhood of Nod, a terrorist organization turned superpower that believes with religious fervour in the potential of Tiberium. The groups have already fought two world wars, killing millions. Now in the year 2047, a vicious Nod attack compels GDI to mobilize. Another epic global war is being waged, with humanity's fate in the balance. One of GDI's top units, the 22nd Infantry Division, must halt Nod's agenda and keep the world from devolving into further chaos and loss of life. But in the midst of heavy fighting all over the world, mysterious visitors arrive . . . who may spell doom for the human race
Viriconium
by Neil Gaiman M. John HarrisonAvailable to American readers for the first time, this landmark collection gathers four groundbreaking fantasy classics from the acclaimed author of Light. Set in the imagined city of Viriconium, here are the masterworks that revolutionized a genre and enthralled a generation of readers: The Pastel City, A Storm of Wings, In Viriconium, and Viriconium Nights. Back in print after a long absence, these singular tales of a timeless realm and its enigmatic inhabitants are now reborn and compiled to captivate a whole new generation.From the Trade Paperback edition.
Thomas the Rhymer
by Ellen KushnerAward-winning author and radio personality Ellen Kushner's inspired retelling of an ancient legend weaves myth and magic into a vivid contemporary novel about the mysteries of the human heart. Brimming with ballads, riddles, and magical transformations, here is the timeless tale of a charismatic bard whose talents earn him a two-edged otherworldly gift. A minstrel lives by his words, his tunes, and sometimes by his lies. But when the bold and gifted young Thomas the Rhymer awakens the desire of the powerful Queen of Elfland, he finds that words are not enough to keep him from his fate. As the Queen sweeps him far from the people he has known and loved into her realm of magic, opulence--and captivity--he learns at last what it is to be truly human. When he returns to his home with the Queen's parting gift, his great task will be to seek out the girl he loved and wronged, and offer her at last the tongue that cannot lie. From the Paperback edition.
The Wellstone
by Wil MccarthyIn his Nebula Award-nominated novel The Collapsium, acclaimed author Wil McCarthy introduced a richly imagined future of boundless possibility, where poverty, war, and even death are banished forever. Only now that world's exquisite perfection propels one restless young man toward the ultimate challenge. The Wellstone For the children of immortal parents, growing up can be hard to do. A prince will forever be a prince--leaving no chance for Bascal Edward de Towaji Lutui to inherit his parents' throne. So what is an angry young blue blood to do? Punch a hole in the shadow he's been living in by rallying his equally disgruntled companions to make an improbable spaceship, busting out of the so-called summer camp in which their parents have stowed them and making a daring escape across the vastness of space. Ne'er-do-well Conrad Mursk is just along for the joyride--until he realizes this is no typical display of teenage angst. The children are rising up in an honest-to-gods revolution. And, boyo, things are going to get raw.
The Seventh Gate (Death Gate #7)
by Margaret Weis Tracy HickmanThe Seventh Gate is the thrilling conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Death Gate Cycle by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. In this tale of treachery, power, and heroism, Alfred, Haplo, and Marit embark on a journey of death and discovery as they seek to enter the dreaded Seventh Gate. Encountering enemies both old and new, they unleash a magic no power can control, damning themselves to an apocalypse of unimagined proportion in a final struggle between good and evil.From the Paperback edition.
The First Stone (Last Rune #6)
by Mark AnthonyThe Pale King has been defeated, his legions decimated. The Dark God Mohg has been destroyed. And the evil corporation, Duratek, has been disbanded, foiled in its efforts to strip-mine the world of Eldh. And for our heroes, three years have passed in relative peace. But only relative, because every one of them know in their hearts that their duties are not yet ended. For perihelion approaches, as the two worlds continue to grow nearer. And bad things are coming in its wake. In the skies over Earth, astronomers have noted an anomaly which seems to be swallowing stars whole. On Eldh, these rifts in the sky are appearing as well--and the dragon Sinfathisar tells Grace Beckett that, if left unchecked, these holes of anti-being will annihilate all of creation forever. He adds that only Travis Wilder--whom the Mournish believe is fated to raise the lost city of Morindu the Dark from the desert sands that hide and hold it--can save the world. But what is the connection between the lost city of the sorcerers and the wounds that rift the heavens? As Grace goes in search of Travis and Travis goes in search of his kidnapped daughter, all the threads of fate begin to pull together, revealing ancient mysteries on both worlds, and connections within connections that carry all the way back through time. With both worlds increasingly wracked by tempests and earthquakes and a palpable sense of hopelessness and despair, and with magic sputtering and dying around them, can our heroes patch together the missing pieces of the puzzle before all of life is annihilated? From the Paperback edition.
The Fall of the Kings
by Ellen Kushner Delia ShermanTwo award-winning fantasy authors team up for this follow-up to Kushner's "Swordspoint"--a tale of a world that is rediscovering an ancient magic, and the price to be paid for repeating history.