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The Status Civilization
by Robert Sheckley"Yes sir. Well, there are three men outside trying to kill me. . . . " "Quite right," Mr. Frendlyer said. "And today is Landing Day. You came off the ship that landed today, and have been classified a peon. . . . I'm happy to say that everything is in order. The Landing Day Hunt ends at sundown. You can leave here with the knowledge that everything is correct and that your rights have not been violated. " "Leave here? After sundown, you mean. " Mr. Frendlyer shook his head and smiled sadly. "I'm afraid not. According to the law you must leave here at once. " "But they'll kill me!" "That's very true. Unfortunately it can't be helped. A victim by definition is one who is to be killed. . . . We protect rights, not victims. " OMEGA: PRISON PLANET LIFE EXPECTANCY: THREE YEARS MAXIMUM MOST PEOPLE ARE LUCKIER THAN THAT. . . .
The Status Civilization
by Robert Sheckley"Yes sir. Well, there are three men outside trying to kill me....""Quite right," Mr. Frendlyer said. "And today is Landing Day. You came off the ship that landed today, and have been classified a peon.... I'm happy to say that everything is in order. The Landing Day Hunt ends at sundown. You can leave here with the knowledge that everything is correct and that your rights have not been violated.""Leave here? After sundown, you mean."Mr. Frendlyer shook his head and smiled sadly. "I'm afraid not. According to the law you must leave here at once.""But they'll kill me!""That's very true. Unfortunately it can't be helped. A victim by definition is one who is to be killed.... We protect rights, not victims."Omega: Prison planetLife Expectancy: Three years maximumMost people are luckier than that....
The Status Civilization
by Robert SheckleyTHE LIFE EXPECTANCY OF A NEW ARRIVAL ON OMEGA AVERAGED THREE EARTH YEARS Will Barrent could choose--exile on a nightmare planet, or life under the tyranny that had taken over Earth! Barrent had been tried, convicted, and memory-washed on Earth - an Earth strangely altered and stratified by fear of the radical and non-conformist. Now he was serving his sentence on Omega - a prison planet walled by a ring of hovering guard-ships from which there was no escape. Omega was a world of horror, a savage, ruthless way of life. But it was only a momentary ordeal, a prelude to a return to Earth and the subtle terrors of its own status civilization. The Status Civilization first appeared under the title Omega in Amazing Science Fiction Stories. Robert Sheckley was a Hugo- and Nebula-nominated author. His stories first appeared in science fiction magazines of the 1950s.His quick-witted stories and novels were famously unpredictable, absurdist and broadly comical. Sheckley was given the Author Emeritus honor by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 2001.
The Status Civilization
by Robert Sheckley"Yes sir. Well, there are three men outside trying to kill me....""Quite right," Mr. Frendlyer said. "And today is Landing Day. You came off the ship that landed today, and have been classified a peon.... I'm happy to say that everything is in order. The Landing Day Hunt ends at sundown. You can leave here with the knowledge that everything is correct and that your rights have not been violated.""Leave here? After sundown, you mean."Mr. Frendlyer shook his head and smiled sadly. "I'm afraid not. According to the law you must leave here at once.""But they'll kill me!""That's very true. Unfortunately it can't be helped. A victim by definition is one who is to be killed.... We protect rights, not victims."Omega: Prison planetLife Expectancy: Three years maximumMost people are luckier than that....
The Status Civilization
by Robert SheckleyOn a savage prison planet, a reluctant killer searches for his memory He awakes in the cell, his mind blank save for a faint memory of standing over a dead man with a gun. Guilty of murder, his brain has been wiped, and he has been transported to Omega, the prison planet, where evil is worshipped as a god. His jailers inform him of his name, Will Barrent, his crime, and the average life expectancy in his new home: three years. Every day will be a battle for survival, and one day, he will lose. Although run by criminals, Omega is hardly lawless. The population has been divided into an intricate caste system, and Barrent is on the bottom. The only way to advance in rank is to kill. While Barrent knows in his bones that he is no murderer, he sees no alternative but to give in to the crime that sent him here. He will kill if he must, but he will never lose himself again.
The Steadfast Tin Soldier
by Hans Christian Andersen Cynthia RylantA beautifully illustrated version of the classic fairy tale about a tin soldier’s adventure and his love for a ballerina, retold with a twist.With her signature warmth and lyricism, Newbery winner Cynthia Rylant has crafted a new version of the classic Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale about a tin soldier who falls in love with a ballerina. As in the original story, the tin soldier’s love for the beautiful ballerina is thwarted by a goblin. The tin soldier is separated from the other toys and washed down a sewer, where he encounters a rat and gets swallowed by a fish, but somehow, against all odds, he manages to end up back home only to be cast into the nursery fire. Rylant adds her own twist to the end of the tale, however, for in this version, the tin soldier and the ballerina are melded to each other, rather than melted, in the heat of the fire, so they’ll never be parted again. Rylant’s expert storytelling paired with Corace’s stunning illustrations create a beautiful, unforgettable tale of everlasting love.Praise for The Steadfast Tin Soldier“Gracefully written. . . . The book’s large format gives plenty of scope for Corace’s distinctive illustrations, precise ink drawings brightened with watercolor, gouache, and acrylic paints. Sometimes brilliantly colorful and sometimes more subdued, the scenes can be crowded with dozens of toys or other visual elements, but they show up well from a distance. The subtle depictions of the goblin and his shadow are particularly fine. A softened vision of the literary fairy tale.” —Booklist“Text and illustrations weave seamlessly to create an involving, fast-paced update of a much-loved tale. Rylant's retelling is abridged, yet sprightly, and Corace’s watercolor, gouache, acrylic, and pen-and-ink illustrations add nuance and whimsy to Andersen's original.” —School Library Journal
The Stealer of Memories
by Mois Benarroch William CIt has happened to all of us, we're talking with our brother of a childhood memory and suddenly he says, but you didn't do that, I did. And that seems normal. But, what do we remember when we remember? Scientific studies show that in less than twenty-four hours we have already changed the memory of what has happened to us. Perhaps our memories are not always completely ours, only partially ours, partly they are what others who were in the same place have told us, and partly perhaps they are memories of others that with time are infiltrated in our brain. The narrator of "El Ladrón de Memorias" does not steal memories, but he feels like a thief, because he is drawn to pulling at some moments other people's most intimate memories, only to realize that he can no longer differentiate his memories from the others. "The Stealer of Memories" is an autobiography of the entire world. "Rarely have I had the opportunity to read a book on ebook format with the characteristics of "The Stealer of Memories". Mois Benarroch has the strange particularity of talking about anything and has a way of making you unable to stop reading. I have compiled many fragments of his book because they seemed interesting, intuitive and I think I almost believe that in fact the author is a memory thief: "...But there is one that doesn't go away. And it is that every text is autobiographical. Each character is the author. Nothing original in that. I know. But I'm not saying that every text is based on the life of the writer. Just the opposite. It is based on the not-life of the writer. The wife who appears in the text of a male writer is not the writer's wife, and vice versa, the homosexual will be the one who was not, the rich one is the rich one that the writer longs to be, if he is poor. The writer defines himself by what he cannot be. What he cannot be is not infinite. One cannot not-be just anybody. He can only be characters or people he is able to imagine..." I have
The Stealer of Souls and Other Stories
by Michael MoorcockA dazzling collection of stories containing the seminal appearances of Elric and the adventures include: "The Dreaming City", "While the Gods Laugh", "The Stealer of Souls", "Kings in Darkness", "The Flame Bringers".
The Stealers' War
by Stephen HuntWeyland has been at war. Invaded by a technologically advanced enemy, the cities sacked, and what fragile peace remained torn apart by a civil war.All anyone should want is a return to peace.But Jacob Carneham still wants his revenge; and if he can lure the invaders into the mountain he can have it. He can kill them all. If he does, there may never be peace again.If he doesn't, Weyland will never be free of the threat of invasion.The northern horse lords are planning an attack. A future Empress is fighting to save her daughter. Jacob's son is trying to restore peace and stability to Weyland, alongside the rightful King. And behind it all is a greater struggle, which may spell the end for them all . . .
The Stealers' War
by Stephen HuntWeyland has been at war. Invaded by a technologically advanced enemy, the cities sacked, and what fragile peace remained torn apart by a civil war.All anyone should want is a return to peace.But Jacob Carneham still wants his revenge; and if he can lure the invaders into the mountain he can have it. He can kill them all. If he does, there may never be peace again.If he doesn't, Weyland will never be free of the threat of invasion.The northern horse lords are planning an attack. A future Empress is fighting to save her daughter. Jacob's son is trying to restore peace and stability to Weyland, alongside the rightful King. And behind it all is a greater struggle, which may spell the end for them all . . .
The Stealthcat War (The Equinora Chronicles #2)
by Paula BoerWhen unnatural wildfires ravage the prairies, many of the horse herds and human clans are burnt. Precious warmblood mares disappear and mysterious stealthcats are killing foals, forcing a dying stallion to seek help from the guardian unicorns.Following a confusing prophecy that threatens the whole world, Mystery, the youngest unicorn, is sent to solve the problem. But being of horse parents, Mystery is filled with doubt and scared he has no power. Nevertheless, accompanied by Laila, a young woman, and Meda, her healer dragon, he determines to confront whatever evil is behind the devastation.
The Steam Man
by VariousEnormous steam-powered robots march across the Great Plains of the old American West, protecting the populace against invading aliens and monsters! The Steam Man and his operators seem to have their task well in hand, until a crazed and powerful vampire comes to town intent on bringing forth the apocalypse! Collects The Steam Man #1–#5.&“With the heart of a western and the appeal of monster-extravaganzas, The Steam Man is a genuinely engaging read.&”—Villain Smash&“The Steam Man is an awesome comic. Good storyline, quality artwork, and the entertainment value is there.&”—Graphic Policy
The Steam Mole (Cuttlefish)
by Dave FreerThis new steampunk adventure is a race around the world.Tim Barnabas is a submariner from the Cuttlefish, a coal fired submarine. Clara Calland is the daughter of a scientist who carries a secret formula that threatens British Imperial power. After a daring chase across the globe, they have brought the secret to Westralia. Here, much of Australia is simply too hot to be habitable by day. People are nocturnal, living underground and working outside at night. To cross the deserts they use burrowing machines know as "steam moles." With the Cuttlefish out of action, her crew takes jobs on these submarine-like craft. Duke Malcolm, of the Imperial Security Service, transports Clara's rebel-father to a prison in Eastern Australia, hoping to bait her into attempting a rescue. Clara looks to Tim for help, only to find he has fled a racist incident into the desert. She takes a steam mole in search of him. The two head to Eastern Australia, where they discover an invading force with plans to take Westralia. Forced to survive in the desert, they encounter the intolerance meted out to the aboriginal people. Can they save Westralia from falling under British rule? And should they?
The Steam Pump Jump
by Jodi TaylorNot one to let being banged up in Sick Bay stop her, Max has had a brilliant idea. But she needs Markham to execute it on her behalf. The subject of this cunning plan is Peterson, struggling with another bereavement and not doing very well. What’s needed to get him through it is sympathy, sensitivity, tact and understanding. Step forward Mr Markham, for whom sympathy, sensitivity, etc., are things that happen to other people. Combine a fanatic from R&D, a head of Security with his own problems, a steam-pump, two historians who can’t even be in the same room as each other, some fractious Protestants and a large body of very dirty water. Told in Markham’s own words, this is the story of an intervention – St Mary’s style.
The Steam-Driven Boy
by John SladekJohn Sladek's first short story collection. Sladek wrote some of the best science fiction stories of the 20th-century and his parodies of famous s/f authors are uproariously "right-on". His talent went under-appreciated except by a few devoted followers, even though his satirical writing was on a par with the early Kurt Vonnegut.
The Steam-Driven Boy
by John SladekJohn Sladek's first short story collection. Sladek wrote some of the best science fiction stories of the 20th-century and his parodies of famous s/f authors are uproariously "right-on". His talent went under-appreciated except by a few devoted followers, even though his satirical writing was on a par with the early Kurt Vonnegut
The Steam-Pump Jump
by Jodi TaylorA Chronicles of St Mary's short story that is sure to entertain. If you love Jasper Fforde or Ben Aaronovitch, you won't be able to resist Jodi Taylor. Not one to let being banged up in Sick Bay stop her, Max has had a brilliant idea. But she needs Markham to execute it on her behalf. The subject of this cunning plan is Peterson, struggling with another bereavement and not doing very well. What's needed to get him through it is sympathy, sensitivity, tact and understanding. Step forward Mr Markham, for whom sympathy, sensitivity, etc., are things that happen to other people. Combine a fanatic from R&D, a head of Security with his own problems, a steam-pump, two historians who can't even be in the same room as each other, some fractious Protestants and a large body of very dirty water.Told in Markham's own words, this is the story of an intervention - St Mary's style. Readers love Jodi Taylor: 'Once in a while, I discover an author who changes everything... Jodi Taylor and her protagonista Madeleine "Max" Maxwell have seduced me' 'A great mix of British proper-ness and humour with a large dollop of historical fun' 'Addictive. I wish St Mary's was real and I was a part of it' 'Jodi Taylor has an imagination that gets me completely hooked' 'A tour de force'
The Steam-Pump Jump
by Jodi TaylorA Chronicles of St Mary's short story that is sure to entertain. If you love Jasper Fforde or Ben Aaronovitch, you won't be able to resist Jodi Taylor. Not one to let being banged up in Sick Bay stop her, Max has had a brilliant idea. But she needs Markham to execute it on her behalf. The subject of this cunning plan is Peterson, struggling with another bereavement and not doing very well. What's needed to get him through it is sympathy, sensitivity, tact and understanding. Step forward Mr Markham, for whom sympathy, sensitivity, etc., are things that happen to other people. Combine a fanatic from R&D, a head of Security with his own problems, a steam-pump, two historians who can't even be in the same room as each other, some fractious Protestants and a large body of very dirty water.Told in Markham's own words, this is the story of an intervention - St Mary's style. Readers love Jodi Taylor: 'Once in a while, I discover an author who changes everything... Jodi Taylor and her protagonista Madeleine "Max" Maxwell have seduced me' 'A great mix of British proper-ness and humour with a large dollop of historical fun' 'Addictive. I wish St Mary's was real and I was a part of it' 'Jodi Taylor has an imagination that gets me completely hooked' 'A tour de force'
The Steamkettle Kids Save The Day
by Lori Alden HolutaWelcome to the busy, industrial port city of Steamkettle Bay, the second-largest city in all of Industralia. It’s filled with manufacturing factories, airship docks, inventors, artists, and lots and lots of streetwise, clever kids. It’s a warm Saturday in the summer of 1872, and somewhere in Steamkettle Bay, bad things are happening. Can Paisley Pockets and Christopher Cogan stop a crime in progress? They may be just a couple of kids, but where there's a will and, some smarts, there just might be a way.
The Steampunk Adventures of Langdon St. Ives (Langdon St. Ives)
by James P. BlaylockWithin this volume lie the complete Steampunk short stories of Professor Langdon St. Ives, Victorian adventurer, written by avowed Steampunk Legend, James P. Blaylock.St. Ives, traveler through time and space and an often misunderstood member of the Explorers Club and the Royal Society, has trodden the foggy London streets and Thames-side alleyways for decades, caught up in near-death adventures in pursuit of nefarious villains and obscure knowledge.In the pages of this chronicle, the intrepid Professor and his stalwart friends face down strange enemies and avert catastrophes that the world scarcely knows exist, finding themselves stalked through the idol-infested jungles of Borneo, set adrift in the starlit reaches of outer space, plunged into the infamous “barrel madness” that descended upon London in the late 18th century, and wandering in a past-and-future age when they stumble upon a time portal in the midst of ancient standing stones in the idyllic Kent countryside.World Fantasy Award winning author James Blaylock, one of the pioneers of the Steampunk genre along with Tim Powers and K.W. Jeter, has written more than 25 novels as well as scores of short stories, essays, and articles. His Steampunk novel Homunculus won the Philip K. Dick Memorial Award, and his short story “The Ape-box Affair,” published in Unearth magazine in 1978, was the first contemporary Steampunk story published in the U.S. His recent Steampunk works include The Aylesford Skull, Beneath London, River’s Edge, and The Gobblin’ Society.Praise for James P. Blaylock:“A singular American fabulist.” —William Gibson“Blaylock is a magician!” —Michael Swanwick“Blaylock’s prose is so rich it literally sings!” —Charles de Lint“Blaylock is better than anyone else at showing us the magic that secretly animates our world...” —Tim Powers“While many recent novels have picked up the steampunk banner, this one fully delivers, offering action, farce, tender relationships, and prose full of genuine Victorian cadence and flavor.” —Publishers Weekly on The Affair of the Chalk Cliffs“St. Ives has to be one of the most fleshed out Victorian characters ever written, and I m sincerely hoping that Blaylock isn t finished with this scientist adventurer. The Aylesford Skull can easily stand alone without any knowledge of Blaylock s previous steampunk stories, but you’ll want to hunt down additional St. Ives tales, I’m for certain.” —Wired.com“Blaylock throws in all the furniture of the genre: derring-do and cliffhangers, a vivid portrayal of Victorian London, a gallery of grotesque characters and the obligatory airship, but the strength of the novel is his rendering of St Ives caught between his love of the chase and his commitment to family.” —The Guardian
The Steampunk Bible: An Illustrated Guide to the World of Imaginary Airships, Corsets and Goggles, Mad Scientists, and Strange Literature
by Jeff VanderMeer“Wonderful essays on everything steampunk, written by well-known names in the movement who are living steampunk every day” (Wired.com).Steampunk—a grafting of Victorian aesthetic and punk rock attitude onto various forms of science-fiction culture—is a phenomenon that has come to influence film, literature, art, music, fashion, and more. The Steampunk Bible is the first compendium about the movement, tracing its roots in the works of Jules Verne and H. G. Wells through its most recent expression in movies such as Sherlock Holmes. Its adherents celebrate the inventor as an artist and hero, re-envisioning and crafting retro technologies including antiquated airships and robots. A burgeoning DIY community has brought a distinctive Victorian-fantasy style to their crafts and art. Steampunk evokes a sense of adventure and discovery, and embraces extinct technologies as a way of talking about the future. This ultimate manual will appeal to aficionados and novices alike as author Jeff VanderMeer takes the reader on a wild ride through the clockwork corridors of Steampunk history.Praise for The Steampunk Bible“An informed, informative and beautifully illustrated survey of the subject.” —The Financial Times“The Steampunk Bible is far and away the most intriguing catalog of all things steam yet written.” —The Austin Chronicle
The Steampunk Trilogy (Di Filippo, Paul Ser.)
by Paul Di FilippoAn outrageous trio of novellas that twist the Victorian era out of shape, by a master of alternate history: “Spooky, haunting, hilarious” (William Gibson). Welcome to the world of steampunk, a nineteenth century outrageously reconfigured through weird science. With his magnificent trilogy, acclaimed author Paul Di Filippo demonstrates how this unique subgenre of science fiction is done to perfection—reinventing a mannered age of corsets and industrial revolution with odd technologies born of a truly twisted imagination. In “Victoria,” the inexplicable disappearance of the British monarch-to-be prompts a scientist to place a human-lizard hybrid clone on the throne during the search for the missing royal. But the doppelgänger queen comes with a most troubling flaw: an insatiable sexual appetite. The somewhat Lovecraftian “Hottentots” chronicles the very unusual adventure of Swiss naturalist and confirmed bigot Louis Agassiz as his determined search for a rather grisly fetish plunges him into a world of black magic and monsters. Finally, in “Walt and Emily,” the hitherto secret and quite steamy love affair between Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman is revealed in all its sensuous glory—as are their subsequent interdimensional travels aboard a singular ship that transcends the boundaries of time and reality. Ingenious, hilarious, ribald, and utterly remarkable, Di Filippo’s The Steampunk Trilogy is a one-of-a-kind literary journey to destinations at once strangely familiar and profoundly strange.
The Steel Crocodile
by D. G. ComptonIn answer to an unanswerable future, science has created Bohn, the omnipotent computer whose flashing circuits and messianic [pronouncements dictate what tomorrow will - or will not - be. But Matthew Oliver is flesh and blood and full of questions - not nearly as certain as the machine he's appointed to serve. And the right hand of science seldom knows what the left hand is doing . . .
The Steel Crocodile (Gateway Essentials #49)
by D.G. ComptonIn answer to an unanswerable future, science has created Bohn, the omnipotent computer whose flashing circuits and messianic pronouncements dictate what tomorrow will - or will not - be.But Matthew Oliver is flesh and blood and full of questions - not nearly as certain as the machine he's appointed to serve.And the right hand of science seldom knows what the left hand is doing . . .
The Steel Remains (A Land Fit for Heroes #1)
by Richard K. MorganA dark lord will rise. Such is the prophecy that dogs Ringil Eskiath-Gil, for short-a washed-up mercenary and onetime war hero whose cynicism is surpassed only by the speed of his sword. Gil is estranged from his aristocratic family, but when his mother enlists his help in freeing a cousin sold into slavery, Gil sets out to track her down. But it soon becomes apparent that more is at stake than the fate of one young woman. Grim sorceries are awakening in the land. Some speak in whispers of the return of the Aldrain, a race of widely feared, cruel yet beautiful demons. Now Gil and two old comrades are all that stand in the way of a prophecy whose fulfillment will drown an entire world in blood. But with heroes like these, the cure is likely to be worse than the disease. From the Hardcover edition.