Contemporary Science Fiction

First contact with a mysterious race of aliens reveals an unusual request; a family's pet dog comes to grips with the newly bestowed gift of human-like intelligence; a poet, in danger and alone on a distant world, makes unlikely allies; hundreds of years in the future, a famous hermit lives in the sea above the now-underwater Harvard University; former friends navigate unsteady peace between human refugees and the technologically superior race that saved them; in a future where human life can be infinitely extended through cybertronic rebirth, one woman declines immortality.

Keeping up-to-date with the most buzzworthy and cutting-edge science fiction requires sifting through countless magazines, e-zines, websites, blogs, original anthologies, single-author collections, and more - a task accomplishable by only the most determined and voracious readers. For everyone else, Night Shade Books is proud to introduce the latest volume of The Best Science Fiction of the Year, collecting the finest that the genre has to offer, from the biggest names in the field to the most exciting new writers.

With The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume Six, award-winning editor Neil Clarke provides a year-in-review and 33 of the best stories published by both new and established authors in 2020.

The best of the year's science fiction and fantasy stories as selected by the multiple award-winning editor Jonathan Strahan. Distant worlds, time travel, epic adventure, unseen wonders, and much more! The best, most original and brightest science fiction and fantasy stories from around the globe from the past 12 months are brought together in one collection by multiple award winning editor Jonathan Strahan.

With The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume 3, award-winning editor Neil Clarke provides a year-in-review and 27 of the best stories published by both new and established authors in 2017.

A colony survives among the icy rings of a planet, hiding from alien robots determined to destroy them … at a remote site on the edge of the Arctic Circle, a group of scientists, engineers, and physicians gather to gamble humanity’s future on one last-ditch experiment … a man who can’t feel pain has been bioengineered to be a killing machine, but he refuses to give in to his fate … a man is contacted by three future versions of himself, each trying to save their world from destruction.

Four sci-fi short stories where you'll find good computers, people who regret their past, and an explanation for something you're familiar with.

Jonathan Strahan, the award-winning and much lauded editor of many of genre's best known anthologies, is back with his 11th volume in this fascinating series, featuring the best science fiction and fantasy. With established names and new talent, this diverse and ground-breaking collection will take the listener to the outer reaches of space and the inner realms of humanity with stories of fantastical worlds and worlds that may still come to pass.

Watch out - the Earth just fell into a dark sun's orbit! Or maybe you'd rather visit a theme park called Hell? These are just two of the strange and unnerving tales you'll find in this collection of great science fiction and fantasy stories.

In this Very Short Introduction, Robert Eaglestone provides a clear and engaging exploration of the major themes, patterns, and debates of contemporary fiction. From genre, form, and experimentalism to the legacies of modernism and postmodernism, the relationship between globalization and terrorism, and the impact of technology, Eaglestone examines how works both reflect the world in which we live and the artistic concerns of writers and readers alike.

Incredible Science Fiction: Amazing Tales from the 50's and Beyond, Volume Two collates a collection of some of the very best science-fiction stories published in the '50s together. All these stories (with the exception of The Anatomy of Fear) are now in the public domain and were original published in various science-fiction magazines that were very popular in the 1950s. This is a lovingly curated collection of some of the very best stories published during this time. This collection includes a further story from the Hugo Award-nominated Rog Phillips.

A small independent bookstore in Minneapolis is haunted from November 2019 to November 2020 by the store's most annoying customer. Flora dies on All Souls' Day, but she simply won't leave the store. Tookie, who has landed a job selling books after years of incarceration that she survived by reading 'with murderous attention', must solve the mystery of this haunting while at the same time trying to understand all that occurs in Minneapolis during a year of grief, astonishment, isolation and furious reckoning.

Paragon altered Bianca’s memory. The Directorate turned her into a weapon. Seventeen-year-old Bianca Pond is the ultimate fighting machine. But when a ghost from her past comes back to haunt her, Bianca faces her toughest challenge yet...justice for all, or her own personal vengeance. (extra)ORDINARY runs parallel with events from the Powers series, giving readers a glimpse into the transformation that redefined Bianca’s loyalties - and love - in the months after Ugene’s escape.

Герои этой книги связаны между собой, но каждый проживает отдельную жизнь. Вот Сурганов отказывается приносить человеческую жертву божеству новых времён — Ктулху. Вот мальчишки Большой Минин и Маленький Ляпунов хотят посмотреть на новую станцию метро, но проваливаются в Москву совсем другой эпохи (будьте осторожны, новые станции не то, чем кажутся!). Вот придуманные героем женщины русской революции вдруг оживают и становятся частью реальности.

As the war draws to an end a dark and sinister truth is laid to rest in the rubble of a collapsing bunker - the memoirs of a forgotten goddess who claims to have shaped the universe and descended into humanity, with her rebellious son - a figure whose rise would all but destroy the world.

After a string of bad luck left her newly orphaned and homeless, Kara Andrews never expected to be approached by an angel. God sent the angel on a search for a pure soul to complete objectives in other worlds, and his crosshairs landed on her. The reward is worth fighting for.

Without magic to protect Ashoka's borders, time is running out. The whole country is at risk from enemy territory Lyria, suspected to be experimenting with dangerous magic. And nobody feels the threat more so than Maharani Vira, who is desperate to prove herself a worthy leader. But finding the Ivory Key, her one hope of discovering a new source of magic, has only led to more mysteries to unravel. So when her own Council turns on her, Vira once again needs her siblings' help. If together they found the key, maybe together they can restore Ashoka to its former glory.

Heather Harrison sees ghosts. It's not something she brags about. In fact, she wished she didn't. Communicating (or not communicating) with the dead only leads to heartache, and for her it led to a divorce. For the most part, she's happy being single. She's got a good business, close friends, and a slightly overprotective brother. What more does a 40-something woman need? When her two best friends beg her for help in contacting loved ones, against her better judgment she can't say no to the séance.

With Tom and his friends finishing their first year, surviving the next semester means mastering their craft faster than ever. But in Starborn Academy every shadow hides danger, and every friend could be a foe. Trust is a luxury no one can afford. With fifth-year students in their final semester it’s a test of skill, wit, and willpower to complete their journey. With the year coming to a close they are preparing for their Keystone Projects. A cutthroat culmination of their schooling and graduation depends on the results.

Kate Golden has built a successful career helping others become their best selves. But when Kate inherits magical powers from the late Inga Paulsen, the spell that holds her carefully controlled world together begins to unravel. What starts with a mysterious cocktail recipe from an enchanted book quickly spirals into disaster. A grotesque wart sprouts on her chin, her hair turns shocking pink and her perfect life crumbles in the most public way possible.