This is the epic saga of an earthling, Valentine Michael Smith, born and educated on Mars, who arrives on our planet with many psi powers, including the ability to take control of the minds of others—and ignorance of the morals of man.

When The Left Hand of Darkness first appeared in 1969, the original jacket copy read, "Once in a long while a whole new world is created for us. Such worlds are Middle Earth, Dune - and such a world is Winter." Thirty-five years and a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award later, these words still ring...  more

When The Left Hand of Darkness first appeared in 1969, the original jacket copy read, "Once in a long while a whole new world is created for us. Such worlds are Middle Earth, Dune - and such a world is Winter." Thirty-five years and a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award later, these words still ring true. In Gethen, or Winter - as the planet is known by outsiders who have experienced its arctic climate - Ursula K. Le Guin has created a fully realized planet and people. Its inhabitants are human except for one thing: they are all of the same sex. Ambisexual, their customs, language, ways of life, and thought are utterly alien. And yet there is much in their culture that is so familiar and akin to our own that it is joltingly arresting. The concept of a society existing totally without sexual prejudices is even more relevant today than it was in 1969. When the human ambassador Genly Ai is sent to Gethen, he thinks that his mission will be a standard one of making peace between warring factions. Instead, the ambassador finds himself wildly unprepared. For Gethen is inhabited by a society with a rich, ancient culture full of strange beauty and deadly intrigue. But Genly is all too human. Unless he can overcome his ingrained prejudices about the significance of "male" and "female," he may destroy both his mission and himself. The Left Hand of Darkness stands as a landmark of Science Fiction.

Dr. Ethan Urquhart, an obstetrician on a planet forbidden to women, is Chief of Biology at the Severin District Reproduction Center and one of the busiest men on the planet Athos. Then a mysterious genetic crisis threatens Athos with extinction. Drafted to brave the wider universe for his...  more

Dr. Ethan Urquhart, an obstetrician on a planet forbidden to women, is Chief of Biology at the Severin District Reproduction Center and one of the busiest men on the planet Athos. Then a mysterious genetic crisis threatens Athos with extinction. Drafted to brave the wider universe for his cloistered fellows in quest of new ovarian tissue cultures, Ethan braces himself for his first encounter with those most alien of aliens -- females of his own species.

While only women can command the power of the matrix and the secret sciences which keep Darkover from Terran hands, in most respects they are still chattels. Yet there are bands of pledged women known as the Free Amazons, equal to men and outside the laws that keep the rest of their sex...  more

While only women can command the power of the matrix and the secret sciences which keep Darkover from Terran hands, in most respects they are still chattels. Yet there are bands of pledged women known as the Free Amazons, equal to men and outside the laws that keep the rest of their sex subservient. And in The Shattered Chain, it is these Free Amazons who will prove the key to the Terran-Darkover dilemma.

Change or die. These are the only options available on the planet Jeep. Centuries earlier, a deadly virus shattered the original colony, killing the men and forever altering the few surviving women. Now, generations after the colony has lost touch with the rest of humanity, a company arrives to...  more

Change or die. These are the only options available on the planet Jeep. Centuries earlier, a deadly virus shattered the original colony, killing the men and forever altering the few surviving women. Now, generations after the colony has lost touch with the rest of humanity, a company arrives to exploit Jeep–and its forces find themselves fighting for their lives. Terrified of spreading the virus, the company abandons its employees, leaving them afraid and isolated from the natives. In the face of this crisis, anthropologist Marghe Taishan arrives to test a new vaccine. As she risks death to uncover the women’s biological secret, she finds that she, too, is changing–and realizes that not only has she found a home on Jeep, but that she alone carries the seeds of its destruction. . . . Ammonite is an unforgettable novel that questions the very meanings of gender and humanity. As readers share in Marghe’s journey through an alien world, they too embark on a parallel journey of fascinating self-exploration.

In this novel, a landmark of science fiction that began as an MFA thesis for the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and went on to become an award-winning classic -- inspiring a play, a graphic novel, and most recently an in-development film -- man has taken to the stars, and soldiers fighting the...  more

In this novel, a landmark of science fiction that began as an MFA thesis for the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and went on to become an award-winning classic -- inspiring a play, a graphic novel, and most recently an in-development film -- man has taken to the stars, and soldiers fighting the wars of the future return to Earth forever alienated from their home.   Conscripted into service for the United Nations Exploratory Force, a highly trained unit built for revenge, physics student William Mandella fights for his planet light years away against the alien force known as the Taurans. “Mandella’s attempt to survive and remain human in the face of an absurd, almost endless war is harrowing, hilarious, heartbreaking, and true,” says Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist Junot Díaz -- and because of the relative passage of time when one travels at incredibly high speed, the Earth Mandella returns to after his two-year experience has progressed decades and is foreign to him in disturbing ways.   Based in part on the author’s experiences in Vietnam, The Forever War is regarded as one of the greatest military science fiction novels ever written, capturing the alienation that servicemen and women experience even now upon returning home from battle. It shines a light not only on the culture of the 1970s in which it was written, but also on our potential future.

When a one-way time tunnel to Earth's distant past, specifically six million B.C., was discovered by folks on the Galactic Milieu, every misfit for light-years around hurried to pass through it. Each sought his own brand of happiness. But none could have guessed what awaited them. Not even in a...  more

When a one-way time tunnel to Earth's distant past, specifically six million B.C., was discovered by folks on the Galactic Milieu, every misfit for light-years around hurried to pass through it. Each sought his own brand of happiness. But none could have guessed what awaited them. Not even in a million years.... THE SAGA OF PLIOCENE EXILE Volume I:THE MANY-COLORED LAND Volume II:THE GOLDEN TORC Volume III:THE NONBORN KING Volume IV:THE ADVERSARY . . . and don't miss A PLIOCENE COMPANION

Opening Night at Mary's Place is the hottest ticket in the galaxy -- a brand-new bar with some old familiar faces. Jake's back, along with Doc, Fast Eddie, and the rest of the Callahan's gang. And just when things couldn't get any crazier, guess who shows up in the Mick of Time...  more

Opening Night at Mary's Place is the hottest ticket in the galaxy -- a brand-new bar with some old familiar faces. Jake's back, along with Doc, Fast Eddie, and the rest of the Callahan's gang. And just when things couldn't get any crazier, guess who shows up in the Mick of Time to make sure they do...

Living with wolves as a child gave tracker Ukiah Oregon a heightened sense of smell and taste. Or so he thought -- until he crossed paths with a criminal gang known as the Pack. Now, Ukiah is about to discover just how much he has in common with the Pack: a bond of blood, brotherhood...and destiny.

In Old Earth’s clandestine world of ambassador-spies, Michelangelo Kusanagi-Jones and Vincent Katherinessen were once a starring team. But ever since a disastrous mission, they have been living separate lives in a universe dominated by a ruthless Coalition—one that is about to...  more

In Old Earth’s clandestine world of ambassador-spies, Michelangelo Kusanagi-Jones and Vincent Katherinessen were once a starring team. But ever since a disastrous mission, they have been living separate lives in a universe dominated by a ruthless Coalition—one that is about to reunite them.The pair are dispatched to New Amazonia as diplomatic agents Allegedly, they are to return priceless art. Covertly, they seek to tap its energy supply. But in reality, one has his mind set on treason. And among the extraordinary women of New Amazonia, in a season of festival, betrayal, and disguise, he will find a new ally—and a force beyond any that humans have known….

Longest and most intricate of the Darkover Books, this is a brilliant epic of the pivotal even in the strange love-hate relationship between the Terran worlds and the semi-alien offspring of forgotten peoples. This is the novel of the Hastur tradition and of the showdown between those who would...  more

Longest and most intricate of the Darkover Books, this is a brilliant epic of the pivotal even in the strange love-hate relationship between the Terran worlds and the semi-alien offspring of forgotten peoples. This is the novel of the Hastur tradition and of the showdown between those who would bargain away their world for the glories of the star-borne science and those who wold preserve the special matrix power that was at once the prize and the burden of ruddy-sunned Darkover. A rich and highly colored tale of politics and magic, courage and pressure..

An SF classic from the author of Ender's Game. Kidnapped at an early age, the young singer Ansset has been raised in isolation at the mystical retreat called the Songhouse. His life has been filled with music, and having only songs for companions, he develops a voice that is unlike any...  more

An SF classic from the author of Ender's Game. Kidnapped at an early age, the young singer Ansset has been raised in isolation at the mystical retreat called the Songhouse. His life has been filled with music, and having only songs for companions, he develops a voice that is unlike any heard before. Ansset's voice is both a blessing and a curse, for the young Songbird can reflect all the hopes and fears his auidence feels and, by magnifying their emotions, use his voice to heal--or to destroy. When it is discovered that his is the voice that the Emperor has waited decades for, Ansset is summoned to the Imperial Palace on Old Earth. Many fates rest in Ansset's hands, and his songs will soon be put to the test: either to salve the troubled conscience of a conqueror, or drive him, and the universe, into mad chaos. Songmaster is a haunting story of power and love--the tale of the man who would destroy everything he loves to preserve humanity's peace, and the boy who might just sing the world away.

The men of the Holdfast had long treated with contempt the degenerated creatures known as "fems". To give themselves the drive to survive and reconquer the world, the men needed a common enemy. Superstitious belief had ascribed to the fems the guilt for the terrible Wasting that had destroyed...  more

The men of the Holdfast had long treated with contempt the degenerated creatures known as "fems". To give themselves the drive to survive and reconquer the world, the men needed a common enemy. Superstitious belief had ascribed to the fems the guilt for the terrible Wasting that had destroyed the world. They were the ideal scapegoat. The truth was lost in death and decay and buried in history. It was going to be a long journey back...

In 2019, humanity finally finds proof of extraterrestrial life when a listening post in Puerto Rico picks up exquisite singing from a planet which will come to be known as Rakhat. While United Nations diplomats endlessly debate a possible first contact mission, the Society of Jesus quietly...  more

In 2019, humanity finally finds proof of extraterrestrial life when a listening post in Puerto Rico picks up exquisite singing from a planet which will come to be known as Rakhat. While United Nations diplomats endlessly debate a possible first contact mission, the Society of Jesus quietly organizes an eight-person scientific expedition of its own. What the Jesuits find is a world so beyond comprehension that it will lead them to question the meaning of being "human." When the lone survivor of the expedition, Emilio Sandoz, returns to Earth in 2059, he will try to explain what went wrong... Words like "provocative" and "compelling" will come to mind as you read this shocking novel about first contact with a race that creates music akin to both poetry and prayer. This edition includes a 9 page reader's guide with a conversation with Mary Doria Russell and Reading Group questions and topics for discussion.

Over a summers weekend in 1949 -- but not our 1949 -- the upper-crust "Farthing set," the group that overthrew Churchill and negotiated peace with Hitler eight years before, enjoys a country retreat. Lucy is a minor daughter of two politicians in the group; since her marriage to a London Jew,...  more

Over a summers weekend in 1949 -- but not our 1949 -- the upper-crust "Farthing set," the group that overthrew Churchill and negotiated peace with Hitler eight years before, enjoys a country retreat. Lucy is a minor daughter of two politicians in the group; since her marriage to a London Jew, relations have been strained. So shes surprised when she and husband David are invited for the weekend. Then, overnight, a different member of the set is found murdered, with abundant signs that the killing was ritualistic. As the authorities begin to investigate, it becomes clear to Lucy and David that they were invited in order to pin the murder on David. But whoever devised this conspiracy didn't reckon on the man from Scotland Yard being someone with his own private reasons for sympathizing with outcasts and looking beyond the obvious. As the trap slowly shuts on Lucy and David, they begin to see a way out -- a way fraught with peril in a darkening world. More than an alternate-history story, more than a drawing-room mystery, Farthing is a compelling story of encroaching darkness and the people who ultimately decide to resist it.

Queen Jalena of Shkoder has decided to start her reign by commissioning a ship to undertake the exploration of uncharted waters and see if it is possible to circumnavigate the world. When disaster strikes, the sole survivor is the bard Benedikt who Sings only One Quarter, that of Water. Found by...  more

Queen Jalena of Shkoder has decided to start her reign by commissioning a ship to undertake the exploration of uncharted waters and see if it is possible to circumnavigate the world. When disaster strikes, the sole survivor is the bard Benedikt who Sings only One Quarter, that of Water. Found by the people of a Mayan-like civilization, he becomes a pawn between the brother and sister who are the most powerful people in their culture.

This classic work of science fiction is widely considered to be the ultimate time-travel novel. When Daniel Eakins inherits a time machine, he soon realizes that he has enormous power to shape the course of history. He can foil terrorists, prevent assassinations, or just make some fast money at...  more

This classic work of science fiction is widely considered to be the ultimate time-travel novel. When Daniel Eakins inherits a time machine, he soon realizes that he has enormous power to shape the course of history. He can foil terrorists, prevent assassinations, or just make some fast money at the racetrack. And if he doesn't like the results of the change, he can simply go back in time and talk himself out of making it! But Dan soon finds that there are limits to his powers and forces beyond his control. This replaces 0553290061.

Murray Katz, the celibate keeper of an abandoned lighthouse near Atlantic City, has been blessed with a daughter conceived of his own seed and a holy ovum. Like her half brother Jesus, Julie Katz can walk on water, heal the blind, and raise the dead. But being the Messiah isn't easy, and Julie,...  more

Murray Katz, the celibate keeper of an abandoned lighthouse near Atlantic City, has been blessed with a daughter conceived of his own seed and a holy ovum. Like her half brother Jesus, Julie Katz can walk on water, heal the blind, and raise the dead. But being the Messiah isn't easy, and Julie, bewildered by her role in the divine scheme of things, is tempted by the Devil and challenged by neo- Christian zealots in this lively odyssey through Hell and New Jersey. Winner of the World Fantasy Award

A Door into Ocean is the novel upon which the author's reputation as an important SF writer principally rests. A ground-breaking work both of feminist SF and of world-building hard SF, it concerns the Sharers of Shora, a nation of women on a distant moon in the far future who are pacifists,...  more

A Door into Ocean is the novel upon which the author's reputation as an important SF writer principally rests. A ground-breaking work both of feminist SF and of world-building hard SF, it concerns the Sharers of Shora, a nation of women on a distant moon in the far future who are pacifists, highly advanced in biological sciences, and who reproduce by parthenogenesis -- there are no males -- and tells of the conflicts that erupt when a neighboring civilization decides to develop their ocean world, and send in an army.

In a retrograde future, where the known galaxy is divided between slavers, a deteriorating empire, and legendary aliens, a young woman with the gift of prescience, Costa, is taken from her homeworld and sold into service.  Unknown to her captors, or to the woman who reluctantly buys her,...  more

In a retrograde future, where the known galaxy is divided between slavers, a deteriorating empire, and legendary aliens, a young woman with the gift of prescience, Costa, is taken from her homeworld and sold into service.  Unknown to her captors, or to the woman who reluctantly buys her, Mira LoDire, a diplomat,Costa possesses information that will forever change the balance of galactic power. As the unavoidable confrontation between the three unevenly matched factions unfolds, so, too, does the love of the women for each other.  The two of them are thrown into the midst of foretold events, their destinies woven together by a common enemy, their ultimate freedom dependent on trust and fate.

Though Vanyel has been born with near-legendary abilites to work both Herald and Mage magic, he wants no part of such things. Nor does he seek a warrior's path, wishing instead to become a Bard. Yet such talent as his, if left untrained, may prove a menace not only to Vanyel by to others a well....  more

Though Vanyel has been born with near-legendary abilites to work both Herald and Mage magic, he wants no part of such things. Nor does he seek a warrior's path, wishing instead to become a Bard. Yet such talent as his, if left untrained, may prove a menace not only to Vanyel by to others a well. So he is sent to be fostered with his aunt, Savil, one of the most famed Herald-Mages of Valdemar. But strong willed and self centered, Vanyel is a challenge which even Savil can not master alone. For soon he will become the focus of frightening forces, lending his raw magic to a spell that unleashes terrifying wyr-hunters on the land. And by the time Savil seeks the assistance of a Shin'a'in Adept, Vanyel's wild talent may have already grown beyond anyone's ability to contain, placing Vanyel, Savil, and Valdemar itself in desperate peril.

Once Jenny Casey was somebody's daughter. Once she was somebody's enemy. Now the former Canadian special forces warrior lives on the hellish streets of Hartford, Connecticut, in the year 2062. Racked with pain, hiding from the government she served, running with a crime lord so she can...  more

Once Jenny Casey was somebody's daughter. Once she was somebody's enemy. Now the former Canadian special forces warrior lives on the hellish streets of Hartford, Connecticut, in the year 2062. Racked with pain, hiding from the government she served, running with a crime lord so she can save a life or two, Jenny is a month shy of fifty, and her artificially reconstructed body has started to unravel. But she is far from forgotten. A government scientist needs the perfect subject for a high-stakes project and has Jenny in his sights. Suddenly Jenny Casey is a pawn in a furious battle, waged in the corridors of the Internet, on the streets of battered cities, and in the complex wirings of her half-man-made nervous system. And she needs to gain control of the game before a brave new future spins completely out of control.

Loup Garron was born and raised in Santa Olivia, an isolated, disenfranchised town next to a US military base inside a DMZ buffer zone between Texas and Mexico.  A fugitive "Wolf-Man" who had a love affair with a local woman, Loup's father was one of a group of men...  more

Loup Garron was born and raised in Santa Olivia, an isolated, disenfranchised town next to a US military base inside a DMZ buffer zone between Texas and Mexico.  A fugitive "Wolf-Man" who had a love affair with a local woman, Loup's father was one of a group of men genetically-manipulated and used by the US government as a weapon. The "Wolf-Men" were engineered to have superhuman strength, speed, sensory capability, stamina, and a total lack of fear, and Loup, named for and sharing her father's wolf-like qualities, is marked as an outsider. After her mother dies, Loup goes to live among the misfit orphans at the parish church, where they seethe from the injustices visited upon the locals by the soldiers. Eventually, the orphans find an outlet for their frustrations: They form a vigilante group to support Loup Garron who, costumed as their patron saint, Santa Olivia, uses her special abilities to avenge the town. Aware that she could lose her freedom, and possibly her life, Loup is determined to fight to redress the wrongs her community has suffered. And like the reincarnation of their patron saint, she will bring hope to all of Santa Olivia.

Imperial Earth is the fascinating odyssey of Duncan Makenzie, traveling from Titan, a moon of Saturn, to Earth, as a diplomatic guest of the United States for the celebration of its Quincentennial in the year 2276. Titan, an independent republic, was originally colonized from Earth three...  more

Imperial Earth is the fascinating odyssey of Duncan Makenzie, traveling from Titan, a moon of Saturn, to Earth, as a diplomatic guest of the United States for the celebration of its Quincentennial in the year 2276. Titan, an independent republic, was originally colonized from Earth three generations earlier. Duncan's initial challenge is to prepare, physically and intellectually, for the 500-million-mile trip to Earth. Once there, he is caught up in a sweep of new experiences, including the social and political whirl in Washington, a strange visit to a carefully preserved ancient city once prominent in the 20th century, and a search for and meeting with a woman he loved since she visited Titan years before.

Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand is a science fiction masterpiece, an essay on the inexplicability of sexual attractiveness, and an examination of interstellar politics among far-flung worlds. First published in 1984, the novel's central issues -- technology, globalization, gender,...  more

Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand is a science fiction masterpiece, an essay on the inexplicability of sexual attractiveness, and an examination of interstellar politics among far-flung worlds. First published in 1984, the novel's central issues -- technology, globalization, gender, sexuality, and multiculturalism -- have only become more pressing with the passage of time. The novel's topic is information itself: What are the repercussions, once it has been made public, that two individuals have been found to be each other's perfect erotic object out to "point nine-nine-nine and several nines percent more"? What will it do to the individuals involved, to the city they inhabit, to their geosector, to their entire world society, especially when one is an illiterate worker, the sole survivor of a world destroyed by "cultural fugue," and the other is -- you!

They were idealists, scientists, and pioneers. Their ship was more than a mere spacecraft: Starfarer was both a habitat and an experiment, unfurling its solar sails to a rendezvous with the unknown, from which it's predecessor never returned. Yet for Victoria MacKenzie, scientist and leader...  more

They were idealists, scientists, and pioneers. Their ship was more than a mere spacecraft: Starfarer was both a habitat and an experiment, unfurling its solar sails to a rendezvous with the unknown, from which it's predecessor never returned. Yet for Victoria MacKenzie, scientist and leader of the ship's revolutionary command structure, the first and greatest danger came not from space -- but from earth itself. A shifting political landscape has turned the government against the voyage, and now the mission's controllers are demanding a new regime of martial law. To MacKenzie it is clear that Starfarer is being co-opted for a military purpose. To save the mission she must do the unthinkable: hijack the ship and continue the peaceful search for extraterrestrial life -- even at the risk of nuclear suicide!

The Child Garden ...or a Low Comedy. Children are raised in Child Gardens and educated by virus. Viruses control their behaviour. This is the story of Lucy, the immortal tumour, Joseph, whose mind is an information storehouse, and Milena, a musician who has a secret, lost even to herself. It...  more

The Child Garden ...or a Low Comedy. Children are raised in Child Gardens and educated by virus. Viruses control their behaviour. This is the story of Lucy, the immortal tumour, Joseph, whose mind is an information storehouse, and Milena, a musician who has a secret, lost even to herself. It is hidden somewhere in the Child Garden.

Melissa Scott, winner of the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, has been holding down a position as "one of science fiction's most talented newcomers" through a string of paperback original successes. With her last novel, DREAMSHIPS, she broke into hardcover to widespread acclaim,...  more

Melissa Scott, winner of the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, has been holding down a position as "one of science fiction's most talented newcomers" through a string of paperback original successes. With her last novel, DREAMSHIPS, she broke into hardcover to widespread acclaim, taking her place among the established names in the field. Now in BURNING BRIGHT, Scott tells a passionate, colorful tale of love and death. Setting her tale on the free-port planet of Burning Bright, nexus of trade, politically balanced between the human and Hsai empires in space, and center of virtual-reality gaming for all of civilization, Scott weaves a network of intrigue and suspense. When space pilot and ambitious young game designer Quinn Lioe gets shore leave on Burning Bright, determined to play the game at its brilliant center, she becomes enmeshed in the conflict between two great empires, a key figure upon whom the fates of fortune turn. Once again, Scott constructs a brilliantly complex future society and tells a story that involves the mind and the heart. This is science fiction adventure at its classic best.

Dangerous Space showcases a collection of seven seductive stories by Kelley Eskridge, whose novel Solitaire was a New York Times Notable Book, with an introduction by Geoff Ryman (author of Was and Air). The opening story, "Strings," takes us to a world that tightly controls musical...  more

Dangerous Space showcases a collection of seven seductive stories by Kelley Eskridge, whose novel Solitaire was a New York Times Notable Book, with an introduction by Geoff Ryman (author of Was and Air). The opening story, "Strings," takes us to a world that tightly controls musical expression and values faithfulness to the canon above all else. By contrast, in the title novella, "Dangerous Space," we see the full power of music unleashed to sexually enthralling as well as risky effect; original to the volume, this tale features Mars, the intriguing narrator of "And Salome Danced" (short-listed for the Tiptree Award), on tour with an indie rock band on the verge of breaking out. Closing the volume, the moving, edgy "Alien Jane" (a finalist for the Nebula Award and adapted for the SciFi Channel's Welcome to Paradox series) delves into the importance of pain for the human organism and finds hope in the most unlikely of places. Jeff VanderMeer writes on Amazon's blog: "As short story collections go, this is one of the best of the year, with incisive, often subtle character studies combined with down-to-earth contemporary fantasy elements. The great writing here is at the service of fascinating people and unusual situations." And Julie Phllips, author of James Tiptree, Jr.:The Double Life of Alice B. Sheldon, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, writes: "Richly imagined, moving, and very sexy, these stories about music, art, sex, and identity will make you rethink all the categories you thought you knew." Gwyneth Jones, author of White Queen and Life, writes: "Characters slip from story to story, role to role, delineating a fascination with the ruthless hunger for sensation that possesses all great artists; and the complicity of those who love them. Kelley Eskridge's collection is a treat: unassuming, deceptively gentle, packing a subtle punch."

The remarkable debut novel from a distinctive voice in speculative fiction boldly maps an ambivalent future -- and the perilous, provocative terrain of the mind. Since the moment she came into the world, Ren "Jackal" Segura has been treated differently. As a hope, she is a symbol of the highest...  more

The remarkable debut novel from a distinctive voice in speculative fiction boldly maps an ambivalent future -- and the perilous, provocative terrain of the mind. Since the moment she came into the world, Ren "Jackal" Segura has been treated differently. As a hope, she is a symbol of the highest principles of human society and is guaranteed a position of influence in the global government once she comes of age. But two months before she is to assume the role she has been preparing for her entire life -- when she will leave her home to represent the massive corporate entity that houses, feeds, and employs her and everyone around her -- Jackal discovers that everything she believes, everything she is, is a lie. Saddled with a crushing burden she dares not share with anyone -- not even Snow, her closest web mate, her dearest heart -- she must live as if nothing has changed. But on a recreational outing with the others in her web, she inadvertently finds herself at the center of a maelstrom of terror and catastrophe ... and in a single instant, Jackal Segura is a Hope no longer. In the collective eyes of the society that once revered her, she has become someone else: a pariah...and a murderer. Now she must suffer a terrible punishment. Agreeing to participate in a "rehabilitation" experiment, she surrenders to a virtual solitude, imprisoned alone in a cold gray box in her mind, where months will seem like years and the demons of her psyche will be allowed free rein. But Jackal's history as a Hope has given her strengths and skills other prisoners lack -- powers she will need to endure the tormenting loneliness; to survive, branded and despised, back in a world she doesn't know; to uncover the truth about her cruel betrayal; and to rediscover her life, her love, and her soul -- in a strange place of shattered hopes and new beginnings, called Solitaire.

Centuries Ago and Very Fast is a collection of linked stories by Rebecca Ore, author of Gaia's Toys, Time's Child, Slow Funeral, and other well-received novels. The stories in this collection relate tales from the life of Vel, a gay immortal born in the Paleolithic who jumps time at will. We...  more

Centuries Ago and Very Fast is a collection of linked stories by Rebecca Ore, author of Gaia's Toys, Time's Child, Slow Funeral, and other well-received novels. The stories in this collection relate tales from the life of Vel, a gay immortal born in the Paleolithic who jumps time at will. We encounter him hunting mammoths, playing with reindeer tripping on hallucinogenic mushrooms, negotiating each successive wave of invaders to keep his family and its land intact, living as the minor god of a spring, witnessing the hanging of mollies in seventeenth-century London as well as the Stonewall riots in twentieth-century New York City. Vel has had more lovers than he can remember and is sometimes tempted to flirt with death. Centuries Ago and Very Fast offers fascinating, often erotic glimpses of the life of a man who has just about seen it all. The eminent novelist and critic Samuel R. Delany writes: ''Witty, vivid, and very thought provoking, these interwoven narratives of the most sophisticated of primitive lusts start with a gay caveman who happens to have been around over fourteen thousand years. Finishing an afternoon tryst with a Puerto Rican drag queen at the Chelsea Hotel in New York, he and his new friend wander back to Greenwich Village to end up smack in the Stonewall Riots of late June 69. Then we go hunting (and killing and dressing and eating and a few other things that might raise your eyebrow) a mammoth. But that s only the beginning. (Want to learn the right way to celebrate the winter solstice?) Ore's little book has intelligence and charm. Really, you ve just got to read this!'' And Pamela Sargent, author of The Shore of Women and the Venus Trilogy and editor of the Women of Wonder series, says: ''In Centuries Ago and Very Fast, Rebecca Ore reveals the gritty and often less admirable aspects of human life without flinching but also without cynicism. These earthy, lively, and compelling stories centered around a time-traveling immortal show inventiveness, combine cosmic scope with realistic detail, and will leave readers wanting more.''

Melusine-a city of secrets and lies, pleasure and pain, magic and corruption--and destinies lost and found... A dashing and highly respected wizard, Felix Harrowdate thought he had eluded his dark past. Within the walls of the Mirador--Melusine's citadel of power and magic--Felix...  more

Melusine-a city of secrets and lies, pleasure and pain, magic and corruption--and destinies lost and found... A dashing and highly respected wizard, Felix Harrowdate thought he had eluded his dark past. Within the walls of the Mirador--Melusine's citadel of power and magic--Felix believed he was free of his abusive former master, a wizard who had enslaved him, body and soul, and trained him to pass as a nobleman. He was wrong. Raised as a kept-thief and trained as an assassin, Mildmay the Fox is used to being hunted. Having slipped his Keeper long ago, he survives as a cat burglar--until he's caught by a mysterious magician using a powerful calling charm. And yet the magician was looking not for Mildmay--but for Felix Harrowgate... Bound by fate, the broken wizard Felix and the wanted killer Mildmay will journey far from Melusine through lands thick with strange magics and terrible demons of darkness--but it is the secret from their pasts that will either save them or destroy them...

In the 23rd Century, two NARC captains are sent to discover and eliminate the source of lethal designer drug Angel: only their love for each other helps them survive when one is captured and forced into addiction.

Mickey Zucker Reichert, Tanya Huff, Michelle Sagara, and others present seventeen original tales set in the popular fantasy universe of Valdemar, home of the Heralds and their mysterious horse-like Companions. Edited by Mercedes Lackey.

THE SECRET OF THE DRAGONS Vetch was an Altan serf working the land which had once been his family's farm. Young and slight, Vetch would have died of overwork, exposure, and starvation if not for the anger which was his only real sustenance—anger that he had lost his home and family...  more

THE SECRET OF THE DRAGONS Vetch was an Altan serf working the land which had once been his family's farm. Young and slight, Vetch would have died of overwork, exposure, and starvation if not for the anger which was his only real sustenance—anger that he had lost his home and family in a, war of conquest waged by the dragon-riding Jousters of Tia. Tia had usurped nearly half of Alta's lands and enslaved or killed many of Vetch's countrymen. Sometimes it seemed that his entire cruel fate revolved around dragons and the Jousters who rode them. But his fate changed forever the day he first saw a dragon. From its narrow, golden, large-eyed head, to its pointed emerald ears, to the magnificent blue wings, the dragon was a thing of multicolored, jeweled beauty, slim and supple and quite as large as the shed it perched on. Vetch almost failed to, notice the Jouster who stood beside him. "I need a boy," the rider had said, and suddenly Vetch found himself lifted above he earth and transported by dragon-back to a different world.  Vetch was to be trained as a dragon-boy, and he hardly, believed his luck.  The compound seemed like paradise: he could eat until he was full, and all he had to do was care for his jouster's  dragon, Kashet. It didn't take long for Vetch to realize that Kashet was very special -- for unlike other dragons, Kashet was gentle by nature, and did not need the tranquilizing talc plant to make her tractable. Vetch became determined to learn the secret of how Kashet had been tamed. For if Kashet could be tamed, perhaps Vetech could tame a dragon of his own. And if he could, then, he might be able to escape and bring the secret of dragon-taming back to his homeland, of Alta. And that secret might prove to be the key to Alta's liberation...  

Brightly Burning is the most highly anticipated hardcover novel of Mercedes Lackey's amazing career. A glorious return to her bestselling Valdemar series, it tells the tragic tale of one of Valemar's most legendary characters... His name is Lavan Firestorm, a young man blessed --...  more

Brightly Burning is the most highly anticipated hardcover novel of Mercedes Lackey's amazing career. A glorious return to her bestselling Valdemar series, it tells the tragic tale of one of Valemar's most legendary characters... His name is Lavan Firestorm, a young man blessed -- and cursed -- with a special talent for firestarting. Here, at last, is his story.

Lavan Chitward is a very unhappy young man; pulled away from his country home by his parents' ambitions and resettled in the big city of Haven, he is desperately lonely, bullied and beaten at school, ignored by his parents. It is not surprising that he falls ill but his illness is the first...  more

Lavan Chitward is a very unhappy young man; pulled away from his country home by his parents' ambitions and resettled in the big city of Haven, he is desperately lonely, bullied and beaten at school, ignored by his parents. It is not surprising that he falls ill but his illness is the first manifestation of a terrible power, the Gift of the Firestorm, a power which can and does kill. If controlled, the Gift of the Firestorm can save Valdemar, but if it is uncontrolled, it will destroy the country and him. Chosen by the Companion Kalira, brought into the ranks of the Heralds of Valdemar, Lavan finds acceptance and hope for the first time. But war with Karse threatens to engulf the Kingdom and only Lavan Firestorm stands between Valdemar and destruction and only then if he can harness his dreadful power to his will.

The wild magic is taking its toll on the land, Many Heralds and Herald-Mages have died fighting to preserve the peace. Even Vanyel, the most powerful of the Herald-Mages is almost at the end of his strength, in need of a respite from the dual threats of war and dark magic. But for Vanyel, there...  more

The wild magic is taking its toll on the land, Many Heralds and Herald-Mages have died fighting to preserve the peace. Even Vanyel, the most powerful of the Herald-Mages is almost at the end of his strength, in need of a respite from the dual threats of war and dark magic. But for Vanyel, there can be no rest. Not when his Companion, Yfandes, receives a summons which can't be ignored - a desperate cry for help which draws them both into the heart of a magical holocaust in the neighboring kingdom. Almost overwhelmed by the devastation they discover there, Herald-Mage and Companion must try to unravel this tragic mystery. Is the young Prince Tashir, a newly Chosen Herald who can't control his own magic, responsible for the destruction? Or is Tashir a pawn in a deeper, more deadly game -- and, if so, will Vanyel be able to find and defeat the true destroyer before this master of dark powers can strike again?

Valdemar--the once-peaceful kingdom protected by the magic of its Herald-Mages--is now beseiged on all fronts. The king lies near death, the neighboring land of Karse wages a relentless war against Valdemar, and the forces led by a master of dark forbidden magic are massing to strike the final...  more

Valdemar--the once-peaceful kingdom protected by the magic of its Herald-Mages--is now beseiged on all fronts. The king lies near death, the neighboring land of Karse wages a relentless war against Valdemar, and the forces led by a master of dark forbidden magic are massing to strike the final devasting blow against the kingdom.

She?s a singing sensation. She has a secret. When rumors about her private life send her CD sales plummeting, Anastasia is trapped with few options. Desperate, manager Sidney Marcum helps her star client concoct a façade to distract fans and media—and it seems to work...for a while. Sidney...  more

She?s a singing sensation. She has a secret. When rumors about her private life send her CD sales plummeting, Anastasia is trapped with few options. Desperate, manager Sidney Marcum helps her star client concoct a façade to distract fans and media—and it seems to work...for a while. Sidney has skeletons of her own, life-threatening ones. She won?t tell, even though the compelling connection she feels to Anastasia makes her long for a happiness she can?t have. Instead, she puts on a brave front and hides her feelings to preserve her secrets. Outside forces create cracks in their façades until only Anastasia and Sidney can tell what?s real by what?s in their hearts. But some secrets come at immeasurable expense.

Jessie Mercer has it all—fame, fortune, and a best-selling novel being made into a major motion picture starring the alluring Taylor Andrews. When disturbing, real-life events begin mimicking the movie's plot, Jessie and Taylor find themselves drawn into a cosmic web of passion,...  more

Jessie Mercer has it all—fame, fortune, and a best-selling novel being made into a major motion picture starring the alluring Taylor Andrews. When disturbing, real-life events begin mimicking the movie's plot, Jessie and Taylor find themselves drawn into a cosmic web of passion, treachery, and deception that began centuries ago! As the terror mounts, Jessie realizes she is the target and must go back—all the way back to Salem, where answers to the mystery unfold—before the evil from the past destroys her!

When rumors surface that Anastasia is a lesbian, her successful singing career stumbles. The superstar turns to personal manager Sidney Marcum for help. Together, they construct a public facade for Anastasia that conceals her true self. Little does Anastasia know that Sidney has a facade of her...  more

When rumors surface that Anastasia is a lesbian, her successful singing career stumbles. The superstar turns to personal manager Sidney Marcum for help. Together, they construct a public facade for Anastasia that conceals her true self. Little does Anastasia know that Sidney has a facade of her own, as she struggles to disentangle herself from her abusive husband. When outside forces threaten to destroy both their facades, each woman must decide if it's worth the risk to embrace what's truly in her heart.

When rumors surface that Anastasia is a lesbian, her successful singing career stumbles. The superstar turns to personal manager Sidney Marcum for help. Together, they construct a public facade for Anastasia that conceals her true self. Little does Anastasia know that Sidney has a facade of her...  more

When rumors surface that Anastasia is a lesbian, her successful singing career stumbles. The superstar turns to personal manager Sidney Marcum for help. Together, they construct a public facade for Anastasia that conceals her true self. Little does Anastasia know that Sidney has a facade of her own, as she struggles to disentangle herself from her abusive husband. When outside forces threaten to destroy both their facades, each woman must decide if it's worth the risk to embrace what's truly in her heart... A compelling story that proves love and honesty can overcome the obstacles of hate, greed, and violence-even through the vast expanse of time-Facades will take you on a journey.

Jessie Mercer has it all—fame, fortune, and a best-selling novel being made into a major motion picture starring the alluring Taylor Andrews. When disturbing, real-life events begin mimicking the movie's plot, Jessie and Taylor find themselves drawn into a cosmic web of passion, treachery,...  more

Jessie Mercer has it all—fame, fortune, and a best-selling novel being made into a major motion picture starring the alluring Taylor Andrews. When disturbing, real-life events begin mimicking the movie's plot, Jessie and Taylor find themselves drawn into a cosmic web of passion, treachery, and deception that began centuries ago! As the terror mounts, Jessie realizes she is the target and must go back—all the way back to Salem, where answers to the mystery unfold—before the evil from the past destroys her!