Search Worlds Without End

A new collection of stories from submissions and classic literature offering the best and most incredible ghost stories from East, South and Southeast Asia, combining new and classic authors across the region.

Another deluxe edition of new writing and neglected perspectives. Asian ghosts and supernatural beings -- from India to Sri Lanka, China to Korea, Japan to the Philippines -- can be both terrifying and comforting. Underpinned by strong cultural beliefs in the cycles of life and ancestor worship, the nature of Asian spirits differs from that of their counterparts in other areas of the world. The possibility is more instinctually accepted that ghosts remain with us, as part of the world, whether we can see them or not.

Featured here are all kinds of stories from across East, South and Southeast Asia: classic weird tales by the likes of Pu Songling, Rabindranath Tagore, S Mukerji, Im Bang and Yi Ruk, Lafcadio Hearn and Yei Theodora Ozaki, are complemented by stories by Asian writers of today. An egui (the Chinese version of a 'hungry ghost') is exorcised, a vicious jiangshi (Chinese zombie-like revenant) is encountered in the night, a Bengali shakchunni (the ghost of an unsatisfied bride) poignantly seeks love with devastating effect, a family is haunted by vengeful Korean gwishin, and the iconic Japanese tragedies of Oiwa and O-Kiku are revisited.

Come one, come all! The Carniepunk Midway promises you every thrill and chill a traveling carnival can provide. But fear not! Urban fantasy's biggest stars are here to guide you through this strange and dangerous world....

RACHEL CAINE's vampires aren't child's play, as a naïve teen discovers when her heart leads her far, far astray in "The Cold Girl."

With "Parlor Tricks," JENNIFER ESTEP pits Gin Blanco, the Elemental Assassin, against the Wheel of Death and some dangerously creepy clowns.

SEANAN McGUIRE narrates a poignant, ethereal tale of a mysterious carnival that returns to a dangerous town after twenty years in "Daughter of the Midway, the Mermaid, and the Open, Lonely Sea."

KEVIN HEARNE's Iron Druid and his wisecracking Irish wolfhound discover in "The Demon Barker of Wheat Street" that the impossibly wholesome sounding Kansas Wheat Festival is actually not a healthy place to hang out.

With an eerie, unpredictable twist, ROB THURMAN reveals the fate of a psychopath stalking two young carnies in "Painted Love."

Contents:

• 1 - Painted Love - shortfiction by Rob Thurman
• 25 - The Three Lives of Lydia - [Blud] - shortfiction by Delilah S. Dawson
• 57 - The Demon Barker of Wheat Street - [The Iron Druid Chronicles - 4.6] - shortfiction by Kevin Hearne
• 87 - The Sweeter the Juice - shortfiction by Mark Henry
• 121 - The Werewife - shortfiction by Jaye Wells
• 153 - The Cold Girl - shortfiction by Rachel Caine
• 189 - A Duet With Darkness - [Abby Sinclair] - shortfiction by Allison Pang
• 219 - Recession of the Divine - shortfiction by Hillary Jacques
• 249 - Parlor Tricks - [Elemental Assassin - 8.5] - shortfiction by Jennifer Estep
• 279 - Freak House - shortfiction by Kelly Meding
• 309 - The Inside Man - [Jane True] - shortfiction by Nicole Peeler
• 343 - A Chance in Hell - [Hell on Earth] - shortfiction by Jackie Kessler
• 375 - Hell's Menagerie - [Charlie Madigan] - shortfiction by Kelly Gay
• 407 - Daughter of the Midway, the Mermaid, and the Open, Lonely Sea - shortfiction by Seanan McGuire
• 435 - About the Authors (Carniepunk) - essay by uncredited

She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted.

Three short lines, fired over social media in response to questions of why Senator Elizabeth Warren was silenced on the floor of the United States Senate on February 7th, 2017, for daring to read aloud the words of Coretta Scott King. As this message was transmitted across the globe, it has become a galvanizing cry for people of all genders in recognition of the struggles that women have faced throughout history. It also serves as a reminder of the cyberpunk nature of our everyday lives, as technology can weave our hearts and minds in unity toward a greater cause.

And, as many have pointed out, these three lines read as if they are the opening passage to an epic and ageless tale.

March 8th is International Women's Day, which the United Nations describes as "when women are recognized for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political." More than celebratory, International Women's Day is aspirational, striving toward a more gender-inclusive world. Speculative fiction has had an impact in fostering this egalitarian dream through creative expression and critique. After all, science fiction in particular was born with Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, written in the "Year without a Summer" while tumultuous storms raged over Lake Geneva. This dream was the utopia penned by Muslim feminist Rokeya Sakhawat Hussain in her 1905 story "Sultana's Dream", and the same year Charlotte Perkins Gilman published Herland in Forerunner magazine. In the decades since, women have provided some of the most crucial and insightful voices in our community.

International Women's Day is also inspirational. In collaboration with colleagues Patrick Nielsen Hayden, Lee Harris, Liz Gorinsky, Marco Palmieri, and Miriam Weinberg, we have assembled this flash fiction collection featuring several of the best writers in SF/F today. Together these authors share unique visions of women inventing, playing, loving, surviving, and -- of course -- dreaming of themselves beyond their circumstances.

Table of Contents:

• "Our Faces, Radiant Sisters, Our Faces Are Full of Light!" by Kameron Hurley
• "God Product" by Alyssa Wong
• "Alchemy" by Carrie Vaughn
• "Persephone" by Seanan McGuire
• "Margot and Rosalind" by Charlie Jane Anders
• "Astronaut" by Maria Dahvana Headley
• "More than Nothing" by Nisi Shawl
• "The Last of the Minotaur Wives" by Brooke Bolander
• "The Jump Rope Rhyme" by Jo Walton
• "Anabasis" by Amal El-Mohtar
• "The Ordinary Woman and the Unquiet Emperor" by Catherynne M. Valente

This book can be downloaded for free from your preferred retailer here.

The American edition of this anthology is uncredited. In the UK it Arthur C. Clarke is credited with editing it. Some sources state the actual editing was done by Robert Silverberg.

Table of Contents:

• Editor's Introduction - (1969) - essay by uncredited
• Foreword (1969) - essay by Arthur C. Clarke
• How it Was When the Past Went Away - (1969) - novella by Robert Silverberg
• The Eve of RUMOKO - (1969) - novella by Roger Zelazny
• We All Die Naked - (1969) - novelette by James Blish

The original Halo: Evolutions, split into two volumes. This volume contains stories by:

Tobias S. Buckell
B. K. Evenson
Jonathan Goff
Eric Nylund
Frank O'Connor
Eric Raab

When humanity expanded beyond the safety of Earth to new stars and horizons, they never dreamed what dangers they would encounter there. When the alien juggernaut known as the Covenant declared holy war upon the fragile human empire, millions of lives were lost?but, millions of heroes rose to the challenge. In such a far-reaching conflict, not many of the stories of these heroes, both human and alien, have a chance to become legend. This collection holds eleven stories that dive into the depths of the vast Halo universe, not only from the perspective of those who fought and died to save humanity, but also those who vowed to wipe humanity out of existence.

Included in this volume you'll find the stories of:

* A Spartan II washout who was most dangerous when he was told he could not serve with his fellow warriors.

* An ONI intelligence officer who falls captive to a ravenous pack of Brutes

* A dying man standing between The Covenant and the location of Earth, with only a compromised AI to aid him

* The confession of an ODST who tried to get more out of the war than just victory

* A select unit of Spartan IIIs put on a mission to succeed against against a never-before-seen Elite force

* The impossible life and possible death of Admiral Preston J. Cole

* And new to this volume, a glimpse into Forerunner life in "Soma the Painter"

Table of Contents:

• 9 - Introduction (Halo: Evolutions: Essential Tales of the Halo Universe) - [Halo] - essay by Frank O'Connor
• 11 - Beyond - [Halo] - poem by Jonathan Goff
• 11 - Beyond - interior artwork by Sparth
• 13 - Pariah - [Halo] - novelette by Brian Evenson [as by B. K. Evenson]
• 57 - Stomping on the Heels of a Fuss - [Halo] - novelette by Eric Raab
• 81 - Midnight in the Heart of Midlothian - [Halo] - short story by Frank O'Connor
• 103 - Dirt - [Halo] - novelette by Tobias S. Buckell
• 155 - Acheron-VII - [Halo] - poem by Jonathan Goff
• 155 - Acheron-VII - interior artwork by Sparth
• 157 - Headhunters - [Halo] - novelette by Jonathan Goff
• 193 - Blunt Instruments - [Halo] - novelette by Fred Van Lente
• 223 - The Mona Lisa - [Halo] - novella by Tessa Kum and Jeff VanderMeer
• 343 - Icon - [Halo] - poem by Jonathan Goff
• 343 - Icon - interior artwork by Robogabo
• 346 - Palace Hotel - [Halo] - novelette by Robt McLees
• 371 - Human Weakness - [Halo] - novelette by Karen Traviss
• 411 - Connectivity - interior artwork by Robogabo
• 411 - Connectivity - [Halo] - poem by Jonathan Goff
• 413 - The Impossible Life and Possible Death of Preston J. Cole - [Halo] - novella by Eric S. Nylund [as by Eric Nylund]
• 488 - The Return - [Halo] - novelette by Kevin Grace
• 516 - From the Office of Dr. William Arthur Iqbal - [Halo] - short fiction by Dr. William Arthur Iqbal

The original Halo: Evolutions, split into two volumes. This volume contains stories by:

Tessa Kum & Jeff VanderMeer
Kevin Grace
Robt McLees
Karen Traviss
Fred Van Lente

When humanity expanded beyond the safety of Earth to new stars and horizons, they never dreamed what dangers they would encounter there. When the alien juggernaut known as the Covenant declared holy war upon the fragile human empire, millions of lives were lost-but, millions of heroes rose to the challenge. In such a far-reaching conflict, not many of the stories of these heroes, both human and alien, have a chance to become legend. This collection holds eleven stories that dive into the depths of the vast Halo universe, not only from the perspective of those who fought and died to save humanity, but also those who vowed to wipe humanity out of existence.

Included in this volume you'll find the stories of:

* A high-ranking prophet musing on the catastrophic last days of the Covenant Spartan: Team Black, who discover that the Covenant's politics might be more deadly than their military might

* The terrors of survival in the aftermath of a Flood infection

* The Master Chief struggling with his own humanity as he battles through war-torn New Mombassa

* The insatiable appetite of the Gravemind as it claws its way through Cortana's tortured consciousness

* An existential Elite, in the aftermath of the Human-Covenant War, returning to the site of his greatest victory as he deals with his worst defeat

* And new to this volume, the last confessions of a Prophet in "Wages of Sin"

Table of Contents:

• 5 - Blunt Instruments - [Halo] - (2009) - novelette by Fred Van Lente
• 45 - The Mona Lisa - [Halo] - (2009) - novella by Tessa Kum and Jeff VanderMeer
• 193 - Icon - [Halo] - (2009) - poem by Jonathan Goff
• 193 - Icon - (2009) - interior artwork by Robogabo
• 197 - Palace Hotel - [Halo] - (2009) - novelette by Robt McLees
• 231 - Human Weakness - [Halo] - (2009) - novelette by Karen Traviss
• 283 - Connectivity - (2009) - interior artwork by Robogabo
• 283 - Connectivity - [Halo] - (2009) - poem by Jonathan Goff
• 303 - The Return - [Halo] - (2009) - novelette by Kevin Grace
• 341 - From the Office of Dr. William Arthur Iqbal - [Halo] - (2009) - short fiction by Dr. William Arthur Iqbal

A sensational short story collection in the expansive universe of HALO, the New York Times bestselling series!

Launch once more into galaxy-spanning conflict and legendary heroism... shards of an ever-expanding journey where human and alien alike find their finest hours in facing their greatest challenges. These scattered stories span untold millennia, from the age of the ancient custodial race known as the Forerunners... to the aftermath of the Covenant's bloody war against humanity...and even the shocking events surrounding the resurrection of the mysterious Guardians. Halo: Fractures explores mythic tales of bravery and sacrifice that blaze brightly at the very heart of the Halo universe.

Featuring electrifying works from such acclaimed authors as:
Tobias Buckell - Troy Denning - Matt Forbeck - Kelly Gay - Christie Golden - Kevin Grace - Morgan Lockhart - John Jackson Miller - Frank O'Connor - Brian Reed - Joseph Staten - James Swallow

Table of Contents:

• 1 - Lessons Learned - [Halo] - short fiction by Matt Forbeck
• 32 - What Remains - [Halo] - short fiction by Morgan Lockhart
• 45 - Breaking Strain - [Halo] - short fiction by James Swallow
• 81 - Promises to Keep - [Halo] - short fiction by Christie Golden
• 126 - Shadow of Intent - [Halo] - (2015) - novella by Joseph Staten
• 217 - The Ballad of Hamish Beamish - [Halo] - short fiction by Frank O'Connor (game developer)
• 222 - Defender of the Storm - [Halo] - short fiction by John Jackson Miller
• 252 - A Necessary Truth - [Halo] - short fiction by Troy Denning
• 289 - Into the Fire - [Halo] - short fiction by Kelly Gay
• 316 - Saint's Testimony - [Halo] - (2015) - short fiction by Frank O'Connor (game developer)
• 344 - Rossbach's World - [Halo] - short fiction by Brian Reed
• 357 - Oasis - [Halo] - novelette by Tobias S. Buckell [as by Tobias Buckell]
• 393 - Anarosa - [Halo] - short fiction by Kevin Grace

Contents:

• 7 - Introduction (Soviet Science Fiction) - (1962) - essay by Isaac Asimov
• 19 - Hoity-Toity - Professor Wagner's Inventions - (1961) - novelette by A. Belayev
• 89 - Spontaneous Reflex - (1961) - novelette by Boris Strugatsky and Arkady Strugatsky
• 115 - A Visitor from Outer Space - (1961) - short story by Alexander Kazantsev
• 135 - The Martian - (1961) - short story by Alexander Kazantsev
• 151 - Infra Draconis - (1961) - novelette by G. Gurevich
• 173 - Professor Bern's Awakening - (1961) - short story by Vladimir Savchenko

Contents:

• 7 - Introduction (More Soviet Science Fiction) - (1962) - essay by Isaac Asimov
• 19 - The Heart of the Serpent - The Great Ring - 2 - (1961) - novella by Ivan Yefremov
• 89 - Siema - (1961) - novelette by Anatoly Dnieprov
• 123 - The Trial of Tantalus - (1961) - novelette by Victor Saparin
• 151 - Stone from the Stars - (1961) - short story by Valentina Zhuravleva
• 169 - Six Matches - (1961) - short story by Boris Strugatsky and Arkady Strugatsky

Contents:

• vii - Introduction (New Soviet Science Fiction) - (1979) - essay by Theodore Sturgeon
• 1 - The Violet - (Donomag) - (1979) - short story by Ilya Varshavsky
• 9 - The Duel - (1979) - short story by Ilya Varshavsky
• 15 - Plot for a Novel - (1979) - short story by Ilya Varshavsky
• 28 - Escape - (Donomag) - (1973) - short story by Ilya Varshavsky
• 42 - Share It with Me - (1979) - short story by Kirill Bulychev
• 54 - Personality Probe - (1979) - novelette by Dmitri Bilenkin
• 75 - Theocrates' Blue Window - (1979) - novelette by Gennady Gor
• 97 - Cheap Sale - (1979) - short story by Vladen Bakhnov
• 105 - Beware of the Ahs! - (1979) - short story by Vladen Bakhnov
• 115 - Formula for Immortality - (1979) - novelette by Anatoly Dneprov
• 141 - Success Algorithm - (1979) - novelette by Vladimir Savchenko
• 192 - The Pale Neptune Equation - (1979) - novelette by Eremei Parnov and Mikhail Emtsev
• 232 - The Friar of Chikola - (1979) - novelette by Vadim Shefner
• 254 - A Provincial's Wings - (1979) - novelette by Vadim Shefner

A thrilling anthology of 11 exclusive short stories from Star Trek Magazine tying into the Star Trek online game.

Featuring tales by Christine Thompson, Jesse Heinig, Tyler Nagata, Katherine Bankson, Jaddua Ross, Sean McCann, and Paul Reed

This incredible collection features 19 illustrated stories exclusively written for the Star Trek Magazine. It features action-packed tales starring iconic characters such as Data, Tuvok, and Scotty, plus fan-favourite alien enemies including the Klingons and the Jem'Hadar.

THE ETERNAL FIGHT BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL... The brave Jedi vs the devious Sith!

We Present here, Ten original stories about the the valiant Jedi and the evil Sith. Larger-than-life characters clash in epic lightsaber battles that will appeal to young readers and to the young Star Wars fan in all of us! Ten acclaimed authors imagine new tales for some of the most iconic Star Wars characters ever, from Luke Skywalker to Darth Vader, from Obi-Wan Kenobi to Darth Maul, and beyond, complete with beautiful spot illustrations

Authors:

• Roseanne A. Brown
• Sarwat Chadda
• Delilah S. Dawson
• Tessa Gratton
• Michael Kogge
• Sam Maggs
• Michael Moreci
• Alex Segura
• Vera Strange
• Karen Strong
• with illustrations by Jake Bartok

The Emperor's vision of mankind ascendant lies in tatters. But with Horus's rebellion spreading to every corner of the Imperium and war engulfing new worlds and systems almost daily, there are some who now ask: were the signs there to be seen all along? In these dark times, only one thing is certain - the galaxy will never know peace again, not in this lifetime or a thousand others...

This Horus Heresy anthology contains twenty-one short stories by David Annandale, Aaron Dembski-Bowden, Gav Thorpe, Chris Wraight, Guy Haley, James Swallow, Nick Kyme, Rob Sanders, John French, Andy Smillie and Graham McNeill.