Burning Night
On July 4, 1983, Vivian Carter and her NASA crew of seven set off on an audacious double flyby of Venus and Mars, a two-year mission with repurposed Apollo technology that will push their ingenuity and resourcefulness to the limit. Meanwhile, superpower conflicts escalate on Earth, mirrored by a dangerously unstable arms race and battles for valuable mineral resources on the Moon. Full-up lunar military actions and treacherous sneak attacks decimate Vivian's friends, allies and colleagues on both sides of the Iron Curtain and threaten everything she has worked to achieve. Vivian's odyssey is a high adventure that will bring mankind new knowledge and unimagined insights ... just as the risk of worldwide nuclear war has never been greater. Now, on her triumphant return in 1985, Vivian Carter's path inevitably brings her back to where she began: a desperate rescue mission with no NASA support and no safety net, to a dangerous, war-torn Moon where she will be hard pressed to tell friend from foe. In the concluding volume of Alan Smale's highly acclaimed Apollo Rising series ("A nail-biting thriller."-Publishers Weekly) humanity faces a stark choice: a bright new interplanetary future ... or nuclear apocalypse on two worlds.
Stars Like Us
The Vegas in Space. Following on from Jubilee which Publishers Weekly called "An amusing and fast-paced saga sure to please fans of classic space opera." In the sequel to Stephen K. Stanford's 'Jubilee' follow Col Perolo in Stars Like Us. Col is security chief for the artificial mini-world of JUBILEE - a kind of Vegas-in-space. But his peaceful life is shattered by a surprise attack, and desperate to save his young family, he flees with an unlikely crew including ex-wife, Sana. But the League base he reaches is riven by politics and infiltrated by the enemy. Col must escape again, this time to his birth planet, where he faces long dormant personal demons. Where is Jubilee? What's happened to Col's wife and kids? How can he stop these politically incorrect feelings for Sana from bubbling up? Only the stars can tell. FLAME TREE PRESS is the imprint of long-standing Independent Flame Tree Publishing, dedicated to full-length original fiction in the horror and suspense, science fiction and fantasy. The list brings together fantastic new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices. Learn more about Flame Tree Press at www.flametreepress.com and connect on social media @FlameTreePress. Awarded independent publisher of 2024 by the British Fantasy Society.
Emergence
The last humans in the solar system battle for survival--and encounter an alien AI--in this action-packed military science-fiction thriller. In the aftermath of a bioengineered plague that wiped out all life on Earth, Jupiter's Europa colony has become the last bastion of human civilization, and it's Lt. Ryan Braeder's job to keep what remains of his species alive. With food and supplies dwindling, he has no choice but to take his last ships on a perilous journey to a dead colony on Ceres in a desperate bid to find provisions and replacement parts. What Braeder didn't expect to find on the asteroid, among the barren regolith and deserted buildings, was a mutated virus and a rogue group of Russian scientists. Now, the more threads he pulls, the more he unravels a web of conspiracies, horrifying medical experiments, and a hidden threat that would see his crew marooned on the asteroid.Meanwhile, back on Europa, Braeder's second-in-command, Rani Singh, stumbles across an alien artifact buried in the ice sheets. An extraterrestrial intelligence lurks inside, and with the colony's power failing, Singh frantically searches for a way to communicate with the otherworldly object. However, the artifact seems to have an agenda of its own, and it's impossible to know if it's intentions are friendly . . . or deadly. Praise for Extinction "An interstellar yarn wrought with suspense and indelible characters." --Kirkus Reviews "Leviathan Wakes meets Battlestar Galactica in this high-stakes story of survival on the moon of Jupiter. Heart-pounding and thrilling, Extinction follows an unlikely leader as he races to save humanity against impossible odds." --Claire Barner, author of Moonrising "This insightful glimpse into our possible future is a must read." --Sue Nelson Buckley, author of The Trouble with Jake and Hiding in Plain Sight "Packed with intense action, layered characters, and thought-provoking dilemmas . . . This is a story that lingers, making you ponder the fragile line between extinction and survival." --Literary Titan
Cathedral of the Drowned
The sequel to Crypt of the Moon Spider, Cathedral of the Drowned is an oozing, squirming, scuttling tale of altered bodies and minds. There are two halves of Charlie Duchamp's brain. One is in a jar stranded on Jupiter's jungle moon, Io, who just wants to go home to the woman he loves. The other half is still locked in his body, hanging from a wall in Barrowfield Home on Earth's own moon, host to the eggs of the Moon Spider and filled with a murderous rage. On Io, deep in the flooded remains of a crashed Cathedral ship, lives a giant centipede called the Bishop, who has taken control of the drowned astronaut-clergy inside. Both Charlies converge here, stalking each other in the haunted ruins, while more Moon Spiders prepare to be born.
Octavia E. Butler: Lilith's Brood: The Xenogenesis Trilogy (Loa #393)
For the first time in a deluxe, hardcover collector's edition, the landmark post-apocalyptic trilogy from the Hugo, Locus, and Nebula Award-winning author of Kindred, the Parable novels, and "Bloodchild" From the Hugo, Locus, and Nebula Award-winning author of Kindred, the Parable novels, and "Bloodchild," here in its spellbinding entirety is Octavia E. Butler's epic of human survival and transformation. Conceived against a backdrop of Reagan-era nuclear brinksmanship, Lilith's Brood: The Xenogenesis Trilogy--a classic of Afrofuturist speculative fiction--offers profound reflections on race, biology, colonialism, resistance, consent, sexuality, community, hybridity, technology, power, and the future of humankind. At the beginning of Dawn, Butler's heroine Lilith Iyapo is awakened in a white cell, after centuries of suspended animation. She is a survivor, as is gradually revealed, of a nuclear apocalypse--and is now being healed, aboard an alien spaceship, by the terrifying and yet awe-inspiring Oankali. Searching the galaxy for new combinations of genes and DNA to acquire and trade, these advanced, uncanny beings are drawn to Lilith's cancer, which will give them new powers: but should she, and the few of her kind that remain, agree to become one with their extraterrestrial saviors? Adulthood Rites tells the story of Lilith's son, Akin, as he comes of age on a newly repopulated Earth. A "construct"--part-human, and part-Oankali--he is raised among human "resisters," who live apart from Oankali technology. Negotiating the complexities of interspecies politics and his own hybrid identity, he emerges as a leader, forging a new path on Mars for the human/Oankali future. Imago follows another of Lilith's hybrid progeny, Jodahs, through the jungles of a regenerating Earth. Raised as a male child, he discovers in his adolescence that he is becoming the first part-human ooloi, a member of the Oankali's shapeshifting, astonishingly powerful and perceptive third sex--a discovery with intense personal and planetary consequences. Continuing the Library of America's definitive edition of Butler's works, this volume offers authoritative texts of the novels, helpful notes, and a chronology of Butler's life and career.
Battle of Shadows
The war for survival demanded new alliances......and risks our heroes were not ready for.Would they rise to face them...or fold?Captain Ripley Willis Lee had faced danger before, but this new mission was even more threatening. Deep behind enemy lines, he and Primord Captain Dharek were forced to work together to unravel Zodark supply routes, sabotage infrastructure, and pave the way for the Republic's liberation of Rass.One wrong move-and the enemy wouldn't hesitate to crush them.The deeper they went, the more disturbing truths they uncovered. The Zodark war machine was evolving... and something darker was moving in the shadows. And even if Lee survived the threat from these sinister Zodarks, he had a political tightrope to walk with Captain Dharek.Meanwhile, Lieutenant Blake "Coop" Cooper traded the skies for the dirt.After a series of setbacks, Coop knew he needed a reset. He sought a second chance by volunteering as a forward air controller to assist the Republic Army. This new challenge had him guiding airstrikes under fire, shouldering new responsibility, and fighting to regain the edge he once had. It was a second chance-but one that might cost him everything.In a war where every victory comes with a price, the next chapter would test the Republic's loyalty, courage, and resolve like never before.If you love high-octane combat, alien alliances, and heroes forced to adapt or die-Battle of Shadows will keep you turning the pages.
Battle of Shadows
The war for survival demanded new alliances......and risks our heroes were not ready for.Would they rise to face them...or fold?Captain Ripley Willis Lee had faced danger before, but this new mission was even more threatening. Deep behind enemy lines, he and Primord Captain Dharek were forced to work together to unravel Zodark supply routes, sabotage infrastructure, and pave the way for the Republic's liberation of Rass.One wrong move-and the enemy wouldn't hesitate to crush them.The deeper they went, the more disturbing truths they uncovered. The Zodark war machine was evolving... and something darker was moving in the shadows. And even if Lee survived the threat from these sinister Zodarks, he had a political tightrope to walk with Captain Dharek.Meanwhile, Lieutenant Blake "Coop" Cooper traded the skies for the dirt.After a series of setbacks, Coop knew he needed a reset. He sought a second chance by volunteering as a forward air controller to assist the Republic Army. This new challenge had him guiding airstrikes under fire, shouldering new responsibility, and fighting to regain the edge he once had. It was a second chance-but one that might cost him everything.In a war where every victory comes with a price, the next chapter would test the Republic's loyalty, courage, and resolve like never before.If you love high-octane combat, alien alliances, and heroes forced to adapt or die-Battle of Shadows will keep you turning the pages.
Who Will You Save?
Action-packed and thought-provoking stories ranging across the dead sands of Mars to the backstreets of Buenos Aires, from the febrile mind of BSFA Award-winning author Gareth L. Powell. 32 stories featuring the author's most celebrated tales alongside all new material, a thrilling experience for established fans and new readers alike. Ranging from the dead sands of Mars to the half-flooded remnants of Amsterdam, from the seedy backstreets of Buenos Aires to the gravity well of a singularity, these action-packed tales explore mind-bending ideas through the eyes of unforgettable and all-too-human characters. As their lives implode around them, will they use the moment to save their own skins, or to find a way to make up for past misdeeds? Who will they save? Who would you save? This entertaining and thought-provoking collection features work drawn from Powell's twenty-year career as a writer, his best-loved stories, and previously unpublished material revisiting the expansive settings of his acclaimed science fiction sagas.
Try Not to Die
THEY CAME FROM THE STARS... AND THEY'RE COMING FOR YOU.Roswell, New Mexico: a sleepy desert town buzzing with UFO hunters, alien conspiracies, and a dark secret the government will do anything to hide. For James and his younger brother Wes, it was supposed to be a simple family vacation. But the moment they arrive, they're dodging Men in Black, chased by extraterrestrials, and contacted by a time-bending being from beyond the stars.In Try Not to Die: In Roswell and Beyond, you control the story. As James, you'll navigate a mind-warping journey across dimensions, onto alien ships, and into the past-all while trying to protect your brother and survive the impossible. Your only weapon? The skills you picked up mastering the video game Star Pilot. But this is no simulation.With 22 unique and brutal ways to die, every decision could be your last. Will you get abducted, dissected, blasted, crushed, devoured, or worse? Or will you uncover the truth and escape the alien nightmare?A Sci-Fi Thrill Ride for Fans of: Interactive fiction and gamebooksAliens, space travel, and government conspiraciesThe Try Not to Die series and branching survival adventuresThis is more than a book-it's a high-stakes, heart-pounding test of your instincts.Make the right choices. Escape Roswell. Save the galaxy.But above all...Try Not to Die.
Seastate
In the year 2068, Grace Jaden, CEO of innovative energy company CanHarvest Renewables, faces a corporate takeover attempt by an increasingly authoritarian U.S. government. When her humanitarian efforts in East Timor put her at odds with both American and Chinese authorities, Jaden makes an unprecedented decision: declaring independence at sea. Establishing the sovereign sea state of New Liberty in international waters, Jaden and her followers create a floating nation centered around their revolutionary carbon-neutral fuel production platform. But their experiment in freedom quickly becomes a target in the growing tensions between superpowers. As China prepares to invade Taiwan and the Philippines, New Liberty finds itself directly in the crosshairs of global conflict. With a ragtag navy of converted corvettes and a single submarine, Admiral Richard Davidson-former U.S. Navy officer who joins Jaden's cause-must develop desperate strategies against overwhelming odds. From electromagnetic pulse attacks to submarine warfare and aerial assaults, New Liberty's citizens fight for their survival and for their ideals of freedom in a rapidly destabilizing Pacific. As the Chinese invasion fleet bears down on Taiwan, Jaden's tiny nation might be the last, unexpected obstacle standing between liberty and tyranny across the entire region. If you enjoyed "Ghost Fleet," "The Last Ship," and "Red Storm Rising," you'll love "A Sea State."
Lucy of the Broken States
Lucy of the Broken States takes place 80 years after an apocalyptical event that nearly destroyed Earth. Lucy is on a quest to find the man that impregnated and infected a friend of hers, an Escort. This book is sex worker positive and LQBTQIA+ positive. It explores themes of friendships, open relationships, is transgender positive. The book takes place in the southern United States and California.Lucy is a Hired Hand, a person who will take almost any job - for the right price. Need a kitten saved? Hire Lucy. Need someone killed? Hire Lucy. Her latest client is pregnant and dying. The Red Death will kill her in less than a year. If the baby is born disease free, they'll need a parent. Lucy's task? Find the father, who is headed to the mines on the West Coast.It's eighty years since the first Bombardment. Humanity has survived, but barely. High heat signatures, from large cities or industry, bring more Bombardments. Hence, technology has been taken back to the Old West, and in some cases further back.The Rail is the most reliable way to get across the country, but Lucy hates traveling in the Under. She'll bite the bullet, though, even for a journey she feels has little chance of success. She'll get paid either way.
Between the Lines
"Just once, could we follow our hearts over our heads?"Sometimes survival means picking up the pieces-a fact Brian knows all too well. But in the aftermath of an alien invasion, there just isn't enough time to mend each broken part.After waking up to find one of their own missing, the group is beyond fractured. The one solace Brian has, is knowing that at least his best friends, the Twenty-Somethings, are still by his side. Except, when the feelings he's been trying to ignore all but scream to be released, Brian's faced with the biggest question of all: What if?Told from Brian's perspective, Between the Lines follows our camp of survivors on their mission to recruit reinforcements and assemble an army of anarchists to take down the alien-worshipping cult that threatens to destroy them all聶 basically. More than that, Between the Lines is a love story of found family, timing, risking it all, bearing your soul, and healing.
Starborn Alive
An ancient alien artifact. Two sisters. A desperate journey for survival in a galaxy on the brink.In 2249, Earth is dying. Environmental collapse and political fragmentation have scattered humanity across fragile orbital cities and distant colonies. When an alien artifact is discovered on asteroid 16 Psyche, it triggers betrayal, unrest, and a ruthless scramble for power.Nova Clearwater, once shielded from responsibility, is forced to flee the solar system, carrying knowledge others will kill to suppress. Pursued and isolated, she follows the trail of a long-lost alien civilization, uncovering dangerous secrets about the artifact's true purpose. Meanwhile, her sister Amalie remains on a fractured Earth, her fate uncertain in the shadow of rising powers.Set against a backdrop of sleek spacecraft, decaying space stations, and haunting alien ruins, Starborn Alive blends the sweeping scale of space opera with the emotional depth of a character-driven drama. It explores identity, legacy, ambition, and the high cost of survival in a universe where morality blurs and trust is a luxury.
From Zone To Zone Or, The Wonderful Trip Of Frank Reade, Jr., With His Latest Air-Ship
From Zone to Zone Or, The Wonderful Trip Of Frank Reade, Jr., With His Latest Air-Ship follows the adventurous journey of a brilliant inventor who, along with his assistant and a team of researchers, sets out on a daring mission to reach the North and South Poles using an innovative airship. The story weaves together exploration, scientific inquiry, and the excitement of venturing into the unknown. Central to the narrative is a meeting of the American Scientific Society, where a groundbreaking idea to use an airship for an expedition is proposed, challenging the traditional methods of travel. As the protagonist prepares to demonstrate his invention to the society, the adventure unfolds with high-stakes encounters and the potential for both discovery and danger. The characters are drawn into a journey to chart unexplored regions and engage with primitive tribes, highlighting themes of innovation, the spirit of adventure, and the relentless pursuit of knowledge. The excitement builds with each new challenge, as the characters strive to achieve the seemingly impossible and conquer the wild unknown.
The Revelation Space Collection Volume 1
This is volume 1 of the complete collection of tales set in the Revelation Space universe, by British Science Fiction Award-winner Alastair Reynolds. The 'mastersinger of Space Opera' (The Times) created the astonishing Revelation Space universe - one of the most vivid and original SF universes ever written. Alongside the award-winning novels is a galaxy of superb short fiction, collected and published here, in two volumes, in chronological order. This volume includes: Dilation SleepA Spy in EuropaGalactic NorthGreat Wall of MarsGlacialDiamond Dogs
The Revelation Space Collection Volume 2
This is volume 2 of the complete collection of tales set in the Revelation Space universe, by British Science Fiction Award-winner Alastair Reynolds. The 'mastersinger of Space Opera' (The Times) created the astonishing Revelation Space universe - one of the most vivid and original SF universes ever written. Alongside the award-winning novels is a galaxy of superb short fiction, collected and published here, in two volumes, in chronological order. This volume includes: Turquoise DaysWeatherGrafenwalder's BestiaryNightingaleMonkey SuitThe Last Log of the LachrimosaNight PassageOpen and ShutPlague Music
Shadows of Hyperion
The Bill is Coming Due... ... on Project Hyperion. Ariane Austin discovers she and her friends Marc, Simon, and Wu Kung are crippled after their battles in Challenges of the Deeps, unable to use their Arena-born powers. The newly-embodied Hyperion AI, Dr. Alexander Fairchild, is working with a Molothos officer to undermine the Faction of Humanity... while he also pulls deadly strings back home in the Solar System. The insane Hyperion Maria-Susanna is active at last, and someone has murdered one of the Champions of the Arena even as he was coming to meet with Marc DuQuesne. All of these events are related, and the collision of such forces will shake the entirety of the Arena, and beyond, as they find that everything, everything, is affected by the long, dark shadows of Hyperion.
Fortress Sol
When Rab was a baby, his mother made a decision which would change his life. She feared he would be sent to work in the hellish mines of Mercury, to eke out his life until he was worn out, all in the name of maintaning the defense of the Solar Sytem. But when her desperate attempt to flee with her 2 year old failed, she took a desperate step to save him. She cut off his hand. Decades later, Rab has been spared the physical hardships he can no longer endure, and is now based on the Mask, the all-encompassing structure which hides the Solar Sytem from alien eyes. And it is during his watch that a spaceship arrives, one which has travelled for a hundred years from a long-forgotten colony planet. If they pierce the Mask, everything humanity has created will be left open to the alien threat. But this strange ship, bearing an offshoot of the species, may bring something else with them. Hope.
1101 Digital Stories in an Analog World
Thirteen stories from the pages of Analog Science Fiction and Science FactJoin award-winning author Ron Collins on another jaunt filled with aliens, galactic gambling, quantum entanglement, time travel, robots, and cyber-stuff. Even a piece of far-future space opera wrapped in fantasy trappings. Every story is something new and worth exploring.As a special treat, each story comes with an afterword that provides insight into the work's origins.If you're a fan of science fiction, Ron Collins, and Analog, this collection is a must-have.
66mindfuck99
Hidden beneath the Australian outback lies a sex research station so top secret that it doesn't even exist... Prof. Crest didn't know where he was or what he was in for when he was deployed there to help the technicians with their bizarre erotic experiments.From the high seas via clandestine flying-boat to the outer reaches of human and cyborg sexuality, the story climaxes with arguably the most stunning revelation in literature since the invention of writing. Here is a xxx-travaganza so far out that it could not have been generated by human hands, brains or genitals alone... First published in a samizdat edition twenty years ago, this erotic new-wave science fiction underground classic will still arouse much more than your curiosity as it gleefully defiles the last taboo of erotic literature.
Ornament of Love and the Search for Life
ORNAMENT OF LOVE, AND THE SEARCH FOR LIFE"On a desolate, red planet, love blossoms amidst the search for life beyond Earth.""When a groundbreaking discovery threatens to shatter their world, two cosmologists must risk everything to protect the truth."The fate of humanity rests on their shoulders as they explore the secrets of a life-bearing Mars. Nicholas and Susan, two brilliant cosmologists, embark on a groundbreaking mission to Mars, driven by their passion for discovering life beyond Earth. Their journey takes them to a remote region of the red planet, where they unearth a shocking secret that could revolutionize humanity's understanding of the universe.But their discovery also puts them in grave danger, as powerful forces seek to control the truth. As they race against time to protect their findings, Nicholas and Susan must rely on their scientific expertise, their unwavering love, and their courage to confront the unknown.Nicholas, a visionary astronomer, is driven by an insatiable curiosity about the cosmos. Susan, a brilliant astrobiologist, is determined to unlock the secrets of Martian life. Together, they form an unstoppable force, their love for each other fueling their quest for knowledge.The vast, unforgiving landscape of Mars becomes the backdrop for their extraordinary adventure, a place where love and science collide in a battle for survival."Will their discovery save humanity, or will it lead to its ultimate destruction?"
Transcendentals
Transcendentals emerge from the fission of the primordial consciousness at the dawn of creation. They are in many respects semi-omniscient beings, and their competition and cooperation with each other often drives what the laws of physics will be within a given timescale or a given space-timescale. They form coalitions, negotiate, and sometimes wage war against each other. Conflicts between them remain contained within a reasonable range until one of them feels trapped within recurring labyrinthine patterns of experience. Feeling trapped, Charr Naerroan and those who team up with him go on a campaign of accelerating the annihilation of universes, then set their sights on seeking to annihilate many multiverses. The motives for their quest include the harvesting of the energies liberated by the obliteration of beings and worlds and believing that the escalating destruction will lead to escape from many labyrinths of time. Dimetrioskys Elbankovic and those who team up with him go on a campaign of protecting universes and multiverses, looking to slow down or perhaps stop the onslaught of annihilation. Transcendentals can be a sequel to the author's previous fiction, a prequel to the author's previous fiction, or a stand-alone novel. This science fiction novel features a reimagined retelling of much of The Dimetrodons, the Dorians, and the Modern World, Synapsid Critical Edition, a reimagined retelling of several highlights from All Things under and over the Sun and Stars: Enigmas in Various Stages, and a large amount of new storytelling, culminating in apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic showdowns.
Ornament of Love and the Search for Life
ORNAMENT OF LOVE, AND THE SEARCH FOR LIFE"On a desolate, red planet, love blossoms amidst the search for life beyond Earth.""When a groundbreaking discovery threatens to shatter their world, two cosmologists must risk everything to protect the truth."The fate of humanity rests on their shoulders as they explore the secrets of a life-bearing Mars. Nicholas and Susan, two brilliant cosmologists, embark on a groundbreaking mission to Mars, driven by their passion for discovering life beyond Earth. Their journey takes them to a remote region of the red planet, where they unearth a shocking secret that could revolutionize humanity's understanding of the universe.But their discovery also puts them in grave danger, as powerful forces seek to control the truth. As they race against time to protect their findings, Nicholas and Susan must rely on their scientific expertise, their unwavering love, and their courage to confront the unknown.Nicholas, a visionary astronomer, is driven by an insatiable curiosity about the cosmos. Susan, a brilliant astrobiologist, is determined to unlock the secrets of Martian life. Together, they form an unstoppable force, their love for each other fueling their quest for knowledge.The vast, unforgiving landscape of Mars becomes the backdrop for their extraordinary adventure, a place where love and science collide in a battle for survival."Will their discovery save humanity, or will it lead to its ultimate destruction?"
HomeAdrift
How far can you go before the silence breaks you?Commander Solene Ellis has left Earth behind forever. Now she drifts through the void aboard the colony ship Nia Kvara, watching over 100,000 colonists in hibernation. Only Ava, the ship's AI, keeps her company.The voyage spans 3,000 years, but for Solene, time comes in fragments-brief wakeful stretches between long, frozen sleeps. Hours blur into decades. Memories unravel. In the stillness, she begins to lose track not only of time, but of herself.And solitude in deep space doesn't stay quiet for long. Whispers echo where no one should be. Shadows shift just beyond her vision. A mysterious vessel appears in the void. Even Ava starts to act... strangely.As reality fractures, Solene must face a terrifying question: is something out there hunting them-or has her own mind become the true threat?For readers of literary science fiction, space horror, and character-driven psychological drama, HomeAdrift is a story of isolation, survival, and what it means to find home when there's nowhere left to go.
