Anthologies

A collection of stories from authors including Ann McCaffrey and C.J. Cherryh, inspired by a song by Leslie Fish, explores what life in space is like

A collection of fantasy tales by such masters of the genre as Christopher Stasheff, Katherine Kurtz, Esther Friesner, and Ru Emerson

The Fleet thought the wars were over, but as a deadly race of insectoid invaders, the Ichton, sweep through the galaxy, races new to the Alliance are in dire need of aid. Star Central answers with the mammoth battlestation Stephen Hawking. The Hawking takes the fight beyond the boundaries of human space where the Ichton prove to be a formidable foe. Meanwhile, within the pseudoplanet’s stratified decks, the pressures of constant combat and close quarters may become the enemy’s most dangerous advantage. For the first time in one volume: the complete stories of the Stephen Hawking, its multi-race military and civilian crew, and its desperate fight against the Ichton.

Once upon a time, fairy tales were for children . . . But no longer. You hold in your hands a volume of wonders -- magical tales of trolls and ogres, of bewitched princesses and kingdoms accursed, penned by some of the most acclaimed fantasists of our day. But these are not bedtime stories designed to usher an innocent child gently into a realm of dreams. These are stories that bite -- lush and erotic, often dark and disturbing mystical journeys through a phantasmagoric landscape of distinctly adult sensibilities . . . where there is no such thing as "happily ever after."

Humanity has been manipulated by shadowy, inhuman beings throughout history. Secret wars have been waged to settle vampires' disputes. Cultures have been created to advance mages' visions of Ascension. Enemies of the Earth have been defeated by werewolves as they prepare for their Apocalypse. This is the World of Darkness, a place where one's fears may become reality. Dark Destiny features short stories by Robert Bloch, Rick Hautala, Nancy A. Collins, Robert Weinberg and others.

A collection of the best horror stories of 1994 includes contributions by Terry Lamsley, Norman Partridge, Richard Christian Matheson, Garry Kilworth, and Kim Newman

This book contains a collection of stories based on the legends of King Arthur. The stories range in time from Camelot to the present day.

A collection of fifteen short stories depicts angelic interventions in subtle forms and includes the writings of such authors as Isaac Asimov, Tanith Lee, Ursula K. LeGuin, and Roger Zelazny. Original.

A host of horror and fantasy’s top authors captures the spirit of supreme supernatural storyteller H. P. Lovecraft with eighteen chilling contemporary tales that would have made the master proud. “The Barrens” by F. Paul Wilson: In a tangled wilderness, unearthly lights lead the way to a world no human was meant to see. “His Mouth Will Taste of Wormwood” by Poppy Z. Brite: Two dabblers in black magic encounter a maestro of evil enchantment. “On the Slab” by Harlan Ellison: The corpse of a one-eyed giant brings untold fortune—and unspeakable fear—to whoever possesses it. “Pickman’s Modem” by Lawrence Watt-Evans: Horror is a keystroke away when an ancient evil lurks in modern technology. PLUS FOURTEEN MORE BLOOD-CURDLING STORIES “Shaft Number 247” by Basil Copper “The Adder” by Fred Chappell “Fat Face” by Michael Shea “The Big Fish” by Kim Newman “I Had Vacantly Crumpled It into My Pocket . . . But by God, Eliot, It Was a Photograph from Life!” by Joanna Russ “H.P.L.” by Gahan Wilson “The Unthinkable” by Bruce Sterling “Black Man with a Horn” by T. E. D. Klein “Love’s Eldritch Ichor” by Esther M. Friesner “The Last Feast of Harlequin” by Thomas Ligotti “The Shadow on the Doorstep” by James P. Blaylock “Lord of the Land” by Gene Wolfe “The Faces at Pine Dunes” by Ramsey Campbell “24 Views of Mt. Fuji, by Hokusai” by Roger Zelazny

Penned by such authors as Bill Pronzini, Jack Ketchum, Ed Gorman, and Larry Segriff, a collection of entirely original vampire stories set in the world of the arts features vampires as artists or as artists' obsessions.

A collection of humorous science fiction stories follows the adventures of brave heroes and leaders who are still under their mothers' thumbs, and includes contributions by Anne McCaffrey, Robert Asprin, Elizabeth Moon, and Jody Lynn Nye

CONTENTS: NOVELETTES: . Streetcar Dreams [Richard Bowes] . * King of the Cyber Trifles [Esther M. Friesner] . Notes Toward a Rumpled Stillskin [George Guthridge & Janet Berliner] SHORT STORIES: . The Roaring Ground [Sheila Finch] . * The Gefilte Fish Girl [Mike Resnick] . Where Garagiola Waits [Rick Wilber] . Universal Grammar [Mary Soon Lee] . My Brother, the Alien and Me [Rebecca Ore] . * Manna [Nina Kiriki Hoffman] * All three of these stories based on the Shaw cover painting!

A fourth anthology from the editors of Ruby Slippers, Golden Tears presents contemporary retellings of traditional fairy tales, in Gregory Frost's "Sparks," "The Dog Rose" by Sten Westgard, and other works by Jane Yolen, Joyce Carol Oates, Nancy Kress, and John Crowley.

Since its debut in 1996, Starlight has been recognized as the leading SF and Fantasy original anthology series in the world. Stories from Starlight have won the Nebula Award, the Theodore Sturgeon Award, and the Tiptree Award, and have been repeatedly honored by all of the field's "best of the year" collections. In Starlight 2 , award-winning editor Patrick Nielsen Hayden offers a serving of powerful, original fiction, from SF writers such as Jonathan Lethem, Ellen Kushner, David Langford, Susanna Clarke, Esther M. Friesner, and Ted Chiang.

Works by Nicola Griffith, Elizabeth Hand, Jonathan Lethem, Jack Vance, and many others grace this volume of “the closest thing SF has to a literary yearbook” (Locus).

Since its founding, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction has been acclaimed as one of the pinnacles of the field, the source of fantastic fiction of the highest literary quality. Now the magazine known to its readers as "F&SF" celebrates its fiftieth anniversary with a spectacular anthology of the best recent work from the magazine. Included are stories from major writers like Bruce Sterling, John Crowley, and Harlan Ellison. Also here are award-winners like Ursula K. Le Guin's Nebula-winning "Solitude," Maureen F. McHugh's Hugo-winning "The Lincoln Train," and Elizabeth Hand's Nebula- and World Fantasy Award-winning "Last Summer at Mars Hill." The fiftieth anniversary collection for the most distinguished magazine of the science fiction and fantasy world. Contributors include: Dale Bailey Terry Bisson Michael Blumlein Ray Bradbury John Crowley Bradley Denton Paul Di Filippo S.N. Dyer Harlan Ellison Esther M. Friesner Elizabeth Hand Tanith Lee Ursula K. Le Guin Maureen F. McHugh Rachel Pollack Robert Reed Bruce Holland Rogers Bruce Sterling Ray Vukcevich Kate Wilhelm Gene Wolfe

An anthology of twenty "fairy tales for adults" reconsiders a host of beloved tales, dissecting them for their darker, universal themes. Original.

An anthology of twenty "fairy tales for adults" reconsiders a host of beloved tales, dissecting them for their darker, universal themes. Original.

NOMINATED FOR THE 2002 HUGO AND LOCUS AWARD When J.R.R. Tolkien created the extraordinary world of Middle-earth and populated it with fantastic, archetypal denizens, reinventing the heroic quest, the world hardly noticed. Sales of The Lord of the Rings languished for the better part of two decades, until the Ballantine editions were published here in America. By late 1950s, however, the books were selling well and beginning to change the face of fantasy. . . . forever. A generation of students and aspiring writers had their hearts and imaginations captured by the rich tapestry of the Middle-earth mythos, the larger-than-life heroic characters, the extraordinary and exquisite nature of Tolkien's prose, and the unending quest to balance evil with good. These young readers grew up to become the successful writers of modern fantasy. They created their own worlds and universes, in some cases their own languages, and their own epic heroic quests. And all of them owe a debt of gratitude to the works and the author who first set them on the path. In Meditations on Middle-earth , sixteen bestselling fantasy authors share details of their personal relationships with Tolkien's mythos, for it inspired them all. Had there been no Lord of the Rings , there would also have been no Earthsea books by Ursula K. Le Guin; no Song of Ice and Fire saga from George R. R. Martin; no Tales of Discworld from Terry Pratchett; no Legends of Alvin Maker from Orson Scott Card. Each of them was influenced by the master mythmaker, and now each reveals the nature of that influence and their personal relationships with the greatest fantasy novels ever written in the English language. If you've never read the Tolkien books, read these essays and discover the depthy and beauty of his work. If you are a fan of The Lord of the Rings , the candid comments of these modern mythmakers will give you new insight into the subtlety, power, and majesty of Tolkien's tales and how he told them. Meditations on Middle-Earth is a 2002 Hugo Award Nominee for Best Related Work.

Fighting to protect the innocent and to redeem her troubled past, Xena, the Warrior Princess, travels the ancient world with her trusted companion, the bard Gabrielle. Based on the hit television series, Xena: Warrior Princess , created by John Schulian and Robert Tapert, The Further Adventures of Xena contains fifteen original short stories from esteemed fantasy writers, that explore the past, present, and future of the legendary Warrior Princess.

This audio presentation of the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction is a super-duper triple issue, comprised ten key selections (most of the contents, actually) of FSF 's September issue and the forthcoming double October/November issue. First, beginning with the five words, "Eventually it came to pass..." we have "Four Short Novels," a literary and performance tour de force by Joe Haldeman, which explodes Proust, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy and Samuel Butler. Then John Morressy plumbs even earlier classical dimensions through the eyes and voice of Daedalus in "The Artificer's Tale." "Hunter's Lake" by Gene Wolfe is a classic horror story in which dreams and reality merge and re-emerge from the depths of tragedy. In "The Census Taker" Dale Bailey, takes us into a very scary southern backwater, where untold secrets lurk. "The Navatar," as conceived by Jerry Oltion, is a very special AI indeed whose career, journeys and relationships are narrated by Stefan Rudnicki. Terry Bisson's "Almost Home" tells of three young friends in a blissful, truly American summer, taking us across the borders of discovery and past death itself. Richard Paul Russo's "Tropical Night's at the Natatorium," dramatically explores issues of poverty and privilege, social responsibility and revolution. "Like Minds" by Robert Reed is a disturbing, impressionistic study in shifting realities which truly defies description. In "The Only Known Jump Across Time," Eugene Mirabelli creates a colorful and wistfully nostalgic vision of Cambridge, Massachusetts in the 1920s. Finally, in Esther M. Friesner's "I Killed Them In Vegas," Harlan Ellison gleefully portrays Kris Spiridion, an irrepressible stand-up comic with "a little problem."

From Columbus Day to Christmas, from Labor Day to the Fourth of July, here are thirteen original stories of dark fantasy and the supernatural that give new meaning to the term holiday spirit. Includes stories by: Julie E. Czerneda Peter Crowther Esther Friesner David Bischoff and others

In the winter of 2005, after the horrifying natural disaster of the tsunami in Southeast Asia, Steve Savile and Alethea Kontis joined forces to raise money to help the distressed survivors and have created Elemental. They solicited SF and fantasy stories, all new and never published elsewhere, from many of the top writers in the genres today, and received immediate responses in the form of the excellent stories here in this book. Elemental has an introduction by Arthur C.Clarke and more than twenty stories by Brian Aldiss, David Drake, Jacqueline Carey, Martha Wells, Larry Niven, Joe Haldeman, Eric Nylund, Sherrilyn Kenyon writing as Kinley MacGregor, and a Dune story by Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson, and many others. They created in Elemental one of the most important genre anthologies of the year, but more than that: in giving real value for the purchase price, everyone who sells this book can be proud, and everyone who buys it will be richly rewarded for supporting the tsunami relief effort. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Werewolves, vampires, witches, voodoo, Elvis---and weddings An "ordinary" wedding can get crazy enough, so can you imagine what happens when otherworldly creatures are involved? Nine of the hottest authors of paranormal fiction answer that question in this delightful collection of supernatural wedding stories. What's the seating plan when rival clans of werewolves and vampires meet under the same roof? How can a couple in the throes of love overcome traps set by feuding relatives---who are experts at voodoo? Will you have a good marriage if your high-seas wedding is held on a cursed ship? How do you deal with a wedding singer who's just a little too good at impersonating Elvis? · L. A. Banks · Jim Butcher · Rachel Caine · P. N. Elrod · Esther M. Friesner · Lori Handeland · Charlaine Harris · Sherrilyn Kenyon · Susan Krinard Shape-shifters, wizards, and magic, oh my!

FOURTEEN ORIGINAL SHORT STORIES OF SECRET AGENTS AND ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE LEFT THEIR MARK ON TIME AND SPACE... From the true role of the Freemasons to Chronographers who steal pieces of time to an assassin hired by a group that reweaves the threads of history, here are fourteen imaginative tales of time and space and realms beyond our own-all watched over, preserved, or changed by those who work covertly under cover of darkness.

An annual anthology of outstanding stories of love and wonder are compiled and honored as the best of the year. Enchanting and enchanted lovers, magical romance, dark desires, otherworldly sensations, ethereal encounters, paranormal thrills, sensual spells, supernatural suspense, sizzling speculations... Highly imaginative short fiction and novellas from the best fantasy romance writers.

Women of Magic and Valor . . . For over two decades, the late Marion Zimmer Bradley, best-selling and beloved author, discovered and nurtured a grand generation of popular and acclaimed authors including Mercedes Lackey, Jennifer Roberson, and a host of others. Authors who have appeared within the pages of Sword and Sorceress represent the full spectrum of some of the brightest talent working today -- from C.J. Cherryh, Charles de Lint, and Emma Bull... to Laurell K. Hamilton, Diana L. Paxson, and. Deborah J. Ross. Here are sixteen original stories of powerful women, swashbuckling and magic, duels and spells, arcane sorcery and heroic sacrifice, written by familiar spell weavers of adventure and bright newcomers who are sure to become favorites. Sword and Sorceress 22 includes stories by Esther M. Friesner, Patricia B. Cirone, Catherine Soto, Margaret L. Carter, Deborah J. Ross, Kimberly L. Maughan, Dave Smeds, Jonathan Moeller, Catherine Mintz, Alanna Morland, Marian Allen, Heather Rose Jones, Michael Spence, Elisabeth Waters, T. Borregaard, Robert E. Vardeman, and Sarah Dozier.

Featuring contributions from Harry Turtledove, Sarah A. Hoyt, S. M. Stirling, and Esther Friesner, this urban fantasy collection features spellbinding stories that reveal how witches from all walks of life cope with the idiosyncrasies of suburbia. Original.

The Follow-Up to Witch Way to the Mall from the Creator of the Chicks in Chainmail Series. It’s the Werewolves’ Turn to Howl Across the Well-Kept Lawns and Neat Picket Fences of Supernatural Suburbia. Werewolves and the suburbs are a natural go-together. Okay, so they’re not the Obligatory/Iconic Suburban Golden Retriever or Chocolate Labrador, but they’ve got a much better chance of taking home the Best in Show ribbon than their Undead rivals, the vampires. In some suburban households, if it brings home a trophy, who cares if it also brings home bloody chunks of the neighbors every time the full moon shines? And let’s not forget one more advantage to the suburban werewolf: If his lupine side does something nasty on your lawn, his human side can come by later with the Pooper Scooper. In your face , Dracula! Therefore, welcome to the fur-sprouting, mall-browsing, moon-howling, latté-sipping world of Strip Mauled . You’ll like what you find. Sit. Stay. Good reader. Stories of suburban lycanthropy by Sarah A. Hoyt, Dave Freer, K. D. Wentworth, and more—including Esther Friesner herself.

The Follow-Up to Witch Way to the Mall and Strip Mauled from the Creator of the Chicks in Chainmail Series. Here Come the Vampires to Put the Bite on Suburbia. Having inflicted the smug homes of suburbia with witches and werewolves. Esther Friesner now unleashes the undead to tap a vein of blood and humor, and drain the suburbs dry of both. Vampires and the suburbs are a match made in heaven, or maybe Levittown. Remember Dracula? He didn’t run into any real problems until he took his act on the road and traveled to the Big City. But in the suburbs, everyone is polite and respectful of their neighbors’ right to privacy. And if your neighbors happen to have kids selling gift-wrap, magazine subscriptions, cookies, or other school fundraising ploys, and little Emily or Jason happen to come peddling their wares after sundown . . . Who says you have to stay in the city if you want good take-out meals delivered right to your door? There’s no one quite like a vampire for saying, “All of you kids get off of my lawn!” and putting some teeth into it. The stories in these pages—by Sarah A. Hoyt, K.D. Wentworth, Dave Freer and more, including Esther Friesner herself—will convince the reader that vampires and suburbs go together like wine and cheese, gin and tonic, desperation and housewives, marriage and pre-nups. Enter freely and of your own will . . .

Happily Ever After is a star-studded book of fairy tales, featuring an introduction by Bill Willingham (Fables) and stories by Gregory Maguire, Susanna Clarke, Karen Joy Fowler, Charles de Lint, Holly Black, Garth Nix, Kelly Link, Peter Straub, Neil Gaiman, Patricia Briggs, and many other fantasy luminaries.

UFO2 is the second annual collection of humorous science fiction and fantasy short stories. Inside you'll find: - A golem on an interstellar cruise ship - Dragon-taunting for fun and profit - Time travel gone really wrong - Cubicle farm wizardry - Alien behemoths in Central Park

The fourth volume of the annual Unidentified Funny Objects series features the theme of dark humor. What happens when you ask some of the genre's masters to interpret this theme? The enclosed twenty-three darkly humorous tales range from black comedy to biting satire to morbid irony and everything in between. Inside this book you'll find Faustian bargains gone awry, time-traveling ghosts, flawed supervillains, talking hamsters, and much more.

SCIENCE FICTION, FANTASY, HUMOR. * Aztec Astronauts * Punster Prophets * Apocalyptic Apps * Cantankerous Cryptids * and the Duck Knight The fifth annual volume of the Unidentified Funny Objects anthology series features eighteen lighthearted science fiction and fantasy tales from the masters of the genre. Read about planetary adoptions, secret agent princesses, alien cooking reality shows, rigged elections, magical insurance agents, and much more.

NOVELETS The Cat Bell Esther M. Friesner The Farmboy Albert E. Cowdrey The Vindicator Matthew Hughes Passelande Robert Reed SHORT STORIES Between Going and Staying Lilliam Rivera The Place of Bones Gardner Dozois Lord Elgin at the Acropolis Minsoo Kang Special Collections Kurt Fawver A Fine Balance Charlotte Ashley The Rhythm Man James Beamon Merry Christmas from All of Us to All of You Sandra Mcdonald DEPARTMENTS Books to Look For Charles de Lint Books Chris Moriarty Films: Getting High David J. Skal Competition #92 Coming Attractions Index to Volumes 130 & 131 Curiosities Graham Andrews CARTOONS: Arthur Masear, Arthur Masear, Arthur Masear, Bill Long, Bill Long, Nick Downes, Nick Downes, Nick Downes, S. Harris. COVER by Kristin Kest for "The Cat Bell"

18 short stories of humorous horror! Read this book to: * Meet communist werewolves, mad scientists, and Jewish vampires. * Reject novel pitches from famous zombie novelists. * Provide psychotherapy for Cthulhu. * Domesticate angry gods. * Install Linux on a dead badger. Includes the following stories: “No Children, No Pets” by Esther Friesner “43 Responses to ‘In Memory of Dr. Alexandra Nako'” by Barbara A. Barnett “Kvetchula’s Daughter” by Darrell Schweitzer “The Great VuDu Linux Teen Zombie Massacree” by Lucy A. Snyder “Good Neighbors” by Amanda C. Davis “Happily and Righteously” by Larry Hodges “Stalking the Zombie” by Mike Resnick “Restless in R’yleh” by Oliver Buckram “P.R. Problems” by Eric James Stone “Hot Fudge and Whipped Cream” by Tarl Kudrick “Death: A List” by Tanya Bryan “Soccer Mom Smackdown” by Julia S. Mandala “The God Whisperer” by Daniel J. Davis “Meat and Greet” by Jamie Todd Rubin “Something Virtual This Way Comes” by Laura Resnick “The Story of Emily and Control” by Scott Alexander “Howl!” by Jody Lynn Nye “Final Corrections” by M. Bennardo

From Hugo-nominated editor Bryan Thomas Schmidt and Nebula nominated author Robin Wayne Bailey, here are nineteen top-notch science fiction stories guaranteed to make you think –and- laugh, featuring such major writers as Robert Silverberg, Mike Resnick, Allen M. Steele, Esther Friesner, Elizabeth Moon, Seanan McGuire, Jody Lynn Nye, James Gunn, Kristine Kathryn Rusch and many more. When Little Green Men Attack, It’s All-out Laugh Warfare From the far reaches of outer space they come—inscrutable aliens, malicious invaders, wacky tourists from another planet—to conquer, study, and tickle us. From the battlefields of the Ozarks to the marble halls of the Boston Library, from Central Park to the skies above Washington, on the moon and in the seediest bars of Kansas City— they’re here. But do they really know who they’re up against? Not hardly! COMPLETE AUTHOR LIST: Mike Resnick, Kristine Kathryn, Dantzel Cherry, Ken Scholes, Jody Lynn Nye, Seanan McGuire, Martin L. Shoemaker, Steven H. Silver, Selina Rosen, Beth L. Cato, Peter J. Wacks & Josh Vogt, Allen M. Steele, Elizabeth Moon, Esther M. Friesner, K.C. Ball, James Gunn, Bryan Thomas Schmidt & Alex Shvartsman, Robert Silverberg, Robin Wayne Bailey At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management). About Mission: Tomorrow , edited by Bryan Thomas Schmidt: “This themed anthology . . . will appeal to a wide range of readers, who will appreciate the diversity of stories . . . a solid introduction to a classic genre.”— Kirkus “Editor Schmidt adds grandmasters to a mix of newer established names and balances the tragic with the humorous.”— Publishers Weekly About Shattered Shields , edited by Jennifer Brozek and Bryan Thomas Schmidt: “In this well-built anthology, seventeen original stories cut to the heart of military fantasy, diving directly into the most exciting moments of dramatic bravery, grand battles, and life-changing heroism. . . . Readers who prefer to cut straight to the action, but want more depth than pure hack-and-slash, will find these offerings appealing.”— Publishers Weekly “An inventive and thought-provoking set of tales that capture the bravery and terrors of battle. Carries the banner of military fantasy proudly.”—John Marco, author of The Bronze Knight Series About The Raygun Chronicles , edited by Bryan Thomas Schmidt: “Fans of sf should enjoy this stylistically varied homage to a genre as old as the fiction . . . ”— Library Journal About Beyond the Sun , edited by Bryan Thomas Schmidt: “ Beyond the Sun mixes courage, redemption, and stark terror in tales of distant worlds. Buckle in.”—Jack McDevitt, author of Firebird

Portals to all the knowledge in the world, libraries are also created universes of a multitude of imaginations. Librarians guide us to enlightenment as well as serving as the captains, mages, and gatekeepers who open the doors to delight, speculation, wonder, and terror. Both inspire writers of speculative fiction to pen wonderful tales woven around them. This captivating compilation of science fiction and fantasy short fiction showcases stories of librarians-mysterious curators, heroic bibliognosts, arcane archivists, catalogers of very special collections—and libraries—repositories of arcane wisdom, storehouses of signals from other galaxies, bastions of culture, the last outposts of civilization in a post-apocalyptic world . . . grand adventures and small sagas of the magical places we call libraries and the wizards who staff them!

Everyone has their eyes set on the black depths of space … but what about the deep abysses of the ocean? What dark monsters swim unseen beneath the waves? What ancient wonders lie hidden, waiting to be discovered? What sirens call, either here on Earth or in the icy waters of a far off planet … or even at the bottom of a wine glass? So much remains to be explored below the surface, where light fades and the pressure kills. Here are seventeen stories from today’s leading science fiction and fantasy authors that take us into those depths, whether we want to or not. Join Seanan McGuire, Michael Robertson, Esther Friesner, F. Brett Cox, Wendy Nikel, Marsheila Rockwell & Jeffrey J. Mariotte, Jody Lynn Nye, Bill Kte’pi, Jenna Rhodes, Susan Jett, James Van Pelt, J.C. Koch, Misty Massey, A. Merc Rustad, David Farland, Sara M. Harvey, and Nicky Drayden as they explore unfathomable trenches, underwater volcanoes, and abyssal plains. Take the plunge … into the Deep End!

SCIENCE FICTION, FANTASY, HUMOR * Cranky Goblin Cooks * Unscrupulous Chemists * Lecherous Space Pirates * Disagreeable Alien Symbiotes * Soul-Searching Snot Elementals The Unidentified Funny Objects series serves an annual dose of funny. zany, and unusual science fiction and fantasy stories. All-new fiction from the genre's top voices! Our sixth volume features a Mad Amos story by Alan Dean Foster, a Harry the Book tale by Mike Resnick, and an Alexander Outland short by Gini Koch. Jim Hines reimagines a Game of Thrones with goblins in it, Ken Liu begs a sentient AI to spare him, and Esther Friesner takes us on a tour of Chelm, complete with dragons and gratuitous footnotes. There are also tales of an interdimensional secret agent, a warrior-writer on a quest from an evil god, a necromancer intent on rehabilitating the image of his profession, and many more.

SCIENCE FICTION, FANTASY, HUMOR The Unidentified Funny Objects series delivers an annual dose of funny, zany, and unusual science fiction and fantasy stories. All-new fiction from the genre's top voices! * A long time ago in a galaxy close enough not to violate any copyrights, the clone army fighting for the side of the evil empire is made up of a bunch of bros named Chad. * Can a couple of wise guys from New Jersey broker a sit down between two groups of warring aliens? * Witness an epic battle of mad science vs. dark magic. * US presidents elected in 1860 and 1960 were both assassinated. What's going to happen to whoever's elected in 2060? * Beware the dragon polite enough to return your drone after it breached the barriers between worlds and bonked him on the snout.

Join us for a feast! Step into a roadside diner run by witches. Attend a banquet with aliens who are as crass as they are brutal. Eat oysters on the half shell with a pair of conjurers, or scratch out a meal with warring pilots marooned on a desolate planet. Pity the ghost who must cook her way to freedom, and mourn with the warrior who seeks a final delicacy for his lost love. Search the far reaches of space for sustenance or descend into a hellscape of culinary horrors. In this volume, food is the star! Fantasy and science fiction authors Paige L. Christie, Diana A. Hart, A.L. Tompkins, Esther Friesner, Derrick Boden, Andy Duncan, Chaz Brenchley, Howard Andrew Jones, Mike Jack Stoumbos, R.S. Belcher, Mia Moss, Gini Koch, D.B. Jackson, Jason Palmatier, and Gabriela Santiago have prepared a GALACTIC STEW that will entice and tantalize, nourish the imagination, and sate the most ravenous of literary appetites. But beware! These dishes are not what they seem…

SCIENCE FICTION, FANTASY, HUMORThe Unidentified Funny Objects series delivers an annual dose of funny, zany, and unusual science fiction and fantasy stories. All-new fiction from the genre's top voices!* Superheroes mired in government bureaucracy.* Cat cat-burglars.* Grandmotherly golems.* Literal-minded self-driving cars.* Evil overlords retired in Florida.* Indifferent aliens.