From a man too simple for the devil to fool, to a college student taking an honors class in temptation, here are tales of black magic and demonic enchantment--stories of those who heed Satan's siren song and those ready to match wits with this most cunning of opponents. So get ready for some red-hot reading about the age-old battle between humans and their ever-present foe as you settle in for a devilish good time in Isaac Asimov's Devils. Arthur C. Clarke; Brian Cleeve; Ray Russell; Leo Tolstoy; Winston K. Marks; Cornell Woolrich; Frederic Brown; Robert Bloch; Robert F. Young; Stephen Vincent Benet; Rick Hautala; Philip Jose Farmer; Charles Beaumont; Jerome Bixby; Bruce Elliot; Theodore R. Cogswell; Theodore Sturgeon

Robert Bloch, grand master of horror, recounts his tales in this hilarious autobiography, Once Around the Bloch. Once Around the Bloch takes the reader from Bloch's early years in an up-and-coming Chicago suburb to his first fateful encounter with the cult fiction magazine Weird Tales. Bloch's Hollywood adventures are also chronicled, including his encounters and friendships with such famous superstars as Vincent Price, Boris Karloff, Buster Keaton, and Joan Crawford. Bloch also recounts the inspiration for and the birth of one of the most famous villains of all time, Norman Bates.

The second in a series of superb science fiction. The Alpha series of anthologies center on no particular theme except that of literary quality. Two criteria were used in the selecting of these stories—literary merit and importance to the genre. The result is that the variety of subjects is matched only by the richness and diversity of their handling—brilliant, frightening, clever, bizarre, powerful, witty, funny—and several steps in-between. Whatever else these stories may be doing, they all explore the interplay between human beings and the technological society man has created for himself. Good science fiction simultaneously peers into remote realms of space and time and holds a mirror to the contemporary moment; and if the reflection in that mirror is somewhat distorted, so be it. Blame not the messenger for bearing bad tidings. Herewith ten stories which demonstrate the unsettling kinds of insights that science fiction alone can offer. More are on the way. The nine volumes of this series provide an exciting cumulative view of a field in which some of the most vigorous and inventive fiction of our times has been produced. Simply put, here is the best science fiction from the best science fiction writers.

Hannah won't open the bottle that she found in Fear Lake--not after she reads the label warning danger. Unfortunately, her younger brother, Jesse, isn't afraid. He pulls the cork and unleashes an evil genie.

A messianic tale about a group of professional mourners—a darkly funny novel of grief, mystery and redemption from the author of The Delivery . Ed is a weeper. A professional weeper. He's a card-carrying member of an eccentric union hired to cry at funerals, wakes, services and burials. It’s an odd job, but his services are sorely needed these days, as the town, the region, the country as a whole has become more or less numb. No one is able to summon a shred of human emotion whatsoever. Not anymore. (What’d be the point? The world’s already gone to hell.) So there’s always work for Ed and his colleagues. But all those cries can wear a man down, and the tears don’t flow quite like they used to, even for a consummate pro like Ed. Then one morning, a stranger comes to town. A scrawny kid with no belongings, no parents, no name, no past. And at precisely the moment of his arrival, people begin to experience something new. Something strange. An onslaught of unbidden feelings, unfamiliar feelings, too many feelings A surrealist story of mourning and messiahs, deserts and droughts, cowboys and junkies, miracles and mass hysteria, the lure of despair and the solace of friendship. Peter Mendelsund’s Weepers is a novel for this age: our age of anesthesia and anger.

After saving the world, diGriz is called on to save the universe. Liberating his two, now teenage, twin' sons from a military boarding school and penitentiary, diGriz sets out to free his wife, who has been arrested by the tax men. But the family is soon fighting an enemy of a different sort, when the humans-only galaxy of the League is invaded by all manner of hideous aliens. The Rat, disguised in the most hideous combination of alien physical features, is sent into the centre of the aliens' stronghold, where he finds himself the object of desire among the aliens. His task is to stop the aliens, who plan to wipe out every human in the universe.

-- Features all four Ring Operas, including Das Rhinegold, Die Walkuere, Siegfried, and Gotterdammerung

DAVID GERROLD-Hugo & Nebula Award winner-presents: Praxis Makes Permanent , the thrilling conclusion to the extraordinary journey of Jamie and José to the colony world Praxis! "This sequel completely fulfills the promise of the first volume, creating a vision of the future that feels plausible and full of hope, despite that future's gritty, messy imperfection." -Nigel Suckling, Hugo Award-winning author Praxis Makes Permanent is the highly anticipated conclusion to Praxis ! Jamie and José have hurtled headlong into a world where nothing is what it's supposed to be. Praxis is in rebellion, but who are the players and what do they want to achieve? If everything is chaotic, where do Jamie and José fit in? And guess what? They're the biggest part of the problem! "Only David Gerrold could deliver a novella this sharp, this smart, and this deeply human. Gerrold doesn't just write science fiction-he builds futures with heart, wit, and razor-edged insight. Praxis Makes Permanent is bold, unflinching and hard to put down." -K. Pimpinella, author of the Time Ranger series

Read the harry potter book, but still stumped? Some parts intrigue you while the others cannot get out of mind? Some pique your interest and you find it imperitive to get them answered? Then you have picked the right book! This is an informative book about the wizarding world of harry potter that you will enjoy reading and could be the destination that you are seeking for! So, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and let the magic begin!

In 2425 London, most of which is underwater, Rafe and Jule, members of warring Houses, must keep their love a secret to survive, but their lives become even more complicated when mysterious foreigners arrive on shore.

The seventh in a series of superb science fiction. The Alpha series of anthologies center on no particular theme except that of literary quality and importance to the science fiction genre. Since its inception in 1970, the Alpha series has been dedicated to the proposition that science fiction can be a literature not only of stimulating and unfamiliar ideas but also of skilful and vigorous writing. Thus far Alpha has offered sixty-odd stories that exemplify the best of science fiction: challenging, provocative views of the universe, presented in crisp, sparkling prose. The volumes in the series offer some of the liveliest work produced in the short-story form anywhere in the world, and not just of the science-fiction category. Alpha serves a secondary purpose: to rescue from oblivion stories that might otherwise be undeservedly forgotten. Herewith, the seventh feast of outstanding fiction.

The revered author of books for all ages, from Bread and Jam for Frances to Turtle Diary, gives the literary performance of a lifetime in this taut psychological thriller about a boy who tries desperately to stop failing. Things are already looking a little funny to Nick Hartley after he loses yet another fight with Harry Buncher--and gets his head bashed into a wall in the bargain. So he is less confused than he ordinarily would when he meets Moe Nagic, a homeless man with a puzzle and a secret to sell. Moe offers Nick a way to visit Trokeville, the world that exists at the edge of the picture puzzle. Nick has to go there, if he's ever going to change the way his life is going. But he soon discovers the devastating danger of the journey: His mind could leave him stranded there, with no way of returning! Written with the power and precision of a great author, The Trokeville Way is a provocative masterpiece for our time. From the Hardcover edition.

Dive into a compelling work of literary criticism with "Drug themes in science fiction" by the esteemed Robert Silverberg. This authoritative volume offers a meticulous exploration and comprehensive bibliography of drug-related themes across speculative fiction. Silverberg, a master of the genre, insightfully examines the diverse ways drugs-real and imagined-have been portrayed within American and English science fiction. From their roles in societal commentary to their impact on individual characters and narrative progression, this book uncovers the profound and often complex presence of psychoactive substances in literary imagination. It serves as both a critical analysis of recurring motifs and an invaluable reference for anyone researching the genre. For readers captivated by literary themes, the history of science fiction, or the enduring dialogue between human experience and altered states of consciousness, "Drug themes in science fiction" provides an essential, detailed, and timeless perspective on a fascinating corner of literature. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Vintage is the engaging story of what it's like to be a teenager in today's world and the troubles that accompany that age as well as what it's like to be haunted by the troubles of the teens of yesterday's world and how similar both those worlds really are. More than a story about Goth fashion, teen angst or even restless ghosts, Vintage delivers pulse-quickening plot, unique and fully-developed characters.

From Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author Robert Silverberg comes, To Open The Sky. The Atom was their God-but there was something stronger... At the beginning of the 22nd century, Earth colonies were established on Mars and Venus. But the ultimate dream - to travel to the stars - was still an impossibility. Cults, fads, madnesses of various kinds swept the population. The maddest--and so far the most permanent--were the Vorst worshipers, the atom adorers, the believers in immortality through technology. Yet there were the Harmonists, who believed that technology could never do it. And the hatred between the two factions was too deep to be reconciled - until a conflict on Venus between a Vorster priest and his Harmonist opponent resulted in unexpected developments.

Collects twelve apocalyptic scenarios offering frightening glimpses into the end times, brought on by angry gods, technology, or nature.

Intergalactic visions, deadly threats, and explosive standoffs between mostly good and completely evil converge in a dystopian fantasy that could only be conceived by the inimitable Walter Mosley, one of the country's most beloved and acclaimed writers Martin Just wakes up one morning after what feels like, and might actually be, a centuries-long sleep with two new innate pieces of knowledge: Humanity is a virus destined to destroy all existence. And he is the Cure. Martin begins slipping into an alternate consciousness, with new physical strengths, to violently defend his family--the only Black family in their neighborhood in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles-- against pure evil. Think Octavia Butler meets Jeff VanderMeer meets Jordan Peele. Expansive and innovative, sexy and satirical, Touched brilliantly imagines the ways in which human life and technological innovation threaten existence itself.

What's it like to be a termite? Professor Mmaa's Lecture explores how a society of termites would work, and what they would think of us Homo Sapiens. A pioneering work of xenofiction. A hilarious social satire. Finally back in print! This is the English language version.

Up the Line is a ribald, Byzantine tale of time-tourism from multiple Nebula and Hugo Award-winning author Robert Silverberg. It's 2059 and Jud Elliott--former law clerk and failed Harvard history student--is at loose ends. Having left his previous job out of boredom, he finally takes a position as a Time Courier showing tourists around medieval and ancient Byzantium. Maybe that unfinished master's degree will come in handy after all ... Jud is careful and he (mostly) plays by the rules, not wanting to get on the wrong side of the Time Patrol. But, on one trip up the line, he meets and falls in love with his great-great-multi-great grandmother and suddenly the rules don't seem as important anymore ...