In the classic noir tradition of "Have Gun, Will Travel," Rachel Pollack--one of the world's foremost authorities on the Tarot--gives us the tale of Jack Shade, an occult shaman for hire. Jack Shade has a secret, and this hidden part of his past sends him on a journey through time and space and a great number of metaphysical doorways. From the cosy poker table in the eleventh floor apartment of the Hotel de Reve Noire to the ethereal Forest of Souls to the faded houses along the Gold River, Jack flows in and out of this world. Even when his own duplicate hires him to kill himself, Jack is mercury in motion. Jack the Nimble. Jack the Quick. The Fissure King: A Novel in Fire Stories collects the four existing Jack Shades novellas and shows us Jack's final trick--one last story that finally reveals Jack's true nature. Only Rachel Pollack, one of the world's greatest authorities of tarot and an award-winning novelist and comic book writer, could dream of someone as mischievous and mythopoeic as Jack Shade. The King is dead. Long live the King.

An "intelligent and entertaining" tale. (Kirkus Reviews): Priya is thrilled when she's recruited to serve in the spaceborne military. But she's soon forced to volunteer for a dangerous mission - and finds her life at stake... "For nail-biting science fiction thrillers, look no further than one of Rothman's stories" (New York Times bestselling author Larry Correia). ------ Aliens exist... and, as it turns out, most of them are fairly harmless. It's the humans you need to watch out for. Priya Radcliffe wasn't even born yet when the first set of terrorists struck. She was seventeen when they struck again, but this time her parents paid the ultimate price. That was seven years ago, and since then, the United Nations finally agreed to field its first spaceborne military. Serving aboard one of the first true starships had been a dream of hers. All of her years of education and training had been geared for entering the service. However, just before Priya's graduation, she's approached by an officer from a military branch she'd never heard of and given a choice: volunteer for a risky mission to an outpost she knows nothing about or be excluded from serving. She had no choice.

Kaer's family has volunteered to emigrate through a world-gate to Linnea, a world known for horses as large as houses and dangerously mistrustful natives, in this new young adult novel from David Gerrold. Kaer and his mothers, fathers, siblings, and cousins embark on a training program in the Linnea dome designed to teach them to blend in with their new home's prior inhabitants in an environment free from the risk of discovery. The dome itself should be safe, but in a setting designed to be like Linnea in every conceivable way - from the long, harsh winters to the kacks, wolf-like creatures as tall as men - Kaer finds that even the simplest training exercises can be fraught with risk.

Interstellar kidnapping... or opportunity? A thousand teens and their teachers were stunned when the alien Garubis yanked Twenty-Nine Palms High School right out of California's Mojave desert, plopping it into a jungle many light years away. It was supposed to be a "gift"-a new settlement for humanity. But tell that to Mark, Alexandra, Barry and Sophie when strange parasites attack... and they don't know what to eat... and the island of Earth-buildings runs out of water! Some claim to have spotted strange tool-users in the forest. Are the Garubis back? Or is this some other possible alien menace? Whatever the skyjacked teenagers and their small number of adult companions face, they will need guts, ingenuity, hard work... and luck! But maybe the worst threat will come from the former students themselves. From basic human nature.

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.

Despite his lack of physical stature, the five-foot-tall John Dee was a towering figure in Renaissance Europe: to royalty, enemy to the vicious de Medici clan -- and confidant of Dyckson, a member of the alien race known as the Roc. Ancient and wise, the Roc have come to Earth to observe the evolution of humanity, not to interfere. But during the course of his studies, Dyckson has come to call Dee friend. When the de Medicis arrest Dee in Venice, Dyckson chooses to save his friend from prison and leave him in suspended animation until the year 2099. The "philosopher of Albion" wakes in a confusing future where humanity is on the brink of developing the ultimate weapon -- a weapon that will mean the destruction of the human race! The only thing that can prevent Armageddon is a genius from the past -- but can even the great John Dee save humanity from itself?

"Oliver Twist is one of the most well-known stories ever told, about a young orphan who has to survive the mean streets of London before ultimately being rescued by a kindly benefactor. But it is his friend, the Artful Dodger, who has the far more intriguing tale, filled with more adventure and excitement than anything boring Oliver could possibly get up to. Throw in some vampires and a plot to overthrow the British monarchy, and what you have is the thrilling account that Charles Dickens was too scared to share with the world."-- Publisher description.

What may we become? How will we endure? The future is a daunting realm, filled with real and imagined perils. So enter it prepared! Here are vivid tales about possible tomorrows, from the keen eye and colorful pen of David Brin, a modern master of speculative fiction. Visit a chillingly plausible tomorrow, when prisoners may be sent to asteroidal gulags. Or might prisons vanish and felons roam, seeing only what society allows? Suppose, amid lavish success, we gain the superpower to fly! Will we even appreciate it… or will we find new reasons to complain? In "Mars Opposition," you'll experience an alien invasion like no other, confronting humanity with a stark and terrible choice… followed by several more tales of conquest from beyond, each of them wildly different. On the other hand, might fantastically potent new beings emerge out of ourselves, as revealed in "Chrysalis”? Featuring guest appearances by Gregory Benford, Jules Verne, and Galileo, this adventure takes you beyond the very singularity in “Stones of Significance,” pondering what could happen after humans are like gods. And “Reality Check” asks one of you readers – just one of you – to wake up! Tomorrow awaits. We can face it and prevail. So long as our stance is brave INSISTENCE OF VISION.

"Two expertly crafted crime stories set in a far-future science fiction universe, from two award-winning authors known for their gripping plots and unforgettable characters-a short novel and a long novella that will thrill fans of space adventures, mystery, and intergalactic intrigue in this Saga Double"-- Provided by publisher.

An Alternate History adventure... From Turkish dominated Europe, across the high seas to the land of opportunity-the Aztec Empire- Dan Beauchamp is a young Englishman whose heart longs for fortune and adventure. But industrial Mexico is a long way from primitive Britain, and Dan has a lot to learn. From the city of London-better known as New Istanbul-to the untamed wilderness of North America lies a high adventure not to be missed.

From million-copy bestselling author David Baddiel comes a laugh-out-loud and inspiring new adventure for all readers of 8 and up that is ahead of its time - 1,001 years ahead, to be precise... The year is 3020. Pip@256X#YY.3_7 is lonely and bored: she goes to virtual school on her G-Glasses, she only has a talking cat and parrot to hang out with, and she can't even leave her LivingSpace due to the extreme heat and floods outside. Until the day that Pip explores a glowing ring in a lab and finds herself in a warehouse, in 2019. Where she meets boy-inventor Rahul - who is also lonely and bored. Together, Rahul and Pip are no longer lonely. But they have a whole load of new problems, including hiding talking animals from Rahul's parents, and finding a way back to the future. Plus - just maybe - saving the world... Future Friend is a terrifically entertaining time-slip adventure that combines action, laugh-out-loud humour and the importance of friendship, in a story that asks the question - what would happen if your best friend came from the future?

This Crowded Earth is a taut and compelling story about an all too possible future. Earth is overcrowded and its resources are being taxed to the limit. The government has a desperate plan, but will it work and at what price? By the author of Psycho and Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper

One of SF's most beloved rogues: the Stainless Steel Rat! Slippery Jim DiGriz is the Stainless Steel Rat: the galaxy's greatest interstellar thief and con artist. For novel upon novel, the Rat has outfoxed the forces of conventionality, cutting a stylish swathe through dozens of star systems-and stealing the hearts of thousands of readers. Now three of the Rat's greatest exploits are collected in a single volume. In A Stainless Steel Rat Is Born , we see the origin and early days of Jim DiGriz's brilliant criminal career, as our underworld hero is forced to work for the Good Guys. Conscripted again in The Stainless Steel Rat Gets Drafted , this time into a planetary army, the Rat must avenge the murder of his mentor-in-crime. And in The Stainless Steel Rat Sings the Blues , Slippery Jim must retrieve a missing alien artifact, while disguised as a futuristic rock-and-roller...or forfeit his life.

Presents a collection of short works, including "The Martian Child," "Dancer in the Dark," and "Chess with a Dragon."

The thrilling sequel to Cloning Miranda and The Second Clone . When Miranda is accused of vandalism on school property, she's confident she can clear her name - until she's shown the security tapes. Even she can't tell that the girl on the tapes isn't her, or her cloned "twin" sister Ariel. Miranda must fight to clear her name or face being expelled, and possibly charged by the police. But one way or another, she knows she can't tell the truth to the authorities, or share her suspicions about the real culprit. Meanwhile, Dr. Mullen, her creator, has called a press conference to announce that he is the first scientist ever to create a living human clone. Could the girl on the security tape be yet another Mullen-made Miranda clone? Or could it be Eve, the dying third clone that Mullen kidnapped? No matter what, it looks like Miranda and Ariel are about to face the biggest challenge of their lives.

The opening episode of the adventures of USS Excalibur, in which Captain Calhoun must venture into the domain of the vicious Thallonians. The Thallonian empire has recently collapsed with the result that world after world is descending into disorder and self-destruction.

The latest volume in the acclaimed Heiresses of Russ series features stories that are anything but invisible: the women in these tales are not hiding and are not easily overlooked but rather are choosing the harder path, the more dangerous route, whether that leads to love or loss or adventure. Included in these pages are stories that have won a World Fantasy Award, a Tiptree Award, and a British Fantasy Award...but every one of these stories chosen by guest editor A.M. Dellamonica (herself an award-winning writer of queer speculative fiction) is emblematic of the new vitality to be found in lesbian-themed tales of wonder, the eerie, and the miraculous.

Valley of Dreams is set on Mars and is the sequel to Weinbaum's highly regarded "A Martian Odyssey." It takes place shortly after the events recounted in the first story with many of the same characters. A hopeful story about a Mars that never was. Join Dick Jarvis and "Frenchy" Leroy as they explore an ancient Martian city and make unexpected discoveries.

First American hardcover publication. Written in 1985, it is the first story in the "Stainless Steel Rat" universe timeline.

Armchair fiction presents extra large paperback editions of the best in classic science fiction novels. "Search the Sky" is by two of science fiction's best known authors--Frederik Pohl and C. M. Kornbluth. Ross wanted off. He had been born and had spent his life on Halsey's Planet, far beyond our universe. But something was wrong with the society there, something he couldn't quite name--a feeling of breakdown and detrition. Then one of the rare spaceships came through from Earth, after a journey of several hundred years. When the descendents of the original crew stepped out and told their story, the spark was provided and Ross was off on a mission. Other planets in these outer reaches--also peopled by colonists from Earth--had failed to respond to the spaceship's signals. Maybe the breakdown on Halsey had already affected them. Ross was given the chance to find out. It was an odd mission. He didn't even know what he was looking for. But he had to go.