Science fiction and fantasy anthology
From vampires and werewolves to space exploration and time travel, you will
love these 12 original and diverse stories because they were selected by
some of your favorite authors.
In the world of speculative fiction…
Your favorite authors…
Have selected best new voices of the year.
24 Award-winning Authors and Illustrators
3 Bonus Short Stories by Kevin J. Anderson • L. Ron Hubbard • S.
M. Stirling
Art and Writing Tips by Lazarus Chernik • L. Ron Hubbard •
Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Edited by Dean Wesley Smith • Jody Lynn Nye
16-page color gallery of artwork • Cover art by Tom Wood
Check out the stories Brandon Sanderson, Orson Scott Card, Nnedi Okorafor,
Robert J. Sawyer, Kevin J. Anderson, Jody Lynn Nye and others chose as the
best of the best.
Be amazed. Be amused. Be transported … by stories that take you by
surprise and take you further and deeper into new worlds and new ideas than
you’ve ever gone before….
Twelve captivating tales from the most exciting new voices in science
fiction and fantasy accompanied by three from masters of the genre.
A miracle? An omen? Or something else? One day, they arrived in
droves—the foxes of the desert, the field, the
imagination….—“Kitsune” by Devon Bohm
When a vampire, a dragon and a shape-shifting Chihuahua meet on a beach in
Key West, fireworks go off! But that’s just the
background.—“Moonlight and Funk” by Marianne Xenos
The Grim Reaper, trapped in an IRS agent’s dying body, must regain
his powers before he dies and faces judgment for his original
sin.—“Death and the Taxman” by David Hankins
In a metaverse future, a woman who exposes falseness in others must decide
what is real to her—the love she lost or the love she may have
found.—“Under My Cypresses” by Jason Palmatier
Vic Harden wasn’t lured by glory on a daring mission into the reaches
of outer space—he was ordered out there by his
editor.—“The Unwilling Hero” by L. Ron Hubbard
Dangerous opportunities present themselves when an alien ship arrives in
the solar system seeking repairs.—“White Elephant” by
David K. Henrickson
With her spaceship at the wrong end of a pirate’s guns, a former war
hero must face down her enemies and demons to save Earth’s last best
chance for peace.—“Piracy for Beginners” by J. R.
Johnson
Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I., faces one of his funniest and most perplexing
cases ever—an enlightened ogre, a salamander with low self-esteem, and
a raging fire dragon terrorizing the Unnatural Quarter!—“Fire in
the Hole” by Kevin J. Anderson
Years after the Second Holocaust, the last surviving Jews on earth attempt
to rewrite the past.—“A Trickle in History” by Elaine
Midcoh
When I said I’d do anything to pay off my debts and get back home to
Earth, I didn’t mean survey a derelict spaceship at the edge of the
solar system—but here I am.—“The Withering Sky” by
Arthur H. Manner
High-powered telescopes bring galactic life to our TVs, and network tuner
Hank Enos figures he’s seen everything—until the day an alien
boy stares back.—“The Fall of Crodendra M.” by T. J.
Knight
Knights, damsels and dragons, curses and fates foretold—the stuff of
legends and stories, but unexpectedly perverse.—“Constant
Never” by S. M. Stirling
Determined to save his wife, Tumelo takes an unlikely client through South
Africa’s ruins to the heart of the Desolation—a journey that
will cost or save everything.—“The Children of Desolation”
by Spencer Sekulin
When a terrorist smuggles a nuclear weapon into London, a team regresses in
time to AD 1093 to assassinate a knight on the battlefield, thereby
eliminating the terrorist a millennia before his
birth.—“Timelines and Bloodlines” by L. H. Davis
The Grand Exam, a gateway to power for one, likely death for all
others—its entrants include ambitious nobles, desperate peasants, and
Quiet Gate, an old woman with nothing left to lose.—“The Last
History” by Samuel Parr
You will love this collection of the best new voices in science fiction and
fantasy because, as Locus magazine puts it, “Not only is the writing
excellent…it is also extremely varied. There’s a lot of hot new
talent.”
Purchase Links
Bookshop.org (to support Indie bookshops)
