Showing titles in Science Fiction

Before Ness, before Corny, before Leopold and Heckle and Mac, there was just Shax and Verin and a newly stolen, er, acquired cargo ship. Join Shax on his first adventure in space in which a pampered demon prince has a lot to learn. When a steel trap of celestial and infernal politics threatens to close around them, Shax and Verin flee Earth’s system in a stolen ship, leaving everything behind. It’s an elegantly simple plan, with a new ship and a new life as carefree brigands.

In the year 2092, climate change has transformed the face of Earth. Storms, disease, famine, thirst, and war show no mercy on the living. Sharon Clausen, a self-reliant farmer, has a secret apple tree - a tree that keeps Sharon and her wife, Eve, fed. The only other people who know of her secret, or so she thinks, is Dr. Ryan, a long-time confidant, and his wife, Areva. Once a month, Sharon and Eve travel from Maine to Boston to trade apples with Dr. Ryan for Eve’s leukemia treatment. Everything suddenly changes when Eve is kidnapped and the Ryan’s are murdered.

Valentine Weis is a salvager in the future wastelands of Utah. Wrestling with body dysphoria, he dreams of earning enough money to afford citizenship in Salt Lake City—a utopia where the testosterone and surgery he needs to transition are free, the food is plentiful, and folks are much less likely to be shot full of arrows by salt pirates. But earning that kind of money is a pipe dream until he meets the exceptionally handsome Osric.

Jupiter J’nell just wanted a place to belong since their own family kicked them out while they were still in high school. They thought they had found their place in Long Beach, CA, working as an educational consultant on games designed for autistic kids. Being autistic themselves and an avid gamer, it was their dream job. Instead, they were too autistic, and the West Coast was not as accepting as they had hoped. Would they ever find a place they could belong? Fired and more uncertain of themselves than ever, they were contacted by a mysterious individual...

Cambridge, 2018. Ana and Luis's relationship is on the rocks, despite their many similarities, including mothers that both fled El Salvador during the war. In her search for answers, Ana uses The Defractor, an experimental device that allows users to peek into alternate versions of their lives. What she sees leads her and Luis on a quest through Havana and San Salvador to uncover the family histories they are desperate to know, eager to learn if what might have been can fix what is.

Orin sells dandelion latex at a no-name market, barely scraping by. Mette is a princess. Maybe. What Orin does know is that for 30 seconds every night, Mette visits Orin in xir dreams. Orin has long since written the fancy ghost woman off as a recurring nightmare, but when Mette insists upon meeting in real life, Orin's inner world turns out to be more substantive than imaginary. Along with best friend Blathnaid, Orin embarks on a journey to discover the truth behind xir otherworldly connection—determined to free xir mind and finally get a good night's sleep.

Fifty-five years have passed since 4,000 women escaped a tyrannical Earth and colonized the planet of Maternas. The women of the Unity have brought children into their world, the first in the history of humankind to inherit a legacy of ultimate freedom and possibility.

Linguist Elios Campbell is thrilled to be granted flight time in a Colonial Guard fighter jet, until he catches sight of his pilot. Spending time with Sender Kinnison holds even more appeal than the flight itself.

This short story follows two ex-employees of an online gaming company as they struggle to find their way in a dystopian future that has no mercy for the weak. They have each other's backs as they go on a snack run. Heather and Emma have the munchies. Things just got real.

This post-apocalyptic dystopian short story follows Elizabeth, a mechanical and chemical engineer who used to work for a rapid prototyping firm. She uses the skills from her former life to provide for her and the woman she took under her protection, Melissa. The two seem to thrive in adverse conditions to bring semi-modern conditions to their hidden camp. But even after the world ends, you sometimes need something pretty.

In acclaimed author Steve Berman's second collection of 13 stories and essays, he again guides listeners through the darker pathways of his imagination. These are stories of regret: the scent of loneliness enticing odd children to eat away a fussy caretaker's historic house; a depressed accountant turns to monster hunting; and a young lover's temptation by handsome nursery rhyme. After each tale Berman provides a tangential author note that offers insight into his past trysts as well as his fears and dreams.

Death doesn't come easily for Muerta, but we’re determined to stop her - even if we have to tear down the Abaddon Asylum and the whole damn planet in the process. But, it turns out, she's not alone. As we pursue her across the planet, we learn she's here for someone...and that her escape is all part of a much bigger plan. Tensions are high among the team. Luckily for us, making new friends and having a blast killing supervillains helps take the edge off - as does finding new ways to explore my powers. Enjoy!

Captain Maximillian Blair had always hoped to discover there was life on other planets. His job at one of the government's most secure research facilities put him in the position to learn the truth, one way or another. When he met a stranger from the stars, he didn't expect to be charged with discovering the man's secrets at any cost. Or to fall in love. How deadly would the truth prove to be? And can his love be the world's salvation or will it be its damnation?

Neek makes a living piloting the dilapidated tramp transport Mercy’s Pledge and smuggling questionable goods across systems blessed with peace and prosperity. She gets by - but only just. In her dreams, she is still haunted by thoughts of Ardulum, the traveling planet that long ago visited her homeworld. The Ardulans brought with them agriculture, art, interstellar technology...and then disappeared without a trace, leaving Neek’s people to worship them as gods.

The planet wakes. Atalant is torn between two worlds. In uncharted space, head of a sentient planet, the new eld of Ardulum now leads the religion she once rejected. Emn is by her side but the Mmnnuggl war brewing in the charted systems, threatening her homeworld of Neek, cannot be ignored. Atalant must return to the planet that exiled her in order to lead the resistance.

The Charted Systems are in pieces. Mercy's Pledge is destroyed, and her captain dead. With no homes to return to, the remaining crew sets off on a journey to find the mythical planet of Ardulum - a planet where Emn might find her people, and Neek the answers she's long sought. Finding the planet, however, brings a host of uncomfortable truths about Ardulum's vision for the galaxy and Neek's role in a religion that refuses to release her.

Becky Chambers meets Firefly in this big-hearted Korean space opera debut about a disgraced space pilot struggling to find her place while fighting to protect the people she loves. “A thrilling, transportive ride from a powerful and evocative new voice.” —Lena Waithe, Rishi Rajani, and...

Code Jumpers...skilled hackers who meet strict criteria, are the traffickers of the new world. Guns, drugs, just about anything else you might need or want in the heavily moderated base game world of Re.Generation, the Code Jumpers can get it for you. As one of the very few people in the US who can dive into Re.Generation without getting stuck, Eddie is one such Code Jumper.

Beulah’s sharp words cause Meredith to reexamine her past actions. In Coldwater, Kirk and Ammon find a varied collection of people, including a few bad apples. Liza finds herself some temporary comfort. Sparks fly between Michael and Montana. Doris and her ghoulish children take over at the Church of the Second Coming. Isaiah and Andre plot their escape. Amber gets good news. Kirk reels from the mounting emotional pressure coming from Ammon. April, Shasta, and Lorenzo get used to life at Ghost Lake. Logan comes to a decision. Lauren makes a shocking discovery.

George is finally getting ready to discuss adoption with his husband. Leon, unfortunately, can take a lot of time to warm up to an idea. Meanwhile, George has been having disturbing dreams of medical procedures on an alien spaceship, and soon after that he starts experiencing strange symptoms. It isn't long before his baffled doctor gives him a diagnosis - George is pregnant! With the pregnancy comes a whole host of new issues. He's determined to make things work for his growing family, though.