Contemporary Science Fiction

The science fiction genre has become increasingly influential in mainstream popular culture, evolving into one of the most engaging storytelling tools we use to think about technology and consider the shape of the future. Along the way, it has also become one of the major lenses we use to explore important philosophical questions. The origins of science fiction are most often thought to trace to Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein, a story born from a night of spooky tale-telling by the fireside that explores scientific, moral, and ethical questions that were of great concern in the 19th century - and that continue to resonate today.

The best science fiction scrutinizes our culture and politics, examines the limits of the human condition, and zooms across galaxies at faster-than-light speeds, moving from the very near future to the far-flung worlds of tomorrow in the space of a single sentence. Neil Clarke has selected the short science fiction (and only science fiction) best representing the previous year's writing, showcasing the talent, variety, and awesome "sensawunda" that the genre has to offer.

At long last, humanity has moved beyond Earth and begun seeding new worlds. Colonies extend across the solar system, from Luna to Mars to Saturn's satellite Titan. Even Jupiter's moon Europa has become home to a couple thousand brave souls willing to risk their lives adapting to its frozen and deadly landscape.

Treasure Girl, jeevan ko daanv par lagaakar apane sapane ko haasil kar lene kee kahaanee hai. Ŏkalainḍa (nyoozeelainḍa) kee rahane vaalee ek ladakee ‘chelsee’, jisakaa khvaab duniyaa kee sabase badee ŏrkiyolŏjisṭ bananaa hai. Ek roj vah sapanaa dekhatee hai ki ŏkalainḍa se hajaaron meel door, bhaarat ke praacheen shahar banaaras ke paas, ek bahut puraane mndir men ka_ii sau saal puraane sone ke sikkon kaa khajaanaa (ṭrejar) dabaa huaa hai.

Strange things exist on the periphery of our existence, haunting us from the darkness looming beyond our firelight. Black magic, weird cults, and worse things loom in the shadows. The Children of Old Leech have been with us from time immemorial. And they love us.... Donald Miller, geologist and academic, has walked along the edge of a chasm for most of his nearly 80 years, leading a charmed life between endearing absent-mindedness and sanity-shattering realization. Now, all things must converge.

Working as a quality-assurance grunt in the gaming industry sounds like fun, right? You get to play the coolest new games before anyone else. And all you have to do is to find, reproduce, and report bugs before the last pixel is locked in and the games are launched to an eager public. Sure, there’s the unpaid overtime, the office politics, and the ever-present threat of layoffs. But you get to game!

The Youngbloods are a mafia-like demon family, sent as a sinister advance team to prepare Earth for an infernal invasion. But when something goes wrong, the demon invasion never comes and the Youngbloods are stuck on crappy Earth with the worst creatures in the world—each other. Petra Youngblood is the family’s hunter. Her job: to track and kill the annual human sacrifice that keeps the Youngbloods immortal. Otherwise, they will crumble to dust. But as Petra is hunting down this year’s sacrifice, a man named Killian Irons, she breaks the first demonic rule.

The Youngbloods are a dysfunctional family from hell—literally. The mafia-like demon family got stranded on Earth during an infernal invasion gone wrong and have spent eons maintaining a fragile peace. But Petra Youngblood has strained the family bonds by breaking a cardinal rule: falling in love with a human. And not just any human: the sacrifice required to keep her family immortal. Even worse, the sacrifice, Killian Irons, is part of the secret society hell-bent on killing her family.

Life sucks. Gabe Harris has been clued into this fact for a long time now. In his mid-twenties, life has been nothing but low paying jobs, petty power-tripping bosses, and the worst roommates mankind has to offer. Bills, debt, and misery have haunted him for his entire adult life and, to make matters worse, it feels like his dream of being a writer is dead on arrival. One fateful night, he decides to take control of his life and make his dream a reality.

All I wanted was a burrito. My name is Brandon Ferryman. I went out one night to get a burrito. Who knew that such a simple thing would change my life, or end it? I woke up on the side of the road with some pumpkin-headed monster saying he was the god of death, fate, and justice. I was chosen to run a very special establishment. A place that lay between worlds. A place called the Coffin Hotel. Now I have to fight monsters, free spirits, and run a mystical hotel. I'm clearly not qualified, but when has that ever stopped anyone from doing anything.

A call from a distraught wife, and another from Lt. Murphy of the Chicago PD Special Investigation Unit makes Harry believe things are looking up, but they are about to get worse, much worse. Someone is harnessing immense supernatural forces to commit a series of grisly murders. Someone has violated the first law of magic: Thou Shalt Not Kill. Tracking that someone takes Harry into the dangerous underbelly of Chicago, from mobsters to vampires....

As a mafia-like demon family trapped on Earth, the Youngbloods have seen their share of family drama...but it’s never been like this before. While they battle the secret society trying to destroy them, Petra Youngblood must choose who she loves most. Will her loyalty lie with her family or with Killian Irons, the human she’s fallen in love with, whose family is hell-bent on eradicating her own? Complicating matters further, a long-hidden secret is about to come to light. Ora Youngblood has been holding out on the clan.

The Earth is dying. Humanity - over-breeding, over-consuming - is destroying the very planet they call home. Multinational corporations despoil the environment, market genetically modified crops to control the food supply, and use their wealth and influence and private armies to crush anything, and anyone, that gets in the way of their profits. Nothing human can stop them. But something unhuman might. Once they did not fear the sun. Once they could breathe the air and sleep where they chose.

In a perfect world where everyone destroys everything and eats human flesh, one zombie has had enough: Buck Burger. When he rebels at the natural disorder, his marriage starts deteriorating and a doctor prescribes him an anti-depressant. Buck meets a beautiful green-haired pharmacist fairy named Fairy_26 and quickly becomes a pawn in a cold war between zombies and supernatural creatures.

Tom dorme con gli occhi aperti, rannicchiato nella sua solita posizione. Órla osserva il suo compagno nel letto. Tom. Chi è Tom? Un uomo cui piacciono la birra, la palestra, le donne. Forse. Tom è anche il coinquilino di Daniel, che lavora in un seminterrato in cui, come in un laboratorio segreto, una prodigiosa stampante 3D è in grado di riprodurre qualsiasi cosa. Ora Tom è ossessionato da un diario del XIX secolo nel quale, tra un appunto e l'altro, si riporta la testimonianza di un omicidio. In effetti, da quando ha iniziato a leggere quel diario Tom non è più lo stesso.

Every facet of Ivy Pierce's life is meticulously planned out. Cynical and jaded by 16, Ivy's only hope is to escape the legacy she was born into. She has a plan, a carefully thought out escape plan. She just has to play by the rules until everything falls into place. Unfortunately, as predictable as her life can be, she never sees Ryder Sutton coming. He tumbles into her life, unimpressed and untouched by her and the rules she's forced to live by. He's an enigma to her. A gorgeous, frustrating, sincere mystery in the ugly prison of her life.

Esiste, in una dimensione parallela, un mondo chiamato Liiandris: ha la stessa conformazione della Terra, ma secoli di guerre e cataclismi magici l’hanno deformata senza pietà. Dopo la distruzione dello Zentir, la struttura del Velo che divide i due mondi si sta indebolendo e le scorribande di antiche creature attraverso nuovi Varchi si fanno sempre più minacciose.

The second novel of the Codex of Souls furthers explores the strange occult world first introduced in Lightbreaker. Mark Teppo’s vision of a magical underworld is a non-stop adventure that continues to bring new light to the occult origins of our history. Markham returns to Paris where he lost his love, and nearly his life. The ancient order of manipulative magicians that once cast him out is now in turmoil...a turmoil made all the greater by the swaths of destruction that Markham tried to avert.

Greta ha poco più di vent’anni e un buco nero nel proprio passato. Da piccola è apparsa dal niente sulla spiaggia di un paese della riviera spezzina e nessuno ha mai capito di chi fosse figlia. L’hanno trovata zuppa e arrabbiata che urlava al mare, poi niente, nessuno l’ha reclamata. Dopo qualche passo falso, ad adottarla e crescerla lontano nell’hinterland milanese è una famiglia con due genitori che sembrano quasi fratelli. Ha studiato, mollato gli studi, si è impiegata e ripiegata sui soliti lavori di chi una strada vera e propria non è riuscito a trovarla.

Ma vie de changeling est merdique, voilà. Et encore, je ne peux même pas me transformer à cause de ce foutu poison dans mes veines. J'aurais eu deux semaines de tranquillité si j'avais décidé de rester sagement sous la protection de Kyle, un loup-garou très sexy qui a décidé qu'il était mon preux chevalier. Évidemment, je n'ai pas tenu plus de deux heures. Évidemment, j'ai foncé droit dans la gueule du loup (oh oh, c'est le cas de le dire). Et maintenant ?