Mature 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.

I first saw the Folk when I was a little boy, when they started appearing in my garden, with their unnatural, cruel beauty and honeyed words and veiled taunts. I grew up with big green eyes watching me from the forest. Whispers from the trees. Shimmering skin darting between the bushes. Black creatures always lurking in the shadows. While they were here, I thought nothing of them. It wasn’t until they were gone that I realise it wasn’t…normal. But it isn’t until I’m twenty-one, when my life is in ruins, that they come back to take me away.

No electricity. No running water. No food. No end in sight. If life as you knew it changed in an instant, would you be prepared? In A. American’s first novel, Going Home, readers were introduced to Morgan Carter, the resourceful, tough-as-nails survivalist who embarks on a treacherous 250-mile...

Amanda Bryant has been a spy for five long years, but when aliens suddenly appear claiming a deadly enemy threatens Earth’s very survival, Amanda is asked by her superiors to accept the most dangerous mission of her life…volunteer to be an alien’s bride, to share the strange warrior’s bed, and then betray him. Accepting the assignment, Amanda is processed as the first Interstellar Bride and transported halfway across the galaxy to her new mate’s battleship where she awakens to discover she has been matched to not just one huge Prillon warrior, but two.

எனது இரண்டு வருட உழைப்பில் உருவான நாவல் இது. நான் மிகவும் மூழ்கிப்போய், ஒரே நினைப்பில் ஒரு விஞ்ஞானியை போல் பல மாதங்கள் ஆராய்ச்சி செய்து எழுதிய கதை என்றும் கூறலாம்.

Ian and Braden Thomas return to the United States to extract Katie Buchanan, the sister of the teammate who betrayed them. She could very well be the key to taking down the man responsible for turning Ian and Braden into unstable cat shifters. Unfortunately, they're not the only ones after Katie. Katie has no intention of going quietly or of offering her trust on a silver platter. She's got troubles of her own that don't include two pain-in-the-ass men who claim her dead brother sent them. She's too busy trying to stay one step ahead of Ricardo de la Cruz, the brother of a man she killed.

I will break out of Darkmore Penitentiary. But I was a fool to think that it would be so simple. And now with more and more Fae relying on me to get them out of this slice of hell, I find myself unable to do a damn thing. Mason Cain stabbed me in the back and left me to rot in the dark. So now I have another goal in mind before I escape this place, because no one messes with the Queen of the Oscura Clan and lives to tell the tale. The moment I get out of here, my sights will be set on him.

Jacob and his band of succubi have made it to the Fourth Circle of Hell, but that was the easy part. In order to defeat Azazel on his own home turf, Jacob will need to hone his powers and level up before he takes on the Demon Lord of War. And what better way to do that than competing in demonic jousts, going head to head with the dragon Leviathan, and giving the Circle’s most renowned pirate a run for his money? The throne is so close, and Jake’s going to do whatever it takes to seize it.

An incubus disguised as a high school girl puts a disturbing spin on the teacher/student fantasy. An engineer creates a robot with unexpected consequences during the end of the world. A man becomes the pet of alien invaders. From stories of aliens in other worlds to those living among us, these tales will move you out of your comfort zone and open you up to experiencing something - or someone - completely different.

It’s finally happened. I’ve surrendered myself to my father and the beasts who would pay to own me. I did it to protect my friends and my mates, but I’d NEVER guessed that the one mate who resented me the most would betray me so brutally.

A new Civil War is brewing. With the city of Bewelcome as its headquarters, Allan Pinkerton’s Detective Agency leads a siege on Hex City, the town founded by “Reverend” Asher Rook and his consort, the Mayan goddess Ixchel. Monsters prowl the battleground, rocket trails of spells crisscross the sky, and an unnatural rain falls. Sides must be taken, but Pinkerton-agent-turned-outlaw Ed Morrow, spiritualist Yancey Kloves, and even Rook must choose what ruin or redemption means to each of them. Meanwhile, Chess Pargeter gears up for the greatest fight of his life—and death.

Two Spicy Stories in one book. In Having the Dae’mon’s Baby, Ketha decides to skip the Contraception Center and get pregnant the old fashioned way—by letting her new Kindred Bodyslave penetrate her. But will she get more than she bargained for? In Her Kindred Dom, Addison decides she wants her stern Kindred boss as her Daddy Dom, but will the big Beast Kindred give her more than she can handle?

Wenn er dich berührt, bist du tot! Düstere, packende Urban Fantasy in Londons dunklen Ecken für Fans von Laura Kneidl und Sarah J. Maas. "Die Macht der Liebe kann Monster erschaffen oder das Einzige sein, was sie besiegt." Wenn die Schatten sich erheben, lauf! Die junge Willow hätte die Warnungen besser beherzigen sollen, als sie den Job in dem verstaubten Buchladen in der hintersten Ecke Londons annahm. Denn offensichtlich hat Mr. Hunt, der merkwürdige alte Ladenbesitzer, ein Geheimnis.

Resurrected to dominate or die again, Andric was much like anyone else, further along in his life than he wanted to be—much further along and waiting to finally become the main character of his own story. Fate had a funny joke for him, though. He died. Unexpectedly, he was given the strangest of plot developments—he resurrected in what seemed to be a GACHA game, being given another chance on another world, one where he could redefine himself, starting with an unknown class, of all things. Andric can only roll with it, since there isn’t another choice. It’s time to start again.

Акреон - последний город на Земле. В нем правят свои законы и порядки, а Харди Кейн стоит на страже его безопасности. Единственное, что отделяет город от кромешного ада - высокий барьер. И однажды Харди окажется по ту сторону. Там не выживают. Единственный, кто может помочь вернуться обратно, еще вчера был врагом.

Andrew hunts monsters as a member of the Non-Human Investigative Corps, and he's very good at his job. Unfortunately, the skills he honed to keep the peace aren't much use in the cutthroat world of city politics, and a recent civil ruling is forcing the integration of the once exclusively human NHIC!

After making several profitable deals, it was time to go back through the Twurgh Gate and return to Earth. Alvin and Gothy had been surprised to learn that the newest member of their harem was a princess, but neither was willing to leave Desiree behind. Once they were back on Earth, Alvin proposed a new destination, much to the amusement of his companions. They all agreed and went south out of Colorado, into New Mexico. The road south led them back to old friends in new places; Johnny, the native shaman from Bridgeport, was in Ignacio and in desperate need of help.

Twenty-four hours later, Brawley is a power mage with two incredible women and one hell of a mission statement. Next stop: Miami, where flesh mages party hard in Heaven and Hell, an underground nightclub featuring wild sex and brutal fighting side-by-side. If Brawley opens his Carnal strand, he’ll gain super strength, speed, and healing. Meanwhile, everyone is hunting him, including mafia hit men, government agents, and a voluptuous bounty hunter harboring a dark secret only Brawley can solve...if he lives that long.

Rowan Callahan is a career-climbing attorney. But vicious - and false - rumors are destroying her professional life. That all ceases to matter when a plane crashes in downtown Chicago and the entire city goes dark, and she realizes she’s just witnessed the kick-off to the apocalypse. Armed with a backpack of supplies, she leaves Chicago, intent on resetting her skewed priorities and seeking shelter at the family farm with her father and sister. She’s injured and running for her life when she stumbles directly in the crosshairs of two men who just might be her salvation.