Science Fiction Space Thriller

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.

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.

Psychiatrist Dr. Madeline Wyle (Chastain) has staked everything on a truth no one will believe: that the people being taken, and changed, hold the key to what's coming. Now she confronts Resident 9 (Mandy Patinkin), a mysterious man with impossible knowledge of her past, while a former NASA scientist (Michael Shannon) surfaces with evidence of an alien artifact. At the same time, John Lewin (Bobby Cannavale) will do anything to shield his supernaturally gifted daughter, Sophie, from those who want to control what she's becoming.

Earth has fallen under the influence of the Fermion Party, whose members believe humanity’s future lies in the metaverse, a simulated environment to which people can upload their consciousness to become immortal. As a simulant, one cannot get sick, grow old, or die. Human beings have no business risking their lives in the betaverse, where injury and illness can kill them. And those who wish to explore beyond the solar system blaspheme what the Fermions believe is the natural order.

As the Project enters its final phase, air force majors Carson and Ourecky are dispatched on an urgent mission to intercept and investigate a massive orbiting object suspected of harboring nuclear weapons. Emotionally exhausted, with his marriage teetering on the brink, Ourecky reluctantly accepts the assignment; in return for his sacrifice, he is promised an opportunity to go to MIT to pursue the PhD he has long desired.

Set in the wake of a galaxywide war and the destruction of a human empire, The Dangerous Type follows the awakening of one of the galaxy's most dangerous assassins and her quest for vengeance. Entombed for 20 years, Raena has been found and released. Thallian has been on the lam for the last 15 years. He's a wanted war criminal whose entire family has been hunted down and murdered for their role in the galaxywide genocide of the Templars.

It's the mid-21st century. The oceans are rising, the world's population is growing, terrorist organizations are running rampant, and it has become readily apparent that humanity's destructive nature is at the heart of the matter. When all faith in humanity seems lost, a startling proposal is announced: Solomon Chavez, the mysterious son of the world's first trillionaire, announces that he, backed by a consortium of governments and wealthy donors, will build an interstellar starship.

Pandora's Star is the first part of Peter F. Hamilton's epic Commonwealth Saga duology – a fantastic galaxy-spanning novel from the master of space opera. For fans of Iain M. Banks and Alastair Reynolds. At the edge of the galaxy something awakens – and it's coming for us . . . Earth AD 2329...

Read by Peter Kenny, award-winning narrator of the Culture series by Iain M. Banks. In a ravaged near-future England, a private detective with psychic powers might be the last hope standing between mankind and total collapse. Mindstar Rising is the first cyberpunk thriller in Peter F. Hamilton's...

They could find a bright future . . . or the end of everything. From Peter F. Hamilton, The Evolutionary Void is the startling conclusion to the Void trilogy, set in the world of the Commonwealth Saga. Millions of Leaving Dream pilgrims have boarded ships, and are speeding towards the Void at...

Cal Bennett runs on one rule: Never stay in one place longer than eleven days. It's not paranoia—it's math. Ever since he struck Softbiotics, he's been a marked man. Their enforcers don't negotiate. They don't quit. And they're always one jump behind. His only edge is Byte, a cutting-edge AI...

Living busily on Planet Earth, we rarely remember that we actually inhabit only a miniscule part of the universe. In The Planets and the Solar System, Jen Green paints the wider picture, and takes us on a journey across billions of kilometers in our galaxy, from our Sun to near and distant planets. Some, like Mercury, have a molten core surrounded with crust and spins quickly; Jupiter, on the other hand, is a big ball of gas.

Unknown aliens attack Earth. Their planet is uncharted, mysteriously having avoided detection for centuries. It's a world packed with the most vicious aliens humanity has yet to encounter. James McGill has discovered: Death World.

Drew Williams continues the Universe After series with A Chain Across the Dawn, an epic space opera chase across the galaxy with witty banter, fantastical planets, and a seemingly unbeatable foe. "The only thing more fun than a bonkers space battle is a whole book packed with bonkers space...

"[Narrator Brittany Pressley's] narrative abilities bring each character to life...in this pulse-pounding space opera. Science fiction fans will be riveted from the opening to the epic conclusion." — AudioFile Magazine, Earphones Award Winner The Stars Now Unclaimed by Drew Williams is a fun...

The torturer Severian continues his journey of exile to the city Thrax, carrying with him the ancient executioner's sword and the Claw of the Conciliator, a gem of extraterrestrial power and beauty which no one man is meant to possess . . . Winner of the Nebula Award for best novel...

Auf der dunklen Seite des Mondes, 1973. Drei Astronauten sind in einem winzigen Apollo-Modul gefangen, aber nicht jeder an Bord ist der, der er zu sein scheint. Houston 1973. Bei der NASA laufen die Vorbereitungen für die Apollo 18 Mission auf Hochtouren. Ziel der Mission ist es, Gesteinsproben auf der Mondoberfläche zu sammeln.

The revolution that won Coyote's independence from Earth is 20 years past. Coyote's aging computers, aircraft, and medical equipment are badly in need of replacement. And the colony's survival is in question. Now the colony's hard-won independence depends on the descendants of Coyote's original settlers-versus help from Earth that may be more of a detriment than a boon.

Im Auftrag der Zefren Company führt Nea Bergungsoperationen durch, die sie in die entlegensten Regionen der Galaxis führen. Bei ihrer aktuellen Mission trifft sie auf Iona. Die Scavengers. So nennt man die Banden von Glücksrittern und Abenteurern, die in den Hinterlassenschaften zahlreicher Kriege nach Schätzen und Geheimnissen suchen.

In der endlosen Wüste des roten Planeten kämpfen die Geschwister Rian und Endren Tara ums nackte Überleben. Auf der Suche nach Wasser stoßen sie in einer Höhle auf ein vergessenes Habitat tief unter der Marsoberfläche. Unterirdische Kammern und ein künstlich erhaltener Lebensraum zeugen von Orchestra on Mars, einem geheimen Terraforming-Projekt aus einer anderen Zeit. Als sich ihre Wege kreuzen, beginnt eine Jagd zwischen Kuppel und Wüste, zwischen Kontrolle und Freiheit – mit Konsequenzen für das gesamte Leben auf dem Mars.