And the Winner Is: Award Winning Fantasy, Science Fiction, & Horror from Tachyon
The Adventures of Mary Darling
Pat Murphy
Who is Mary Darling? In this subversive take on both Peter Pan and Sherlock Holmes, a daring mother is the populist hero the Victorian era never knew it needed. "Murphy has a flair for description that brings every aspect of the setting vividly into focus."--SF Site Mary Darling is the innocent young girl who was once kidnapped by Peter Pan. Mary is now the pretty wife whose boring husband is befuddled by her independent ways. But one fateful night, Mary becomes the distraught mother whose three children have gone missing from their beds. After her well-meaning uncle John Watson contacts the greatest detective of his era (but perhaps not that great), Mary is Sherlock Holmes's prime suspect in her children's disappearance. To save her family, Mary must escape London--and an attempt to have her locked away as mad--to travel halfway around the world. Despite the interference of Holmes, Mary gathers allies in her quest: Sam, a Solomon Islander whose village was destroyed by contact with Western civilization; Ruby, a Malagasy woman on an island that everyone thinks is run by pirates (though it's actually run by women); Captain Hook and the crew of the Jolly Roger; and of course, Nana, the faithful dog and nursemaid. In a witty and adventurous romp, The Adventures of Mary Darling draws on the histories of women and people indigenous to lands that Britain claimed, telling the stories of those who were ignored or misrepresented along the way.
show moreAfter the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall
Nancy Kress
2012 Nebula Award Winner 2012 Locus Award Winner 2013 Hugo Nominee 2013 Sturgeon Award Nominee In the year 2035, all that is left of humanity lives in the Shell. No one knows why the Tesslies attacked in 2014, devastated the environment, and nearly destroyed humanity. Or why the aliens imprisoned twenty-six survivors in a sterile enclosure built on the barren remains of the Earth. Fifteen-year-old Pete, one of only six children born in the Shell, is determined to lead humanity to a new beginning. But Pete struggles to control his anger as, one by one, the survivors sicken and die. Although the Earth appears to be slowly healing, the Shell’s inhabitants may not live long enough to see it. The only chance for humanity lies within brief time portals. Peter and the survivors hatch a desperate plan: to increase their numbers by abducting children from the past. In the year 2013, a brilliant CIA consultant sees a pattern in seemingly unrelated kidnappings. As Julie Kahn’s predictive algorithms reveal that the world is in imminent danger, she discovers that she may also play a role in its possible rebirth. Julie and Pete are rapidly converging in time—a chance encounter between them may be the Earth’s only hope.
show moreApes of Wrath
Rick Klaw, Editor
Archer Thresher is cursed to make his shifter gorilla uncontrollably explode in a fit of rage, forcing him to flee, and finds himself in Misfit Bay. There, he meets the most incredible woman, his mate, at the worst possible time of his life. Unemployed and desperately in need of a reset, Camille Guidry visits her cousin, the owner of the historic Saint Laurent Hotel in Misfit Bay. Once she lays eyes on the hot new guy in town, she realizes how much fun she's been depriving herself of. Sparks fly when Archer and Camille hookup, lust at first sight. The only problem is that at any minute, his shifter side could erupt and kill his newfound mate. When he seeks help from the town's infamous witch trio, one spell is broken but another is activated which leads his enemies straight to Misfit Bay.
show moreThe Asylum of Dr. Caligari
James Morrow
“No one does history-meets-the-fantastic like Morrow. The Asylum of Dr. Caligari is a great example—Impressionism versus expressionism, psychology in the asylum of ‘dreams,’ the weaponization of art, big laughs and big ideas, a wild imagination, and smooth, subtle writing.” —Jeffrey Ford, author of A Natural History of Hell It is the summer of 1914. As the world teeters on the brink of the Great War, a callow American painter, Francis Wyndham, arrives at a renowned European insane asylum, where he begins offering art therapy under the auspices of Alessandro Caligari—sinister psychiatrist, maniacal artist, alleged sorcerer. And determined to turn the impending cataclysm to his financial advantage, Dr. Caligari will—for a price—allow governments to parade their troops past his masterpiece: a painting so mesmerizing it can incite entire regiments to rush headlong into battle. The Asylum of Dr. Caligari is a timely tale that is by turns funny and erotic, tender and bayonet-sharp—but ultimately emerges as a love letter to that mysterious, indispensable thing called art.
show moreBurn
James Patrick Kelly
Nebula Award Winner Hugo Award Nominee Featuring a new afterword from the author “Burn is James Patrick Kelly at his best, and there’s nothing better.” —Connie Willis, author of Doomsday Book The tiny planet Morobe's Pea has been sold and renamed Walden. The new owner has some interesting ideas. Voluntary simplicity will rule in the Transcendent State; Walden is destined to become a paradise covered in lush new forests. But even believers find temptations in the black markets; non-believers are willing to defend their ideals with fire. Walden's only hope may lie with a third option: a very unlikely alien intervention. In Burn, James Patrick Kelly (Think Like a Dinosaur) delivers an innovative, entertaining, and morally-complex vision of the perils of idealism.
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Central Station
Lavie Tidhar
A worldwide diaspora has left a quarter of a million people at the foot of a space station. Cultures collide in real life and virtual reality. The city is literally a weed, its growth left unchecked. Life is cheap, and data is cheaper. When Boris Chong returns to Tel Aviv from Mars, much has changed. Boris' ex-lover is raising a strangely familiar child who can tap into the datastream of a mind with the touch of a finger. His cousin is infatuated with a robotnik--a damaged cyborg soldier who might as well be begging for parts. His father is terminally-ill with a multigenerational mind-plague. And a hunted data-vampire has followed Boris to where she is forbidden to return. Rising above them is Central Station, the interplanetary hub between all things: the constantly shifting Tel Aviv; a powerful virtual arena, and the space colonies where humanity has gone to escape the ravages of poverty and war. Everything is connected by the Others, powerful alien entities who, through the Conversation--a shifting, flowing stream of consciousness--are just the beginning of irrevocable change. At Central Station, humans and machines continue to adapt, thrive ... and even evolve.
show moreDreams of Distant Shores
Patricia A. McKillip
Featuring three brand-new stories and an original introduction by Peter S. Beagle, author of The Last Unicorn. Bestselling author Patricia A. McKillip (The Riddle-Master of Hed) is one of the most lyrical writers gracing the fantasy genre. With the debut of her newest work, Dreams of Distant Shores is a true ode to her many talents. Within these pages you will find a youthful artist possessed by both his painting and his muse and seductive travelers from the sea enrapturing distant lovers. The statue of a mermaid comes suddenly to life, and two friends are transfixed by a haunted estate. Fans of McKillip’s ethereal fiction will find much to delight them; those lucky enough to be discovering her work will find much to enchant them.
show moreEmerald Circus
Jane Yolen
2018 World Fantasy Award winner “The best book I’ve read in a long time.” —Brandon Sanderson, author of Mistborn Where is Wendy? Leading a labor strike against the Lost Boys, of course. In Jane Yolen’s first full collection in more than ten years discover new and uncollected tales of beloved characters, literary legends, and much more. A Scottish academic unearths ancient evil in a fishing village. Edgar Allan Poe’s young bride is beguiled by a most unusual bird. Dorothy, lifted from Kansas, returns as a gymnastic sophisticate. Emily Dickinson dwells in possibility and sails away in a starship made of light. Alice’s wicked nemesis has jaws and claws but really needs a sense of humor. Enter the Emerald Circus and be astonished by the transformations within. -- Jane Yolen
show moreThe Essential Horror of Joe R. Lansdale
Joe R. Lansdale
Joe R. Lansdale is known for his gritty mysteries (the Hap and Leonard series) and his eccentric horror (Bubba Ho-tep), for which he has won ten Bram Stoker Awards. He is also cited by many of horror's most acclaimed writers as a huge influence upon them: Stephen Graham Jones, Josh Malerman, Gabino Iglesias, Brian Keene, and Joe Hill, who contributes an original introduction to this collection. Lansdale's horror stories mash up crime, Southern Gothic, fantasy, and science fiction, filtered through a raw, violent world of dark humor and unique characters. He was one of the first horror writers to portray American racism not as abstract or impersonal, but as realistic, intimate, in-your-face, and impossible to ignore. In Lansdale's nightmarish visions, discover psychotic demon nuns, a god fueled by hatred, a psychopathic preacher, a weed-eater wielding blind man, cannibals, 80-year-old Elvis, undead strippers, flying ghost fish, elder gods, possessed cars, and the worst evil of all: man.
show moreThe Four Profound Weaves
R.B. Lemberg
Two transgender elders must learn to weave from Death in order to defeat an evil ruler--a tyrant who murders rebellious women and hoards their bones and souls--in the first novella set in the award-winning queer fantasy Birdverse universe "I am staggered by the richness and intricacy of R. B. Lemberg's imagination. The Four Profound Weaves is an intense and emotional story of a journey of change, growth, and courage." --Kate Elliott, New York Times bestselling author of the Court of Fives trilogy Wind: To match one's body with one's heart Sand: To take the bearer where they wish Song: In praise of the goddess Bird Bone: To move unheard in the night The Surun' nomads do not speak of the master weaver, Benesret, who creates the cloth of bone for assassins in the Great Burri Desert. But aged Uiziya must find her aunt in order to learn the final weave, although the price for knowledge may be far too dear to pay. Among the Khana in the springflower city of Iyar, women travel in caravans to trade, while men remain in the inner quarter, as scholars. A nameless man struggles to embody Khana masculinity, after many years of performing the life of a woman, trader, wife, and grandmother. As his past catches up, the man must choose between the life he dreamed of and Uiziya - while Uiziya must discover how to challenge the evil Ruler of Iyar, and to weave from deaths that matter. In this breathtaking debut set in R. B. Lemberg's beloved Birdverse, The Four Profound Weaves hearkens to Ursula Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness, and offers a timeless chronicle of claiming one's identity in a hostile world. About the Birdverse The Birdverse is the creation of fantasy author R. B. Lemberg. It is a complex, culturally diverse world, with a range of LGBTQIA characters and different family configurations. Named after its deity, Bird, Birdverse works have been nominated for the Nebula award, longlisted for the Hugo award and the Tiptree award, placed in the Rhysling award, won the Strange Horizons readers' poll, and more. The Four Profound Weaves is the first full-length work set in the Birdverse.
show moreThe Freeze-Frame Revolution
Peter Watts
“This—THIS—is the cutting edge of science fiction.” —Richard K. Morgan, author of Altered Carbon How do you stage a mutiny when you're only awake one day in a million? How do you conspire when your tiny handful of potential allies changes with each job shift? How do you engage an enemy that never sleeps, that sees through your eyes and hears through your ears, and relentlessly, honestly, only wants what's best for you? Trapped aboard the starship Eriophora, Sunday Ahzmundin is about to discover the components of any successful revolution: conspiracy, code—and unavoidable casualties. Note from the publisher: The red letters in the print edition (highlighted letters in the e-book) indicate special bonus content.
show moreHow to Fracture a Fairy Tale
Jane Yolen
“This collection is Jane Yolen at her best. This is magic.”—Patricia C. Wrede, author of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles Fantasy icon Jane Yolen (The Devil’s Arithmetic, Briar Rose, Sister Emily’s Lightship) is adored by generations of readers of all ages. Now she triumphantly returns with this inspired gathering of fractured fairy tales and legends. Yolen breaks open the classics to reveal their crystalline secrets: a philosophical bridge that misses its troll, a spinner of straw as a falsely accused moneylender, the villainous wolf adjusting poorly to retirement. Each of these offerings features a new author note and original poem, illuminating tales that are old, new, and brilliantly refined.
show morePortable Childhoods
Ellen Klages
“Brilliant stories.” —Cory Doctorow, author of Little Brother “There are so many smart, sweet, funny, troubling treats here about so many things—childhood, chefs, God, barber shops, the atomic bomb—that it’s nearly impossible to pick a favorite. Just read them all! They’re great!“ —Connie Willis, author of To Say Nothing of the Dog This long-awaited first short fiction collection from Scott O'Dell award-winning author Ellen Klages (The Green Glass Sea), offers a tantalizing glimpse of what lies hidden just beyond the ordinary. Described by reviewers as timeless, delightful, chilling, and beautiful, this is short fiction at its best, emerging from a distinctive, powerful voice. Includes the Nebula Award–winning novelette “Basement Magic” as well as the story that became The Green Glass Sea.
show moreReading the Bones
Sheila Finch
What can bones tell us about past lives? Do different bone shapes, sizes, and injuries reveal more about people's genes or about their environments? Reading the Bones tackles this question, guiding readers through one of the most hotly debated topics in bioarchaeology. Elizabeth Weiss assembles evidence from anthropological work, medical and sports studies, occupational studies, genetic twin studies, and animal research. Examining the most commonly utilized activity pattern indicators in the field, she reevaluates the age-old question of genes versus environment. While cross-sectional geometries frequently inform on mobility, Weiss asks whether these measures may also be influenced by climate-driven body shape adaptions. Entheseal changes—at the locations of muscle attachments—and osteoarthritis indicate wear and tear on joints but are also among the best predictors of age and can be used to reconstruct activity patterns. Weiss also examines the most common stress fractures, such as spondylolysis and clay-shoveler's fracture; stress hernias or Schmorl's nodes; and activity indicator facets like Poirier's facets, Allen's facets, and Baastrup's kissing spines. Probing deeper into the complex factors that result in the varying anomalies of the human skeleton, this thorough survey of activity indicators in bones helps us understand which markers are mainly due to human biology and which are truly useful in reconstructing lifestyle patterns of the past.
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Shambling Towards Hiroshima
James Morrow
In the summer of 1945, war is reigning in the Pacific Rim while Syms Thorley continues his life as a B-movie actor. But the Navy would like to use Thorley in their top-secret Knickerbocker Project, putting the finishing touches on the ultimate biological weapon: a breed of gigantic, fire-breathing, mutant iguanas. Thorley must don a rubber suit that will transform him into the merciless Gorgantis, and star in a film that simulates the destruction of a miniature Japan. If the demonstration succeeds, the Japanese will surrender, sparing thousands of lives; if it fails, the mutant lizards will be unleashed.
show moreThe New Voices of Fantasy
Peter S. Beagle and Jacob Weisman, Editors
What would you do if a tornado wanted you to be its Valentine? Or if a haunted spacesuit banged on your door? When is the ideal time to turn into a tiger? Would you post a supernatural portal on Craigslist? In these nineteen stories, the enfants terribles of fantasy have arrived. The New Voices of Fantasy captures some of the fastest-rising talents of the last five years, including Sofia Samatar, Maria Dahvana Headley, Max Gladstone, Alyssa Wong, Usman T. Malik, Brooke Bolander, E. Lily Yu, Ben Loory, Ursula Vernon, and more. Their tales were hand-picked by the legendary Peter S. Beagle (The Last Unicorn) and genre expert Jacob Weisman (The Treasury of the Fantastic). So go ahead and join the Communist revolution of the honeybees. The new kids got your back.
show moreThe Very Best of F&SF 2
Gordon Van Gelder, Editor