Science Fiction Exploration

BOBIVERSE TO-DO LIST: Determine who built a vast wormhole network–and why; Crack faster-than-light travel; Help tens of thousands of refugees find a new planet; Confront a new threat from an old enemy; Figure out how to save the known universe from certain destruction.

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.

A PARTY TURNS PERILOUS... The emperor sends Hiro and his crew to the Empire's border with the Belbellum Federation. There, Hiro quickly discovers how tough it is to get along with Count Ixamal, the local imperial authority. That's not the only unpleasant surprise: Before long, Hiro attempts to destroy some space pirates who turn out to have equipment way more powerful than he counted on! Even attending a party isn't safe under these circumstances, as Hiro learns when he and Serena are kidnapped from one of the count's soirees.

With the demise of the Gangi Dynasty, galactic politics are fracturing. The Emperor is restructuring his efforts to unite the people around his singular rule while the opposition looks for alternative options. Many of those are turning to the Green Empire and Grand Admiral Aatroxiss's new seat of power on Prime, but behind the buzz between these two polar opposites another hand is at work...and about to reveal itself to the galaxy in dramatic fashion.

In his last life, Liam lived as a moral, responsible person...but died deep in debt and betrayed by his wife. Reborn into the ruling family of a vast interstellar empire, Liam knows that life is divided between the downtrodden and the ones who do the stomping, so this time he's going to take what he wants and live for himself. But somehow, things refuse to work out that way. Despite doing his best to become a tyrant, Liam's decisions lead to nothing but peace and prosperity for the empire under his rule, and he just gets more and more popular!

Astronaut Lee Rifkin's life is about to change. NASA has done the math. The space object named Cassandra 22007 is not behaving as expected. He will lead a team on a cutting-edge ship to get a closer look. But another group wants to get there first. Who is this shadow organization that seems to be one step ahead of them? Agent Jenna Haynes works to put together the pieces that will pull the veil off those who seem to have known about Cassandra's arrival since long before NASA spotted it. What is their goal?

When young Tad Thatcher told his grandfather he wanted to command a starship like he did, his grandfather took him seriously. He taught his grandson everything he knew. Fast forward over two decades, and a young Space Fleet officer's dream becomes reality: he's made captain of a starship…just in time for the return of humanity's most terrible enemy, after 50 years of peace.

From the multi BSFA award-winner comes a stunningly inventive action-packed science-fiction epic adventure. A brand-new series for fans of Becky Chambers and Ann Leckie. Seventy-five years from today, the human race has been cast from a dying Earth to wander the stars in a vast fleet of...

Watch out - the Earth just fell into a dark sun's orbit! Or maybe you'd rather visit a theme park called Hell? These are just two of the strange and unnerving tales you'll find in this collection of great science fiction and fantasy stories.

A cease-fire that has lasted seven years... Worlds half-destroyed that have been rebuilt anew... Friends and crewmates scattered light-years apart... New leaders that would be kings... The Jung threat has been renewed, in ways not imagined. It will take a new savior to inspire the masses, and once again lead those willing to fight against oppression. But who will the new savior be?

If you like your space adventures with a side of sarcasm and a cargo hold full of questionable life choices, Ray Guns and Late Fees delivers. Ride shotgun with a pair of blue-collar spacers as they sail through the stars, patching together jobs with duct tape and stubborn optimism. Out here, pirates aren’t legends, they’re coworkers you haven’t shot at yet. Every deal comes with fine print written in plasma fire, every port hides someone looking to cheat you, and every “simple haul” has a nasty habit of turning into a running gunfight before the coffee gets cold.

Newly discovered technology is brought back to Earth after a salvage mission. Many promises are made with this new tech, but the embedded tech goes terribly wrong. Now mankind faces a hostile alien takeover.

Commander Scott McNabb and the remaining crew of the ill-fated Hermes survey ship, journey to Earth to an area formally known as death valley, now an irradiated wasteland. Their mission is to connect the quantum intelligence, Athena, into the pan-solar communications network, enabling the QIs to rollback control of Earth by the seven and their AI servants. But their shuttle is damaged as it enters Earth’s atmosphere and it lands far from their intended location.

Lynesse la quarta figlia è una giovane e impavida principessa con il dono di finire sempre in mezzo a qualche guaio. Quando però il regno viene attaccato da un demone, sa che l'unico modo per salvare il suo popolo è appellarsi al patto stipulato fra la sua famiglia e lo stregone Nyrgoth l'antico. Ma Nyrgoth non ha nulla di magico; è in realtà un antropologo terrestre inviato sul pianeta Sophos 4 per studiare la società postcoloniale di Lynesse e per raccogliere dati sulla storia e sulla cultura del posto, senza interagire con gli abitanti per nessun motivo.

Aliens ripped a hole above Earth, arriving with a massive space station. I sorta figured we'd be enslaved to fight in their wars or exterminated for our resources. Nope. The hip-high Iglax were merchants with ugly squished faces and thick blue fur. While they weren't much to look at, they sure did have some wonderous technology.

From terraformed outposts to magical realms, journey to worlds where deadly plants, rampant biodiversity, or failed colonies have created irresistible opportunities for those brave enough to seize them. New worlds, found family, mystical secrets, and deadly science weave together in this lesbian-centric anthology focusing on a very different kind of first time - a first encounter with a world, or being, entirely unlike our own.

Bloomsbury presents The Redemption of Time by Baoshu, read by Bruno Roubicek Published with the blessing of Cixin Liu, The Redemption of Time extends the astonishing universe conjured by the Three-Body Trilogy. Death is no release for Yun Tianming – merely the first step on a journey that will...

It seemed the unthinkable had happened. Someone had actually targeted the Ghalian, an order of assassins known and feared across the systems. It was madness. Only a fool would go after the likes of them. But, it seemed, the galaxy had no shortage of fools. Retaliation most bloody was in order, and one man stood ready to spring into action. Hozark was his name, and he was no ordinary man. He was a Master Ghalian, an assassin skilled in the ways of death. Practical, mechanical, magical, to him it made no difference.

THE ONLY THING LEFT IS VENGEANCE… Dispossessed in the Battle of Tukayyid, former Com Guard soldier Jeremiah Rose wants nothing more than to strike back at the Clans who destroyed his ’Mech and his career. But dreams of swift vengeance turn to nightmares when every effort he makes to rejoin the fight to protect the citizens of the Inner Sphere is rejected. Forced to win a new BattleMech by fighting on the game world of Solaris VII, Rose recruits other soldiers from the arenas to create a new mercenary unit and take his fight back to the invaders.

With The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume 3, award-winning editor Neil Clarke provides a year-in-review and 27 of the best stories published by both new and established authors in 2017.