The story presented here offers an episode dating back to a time before any of the Majipoor novels published so far — a period more than four thousand years before Valentine’s time, more than three thousand years before Prestimion. But its setting is ten thousand years after the time of the first human settlement, and the early history of Majipoor is already becoming legendary.

On Majipoor — an immense world teeming with alien races and fantastic magical machinery, a certain Valentine wakes up one morning with only a vague and troubled idea of who he is. His dreams suggest he is the ruler of Majipoor — but no one believes him… so far.

In the galactic war with the Rigelians, every allied system counts, so Earth sends the Peccable to contact the gnorph of planet Fafnir for a treaty. But there’s a Rigelian ship landing at the same time, so the two enemies must compete for the natives’ favor, rather like the Federation and the Klingons did in the classic Star Trek episode Friday’s Child.

divpContents:br/ppIntroduction · Robert SilverbergbrTomorrow’s Children · Poul Anderson amp; F. N. Waldrop · nv Astounding Mar 1947 brIt’s a Good Life · Jerome Bixby · ss Star Science Fiction Stories #2, ed. Frederik Pohl, Ballantine, 1953 brThe Mute Question · Forrest J Ackerman · vi Other Worlds Sep 1950 brLet the Ants Try · Frederik Pohl · ss Planet Stories Win 1949 brThe Conqueror · Mark Clifton · ss Astounding Aug 1952 brLiquid Life · Ralph Milne Farley · nv Thrilling Wonder Stories Oct 1936 brHothouse · Brian W. Aldiss · nv Famp;SF Feb 1961 brOzymandias · Terry Carr · ss Again, Dangerous Visions, ed. Harlan Ellison, Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1972 brThe Man Who Never Forgot · Robert Silverberg · ss Famp;SF Feb 1958 brGinny Wrapped in the Sun · R. A. Lafferty · ss Galaxy Aug 1967 brWatershed · James Blish · ss If May 1955/p/div

Humans have emerged to reclaim the Earth after the Long Winter. But they never anticipated the battle that awaited them . . . As Earth thaws after the Long Winter, the remaining human tribes journey from beneath the continent to the fertile land above. But the hjjk, an ancient insectlike race that remained on Earth's surface throughout the frozen eons, stand in their way. Keeping a tight grip on their power, the hjjks are the chief barrier to the people's further expansion in the New Springtime. When Kundalimon, a human who has lived with the hjjk for seventeen years, arrives as an emissary of peace, the tribes are wary. They rely on Nialli Apuilana, who had been stolen at thirteen by the hjjk and released months later, to ascertain his true mission. But in this new world, it's hard to know whom to trust. As both sides prepare for war, the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. The Queen of Springtime is the second book of the New Springtime series, which begins with At...

First published in 1981 collection The best of Omni Science Fiction no.2. Originally written for 1975 UCLA seminar called “10 Tuesdays Down a Rabbit Hole”, held by Harlan Ellison and other science fiction authors. The seminar was about writing a collection of science fiction short stories by different authors, all taking place on the same fictional planet Medea. It was an experiment in collaborative science-fictional world-building, featuring contributions by Hal Clement, Frank Herbert, and others. The complete cycle was published ten years later as Medea: Harlan’s World (Bantam Spectra, 1985, ISBN 0-553-34170-7).

THIS WAY TO THE END TIMES: Classic Tales of the Apocalypse, gathers 21 compelling, gripping stories of the not-too-distant demise of the earth as we know it. And what a collection. From little-known, brilliant tales by sci-fi legends Jules Vernes and Olaf Stapledon, to intense short works by sci-fi masters Ursula K. Le Guin, Connie Willis, Jack Vance, and Brian W. Aldiss, to haunting works by contemporary authors Dale Bailey, Alvaro Zinos-Amaro, Karen Haber and Megan Arkenberg, THIS WAY TO THE END TIMES paves the road to the fantastical future, alternating humor with grit, and hope with ghastly post apocalyptic visions. Guest editor Robert Silverberg—beloved sci-fi master—hand-picked each story, and offers an introduction to each, as well as an introduction to the anthology as a whole. A unique collection for longtime and new fans of speculative fiction, THIS WAY TO THE END TIMES roars into the future wide-eyed and full speed ahead.Complete list of...

The great anthology of short novels by the masters of modern fantasy.Robert Jordan relates crucial events in the years leading up to The Wheel of Time in "New Spring."Ursula K. Le Guin adds a sequel to her famous books of Earthsea, portraying a woman who wants to learn magic, in "Dragonfly."Tad Williams tells a dark and enthralling story of a haunted castle in the age before Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, in "The Burning Man."Terry Pratchett relates an amusing incident in Discworld, of a magical contest and the witch Granny Weatherwax, in "The Sea and Little Fishes."At the publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management software (DRM) applied.

This release features edgy new stories by hot new talents, and old favorites from Paul Anderson, Ted Chiang, and Ursula K. Le Guin. Silverbarg and Haber say it best: "The present anthology is intended to show reach and range as it is demonstarted nowadays in the shorter forms of fiction."

From Robert Silverberg’s “Earthmen and Strangers” anthology, 1966: The German word “ gestalt” means “shape” or “pattern,” but it also has the sense of “group” or “formation.” The science-fictional concept of the gestalt mind has frequently been examined—the intelligence that includes more than one individual. On Earth, the rule of one-body-one-intelligence seems to hold true, but who knows what we may find on other worlds? We already know of some simple creatures, like the corals and sponges, that exist in colonies numbering many individuals. Such Unkings are purely physical; the possibility exists, though, that on another planet some higher form of life may have developed a colony of linked minds. What it would be like to encounter such a form of life is considered in this story.