The editors of Galactic Geographic magazine are proud to present this new annual volume containing the best and most exciting articles and illustrations from another year during which humanity and its fellow species from other worlds have continued to explore the worlds and mysteries of our galaxy. This handsome collector's volume brings together for the first time the best of Karl Kofoed's hugely popular and long-running feature in Heavy Metal magazine. Some 200 color illustrations illuminate an enchanting text depicting our species' advance through the galaxy alongside our companions in the Galactic Federation - the Tsailerol, the Noron, and most recently the just-encountered species, WO. There are extended features on bizarre mysteries of the cosmos, on the strange lifestyles of the creatures found in even stranger worlds, on the music of other species, and much more. All gorgeously illustrated by a master hand, this highly imaginative book offers ideas for a thousand science-fiction novels.

The stories in this collection imaginatively take readers far across the universe, into the very core of their beings, to the realm of the Gods, and to the moment just after now. Included are the works of masters of the form and the bright new talents of tomorrow. This book is a valuable resource in addition to serving as the single best place in the universe to find stories that stir the imagination and the heart.

Tom Easton has served as the monthly book review columnist for Analog Science Fiction for almost three decades, having contributed during that span many hundreds of columns and over a million words of penetrating criticism on the best literature that science fiction has to offer. His reviews have been celebrated for their wit, humor, readability, knowledge, and incisiveness. His love of literature, particularly fantastic literature, is everywhere evident in his essays. Easton has ever been willing to cover small presses, obscure authors, and unusual publications, being the only major critic in the field to do so on a regular basis. He seems to delight in finding the rare gem among the backwaters of the publishing field. "A reviewer's job," he says, "is not to judge books for the ages, but to tell readers enough about a book to give them some idea of whether they would enjoy it." And this he does admirably, whether he's discussing the works of the great writers in the field, or touching upon the least amongst them. This companion volume to "Periodic Stars" (Borgo/Wildside) collects another 250 of Easton's best reviews from the last fifteen years of "The Reference Library." No one does it better, and no other guide provides such lengthy or discerning commentary on the best SF works of recent times. Complete with Introduction and detailed Index.

FACT: 1884. US Newspapers report the capture of Bigfoot by a train crew. They call the Sasquatch Jacko and say: "He resembles a human being with one exception; his entire body, apart from his hands and feet, is covered in hair. He possesses extraordinary strength." FACT: 1884. Bigfoot mysteriously disappears, presumably back into the wild. FACT: 1880s. James Gilchrist Swan, one of the most distinguished pioneers of the American North West, spends much time in the wilderness and records Native American folklore and mysteries in his journal. FACT: There is still a $1,000,000 reward for information leading to the capture of Bigfoot. THE STORY: In 19th Century America, young railroad hand Johnny and best friend Joko are on the run - from all mankind. Because the price on Joko's head is higher than that for the capture of any Wild West outlaw. He's Sasquatch; one of the last surviving members of the legendary and elusive Bigfoot race . a goldmine for unscrupulous circus and freak show owners. For a while, Johnny evades their relentless hunters by protecting Joko in civilization by passing him off as a moonstruck teenage boy. But when their stalkers get too close for comfort, the desperate runaways take to the wilds, where their roles are reversed, as Joko becomes Johnny's protector. In the wilderness, they meet the famous frontiersman James G. Swan, who takes them under his wing. But can a cunning disguise and modern education prepare the young Bigfoot for a place in the human race? Much more than a spellbinding adventure for readers of all ages: master story-teller Karl Kofoed seamlessly blends fact and myth to look at the world from two vastly different points of view and examine what it really means to be 'human'. At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).

Alex Rose thought he was through with space exploration. He had explored the unknown depths of Jupiter's Great Red Spot and made the greatest discovery of his time, a reef of life full of strange inhabitants. Now he and his wife, the lovely Sensor clone Mary Seventeen, lived a quiet and happy life on Ganymede. But their contentment was shattered by a summons to participate in an even greater challenge: the first faster-than-light mission to another star. Fleeing an Earth divided by war, the first starship Goddard, a gigantic self-contained biosystem with a crew of over a thousand, was to travel to the red dwarf Lalande on its maiden voyage. Alex and Mary, with their shuttle Diver, would call on their experiences in Jupiter's reef to explore an ancient gas giant orbiting the star. Since a reef of complex and possibly intelligent life had naturally evolved on Jupiter, what alien life - or even civilizations - might have developed on a much older planet? The answer they find proves to be a stranger and more perilous adventure than even Alex and Mary could have imagined. At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).

Alex Rose was a miner on Jupiter's sulfur moon Io. But it wasn't the job that attracted him, nor the money. The Great Red Spot on the giant planet had been calling to Alex all his life, and he knew in his heart that something beneath its swirling clouds was alive and waiting to be discovered. Even if it cost Alex everything, he was determined to find it. So begins the first chapter of the fantastic travels of Alex, his unique and beautiful companion Mary Seventeen, and his crew, aboard a shuttle called Diver. This action-filled TRILOGY is the first science fiction series by artist Karl Kofoed, who is best known for his lavishly illustrated documentary-styled Galactic Geographic series which appeared in Heavy Metal magazine. Like his illustrated work, Jupiter's Reef presents the reader with a palpable sense of a world that is as alien to humans as it is full of wonder and surprises. It is sure to be enjoyed by readers both young and old who enjoy stories of exploration, romance, danger and intrigue. At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).

THE FUTURE OF THE WORLD IS AT STAKE! Terrorists have buried nuclear weapons deep in the massive Antarctic Ross Ice Shelf and threaten to detonate them -- causing worldwide tidal waves and a catastrophic rise in the oceans -- if the free world doesn't pay a huge ransom. Climatologist Henry Scott Gibbs, out on the ice shelf studying the aurora, interrupted the terrorists in their lethal task. They shot him and left him for dead, but somehow he survived. Now, as the only witness, he holds the key to saving the world from the disaster. In the company of a navy SEAL task force and FBI staffer Sarah French he joins the desperate search for the maniac who threatens global destruction. The hunt takes him from the snows of Antarctica to the final bloody climax in a remote Andean hacienda. Breathlessly exciting, this epic adventure leads Gibbs on a personal quest too -- a quest to discover friendship, true love, and the untapped depths of his own courage. At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).

Widely regarded as the essential book for every science-fiction fan, The Mammoth Book of Best New SF 17 continues to uphold its standard of excellence with more than two dozen stories from the previous year. This year's volume includes not just a host of established masters but also many bright, young talents of science fiction. It embraces every aspect of the genre - soft, hard, cyberpunk, cyber noir, anthropological, military and adventure. Plus the usual thorough summations of the year and a recommended reading list.

Every 3rd issue is a quarterly cumulation.