A MEGABYTE BLOW-OUT IN 21ST CENTURY BOSTON... He awoke in a body bag, his brain fried, a black hole where his memory should be. If not for the cool carbon-fiber blade concealed in his arm, he would've been dead for sure. But Michael Bishop—a.k.a. Babel, messiah of the Matrix—is back in the game. Renraku Computer Systems has defied the accords of the Corporate Court. Now they must decipher the secrets of the otaku—and Babel is the technoshaman reborn for the job. But netwalking in the shadows of the electron jungle means an initiation into deadly megacorporate intrigue—and discovering more about Babel's own team than he fears he should know. As allies become adversaries, Babel breaks through the dreaded black ice security to find a doorway to the future—and signs of a corp war looming on the horizon—one that could destroy the technoworld and beyond...forever.

Presents annotated lists of fantasy titles, grouped by subgenre, with interest levels, and award indicators; and includes a discussion of fantasy, providing a historical overview and working definition of the genre.

New York Times bestselling author Daniel Suarez imagines a chilling future where technological advances are held hostage by the government in this thriller that perfectly blends “nail-biting suspense with accessible science” (Publishers Weekly). Physicist Jon Grady and his team have discovered a device that can reflect gravity—a triumph that will revolutionize the field of physics and change the future. But instead of acclaim, Grady’s lab is locked down by a covert organization known as the Bureau of Technology Control. The bureau’s mission: suppress the truth of sudden technological progress and prevent the social upheaval it would trigger. Because the future is already here. And it’s rewards are only for a select few. When Grady refuses to join the BTC, he’s thrown into a nightmarish high-tech prison housing other doomed rebel intellects. Now, as the only hope to usher humanity out of its artificial dark age, Grady and his fellow prisoners must try to expose the secrets of an unimaginable enemy—one that wields a technological advantage half a century in the making.

From the pages of Electronic Musician magazine come these words of wisdom from Scott Wilkinson. He bridges the information gap between beginner and high-end user as he demystifies the decibel, explains SCSI secrets, and makes sense of MIDI. Other topics include the principles of digital audio, effects processors, microphones and more. You'll also get two glossaries: one general and the other packed with Internet terms.

RUNNING WILD IN THE STREETS... Pícaro is a street kid living in the slums of Tenochtitlan, resigned to his dead-end life, and just trying to survive until the next day. But when his grandmother falls ill, he throws in with drug pushers to try and earn enough money to save her, until he gets what he thinks is an even better idea—robbing his connection. Betrayed by a former friend, Pícaro is turned over to the most powerful street gang in the barrio, and expects a quick death. Instead, he is made one of them, and when his own magical ability begins to emerge, Pícaro realizes there’s more to life than just survival. But as he delves deeper into the gang’s motives, and their charismatic, mysterious leader Serpiente, Pícaro soon learns that the gang has its own darker plan for the neighborhood…and if he doesn’t take a stand against them, it could mean the destruction of everything he holds dear…

AGE IS MORE THAN JUST A NUMBER Keandra’s been around for a long time, outliving most Shadowrunners twice over. With a legacy of runs under her belt, she has the solid reputation and wisdom that comes with surviving the shadows longer than most. Looking for a way to cash in on her street cred, Keandra comes up with a novel idea: Why not set herself up as a Johnson? With her rep, she could take on the high-paying jobs, act as the in-between, and collect payment with no risk? With her rep, she could take on high paying jobs and farm them out to other capable teams, minus a small cut as a finder’s fee. Everyone wins, and no one’s the wiser…unless someone makes the wrong call. And when a run goes south, Keandra and her team must scramble to salvage more than just their reputations. They are thrust into a situation which could start a new world war, and have to figure out who to trust, and fast…but trust is hard to come by in the shadows…

SCIENCE FICTION, FANTASY, HUMOR The Unidentified Funny Objects series delivers an annual dose of funny, zany, and unusual science fiction and fantasy stories. All-new fiction from the genre's top voices! * A long time ago in a galaxy close enough not to violate any copyrights, the clone army fighting for the side of the evil empire is made up of a bunch of bros named Chad. * Can a couple of wise guys from New Jersey broker a sit down between two groups of warring aliens? * Witness an epic battle of mad science vs. dark magic. * US presidents elected in 1860 and 1960 were both assassinated. What's going to happen to whoever's elected in 2060? * Beware the dragon polite enough to return your drone after it breached the barriers between worlds and bonked him on the snout.