The last human in the universe must battle unfathomable alien intelligences—and confront the truth about humanity—in this ambitious, galaxy-spanning debut “A good old-fashioned space opera in a thoroughly fresh package.”—Andy Weir, author of The Martian “Big ideas and believable science amid a roller-coaster ride of aliens, AI, superintelligence, and the future of humanity.”—Dennis E. Taylor, author of We Are Legion Most days, Sarya doesn’t feel like the most terrifying creature in the galaxy. Most days, she’s got other things on her mind. Like hiding her identity among the hundreds of alien species roaming the corridors of Watertower Station. Or making sure her adoptive mother doesn’t casually eviscerate one of their neighbors. Again. And most days, she can almost accept that she’ll never know the truth—that she’ll never know why humanity was deemed too dangerous to exist. Or whether she really is—impossibly—the lone survivor of a species destroyed a millennium ago. That is, until an encounter with a bounty hunter and a miles-long kinetic projectile leaves her life and her perspective shattered. Thrown into the universe at the helm of a stolen ship—with the dubious assistance of a rebellious spacesuit, an android death enthusiast on his sixtieth lifetime, and a ball of fluff with an IQ in the thousands—Sarya begins to uncover an impossible truth. What if humanity’s death and her own existence are simply two moves in a demented cosmic game, one played out by vast alien intellects? Stranger still, what if these mad gods are offering Sarya a seat at their table—and a second chance for humanity? The Last Human is a sneakily brilliant, gleefully oddball space-opera debut—a masterful play on perspective, intelligence, and free will, wrapped in a rollicking journey through a strange and crowded galaxy.

In a world ruled by machines, a young robot encounters a girl who needs help in this children’s sci-fi adventure—soon to be a major motion picture! Humans went extinct thirty years ago. And twelve-year-old robot XR_935 is just fine with that. Without humans around, there is no war, crime, or pollution. Everything runs smoothly and efficiently. Until the day XR discovers something impossible: a human girl named Emma. Now, Emma, XR, and two other robots must embark on a dangerous voyage in search of a mysterious point on a map. But how will they survive in a place where rules are never broken and humans aren’t even supposed to exist? Narrated in the first person (first robot?) by XR, The Last Human blends humor and action to tell a story about friendship, technology, and challenging the status quo no matter the consequences. It’s not just about what it means to be a robot. It’s about what it means to be a human./

Creates three-dimensional scientific reconstructions for twenty-two species of extinct humans, providing information for each one on its emergence, chronology, geographic range, classification, physiology, environment, habitat, cultural achievements, coex

Human rights offer a vision of international justice that today’s idealistic millions hold dear. Yet the very concept on which the movement is based became familiar only a few decades ago when it profoundly reshaped our hopes for an improved humanity. In this pioneering book, Samuel Moyn elevates that extraordinary transformation to center stage and asks what it reveals about the ideal’s troubled present and uncertain future. For some, human rights stretch back to the dawn of Western civilization, the age of the American and French Revolutions, or the post–World War II moment when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was framed. Revisiting these episodes in a dramatic tour of humanity’s moral history, The Last Utopia shows that it was in the decade after 1968 that human rights began to make sense to broad communities of people as the proper cause of justice. Across eastern and western Europe, as well as throughout the United States and Latin America, human rights crystallized in a few short years as social activism and political rhetoric moved it from the hallways of the United Nations to the global forefront. It was on the ruins of earlier political utopias, Moyn argues, that human rights achieved contemporary prominence. The morality of individual rights substituted for the soiled political dreams of revolutionary communism and nationalism as international law became an alternative to popular struggle and bloody violence. But as the ideal of human rights enters into rival political agendas, it requires more vigilance and scrutiny than when it became the watchword of our hopes.

Lister gazed out of the porthole and catalogue the series of disasters that had led him to this point in space and time- the bad decisions, the poor career choices, the unreliable friendships that had led him here - on a prison ship bound for the most inhospitable penal colony in the outer cosmos . . . and all he'd ever wanted was to be a soft metal guitar icon.

A penetrating take on how our planet would respond without the relentless pressure of the human presence

Elon Musk named Our Final Invention one of 5 books everyone should read about the future A Huffington Post Definitive Tech Book of 2013 Artificial Intelligence helps choose what books you buy, what movies you see, and even who you date. It puts the "smart" in your smartphone and soon it will drive your car. It makes most of the trades on Wall Street, and controls vital energy, water, and transportation infrastructure. But Artificial Intelligence can also threaten our existence. In as little as a decade, AI could match and then surpass human intelligence. Corporations and government agencies are pouring billions into achieving AI's Holy Grail—human-level intelligence. Once AI has attained it, scientists argue, it will have survival drives much like our own. We may be forced to compete with a rival more cunning, more powerful, and more alien than we can imagine. Through profiles of tech visionaries, industry watchdogs, and groundbreaking AI systems, Our Final Invention explores the perils of the heedless pursuit of advanced AI. Until now, human intelligence has had no rival. Can we coexist with beings whose intelligence dwarfs our own? And will they allow us to?

A young man describes his torment as he struggles to reconcile the diverse influences of Western culture and the traditions of his own Japanese heritage.

From the New York Times bestseller Dima Zales comes an action-packed sci-fi adventure set in a post-singularity future. For a limited time, get all 3 full-length novels (1000+ pages) in one convenient, discounted bundle. When invisible technology runs everything and memories can't be trusted, how does one sort the truth from the lies? Oasis, the last habitable area on post-apocalyptic Earth, is meant to be a paradise, a place where everyone is content. Vulgarity, violence, insanity, and other ills are but a distant memory, and even death no longer plagues the last surviving humans. Theo, a twenty-three-year-old Youth, has never fit in with the serene, age-divided Oasis society. But it's only when he starts hearing a girl's voice in his head that he realizes that nothing is what it seems. Phoe is his imaginary friend--or is she? As secrets are unveiled, Theo is dragged into a dangerous game where the virtual and the real worlds collide. What does it mean to be human? What does it mean to be real? Theo is about to find out. Warning: This book contains some strong language. We felt it was important for the censorship theme of the novel. If such words offend you, you might not enjoy this book. If in doubt, please read the sample before buying. NOTE: This is a complete trilogy containing three full-length novels-- Oasis, Limbo, and Haven.

For Joshua Dread, middle school is proving to be, well, awkward. Not only do bullies pick on him, but do you see those supervillains over there trying to flood the world? The ones that everyone, including his best friend Milton, are rooting for Captain Justice to take down? They're the Dread Duo, and they just happen to be his parents. As if trying to hide his identity wasn't hard enough, Joshua has started leaving a trail of exploding pencils and scorched handprints in his wake, and only Sophie, the new girl in town with a mysterious past, seems unsurprised. When a violent attack at the Vile Fair makes it clear someone is abducting supervillains, and that his parents may very well be next, Joshua must enlist both Sophie and Milton's help to save them. Well-written, fast-paced, and remarkably funny, Joshua Dread is the first in a series that will appeal far beyond its target audience. “Joshua Dread is funny, action-packed, and a total page-turner. You’ll want to read to the bitter end—unless Joshua’s parents destroy the world first. Which is a distinct possibility.”—Adam Gidwitz, author of A Tale Dark & Grimm "Villainy! Mayhem! Family! From supervillains to killer houseplants, Joshua Dread has it all. I couldn't put it down and I didn't dare, not until I'd devoured every last page!" -C. Alexander London, author of the Accidental Adventure series