Challenging convention with the SF nonconformist Roger Zelazny combined poetic prose with fearless literary ambition to become one of the most influential science fiction writers of the 1960s. Yet many critics found his later novels underachieving and his turn to fantasy a disappointment. F. Brett Cox surveys the landscape of Zelazny's creative life and contradictions. Launched by the classic 1963 short story "A Rose for Ecclesiastes," Zelazny soon won the Hugo Award for Best Novel with ...And Call Me Conrad and two years later won again for Lord of Light. Cox looks at the author's overnight success and follows Zelazny into a period of continued formal experimentation, the commercial triumph of the Amber sword and sorcery novels, and renewed acclaim for Hugo-winning novellas such as "Home Is the Hangman" and "24 Views of Mt. Fuji, by Hokusai." Throughout, Cox analyzes aspects of Zelazny's art, from his preference for poetically alienated protagonists to the ways his plots reflected his determined individualism. Clear-eyed and detailed, Roger Zelazny provides an up-to-date reconsideration of an often-misunderstood SF maverick.

No problem has ever been too big for Mariana. Until now. When religious fanatics take control of a town on a frontier colony world, Mariana’s team of Lancers must try to rescue the only person who can bring back order. Lies, schemes, and dark secrets quickly put Mariana to the test. When she discovers the web of intrigue behind her hiring, she realizes that no one can be trusted and that the mission is untenable. But she has reasons of her own for taking this job and can’t just walk away. Can Mariana uncover the truth behind the strange goings on, or will her own secrets be her undoing?

A mind is a terrible thing to replace. Ten masters of speculative fiction explore the future of computerized intellect, and how humanity will interact with machines that can outthink them--and are learning to outsmart them. Computers were designed to think faster than the human mind. But solving mathematical equations and retaining dizzying amounts of information are minor achievements compared to the processing technology of tomorrow's artificial intelligences...machines capable of thinking independently without human input - and evolving into self-maintaining sentient beings. Ride the brainwaves of mechanical intellect with some of today's masters of speculative fiction, as a woman tries to outsmart a runaway A.I. and save the lives of her children...scientists lose control of a supercomputer with the power and omnipotence of a god...and a sentient starship falls in love with its pilot. These and seven more stories of man and machine await you in... A.I.s _AntibodiesÓ by Charles Stross _Trojan HorseÓ by Michael Stanwick _Birth DayÓ by Robert Reed _The Hydrogen WallÓ by Gregory Benford _The Turing TestÓ by Chris Beckett _Dante DreamsÓ by Stephen Baxter _The Names of all the SpiritsÓ by J.R. Dunn _From the Corner of My EyeÓ by Alexander Glass _HalfjackÓ by Roger Zelazny _Computer VirusÓ by Nancy Kress At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).

Presents twenty-three science fiction short stories from the 1950s to the present, which focus on the theme of exploration.

Nineteen-ninety-nine looms near and yet the stars are still far away . . . but this anthology brings them closer with more than a dozen of the best SF adventure stories ever written. Among the gems collected here are "The New Prime," by Jack Vance, " Fritz Leiber's "Moon Duel," and "The Sky People," by Poul Anderson, along with masterpieces by less-familiar names such as Murray Leinster and James H. Schmitz. With more than a dozen stories (written between 1940 and 1970) from greats such as Brian W. Aldiss, Leigh Brackett, L. Sprague de Camp, and A. E. van Vogt, this anthology ranges throughout our galaxy and into the stars. Whether you're revisiting past adventures or discovering these stories for the first time, you're sure to thrill to these wonderful adventures across the vast expanse of space.

THE LAST DEFENDER OF CAMELOT is a collection of breathtaking stories that showcase the incredible abilities of several authors. Edited and with an introduction by award-winning author Robert Silverberg, it includes such tales as “For a Breath I Tarry,” and “Halfjack.” It also features the Hugo Award-winning “24 Views of Mt. Fuji,” by Hokusai, “Permafrost,” and “Home is the Hangman.”

Change the pastãand the future may come undone. An outstanding collection of time-traveling alternate history stories from 16 major science fiction writers, both old and new. Every day, a thousand possible futures die unborn around us-corners not turned, paths not taken. But if one could go back into the past and change it, the outcome could be unimaginable. _Aristotle and the GunÓ by L. Sprague de Camp _SitkaÓ by William Sanders _The Only Game in TownÓ by Poul Anderson _Playing the GameÓ by Gardner Dozois and Jack Dann _Killing the MorrowÓ by Robert Reed _The We Frustrate CharlemagneÓ b R. A. Lafferty _The Game of Blood and DustÓ by Roger Zelazny _Calling Your NameÓ by Howard Waldrop _What Rough Beast?Ó by Damon Knight _O Brave Old World!Ó by Avram Davidson _Radiant DoorsÓ by Michael Swanwick _The Hotel at Harlans LandingÓ by Kage Baker _Mozart in MirorshadesÓ by Bruce Sterling and Lewis Shiner _Under SiegeÓ by George R. R. Martin At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).

Immortality is a subject which has long been explored and imagined by science fiction writers. In his intriguing new study, Stephen R.L.Clark argues that the genre of science fiction writing allows investigation of philosophical questions about immortality without the constraints of academic philosophy. He reveals how fantasy accounts of issues such as resurrection, disembodied survival, reincarnation and devices or drugs for preserving life can be used as an important resource for philosophical inquiry and examines how a society of immortals might function through a reading of the vampire myth. How to Live Forever is a compelling study which introduces students and professional philosophers to the possibilities of using science fiction in their work. It includes extensive suggestions for further reading, both fictional and philosophical, and examines the work of such major science fiction authors as Arthur C. Clarke, Frank Herbert, Larry Niven, William Gibson, and Colin Wilson.