Search Worlds Without End

Escaping into the world of Faery when her own home begins to fall apart, Maria Blanca joins in the fight against the savage trogs that threaten the eleven great elven cities and is taken into the heart of the trog empire.

A corrupt Congress rules a drugged-out America, land of slums and malls. But in the underground, a few violent young malcontents will stop at nothing to smash the system... and bring back the constitution and the president. They're outnumbered, outgunned, and led by Johnny Zed. He's the high-tech hero who betrays his revolution, the terrorist who parties with the power-mongers, the assassin of assassins, the saboteur of hearts.

Steel-clawed catmen Hangman and Slash prowl the burned-out urban Sprawl. For the gene-modded catmen, ripping off hot cargoes from rival animen is a fine life of thief vs. thief... cat vs. dog. Until Slash scores a take that's a little too hot: the PED spy-eye, a top-secret sense-recorder implant that turns the human brain into a perfect playback machine. Any brain, living or dead...

Ker Orrum longed for a life of magic. When an Oracle tells of a journey and a gem, his fate is sealed. Vowing to challenge the mighty god known as the Blind Archer, he sets out to win his fortune... and finds a destiny few would envy. Pawn to wizards and gods, blinded and helpless, he accidentally sets an ancient evil loose on the world... an evil which only he can defeat!

Alpha Yes, Terra No!

The Alphans had been watching Earth for centuries, seeing its technological advances and its moral stagnation. They had erected a barrier against Earth's attempts to enter their system. Finally, they decided that Earth was a canker on the face of the universe, and decreed it's total destruction... The Earth was on trial, would no one defend her.

The Ballad of Beta-2

Centuries ago, the Star Folk had left Earth on twelve spaceships on a generations-long mission to colonize the distant stars. Ten of the ships had reached thier destination. Two had failed--and nobody, in the hundreds of years since the disaster, had the slightest inkling of what had happened.

Joneny, a student of galactic anthropology, was assigned the problem. It had seemed routine to him. Just some faster-than-light travel to the two wrecked ships, a bit of poking around and then writing up his findings.

But he was ill-prepared for what he found in space at the site of the two ancient worlds. One, the Sigma-9, was not subject to the laws of time-stasis (the only exception he knew of), and it was covered entirely with a mysterious green fire that shimmered so much that it seemed alive. And the other ship, the Beta-2, was nowhere to be seen.

Centuries ago, the Star Folk had left Earth on twelve spaceships on a generations-long mission to colonize the distant stars. Ten of the ships had reached their destinations. Two had failed-and nobody, in the hundreds of years since the disaster, had the slightest inkling of what had happened.

Joneny, a student of galactic anthropology, was assigned the problem. It had seemed routine to him. Just some faster-than-light travel to the two wrecked ships, a bit of poking around, and then writing up his findings.

But he was ill-prepared for what he found in space at the site of the two ancient wrecks. One, the Sigma-9, was not subject to the laws of time-stasis (the only exception to a universal law), and it was covered entirely with a mysterious green fire that shimmered so much that it seemed alive! And the other ship, the Beta-2, was nowhere to be found. Only a fragment of a mysterious poem could possibly provide a clue.

The Ballad of Beta-2

Centuries ago, the Star Folk had left Earth on twelve spaceships on a generations-long mission to colonize the distant stars. Ten of the ships had reached thier destination. Two had failed--and nobody, in the hundreds of years since the disaster, had the slightest inkling of what had happened.

Joneny, a student of galactic anthropology, was assigned the problem. It had seemed routine to him. Just some faster-than-light travel to the two wrecked ships, a bit of poking around and then writing up his findings.

But he was ill-prepared for what he found in space at the site of the two ancient worlds. One, the Sigma-9, was not subject to the laws of time-stasis (the only exception he knew of), and it was covered entirely with a mysterious green fire that shimmered so much that it seemed alive. And the other ship, the Beta-2, was nowhere to be seen.

Empire Star

The dying alien from the ship that crashed onto Rhys gave Comet Jo a jewel, and begged him to take it to the heart of the Galactic Empire. And, seeing no reason to miss an adventure, Comet Jo started out for the fabled Empire Star. But his journey was to have far-reaching consequences - consequences that could disrupt all the known laws of Time and Space...

Elysia is created in a laboratory, born as a sixteen-year-old girl, an empty vessel with no life experience to draw from. She is a Beta, an experimental model of a teenage clone. She was replicated from another teenage girl, who had to die in order for Elysia to exist.

Elysia's purpose is to serve the inhabitants of Demesne, an island paradise for the wealthiest people on earth. Everything about Demesne is bioengineered for perfection. Even the air induces a strange, euphoric high, which only the island's workers--soulless clones like Elysia--are immune to.

At first, Elysia's life is idyllic and pampered. But she soon sees that Demesne's human residents, who should want for nothing, yearn. But for what, exactly? She also comes to realize that beneath the island's flawless exterior, there is an undercurrent of discontent among Demesne's worker clones. She knows she is soulless and cannot feel and should not care--so why are overpowering sensations clouding Elysia's mind?

If anyone discovers that Elysia isn't the unfeeling clone she must pretend to be, she will suffer a fate too terrible to imagine. When her one chance at happiness is ripped away with breathtaking cruelty, emotions she's always had but never understood are unleashed. As rage, terror, and desire threaten to overwhelm her, Elysia must find the will to survive.

Zhara, the First. Elysia, her clone. On the surface, they are identical. But looks can be deceiving. When Zhara plays, she plays to win. She thought she had escaped the horrors of Doctor Lusardi's cloning compound. But the nightmare is just beginning. Elysia has taken everything from Zhara--a softer, prettier version of herself and an inescapable reminder of all she's failed at in her life. Now the man Zhara loves has replaced her with Elysia. Zhara will get her clone out of the way, no matter the cost. Elysia has finally learned the truth: she has a soul. Her First is alive. She knows it hurts Zhara to see her with Alexander, but she can't give him up. The genetically-perfected Aquine has chosen as her as his life mate, and their days together are limited. Elysia can't remain in the Rave Caves off the shores of Denesme forever. Revolution is brewing on the island paradise. Hundreds of soulless clones remain imprisoned like Elysia once was, slaves to the whims of their owners--wealthy human inhabitants of the island. As a group of clones and humans, led by Alexander, plot an insurrection that will turn Denesme's world upside down, Elysia knows her place is fighting by his side. Terrible sacrifices must be made to defeat Denesme's twisted regime. But even the greatest losses cannot prepare Elysia for the ticking time bomb built into her own programming...

The legendary pirate king Ulrich gets more than he had bargained for when he enters into an unholy pact with The Hag, the Abomination, to free his kingdom from savage orog and goblin tribes.

Join the Greatest of all space warriors on the most incredible quest of his star-crossed career... through the terrifying wilds of Anarchia, ruins of twenty-fifth-century Earth, on an impassioned search for his own descendants! To the desolate remains of the Great Salt Lake, where ancient secrets are held...and the power-mad Kane crouches in ambush! To the asteroid Beta-Where Theo, Buck's trusted compuvisor, is prisoner of the Draconians, who have hatched a scheme to conquer the Universe! To the sin-filled supercity of Villus, where man's every sensual wish is an android's command... and the voluptuous Princess Ardala has big plans for Buck! To the rescue-ship of Wilma Deering and a spectacular chase through star warp, on an escape mission like none Buck has ever seen... not, that is, until he became Buck Rogers - That Man on Beta.

The best stories of the year: here is a collection of the best horror prose written in 2005, by some of the genre's greatest authors, and selected by two of horror's most respected editors. In this volume you'll find stories by Joe Lansdale, Jack Cady, Holly Phillips, Nicholas Royle, Joe Hill, Caitlin Kiernan, M. Rickert, Richard Bowes, Barbara Roden, Clive Barker, Laird Barron, Jeff VanderMeer, Ramsey Campbell, Nick Mamatas, Michael Marshall Smith, Simon Owens and David Niall Wilson.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction - (2006) - essay by Sean Wallace and John Gregory Betancourt
• The Shadows, Kith and Kin - (2005) - short story by Joe R. Lansdale
• The Souls of Drowning Mountain - (2005) - short story by Jack Cady
• The Other Grace - (2005) - novelette by Holly Phillips
• Sitting Tenant - (2005) - short story by Nicholas Royle
• The Cape - (2005) - short story by Joe Hill
• La Peau Verte - (2005) - novelette by Caitlín R. Kiernan
• A Very Little Madness Goes a Long Way - (2005) - short story by M. Rickert
• There's a Hole in the City - (2005) - short story by Richard Bowes
• Northwest Passage - (2004) - novelette by Barbara Roden
• Proboscis - (2005) - novelette by Laird Barron
• Haeckel's Tale - (2005) - short story by Clive Barker
• Lost - (2005) - short story by Jeff VanderMeer
• Unblinking - (2005) - novella by Ramsey Campbell
• Real People Slash - (2006) - short story by Nick Mamatas
• Fair Exchange - (2005) - short story by Michael Marshall Smith
• This Hand, Waving - (2005) - short story by Simon Owens
• The Call of Farther Shores - (2005) - novelette by David Niall Wilson

In the darkest hours of the Dominion War, as the Federation's downfall seemed ever more certain, Jem'Hadar and Cardassian forces conquered Betazed, the homeworld of Deanna Troi. Their victory sent shock waves through the Alpha Quadrant, and put the Dominion within striking distance of Vulcan, Andor, Tellar -- and possibly Earth itself.

To secure their position in the very heart of the Federation, the Cardassians begin constructing space station Sentok Nor in orbit of Betazed. The station is to serve as both the seat of the Dominion occupation and the site of horrific experiments by Cardassia's foremost exobiologist, the infamous Dr. Crell Moset.

With Starfleet's forces spread too thinky in the ongoing struggle to retake Betazed outright, the U.S.S. Enterprise along with some old and new friends, is deployed to carry out a dangerous and desperate plan. But no matter what the outcome, the consequences could alter Betazed irrevocably, forcing Deanna Troi to choose between her world's survival and its very soul.

The Hortas of Janus VI are the greatest miners in the galaxy, capable of burning through solid rock the way humanoids move through air. Recruited to help rebuild Bajor's devastated mining industry, the Hortas could provide new hope for the planet's struggling economy.

But when Cardassian raiders abduct the Mother Horta, Commander Sisko finds himself stuck with twenty Horta eggs -- and then the eggs begin to hatch...

While Major Kira leads a desperate rescue mission deep into Cardassian space, Commander Sisko faces a ravaging mass of newborn Hortas -- uncontrollable, indestructible, and eager to consume Deep Space Nine itself!

While a crucial peace conference fills Deep Space NineTM with rumors of intrigue and conspiracy, Major Kira and Lt. Commander Worf embark on a dangerous undercover mission deep into the heart of the Gamma Quadrant. Their mission: to find the secret of the addictive substance that the Changelings use to control their Jem'Hadar warriors. But how long can Worf and Kira remain undetected in the midst of the Dominion? Odo may be their only hope; but to save them, he'll have to stand against his own people.

Like the twisted strands of mutant chromosomes, an insidious alien conspiracy winds its way through the entire Alpha Quadrant, just as it stretches across several years of Starfleet history -- beginning near the very start of Captain Picard's command of the Starship Enterprise!

It is only the first year of the U.S.S. Enterprise-D's ongoing mission when a virulent epidemic strikes the populace of Archaria III, endangering the lives of thousands and provoking acts of mob violence against those believed responsible for the spread of the disease. While Data and Natasha Yar team up to uncover the true origins of the virus, Dr. Crusher finds that the implacable sickness resists all her efforts to find a cure. The desperate quest for a cure becomes even more urgent when Deanna Troi succumbs to the dreaded plague... again and again.

Tracking a shuttle's distress signal to the nearly deserted Arbuk System, the U.S.S. VoyagerTM crew encounters an unusual weapon a thousand times more powerful than the Starship. Inside the shuttle, the crew discovers an unconscious alien and no more information about the device. Captain Janeway and her crew are attacked by a group of mysterious warships with an interest in the weapon's power. With warp power off line, the crew of the Starship Voyager must find a way to save themselves from a group of aliens desperate to control the superweapon.