Classic science fiction

Book SynopsisIn Malacia, a city where change is forbidden and radical ideas are crushed, a war like no other is about to commence… The Brian Aldiss collection includes over 50 books and spans the author’s entire career, from his debut in 1955 to his more recent work.Trade Review‘Britain’s finest science-fiction writer.’ Tribune ‘Once again he demonstrates the power of his imagination.’ Daily Mail ‘It’s a terrific yarn, but more than that; as Aldiss casually throws out ideas and speculations, it’s a reminder of why he’s one of the giants of the field.’ SFX Magazine ‘One of our best novelists.’ William Boyd ‘A rattling good yarn’ Daily Telegraph ‘Brian Aldiss is one of those writers who can stand back and look out across the vast fictional landscape of sciences fiction, and consider himself both a creator and a destroyer of worlds; a mortal God if you will.’ Starburst Magazine 'For decades, Brian Aldiss has been among our most prolific and consistently stylish writers.' Telegraph ‘Frightening, gripping… not one for the squeamish’ Illustrated London News ‘The best of British science fiction writers’ Scotsman

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Book SynopsisThe stunning new thriller from the bestselling author of Velocity and Relentless.Trade ReviewPraise for Dean Koontz: ‘Odd Thomas is certainly a page-turner – this is a read-at-a-sitting novel – with a terrific final twist’ Observer ‘A terrific pursuit story … clever, up-to-the-minute, and riveting’ Guardian ‘There’s surprise after surprise, including a killer finale … a read-in-one-go novel’ Independent on Sunday ‘Velocity hits its pace from the first page and races through to a suitably climactic ending’ Sydney Sunday Telegraph ‘Dean Koontz is not just a master of our darkest dreams, but also a literary juggler’ The Times ‘Psychologically complex, masterly and satisfying’ The New York Times

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Book SynopsisIn 1863 Jules Verne, famed author of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Journey to the Center of the Earth, wrote a novel that his literary agent deemed too far fetched to be published. More than one hundred years later, his great-grandson found the handwritten, never-before published manuscript in a safe. That manuscript was Paris in the Twentieth Century, and astonishingly prophetic view into the future by one of the most renowned science fiction writers of our time. . . .Praise for Paris in the Twentieth Century“Jules Verne was the Michael Crichton of the 19th century.”—The New York Times“For anyone interested in the history of speculative fiction . . . this book is an absolute necessity.”—Ray Bradbury“Verne's Paris is a bustling, overcrowded metropolis teeming with starving homeless and ‘vehicles that passed on paved roads and moved without horses.&r

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Book SynopsisArguably the first work of science fiction in English, Francis Godwin's The Man in the Moone was published in 1638, pseudonymously and posthumously. The novel, which tells the story of Domingo Gonsales, a Spaniard who flies to the moon by geese power and encounters an advanced lunar civilization, had an enormous impact on the European imagination for centuries after its initial publication. With its discussion of advanced ideas about astronomy and cosmology, the novel is an important example of both popular fiction and scientific speculation.This Broadview Edition includes a critical introduction that places the text in its scientific and historical contexts. The rich selection of appendices includes related writings by Godwin and his predecessors and contemporaries on magnetism, human flight, voyages to real and unreal lands, and the possibility of extra-terrestrial life.Trade Review“A remarkable tale of lunar travel and utopian vision, The Man in the Moone was written by an English bishop sometime around 1630. Drawing on the latest news of travel and warfare from the Atlantic to China and on the latest theories in magnetism, astronomy, and navigation, the story offers an unparalleled window onto its intellectual and cultural world. It also had an impressive afterlife, inspiring celebrated works on imaginative travel and comic satire, earning a mention on some lunar maps, and inspiring writers such as Verne and Wells. This splendid edition by William Poole offers newly authoritative commentary with indispensable annotations on the novel’s sources and significance. Poole’s cleverly chosen appendices add rich materials from contemporary and subsequent texts.” — Simon Schaffer, University of Cambridge“William Poole’s edition of The Man in the Moone offers a scholarly, accessible, and thoroughly contextualized presentation of this under-appreciated science fiction classic. First published in 1638 and influential for more than a century, The Man in the Moone absorbed a variety of literary, historical, religious, and scientific traditions. It playfully blends the new cosmological lore of the scientific revolution and the new geographical knowledge of the age of discovery with the artful fancy of an inventive imagination. This authoritative edition, with well chosen notes and appendices, presents the Bishop of Hereford’s fancy as the founding text of English science fiction.” — David Cressy, The Ohio State University“Poole’s footnotes throughout are detailed and insightful, pointing the reader to Godwin’s source material and to appropriate scholarship. The introduction, footnotes, and bibliography engage the history of science, politics, literature, and many other fields. As such, this scholarly edition lends itself to use in courses and to scholarly work in a number of arenas. For scholars of [science fiction], this book will help further the ongoing investigation of [science fiction]’s colonial origins and narrative structures. It will also stir the old debate about when [science fiction] began and what textual elements qualify a text to be labeled as [science fiction].” — Patrick B. Sharp, Science Fiction Studies (July 2011)Table of ContentsAcknowledgementsIntroductionFrancis Godwin and his Contemporaries: A Brief ChronologyA Note on the TextThe Man in the MooneTextual NotesAppendix A: Francis Godwin, Nuncius Inanimatus (1629)Appendix B: From Lucian of Samosata, The True HistoryAppendix C: From William of Newburgh, “On the Green Children” (1196-98)Appendix D: Arguments about Aliens (Philip Melanchthon, Tommaso Campanella, John Wilkins)Appendix E: From Jan Huygen van Linschoten, Discours of Voyages into the Easte and West Indies (1596)Appendix F: From Mark Ridley, A Short Treatise of Magneticall Bodies and Motions (1613)Appendix G: From Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy (1621, 1628)Appendix H: From John Wilkins, Mathematicall Magick (1648)Bibliography and Works Cited

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Book SynopsisThis unjustly neglected novel from 1966 has not been reprinted in over fifty years. With its appearance as a British Library Science Fiction Classic, contemporary readers have the chance to enjoy Temple's unusual blend of traditional SF with a darkly ironic tone.

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Book SynopsisTravellers called the Zone 'the Land of Strangers': the place where anyone could escape anything, and where the lost things lay.Taty is a troubled adolescent living with her equally troubled mother in the suburbs of the Lowlands. In a moment of uncontrolled anger, she finds her life changed forever and, hiding a terrible secret, she runs away, heading West into the Outzone.It is clear that this is no ordinary story when she is captured by a malicious imp, befriended by an evangelising robotic nun and wooed by a transgender hoodlum, leading her further down the rabbit hole.Navigating the collapse of an already chaotic society, Taty struggles against present danger while confronting the demons of her own past.With moustachioed wrestlers, marauding Buddhist Punks, a feline voodoo surgeon and the presence of the enigmatic, disfigured Dr. Dali, Taty takes on a highly unique universe and emerges as a heroine whose petulant nonchalance hides a mighty spirit.Trade Review'A hallucinogenic post-apocalyptic carnival ride – Nikhil Singh has a strange and intriguing mind.’ “A wild, marauding vision on acid. Nikhil Singh creates a world that threatens to leave the confines of the page. Brilliantly compelling.”

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Book SynopsisThe classic and terrifying HG Wells novel of alien invasion is now a landmark series for the BBC from the makers of Poldark, Victoria and And Then There Were None. One night a shooting star is seen over the skies of Surrey. The next day, it''s discovered to have been a mysterious metallic cylinder from Mars. What comes next is a terrifying alien attack, as tentacled Martian invaders emerge from the cylinder and prey on humankind using shocking new weapons against which the people of Victorian England can offer no resistance.The aliens begin to devastate the area in their tripod machines, and as our narrator struggles to return to his wife, the fight for London - and the world - begins. Now with a new introduction by Stephen Baxter.''A true classic''GUARDIAN''Immortal science fiction'' TELEGRAPHTrade ReviewA true classic that has pointed the way not just for science-fiction writers, but for how we as a civilisation might think of ourselves * Guardian *Immortal science fiction * Telegraph *The classic tale of alien invasion, and still the best * The Times *The classic alien invasion tale * New Statesman *The War of the Worlds remains the barometer by which all extra-terrestrial invasions are measured * Irish Times *Wells occupies an honoured place in science fiction * Kingsley Amis *Wells is the Shakespeare of science fiction * Brian Aldiss *A born storyteller * J.B. Priestly *

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Book SynopsisIn 2048, medical science has overcome all the diseases and limiting conditions of old age. In the exclusive community of Wellowfern, radical life extension has turned from distant dream to near reality and competing forces are lining up to impose their widely different visions of the future. Isabel is a loyal and influential resident who knows about corporate intrigue and the power of self-interest. She now has to figure out who is pulling the strings, which side she is on and how best to defend her safe haven and her eccentric, misfit friends, as the high-level infighting threatens to overwhelm them.

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Book SynopsisThe strange and wonderful tale of man’s experiences on Mars, filled with intense images and astonishing visions. Now part of the Voyager Classics collection.Trade Review‘The bitter irony of The Martian Chronicles is both stark and shocking’ Guardian ‘The laureate of science fiction’ Manchester Evening News ‘The king of science fiction’ Mail on Sunday ‘Bradbury has a remarkable range of intensity and vision’ Sunday Times

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Book SynopsisFollowing on from the 1950s collection, this is the second collection of Brian Aldiss’ short stories, taken from the 1960s. A must-have for collectors. Part one of four.Trade Review‘Britain’s finest science-fiction writer.’ Tribune ‘Once again he demonstrates the power of his imagination.’ Daily Mail ‘It’s a terrific yarn, but more than that; as Aldiss casually throws out ideas and speculations, it’s a reminder of why he’s one of the giants of the field.’ SFX Magazine ‘One of our best novelists.’ William Boyd ‘A rattling good yarn’ Daily Telegraph ‘Brian Aldiss is one of those writers who can stand back and look out across the vast fictional landscape of sciences fiction, and consider himself both a creator and a destroyer of worlds; a mortal God if you will.’ Starburst Magazine 'For decades, Brian Aldiss has been among our most prolific and consistently stylish writers.' Telegraph ‘Frightening, gripping… not one for the squeamish’ Illustrated London News ‘The best of British science fiction writers’ Scotsman

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Book SynopsisFollowing on from the 1950s collection, this is the second collection of Brian Aldiss’ short stories, taken from the 1960s. A must-have for collectors. Part two of four.Trade Review‘Aldiss is a magician’ Sunday Times‘The titan of science fiction.’ Telegraph ‘Brian Aldiss is one of the most influential – and one of the best – SF writers Britain has ever produced.’ Iain M Banks ‘The best contemporary writer of science fiction.’ Guardian ‘One of the truly prophetic figures of the space age… the colossus of science fiction’New Yorker ‘Once again he demonstrates the power of his imagination.’ Daily Mail

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Book SynopsisFollowing on from the 1950s collection, this is the second collection of Brian Aldiss’ short stories, taken from the 1960s. A must-have for collectors. Part three of four.Trade Review‘Aldiss is a magician’ Sunday Times‘The titan of science fiction.’ Telegraph ‘Brian Aldiss is one of the most influential – and one of the best – SF writers Britain has ever produced.’ Iain M Banks ‘The best contemporary writer of science fiction.’ Guardian ‘One of the truly prophetic figures of the space age… the colossus of science fiction’New Yorker ‘Once again he demonstrates the power of his imagination.’ Daily Mail

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Book SynopsisFollowing on from the 1950s collection, this is the second collection of Brian Aldiss’ short stories, taken from the 1960s. A must-have for collectors. Part four of four.Trade Review‘Aldiss is a magician’ Sunday Times‘The titan of science fiction.’ Telegraph ‘Brian Aldiss is one of the most influential – and one of the best – SF writers Britain has ever produced.’ Iain M Banks ‘The best contemporary writer of science fiction.’ Guardian ‘One of the truly prophetic figures of the space age… the colossus of science fiction’New Yorker ‘Once again he demonstrates the power of his imagination.’ Daily Mail

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Book SynopsisWhen a brilliant scientist believes that a cutting edge replication process offers the solution to an excruciating love triangle, the limits of the new technology are tested - and impossible questions of identity and originality threaten to tear apart the best-laid plans of paradise.

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Book SynopsisFROZEN HELL is an alternate version of John W. Campbell''s classic novella, Who Goes There? (filmed as The Thing). Recently discovered among Campbell''s papers, this version adds another 45 pages to the story. Includes a Preface by Alec Nevala-Lee and an Introduction by Robert Silverberg. Also included is a preview of the forthcoming sequel, The Things from Another World, by John Gregory Betancourt.

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Book SynopsisThe “imaginative . . . intriguing” far-future novel about the telepathic bond of friendship between human and animal—from the New York Times bestselling author (Booklist). Exiled after his home planet was turned into a military outpost following an interstellar war, Troy Horan is relocated to the planet of Korwar. Under the watchful eye of the police state, he lives in the Dipple, a restricted area for subcitizens. He works as a day laborer in an interplanetary pet shop and has no idea why animals from Terra, a third-rate power, have been imported to Korwar—or why he has the ability to silently communicate with them, especially the kinkajou. But a murder forces him to flee with his animal friends into the Wild, where mysterious, sealed ruins conceal Korwar’s most fiercely guarded secret. With no one he can trust and an entire government under siege, Troy leads his extraordinary band of warriors in a final bid for freedom none of them may survive.Trade ReviewPraise for Andre Norton “A superb storyteller.” —The New York Times

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Book SynopsisAn Anglo-American Alliance: A Serio-Comic Romance and Forecast of the Future (1906) is a novel by Gregory Casparian. Written while the author, an Armenian-Turkish artist, was living in New York City, An Anglo-American Alliance: A Serio-Comic Romance and Forecast of the Future is a recently rediscovered work of fiction that was far ahead of its time in its representation of queer identities. Considered the first work of science fiction to portray lesbian characters, Casparian’s novel is an important text that deserves a wider audience. In 1960, the United States and Great Britain are unmatched in power, having expanded their colonial programs worldwide. Although science, technology, and medicine have advanced greatly, culture has been relatively slow in keeping up. Amid this atmosphere of excitement and change, two young women attending a prestigious boarding school have fallen in love. Aurora Cunningham and Margaret MacDonald, English and American respectively, each born to prominent political families, feel a mutual attraction unlike any they have known. Although they live somewhat openly on campus, they know that graduation will come between them, forcing each to return to their countries to marry respectable men. Distraught, Margaret turns to Dr. Ben Raaba, a surgeon offering an extremely experimental procedure that will turn her into a man, allowing the two lovers to be together for the rest of their lives. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Gregory Casparian’s An Anglo-American Alliance: A Serio-Comic Romance and Forecast of the Future is a classic work of science fiction reimagined for modern readers.

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Book SynopsisPart of the Legend Classics seriesA brilliant scientist constructs a machine that allows him to journey into the future. He travels to the year AD 802,701 where he discovers that humanity has evolved into two separate races: the beautiful vegetarian Eloi people who live purposeless lives and the terrifying carnivorous Morlocks who lives under the ground. After barely escaping the Morlocks, the time-travelling scientist has to make yet another trip even further into the futureThe Time Machine is considered one of the best science-fiction novel of all time and the first to popularize the concept of a time machine ? a term coined by Wells.

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