Classic science fiction

Book SynopsisThe Worlds of Dune presents a deep dive into the many different strands of inspiration, from Zen Buddhism to Indigenous American tribal ritual, that Frank Herbert wove into Dune and its sequels – collectively the world's bestselling science-fiction epic. Table of ContentsIntroduction: The Maker Part One ARRAKIS Chapter One: Desert Planet Chapter Two: The Fremen Chapter Three: The Spice Part Two CALADAN Chapter Four: House Atreides Chapter Five: Paul Muad’dib Chapter Six: Lady Jessica and the Bene Gesserit Part Three GIEDI PRIME Chapter Seven: House Harkonnen Chapter Eight: Piter De Vries and the Mentats Chapter Nine: The CHOAM Corporation Part Four KAITAIN Chapter Ten: House Corrino and the Padishah Emperor Chapter Eleven: The Landsraad Chapter Twelve: The Spacing Guild Epilogue: Dune World Endnotes Bibliography Index Picture Credits About the Author & Acknowledgements

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Book SynopsisMarch 1978 saw the first ever transmission of Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy on BBC Radio 4; the beginning of a cult phenomenon. March 2020 marks the 42nd anniversary of that first transmission – 42 being the answer, of course, to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything. To mark the occasion, Pan Macmillan are bringing back into print The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Original Radio Scripts with an introduction from Simon Jones.The collection also includes the previously 'lost' Hitchhiker script from the 25th anniversary edition, 'Sheila's Ear' and the original introductions by producer Geoffrey Perkins and Douglas Adams.This collection, which is a faithful reproduction of the text as it was first published in 1985, features all twelve original radio scripts – Hitchhiker as it was written and exactly as it was broadcast for the very first time. They include amendments and additions made during recordings and original notes on the writing and producing of the series by Douglas Adams and Geoffrey Perkins. For those who have always loved Douglas Adams, as well as for his new generation of fans, these scripts are essential reading and a must-have piece of Adams memorabilia.This special anniversary edition will accompany reissued eye-catching editions of the five individual Hitchhiker books coming in March 2020: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, Life, the Universe and Everything, So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish and Mostly Harmless.Trade ReviewHe had almost a Wodehousian style and some of his phrases and jokes entered our language. He changed the way people spoke -- Stephen FryThere has never been another writer remotely like Douglas Adams. He discovered a completely new genre – scientific wit – and having discovered it he raised it to dizzying heights -- Tony RobinsonQuite good I suppose, if you like brilliantly entertaining books written with a touch of imaginative genius -- Griff Rhys JonesVery occasionally a book comes along that changes the way you laugh and what you laugh about -- Richard DawkinsOne of the world’s sanest, smartest, kindest, funniest voices * Independent on Sunday *Sheer delight * The Times *Magical . . . read this book * Sunday Express *

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Book SynopsisThe New York Times-bestselling author concludes the desperate and action-packed saga of the refugee from the future, and the one naval space officer who believes her, trying to avert the apocalypse as all forces turn against them.

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Book SynopsisWorld War Terminus had left the Earth devastated. Through its ruins, bounty hunter Rick Deckard stalked, in search of the renegade replicants who were his prey. When he wasn't 'retiring' them with his laser weapon,he dreamed of owning a live animal - the ultimate status symbol in a world all but bereft of animal life.Then Rick got his chance: the assignment to kill six Nexus-6 targets, for a huge reward. But in Deckard's world things were never that simple, and his assignment quickly turned into a nightmare kaleidoscope of subterfuge and deceit - and the threat of death for the hunter rather than the hunted ...Trade ReviewOne of the most original practitioners writing any kind of fiction, Dick made most of the European avant-garde seem like navel-gazers in a cul-de-sac * Sunday Times *My literary hero * Fay Weldon *For everyone lost in the endlessly multiplicating realities of the modern world, remember: Philip K. Dick got there first * Terry Gilliam *A masterclass in sci-fi wonderment * Empire *

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Book SynopsisA poignant and brilliant sequel to Dandelion Wine from the author of Fahrenheit 451In Green Town Illinois, Douglas Spaulding is in the midst of a small civil war with the old pitted against the young in this, the second book in Bradbury's semi-fictionalised account of his childhood. As the school board's figure of authority Mr Calvin C. Quartermain attempts to outwit the boys at every turn, their antics increase and become ever more daring and mischevious. Once the shadow of winter draws across Green Town, the boys quickly realise that their enemy is not so much the senior members of their own community, but rather time itself which is ever ebbing away, just beyond the reach of their most daring trick yet: a bold attempt to sabotage the town's clock.Trade Review'It is impossible not to admire the vigour of his prose, similes and metaphors constantly cascading from his imagination.” Spectator "Almost no one can imagine a time or place without the fiction of Ray Bradbury…" The Washington Post 'Bradbury has a remarkable range of intensity and vision' Sunday Times 'The sheer velocity of his words is an apocalyptic torrent which sweeps the reader on' Independent ‘No other writer uses language with greater originality and zest. he seems to be a American Dylan Thomas – with dsicipline’ Sunday Telegraph

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Book SynopsisAnthony Burgess was born in Manchester in 1917 and educated at Xaverian College and Manchester University. He served in the British army from 1940 to 1946 and was a schoolteacher in England before becoming a colonial education officer in 1954. His Malayan trilogy of novels and a history of English literature were published while he was living in Malaya and Brunei.He became a full-time writer in 1959 and achieved a worldwide reputation as one of the most versatile novelists of his day. His writings include biographies of Shakespeare and Hemingway, critical studies of James Joyce, stage plays, and two volumes of autobiography. His work as a composer and librettist includes the Broadway musical, Cyrano, and Blooms of Dublin, an operetta based on Joyce's Ulysses.His 33 novels continue to be published all over the world. They include A Clockwork Orange, Nothing Like the Sun, The Complete Enderby, Earthly Powers, NapoleonTrade ReviewA terrifying and marvellous book. -- Roald DahlA brilliant novel . . . a tour-de-force in nastiness, an inventive primer in total violence, a savage satire on the distortions of the single and collective minds. -- The New York TimesI do not know of any other writer who has done as much with language as Mr Burgess has done here - the fact that this is also a very funny book may pass unnoticed. * William Burroughs *Burgess’s dystopian fantasy still fascinates as it clocks up 50 years * The Times *The 50th anniversary of Anthony Burgess's A Clockwork Orange is celebrated this weekend with the publication of a handsome new hardback edition (the edges of its paper are orange!) by Random House (£20). It is compiled and edited by Andrew Biswell – Burgess's biographer – and has a foreword by Martin Amis, as well as unpublished material including a 1972 interview with Burgess, the prologue to his 1986 A Clockwork Orange: A Play With Music, and his annotated 1961 typescript of the novel, complete with his doodles in the margins. His picture of an orange with a spring poking out of it is particularly special * Independent *

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Book SynopsisVoyager Classics timeless masterworks of science fiction and fantasy.A beautiful clothbound edition of I, Robot, the classic collection of robot stories from the master of the genre.In these stories Isaac Asimov creates the Three Laws of Robotics and ushers in the Robot Age.Earth is ruled by master-machines but the Three Laws of Robotics have been designed to ensure humans maintain the upper hand:1) A robot may not injure a human being or allow a human being to come to harm2) A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.3) A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.But what happens when a rogue robot's idea of what is good for society contravenes the Three Laws?Trade Review‘An exciting science thriller…’New York Times ‘Isaac Asimov was one of the great explainers of the age…It will never be known how many practicing scientists today, in how many countries, owe their initial inspiration to a book, article, or short story by Isaac Asimov’Carl Sagan ‘Asimov displayed one of the most dynamic imaginations in science fiction’Daily Telegraph ‘Asimov’s career was one of the most formidable in science fiction’The Times

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Book Synopsis''The creatures I had seen were not men, had never been men. They were animals, humanised animals...''A shipwrecked Edward Prendick finds himself stranded on a remote Noble island, the guest of a notorious scientist, Doctor Moreau. Disturbed by the cries of animals in pain, and by his encounters with half-bestial creatures, Edward slowly realises his danger and the extremes of the Doctor''s experiments.Saturated in pain and disgust, suffused with grotesque and often unbearable images of torture and bodily mutilation, The Island of Doctor Moreau is unquestionably a shocking novel. It is also a serious, and highly knowledgeable, philosophical engagement with Wells''s times, with their climate of scientific openness and advancement, but also their anxieties about the ethical nature of scientific discoveries, and their implications for religion. Darryl Jones''s introduction places the book in both its scientific and literary context; with the Origin of Species and Gulliver''s Travels, and argues that The Island of Doctor Moreau is, like all of Wells''s best fiction, is fundamentally a novel of ideasTrade ReviewThis is an accomplished edition. * Jonathan Cowie, Science Fact & Science Fiction Concatenation *Table of ContentsIntroduction Note on the Text Select Bibliography A Chronology of H. G. Wells THE ISLAND OF DOCTOR MOREAU Explanatory Notes

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Book SynopsisWhen the chance discovery of an ancient cryptogram reveals a path to the Underworld, the adventurous Professor Otto Lidenbrock sets off to Iceland, determined to reach the centre of the earth. But nothing can prepare him and his nephew Axel for what they will find beneath the ground; measureless caverns and vast subterranean seas reveal all of the earth's known history and more, while dinosaurs do battle, giant men herd mastodons, and danger and excitement wait around every corner. Richly illustrated by Édouard Riou, the French painter and illustrator who worked with Jules Verne on six of his novels, this Macmillan Collector's Library edition of Journey to the Centre of the Earth also includes an afterword by Ned Halley.Designed to appeal to the booklover, the Macmillan Collector's Library is a series of beautiful gift editions of much loved classic titles. Macmillan Collector's Library are books to love and treasure.

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Book SynopsisThe Road can go Anywhere.The Road can go Anywhen.Almost.Red Dorakeen has been on the Road for a very long time. For all of time, in fact. It stretches infinitely into the future and past, with exits that take him wherever, or whenever, he wants to go.But he can''t find the place he wants to be.He''s not the only one who can travel the Road, and as people join and leave, they can alter the past, or the future, to suit their whims. Exits close off, become overgrown, and working out what to change back to return to old timelines could take, well . . . forever.Fortunately, Red has all the time he could ever need.Roadmarks is a fantastically mind-bending novel from one of SFF''s most influential authors. It weaves together linear and non-linear narratives in a compelling tale full of mystery and magic.

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Book SynopsisOne of the very best must-read SF novels of all time.Trade Review'Military science fiction comes in many flavours, and Joe Haldeman's is every bit as satisfying as Heinlein's.' * SciFiNow *

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Book Synopsis A stunning, many-layered speculation on the future of humanity, on interaction between cultures, on love and sex, on religion and politics, STARS IN MY POCKETS LIKE GRAINS OF SAND is an enduring masterpiece by one of science fiction’s greatest writers. Trade Review‘Sentence by sentence, phrase by phrase, Delany invites the reader to collaborate in the process of creation. The reader who accepts this invitation has an extraordinarily satisfying experience in store’New York Times Book Review ‘A rocket launch, a phoenix reborn, a new Delany novel—three wonderful, fiery events’Ursula K. Le Guin

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Book SynopsisH. G. Wells skilfully combines tension, wit and terror in The Invisible Man, a masterpiece of science fiction. Complete & Unabridged. Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket-sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover.A mysterious stranger arrives at a rural Sussex inn on a cold winter’s night with his face obscured by bandages and his body cloaked in a long, heavy coat. He locks himself in his room and spends his stay labouring over chemicals in intricate glass bottles. The villagers, bewildered by what lurks under the bandages, could never be prepared for the terrible truth: that the man is a scientist who has rendered himself invisible and is desperately struggling to find an antidote. He flees to the rugged, cliff-lined coast where, pursued by police and an angry mob, he is intent on murderous revenge.

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Book SynopsisDiscover the origins of the Jedi order, as a lone Je'daii ranger fights to save their ancient homeworld, Tython, from disaster.On the planet Tython, the ancient Je'daii order was founded. And at the feet of its wise Masters, Lanoree Brock learned the mysteries and methods of the Force-and found her calling as one of its most powerful disciples. But as strongly as the Force flowed within Lanoree and her parents, it remained absent in her brother, who grew to despise and shun the Je'daii, and whose training in its ancient ways ended in tragedy.Now, from her solitary life as a Ranger keeping order across the galaxy, Lanoree has been summoned by the Je'daii Council on a matter of utmost urgency. The leader of a fanatical cult, obsessed with traveling beyond the reaches of known space, is bent on opening a cosmic gateway using dreaded dark matter as the key-risking a cataclysmic reaction that will consume the entire star system. But more shocking to Lanoree than even the prospect of total galactic annihilation, is the decision of her Je'daii Masters to task her with the mission of preventing it. Until a staggering revelation makes clear why she was chosen: The brilliant, dangerous madman she must track down and stop at any cost is the brother whose death she has long grieved-and whose life she must now fear.

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Book SynopsisVOLUME ONE OF TWO''A huge, eye-opening, mind-blowing surprise'' Lisa Tuttle, Guardian A genre-defining-and redefining-collection of fiction''s boldest, most rebellious, and most prescient genre, featuring a smorgasbord of stories from across the globeIn The Big Book of Cyberpunk, award-winning anthologist Jared Shurin brings together over a hundred stories from more than twenty-five different countries. Here are tales that both establish and subvert the classic Cyberpunk tropes and aesthetic from gritty, near-future noir to pulse-pounding action. Urban rebels undermine their monolithic corporate overlords, daring heists are conducted through back alleys and the darkest parts of the online world, and dangerous new technology, cybernetic enhancements, scheming AIs, corporate mercenaries, improbable weapons and roguish hackers all collide into rich, thrilling entertainment. Set across two volumes, these are stories that examine the n

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Book SynopsisThe last Isaac Asimov science fiction collection which contains all of his previously uncollected stories.

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Book SynopsisFollowing the smash-hit sci-fi comedy The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe is the second part in Douglas Adams' multi-media phenomenon and cult classic series. If you've done six impossible things this morning, why not round it off with breakfast at Milliways, the Restaurant at the end of the Universe?Which is exactly what Arthur Dent and the crew of the Heart of Gold plan to do. There's just the small matter of escaping the Vogons, avoiding being taken to the most totally evil world in the Galaxy and teaching a space ship how to make a proper cup of tea.And did anyone actually make a reservation?Follow Arthur Dent's galactic (mis)adventures in the rest of the trilogy with five parts: Life, the Universe and Everything, So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish, and Mostly Harmless.Trade ReviewOne of the greatest achievements in comedy. A work of staggering genius -- David WalliamsDazzlingly inventive -- Caitlin MoranFizzing with ideas . . . Brilliant -- Charlie BrookerI haven’t known many geniuses in my life. Some brilliantly smart people, but only a tiny handful would I class as geniuses. I would class Douglas, because he saw things differently, and he was capable of communicating the way he saw things, and once he explained things the way he saw them, it was almost impossible to see them the way you used to see them -- Neil GaimanIt changed my whole life. It's literally out of this world -- Tom BakerHitchhiker’s is packed with that unique energy, all barmy and bristling and bold. This book can be witty, iconoclastic, godless, savage, sweet, surreal, but above all, it dares to be silly. Fiercely, beautifully silly -- Russell T. Davies, writer and producer of Doctor WhoHe had almost a Wodehousian style and some of his phrases and jokes entered our language. He changed the way people spoke -- Stephen FryThere has never been another writer remotely like Douglas Adams. He discovered a completely new genre – scientific wit – and having discovered it he raised it to dizzying heights -- Tony RobinsonQuite good I suppose, if you like brilliantly entertaining books written with a touch of imaginative genius -- Griff Rhys JonesVery occasionally a book comes along that changes the way you laugh and what you laugh about -- Richard DawkinsOne of the world’s sanest, smartest, kindest, funniest voices * Independent on Sunday *Magical . . . read this book * Sunday Express *Sheer delight * The Times *

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Book SynopsisClassic SF from the golden age of the pulps, in a striking new edition! Follow Northwest Smith, SF's first true outlaw, across the galaxy!

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Book SynopsisWith her red hair flowing, her yellow eyes glinting like embers, and her face streaked with blood, Jirel is strong, fearless, and driven by honor. The fierce, proud, and relentless commander of warriors, standing tall above her enemies and simmering with rage, Jirel bids farewell to the world of treacherous men and walks through a forbidden door into Hell itself in pursuit of freedom, justice, and revenge.These are the classic tales of blood and honor that catapulted C.L. Moore into the legendary ranks of such acclaimed writers as Robert E. Howard and Edgar Rice Burroughs in the golden age of sword and sorcery. First published in the magazine Weird Tales in the 1930s, Moore''s fantastic medieval adventures are heightened by a savage, romantic vision that helped define the genre, earning her recognition as a Grand Master for lifetime achievement by the World Fantasy Convention.Trade ReviewA pure romantic whose fantasies remain some of the most vivid and engaging of their kind[Jirel is] a woman equal in battle to any swashbuckling male hero who ever ruled over the knights of ancient valorThere are strains of A. Merritt, Robert E. Howard and even H.P Lovecraft . . . ExcellentJirel . . . was the first female Sword-and-Sorcery hero. And, considering how much competition she faces today from the warrior women who have followed the path she blazed, she remains one of the best. - Black Gate

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Book SynopsisIn The War of the Worlds H. G. Wells invented the myth of invasion from outer space. Martians land near London, conquering all before them, and ruin the metropolis; the fate of civilization and even of the human race remains in doubt until the very last.Trade ReviewAn interesting and informative foreword and notes by Darryl Jones... I highly recommend these OWC editions -- I find the forewords, without being overly long, pack in a lot of information and add a huge amount to my appreciation of the books.Table of ContentsIntroduction Note on the Text Select Bibliography A Chronology of H. G. Wells THE WAR OF THE WORLDS Explanatory Notes

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Book SynopsisClassic SF from the golden age of the pulps, in a striking new edition!Trade ReviewKuttner was exceptional. [He] died in 1958 at the ripe young age of forty-three. Our own minds were extinguished a little in responseKuttner has power, a way with words, and grasp of technique . . . brings life and reality to his stories. - New York TimesA pomegranate writer: popping with seeds - full of ideas.Fury shows how under conditions incomprehensibly different from those we now experience, mankind once again starts up the long climb from decay to greatnessOne of the most able and versatile of modern sf writers - Encyclopedia of Science Fiction

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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 SynopsisWith his trademark dry wit, Kurt Vonnegut''s Cat''s Cradle is an inventive science fiction satire that preys on our deepest fears of witnessing Armageddon - and, worse still, surviving it. This Penguin Modern Classics edition includes an introduction by Benjamin Kunkel.Dr Felix Hoenikker, one of the founding ''fathers'' of the atomic bomb, has left a deadly legacy to humanity. For he is the inventor of ice-nine, a lethal chemical capable of freezing the entire planet. Writer Jonah''s search for his whereabouts leads him to Hoenikker''s three eccentric children, to an island republic in the Caribbean where the absurd religion of Bokononism is practised, to love and to insanity. Told with deadpan humour and bitter irony, Kurt Vonnegut''s cult tale of global destruction is a frightening and funny satire on the end of the world and the madness of mankind.Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007) was born in Indianapolis. During the Second World War he was a prisoner in Germany and present at the bombing of Dresden, an experience he recounted in his famous novel Slaughterhouse Five (1969). His first novel, Player Piano, was published in 1951 and since then he has written many novels, including The Sirens of Titan, Jailbird, Deadeye Dick, Galapagos and Hocus Pocus. If you enjoyed Cat''s Cradle, you might like Philip K. Dick''s The Man in the High Castle, also available in Penguin Modern Classics.''One of the warmest, wisest, funniest voices to be found anywhere in fiction''Sam Leith, Daily Telegraph''A free-wheeling vehicle ... An unforgettable ride!''The New York Times''Vonnegut looked the world straight in the eye and never flinched''J.G. Ballard

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Book SynopsisThe first modern tale of alien invasion, H.G. Wells's The War of the Worlds remains one of the most influential science fiction novels ever published.The night after a shooting star is seen streaking through the sky from Mars, a cylinder is discovered on Horsell Common in London. At first, naïve locals approach the cylinder armed just with a white flag - only to be quickly killed by an all-destroying heat-ray, as terrifying tentacled invaders emerge. Soon the whole of human civilisation is under threat, as powerful Martians build gigantic killing machines, destroy all in their path with black gas and burning rays, and feast on the warm blood of trapped, still-living human prey. The forces of the Earth, however, may prove harder to beat than they at first appear. The War of the Worlds has been the subject of countless adaptations, including an Orson Welles radio drama which caused mass panic when it was broadcast, with listeners confusing it for a news broadTrade Review“The creations of Mr. Wells . . . belong unreservedly to an age and degree of scientific knowledge far removed from the present, though I will not say entirely beyond the limits of the possible.” —Jules Verne

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Book SynopsisAfter the Lady Vain is shipwrecked, Edward Prendick is plucked from the waves by a passing ship and deposited on a remote island. Here he is the guest of Dr Moreau, whose notorious scientific methods had caused an uproar that left him with no choice but to flee London. Disquieted and appalled by the pained cries of suffering animals, Edward soon realizes that the Doctor is continuing and developing his depraved experiments, and that he too is in great danger. Shocking and suffused with contemporary fears regarding the morality of the latest advances in science and their possible implications for religion, The Island of Dr Moreau is both a ruthless social satire and an exploration of human nature.Trade ReviewA writer for whom I have the deepest admiration is H.G. Wells -- Vladimir Nabokov

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Book SynopsisA final collection of original short fantasy stories assembles previously uncollected tales, stories about the two-centimeter demon Azael, several fairy tales, and a humorous adventure about Batman's old age from the grandmaster of science fiction.

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Book SynopsisJourney to the Centre of the Earth has been consistently praised for its style and its vision of the world. It explores the prehistory of the globe, but can also be read as a psychological quest, for the journey itself is as important as arrival or discovery. Professor Lidenbrock and his nephew Axel travel across Iceland, and then down through an extinct crater towards a sunless sea where they enter a living past and are confronted with the origins of man. A classic of nineteenth-century French literature, the novel''s distinctive combination of realism and Romanticism has marked figures as diverse as Sartre and Tournier, Mark Twain and Conan Doyle.This new translation of the complete text is faithful to the lyricism, verve, and humour of the original. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World''s Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford''s commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text Trade Reviewa virtuoso exegete * French Studies *extremely useful * The Modern Language Review *

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Book SynopsisFOR THE FIRST TIME - ADAM JOURNEYS INTO THE FUTURE! Cursed by an old alchemist to live forever - unless struck from a weapon made of gold - Adam Eterno has gained the power to travel through the ages, fighting evil and injustice. Now Adam has been transported into a dystopian future where a cruel police regime led by Grunn the Grim, rule over the population with an iron fist... Written by Edward George Cowan (Robot Archie) and Chris Lowder (Dan Dare), with stunning art by Solano Lopez (Janus Stark), this book features Adam''s first adventures published in Lion.

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Book Synopsis''The Sun Bird was beginning to travel fast, close to the edge of the whirlpool. They could look right down into the hollow of spinning water'' While flying over Africa''s New Sea, a water project in the heart of the Sahara desert, Mark Sunnet''s rocket plane crashes and is sucked through a hole in the desert floor into a strange, cavernous new world.There, he and his partner Margaret encounter the survivors of an ancient race of underground dwellers whose whole existence is now threatened. Captured and forced to live with other prisoners taken from the surface, the pair know that they must escape before the waters above drown them all . . .The Secret People, published in 1935, is John Wyndham''s first novel.''Perhaps the best writer of science fiction England has ever produced'' Stephen King

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Book Synopsis''It was a desert. A vista of reddish rocks and drifted sand, arid and hot, extending to the limits of their view. A dreary waste upon which nothing moved or grew . . .''For British pilot Dale Curtance the Keuntz Prize - to be awarded to the first person to take a spaceship to another planet and back - is the ultimate challenge. Not only has he to build a ship to survive the journey, assemble a top-notch crew and choose a destination, he''s also got to beat the Russians and Americans.Soon the GLORIA MUNDI blasts off from Salisbury Plain, bound for Mars. There''s only one problem - a stowaway called Joan. Not only does her presence wreck calculations and threaten the mission, but her tale suggests that Mars may be a more dangerous destination than they ever expected. ''Perhaps the best writer of science fiction England has ever produced'' Stephen King

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Book Synopsis''An astonishing science fiction phenomenon'' WASHINGTON POST''I know nothing comparable to it except The Lord of the Rings'' Arthur C ClarkeBefore The Matrix, before Star Wars, before Ender''s Game and Neuromancer, there was Dune, the first book in one of the greatest science fiction series ever written.A game of power, only those who can conquer their fear will survive.Melange, or ''spice'', is the most valuable - and rarest - element in the universe. And it can only be found on a single planet: the inhospitable desert world Arrakis.Whoever controls Arrakis controls the spice. And whoever controls the spice controls the universe.When stewardship of Arrakis is transferred to his house, Paul Atreides must travel to the planet''s dangerous surface to ensure the future of his family and his people. But as malevolent forces explode into conflict around him, Paul is thrust into a great destiny beyond his understanding.Read the first installment that inspired the major blockbuster films starring Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Florence Pugh and Austin Butler.WINNER of the NEBULA AWARD for best novel, 1965JOINT WINNER of the HUGO AWARD for best novel, 1966READERS LOVE IT''Dune had me hooked! [...] Authentic world building'' ?????''The complexity and depth of the creation is staggering'' ?????''This is a phenomenal classic of literature'' ?????''There''s just so much brilliance here. The balance is perfect'' ?????''Dune is every bit to science-fiction what Lord of the Rings is to fantasy'' ?????Trade ReviewA sweeping work of science-fiction that helped define the genre and bring it to the mainstream * The Independent *Adapted from Frank Herbert's 1960s opus, Dune is dense, moody and quite often sublime - the missing link bridging the multiplex and the arthouse * The Guardian - 5* *This new adaptation of the 1965 Frank Herbert novel ... it's science-fiction at its most majestic, unsettling and enveloping * Daily Telegraph *Dune is this generation's Lord of the Rings trilogy ... firmly grounded in Herbert's book. The author's story of feudal nobles waging war over Arrakis, the only source of a powerful drug known as spice, is thick with conflicting ideas that academics are still unpacking today * The Independent *Dune: science fiction's answer to Lord of the Rings * The Guardian *Dune, more than 50 years after it was first published, is a story that speaks to the issues of our time * BBC Science Focus *Astonishing in its scope and thought-provoking in its breadth of themes, Dune is an unforgettable fantasy adventure like no other * Woman & Home *Astonishing in its scope and thought-provoking in its breadth of themes, Dune is an unforgettable fantasy adventure like no other * Isabelle Broom, womanandhome.com, Best Fantasy Books of All Time *Unique among SF novels . . . I know nothing comparable to it except The Lord of the Rings. * Arthur C. Clarke *One of the landmarks of modern science fiction . . . an amazing feat of creation. * Analog *A racy read. * The Week *One of the most famous novels in the history of science fiction, Dune remains as popular today as it ever was. * SciFi Now *

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Book SynopsisDid you ever wonder why I chose you all those years ago? I wanted to see the universe, so I stole a Time Lord and I ran away...'The Doctor has a unique bond with their TARDIS. They've always loved the old girl' for the way she's gone looking for trouble anywhere in the universe. The Doctor says they stole the TARDIS from Gallifrey. The TARDIS disagrees she stole them. She hasn't always taken them where they want to go, but she's made sure to take them where they needed to be. For the TARDIS is far more than just a time machine crossed with a spaceship. Her life reflects the Doctor's life a shared wanderlust and longing to explore. Now you can revisit the Doctor's adventures as seen through the eyes or the flashing rooftop light, at least of the TARDIS. From the time the Doctor stole her from Gallifrey to her latest adventures with the Fifteenth Doctor, the TARDIS reflects wittily on her epic, incredible history past, present and future!

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Book SynopsisThe highly-acclaimed sequel to H G Wells's The Time Machine, from the heir to Arthur C. Clarke.Written to celebrate the centenary of the publication of H G Wells's classic story THE TIME MACHINE, Stephen Baxter's stunning sequel is an outstanding work of imaginative fiction.The Time Traveller has abandoned his charming and helpless Eloi friend Weena to the cannibal appetites of the Morlocks, the devolved race of future humans from whom he was forced to flee. He promptly embarks on a second journey to the year AD 802,701, pledged to rescue Weena. He never arrives. The future was changed by his presence and will be changed again. Hurling towards infinity, the Traveller must resolve the paradoxes building around him in a dazzling temporal journey of discovery. He must achieve the impossible if Weena is to be saved.Trade ReviewWINNER OF THE BSFA, JOHN W. CAMPBELL AND PHILIP K. DICK AWARDS ‘I’m almost tempted to say (I know this is blasphemy) that the sequel is better than the original …’Arthur C. Clark ‘Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein succeeded in doing it, but very few others. Now Stephen Baxter joins their exclusive ranks. The reaction is that which C. S. Lewis referred to when he described science fiction as the only genuine consciousness-expanding drug.’NEW SCIENTIST ‘Stephen Baxter really does stand on the shoulders of giants in order to see further than they did … THE TIME SHIPS is a brilliant piece of work. It is a sequel in the best possible sense’INTERZONE ‘The most important living science-fiction writer in the country’THE TIMES ‘The best SF writer in Britain’SFX

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Book SynopsisVictorian scientist propel himself into the year 802,701 AD, where he is delighted to find that suffering has been replaced by beauty and contentment in the form of the Eloi, an elfin species descended from man. But he soon realizes that they are simply remnants of a once-great culture.

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Book SynopsisLeigh Radford trained as a broadcast journalist. She produced and presented arts and entertainment content and documentaries for UK commercial radio, BBC Radio, Time Out, The Times and The Sun. A former book publicist, she is a 2023 graduate of Faber Academy. She is currently developing content for film and television through her production company, Kenosha Kickers. One Yellow Eye is her debut novel.

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Book SynopsisGives us a horrifying glimpse of an alternative world - one where the Allies have lost the Second World War.

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Book Synopsis

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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 SynopsisWith an Introduction and Notes by Linda Dryden, Professor of English Literature at Edinburgh Napier University and the author of Joseph Conrad and H. G. Wells: The Fin-de Siecle-Literary Scene.At the end of the nineteenth century a stranger arrives in the Sussex countryside and mayhem ensues; in the sleepy county of Kent a miracle food brings biological chaos that engulfs and threatens the entire planet. H. G. Wells's fertile and mercurial imagination never brought us more bizarre and unsettling stories than those revealed in The Invisible Man (1897) and The Food of the Gods, and How It Came to Earth (1904). These are stories of extraordinary physical transformations and are at once extremely funny and richly imaginative. At the same time, Wells poses some very probing questions about the ethical dimensions to science and the human capacity for both pity and cruelty. Brought together for the first time in this new Wordsworth edition, The Invisible Man and The Food of the Gods are two of Wells's most entertaining and thought-provoking works.

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Book SynopsisYevgeny Zamyatin (Author) Yevgeny Zamyatin (1884-1937) was a naval engineer by profession and writer by vocation, who made himself an enemy of the Tsarist government by being a Bolshevik, and an enemy of the Soviet government by insisting that human beings have absolute creative freedom. He wrote short stories, plays and essays, but his masterpiece is We, written in 1920-21 and soon thereafter translated into most of the languages of the world.Clarence Brown (Introducer, Translator) Clarence Brown was a pioneer of Russian literature studies and translation. His brilliant translation of We was based on the corrected text of the novel, first published in Russia in 1988 after more than sixty years' suppression.Trade Review“Zamyatin . . . did more than predict some of the specific characteristics of totalitarianism―he predicted its defining condition: the destruction of the individual. . . . [He] found the word for it: We.” ―Masha Gessen, from the Foreword“The best single work of science fiction yet written.” —Ursula K. Le Guin“[Zamyatin’s] intuitive grasp of the irrational side of totalitarianism—human sacrifice, cruelty as an end in itself—makes [We] superior to Huxley’s [Brave New World].” —George Orwell “At this dystopian moment in world politics, everyone’s talking about 1984, but take a look at the novel that inspired it (or, at least, which George Orwell reviewed soon before he wrote 1984)—Yevgeny Zamyatin’s We. . . . The dystopia Zamyatin painted has, alas, many echoes with today’s surveillance society—just think of China’s budding ‘social credit’ program, which monitors citizens’ movements. Big Brother was a piker, compared to Xi Jinping. Zamyatin saw it coming.” —Lit HubTable of ContentsWe Introduction: Zamyatin and the RoosterNotes to IntroductionSuggestions for Further ReadingWERecord 1AnnouncementThe Wisest of LinesAn Epic PoemRecord 2BalletHarmony SquaredXRecord 3JacketWallThe TableRecord 4Savage with BarometerEpilepsyIfRecord 5SquareRulers of the WorldPleasant and Useful FunctionRecord 6AccidentDamned "Clear"24 HoursRecord 7An EyelashTaylorHenbane and Lily of the ValleyRecord 8The Irrational RootR-13TriangleRecord 9LiturgyIambs and TrocheesCast-Iron HandRecord 10LetterMembraneHairy MeRecord 11No, I Can't...Skip the ContentsRecord 12Limitation of InfinityAngelReflections on PoetryRecord 13FogFamiliar "You"An Absolutely Inane OccurrenceRecord 14"Mine"ForbiddenCold FloorRecord 15BellMirror-like SeaMy Fate to Burn ForeverRecord 16YellowTwo-Dimensional ShadowIncurable SoulRecord 17Through GlassI DiedHallwaysRecord 18Logical LabyrinthWounds and PlasterNever AgainRecord 19Third-Order InfinitesimalA Sullen GlareOver the ParapetRecord 20DischargeIdea MaterialZero CliffRecord 21An Author's DutySwollen IceThe Most Difficult LoveRecord 22Frozen WavesEverything Tends to PerfectionI Am a MicrobeRecord 23FlowersDissolution of a CrystalIf OnlyRecord 24Limit of FunctionEasterCross It All OutRecord 25Descent from HeavenHistory's Greatest CatastropheEnd of the KnownRecord 26The World ExistsA Rash41 CentigradeRecord 27No Contents - Can'tRecord 28Both WomenEntropy and EnergyOpaque Part of the BodyRecord 29Threads on the FaceShootsUnnatural CompressionRecord 30The Final NumberGalileo's MistakeWouldn't It Be Better?Record 31The Great OperationI Have Forgiven EverythingA Train WreckRecord 32I Do Not BelieveTractorsThe Human ChipRecord 33(No Time for Contents, Last Note)Record 34Those on LeaveA Sunny NightRadio-ValkyrieRecord 35In a HoopCarrotMurderRecord 36Blank PagesThe Christian GodAbout My MotherRecord 37InfusorianDoomsdayHer RoomRecord 38(I Don't Know What Goes Here, Maybe Just: A Cigarette Butt)Record 39The EndRecord 40FactsThe BellI Am CertainTranslator's Notes

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Book SynopsisVoyager Classics timeless masterworks of science fiction and fantasy.The classic collection of robot stories from the master of the genre.In these stories Isaac Asimov creates the Three Laws of Robotics and ushers in the Robot Age.Earth is ruled by master-machines but the Three Laws of Robotics have been designed to ensure humans maintain the upper hand:1) A robot may not injure a human being or allow a human being to come to harm2) A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.3) A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.But what happens when a rogue robot's idea of what is good for society contravenes the Three Laws?Trade Review‘An exciting science thriller…’New York Times ‘Isaac Asimov was one of the great explainers of the age…It will never be known how many practicing scientists today, in how many countries, owe their initial inspiration to a book, article, or short story by Isaac Asimov’Carl Sagan ‘Asimov displayed one of the most dynamic imaginations in science fiction’Daily Telegraph ‘Asimov’s career was one of the most formidable in science fiction’The Times

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Book SynopsisTwo dazzling new novellas from the celebrated author of Fahrenheit 451.Two previously unpublished novellas comprise this astonishing new volume from one of science fiction''s greatest living writers. In the first, ''Somewhere a Band is Playing'', newsman James Cardiff is lured through poetry and his fascination with a beautiful and enigmatic young woman to Summerton, Arizona. The small town''s childless population hold an extraordinary secret which has been passed on for thousands of years unbeknownst to the rest of human civilization.In the second novella, ''Leviathan ''99'', the classic tale of Herman Melville''s Moby Dick' is reborn as an interstellar adventure. It recounts the exploits of the mad Captain Ahab, who, blinded by his first encounter with a gigantic comet called ''Leviathan'', pursues his lunatic vendetta across the universe. Born in space and seeking adventure in the skies, astronaut Ishmael Jones joins the crew aboard the Cetus 7 and quickly finds his fate in the handTrade Review‘A meditation on writing, inspiration, ageing and change, all deep themes lightly handled, both elegiac and suspenseful… There are echoes in it not only of Melville, but of Shakespeare, Whitman and Poe … The language sings.’ The Times ‘Brilliant’ DeathRay Praise for Ray Bradbury: 'It is impossible not to admire the vigour of his prose, similes and metaphors constantly cascading from his imagination' Spectator 'Bradbury has a remarkable range of intensity and vision' Sunday Times ‘Bradbury is an authentic original’ Time Magazine ‘No other writer uses language with greater originality and zest. he seems to be an American Dylan Thomas – with discipline’ Sunday Telegraph

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