Classic science fiction

Book SynopsisJules Verne''s wild and riotous fantasy Journey to the Centre of the Earth delves into the hidden mysteries of a vast, uncharted subterranean world. This Penguin Classics edition is translated from the French by Frank Wynne with an introduction by Jane Smiley and notes by Peter Cogman.Jules Verne''s pioneering science fiction classic tells the story of the distinguished but eccentric Professor Lidenbrock, who finds a scrap of parchment in an old manuscript. A cipher written in runes, it tells of an entrance to another world - a world hidden beneath our own, illuminated by an electrified gas and populated by strange, prehistoric beings. So with his nephew reluctantly in tow, the Professor follows this cryptic clue down into a dormant volcano in Iceland, and the further they descend, the more extraordinary the discoveries and creatures that they encounter, the greater the dangers, and the more ancient the living past that surrounds them.This new translation by Frank Wynne is accompanied by an introduction on the science of Verne''s work and its influences. This edition also includes notes, a chronology and suggested further reading.Jules Verne (1828-1905), the ''father of Science Fiction'' was born in Nantes, developing from early childhood a romantic fascination for the ships and the sea. In 1848 he moved to Paris, ostensibly to become a lawyer, though his true ambition was to become a writer. His first book, Five Weeks in a Balloon (1863) was an immediate popular success, followed a year later by Journey to the Centre of the Earth; among the most popular of the fifty-four books published during his life are From the Earth to the Moon (1865), Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870) and Around the World in Eighty Days (1873).If you enjoyed Journey to the Centre of the Earth you might like H.G. Wells'' The Time Machine, also available in Penguin Classics.Trade Review“The reason Verne is still read by millions today is simply that he was one of the best storytellers who ever lived.”—Arthur C. Clarke

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Book SynopsisWelcome to the Best of the Masterworks: a selection of the finest in science fictionWhen Edward Prendick is shipwrecked on a tropical island, he is surprised to find he has company in the form of Dr Moreau.Driven out of Britain in disgrace, Dr Moreau has decided to explore his science in peace and isolation.It isn''t long before Prendick discovers the horrors it involves . . .Considered widely to be one of the fathers of science fiction, H.G. Wells'' story of a mad scientist pushing the boundaries of humanity sits alongside Frankenstein and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde in the annals of British classics. The novel has been adapted multiple times, and is referenced in many different media.''The most important of all nineteenth-century sf writers in the UK and in America'' - The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction''Short, cold, economic and totally unrelenting. An utterly terrifying book'' -

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Book SynopsisIt was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.The year is 1984, and life in Oceania is ruled by the Party. Under the gaze of Big Brother, Winston Smith yearns for intimacy and love - "thought crimes" that, if uncovered, would mean imprisonment, or death. But Winston is not alone in his defiance, and an illicit affair will draw him into the mysterious Brotherhood and the realities of resistance. Nineteen Eighty-Four has been described as chilling, absorbing, satirical, momentous, prophetic and terrifying. It is all these things, and more.The Authoritative Text. With an introduction by Robert Harris.*The jacket of this stunning hardback edition features period artwork by Elizabeth Friedlander, one of Europe's pre-eminent 20th-century graphic designers. Look out for complementary editions of Orwell's essential works Animal Farm and Down and Out in Paris and London.*Trade ReviewThe book of the twentieth century...haunts us with an ever-darker relevance * Independent *His final masterpiece... Enthralling and indispensable for understanding modern history * New York Review of Books *Orwell remains the most indispensable English writer of his period * Observer *Matchlessly sharp and fresh... The clearest and most compelling English prose style this century -- John Carey * Sunday Times *Many writers and journalists have tried to imitate his particular kind of clarity without possessing anything like his moral authority -- Peter Ackroyd * The Times *

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Book SynopsisWith an Introduction and Notes by Dr Emily Alder, Lecturer in Literature and Culture at Edinburgh Napier University 'Each time I dip a living creature into the bath of burning pain, I say: this time I will burn out all the animal, this time I will make a rational creature of my own!' declares Doctor Moreau to hapless narrator Edward Prendick. Moreau's highly controversial methods and ambitions conflict with the religious, moral and scientific norms of his day and Wells later called The Island of Doctor Moreau 'a youthful exercise in blasphemy'. Today his vivid depictions of the Beast People still strike modern readers with an uncanny glimpse of the animal in the human, while the behaviour of humans leave us wondering who is the most monstrous after all. This volume unites four of Wells' liveliest and most engaging tales of the strange evolution and behaviour of animals - including human beings. The Island of Doctor Moreau is followed by three fantastic yet chillingly plausible short stories of human-animal encounters. The Empire of the Ants is a darkly humorous account of intelligent Amazonian ants threatening to displace humans as 'the lords of the future and masters of the earth'. In The Sea Raiders, the south coast of England is terrorized by an unwelcome visit from deep-sea predator Haploteuthis ferox, while Æpyornis Island provides a marooned egg collector with an unusual companion.

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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 Synopsis"There is absolutely no necessity to learn how to read; meat smells a mile off, anyway. Nevertheless, if you live in Moscow and have a brain in your head, you'll pick up reading willy-nilly, and without attending any courses. Out of the forty thousand or so Moscow dogs, only a total idiot won't know how to read the word 'sausage'." When a stray dog dying on the streets of Moscow is taken in by a wealthy professor, he is subjected to medical experiments in which he receives various transplants of human organs. As he begins to transform into a rowdy, unkempt human by the name of Poligraf Poligrafovich Sharikov, his actions distress the professor and those surrounding him, although he finds himself accepted into the ranks of the Soviet state. A parodic reworking of the Frankenstein myth and a vicious satire of the Communist revolution and the concept of the New Soviet man, A Dog's Heart was banned by the censors in 1925 and circulated only in samizdat form. Nowadays this hugely entertaining tale has become very popular in Russia, and has inspired many adaptations across the world.Trade ReviewThis is a story which is full of metaphorical and ironic prose and is a mixture of the comical and the terrifying. It provides a chilling reminder that if you do monstrous things you are likely to create monsters. This underlying message remains as true today as it was back in the 1920s, and so feels both timely and contemporary. * Nudge Books * One of the great writers of the twentieth century. -- A.S. Byatt

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Book SynopsisRead the classic, chilling dystopian novel that inspired one of the world''s most iconic film franchises''A scintillating mix of sci-fi adventure and allegory'' Los Angeles Times In a spaceship that can travel at the speed of light, Ulysse, a journalist, sets off from Earth for the nearest solar system. There he finds Soror, a planet which resembles his own, but where humans behave like animals, and are hunted by a civilised race of primates.Captured and sent to a research facility, Ulysse must convince the apes of their mutual origins. But such revelations will have always been greeted by prejudice and fear...''A drastic warning about where mankind''s apparent desire to destroy itself might lead'' The MirrorTrade ReviewA scintillating mix of sci-fi adventure and allegory * Los Angeles Times *In 1963, at the most glacial moment of the Cold War, Frenchman Pierre Boulle wrote a novel called Planet Of The Apes - a drastic warning about where mankind's apparent desire to destroy itself might lead * The Mirror *Boulle called on his own experiences as a prisoner of war in South-east Asia during the Second World War, using the relationship between man and apes as a metaphor for the treatment handed out to prisoners by brutish Japanese guards * Daily Express *It's like a good myth or fairy-tale that stays with you... Part of the strength of this material is its disruptive, questioning nature. Who came first? Where are we going? -- Tim BurtonThe subtext is strongly anti-slavery, anti-racist and anti-war * Observer *

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Book SynopsisThe Penguin English Library Edition of The Island of Doctor Moreau by H. G. Wells''That black figure, with its eyes of fire, struck down through all my adult thoughts and feelings, and for a moment the forgotten horrors of childhood came back to my mind''Adrift in a dinghy, Edward Prendick, the single survivor from the good ship Lady Vain, is rescued by a vessel carrying a profoundly unusual cargo - a menagerie of savage animals. Tended to recovery by their keeper Montgomery, who gives him dark medicine that tastes of blood, Prendick soon finds himself stranded upon an uncharted island in the Pacific with his rescuer and the beasts. Here, he meets Montgomery''s master, the sinister Dr. Moreau - a brilliant scientist whose notorious experiments in vivisection have caused him to abandon the civilised world. It soon becomes clear he has been developing these experiments - with truly horrific results.The Penguin English Library - 100 editions of the best fiction in English, from the eighteenth century and the very first novels to the beginning of the First World War.

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Book SynopsisWhile walking in the Swiss Alps, two English travellers fall into a space-warp, and suddenly find themselves in another world. In many ways the same as our own - even down to the characters that inhabit it - this new planet is still somehow radically different, for the two walkers are now upon a Utopian Earth controlled by a single World Government. Here, as they soon learn, all share a common language, there is sexual, economic and racial equality, and society is ruled by socialist ideals enforced by an austere, voluntary elite: the ''Samurai''. But what will the Utopians make of these new visitors from a less perfect world?

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Book SynopsisArkady Strugatsky (Author) Arkady Strugatsky (1925 - 1991) and Boris Strugatsky (1933 - 2012) are Russia's most acclaimed and popular science-fiction writers. Their unique style - at once hilarious and pitch black - encompassed a remarkable variety of different genres: from space opera to alien invasion, from locked-room mystery to dystopian apocalypse. While their initial output was uncritical of Soviet life, over time their work became much more subversive - science fiction being the perfect vehicle to hide their critiques from censors. In 1981 they shared the Aelita Award, Russia's most prestigious science-fiction prize.Boris Strugatsky (Author) Arkady Strugatsky (1925 - 1991) and Boris Strugatsky (1933 - 2012) are Russia's most acclaimed and popular science-fiction writers. Their unique style - at once hilarious and pitch black - encompassed a remarkable variety of different genres: from space opera to alien invasion, fromTrade ReviewOne of the Strugatsky brothers is descended from Gogol and the other from Chekhov, but nobody is sure which is which ... A beautiful book -- Ursula K. Le GuinOne of the best and most provocative novels I have ever read, in or out of sci-fi -- Theodore SturgeonThey open windows in the mind and then fail to close them all, so that, putting down one of their books, you feel a cold breeze still lifting the hairs on the back of your neck. * The New York Times *

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Book SynopsisIt was supposed to be a holiday. Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart and his fiancée, Fiona, certainly deserved one. A steamer down the Nile and a guided tour of the ruins and artefacts of Ancient Egypt should have been perfect. Then things went wrong: attacks on the passengers, secrecy, bizarre behaviour and a voice in Lethbridge-Stewart''s head.

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Book Synopsis''No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man''s...''So begins H. G. Wells'' classic novel in which Martian lifeforms take over planet Earth. As the Martians emerge, they construct giant killing machines - armed with heatrays - that are impervious to attack. Advancing upon London they destroy everything in their path. Everything, except the few humans they collect in metal traps.Victorian England is a place in which the steam engine is state-of-the-art technology and powered flight is just a dream. Mankind is helpless against the killing machines from Mars, and soon the survivors are left living in a new stone age.Trade ReviewGroundbreaking ... A 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 *[Wells' work is] astonishingly rich in human and historical interest ... he foresaw the invention of, among other things, television, tanks, aerial warfare and the atom bomb -- David LodgeI personally consider the greatest of English living writers [to be] H. G. Wells -- Upton Sinclair

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Book SynopsisBased on the stories contained in this volume, the ten-part anthology series, Philip K. Dick''s Electric Dreams is written and executive produced by Emmy-nominated Ronald D. Moore (Battlestar Galactica, Outlander) and Michael Dinner (Justified, Masters of Sex), with Oscar nominated Bryan Cranston (Trumbo, Breaking Bad) both executive producing and appearing in the series.Each episode will be a sharp, thrilling standalone drama adapted and contemporised for global audiences by a creative team of British and American writers. The series will both illustrate Philip K. Dick''s prophetic vision and celebrate the enduring appeal of the prized Sci-Fi novelist''s work. Other guest stars include Janelle Morae, Anna paquin, Timothy Spall and Benedict Wong.The ten stories included are:THE HANGING STANGER, THE COMMUTER, THE FATHER-THING, EXHIBIT PIECE, IMPOSSIBLE PLANET, SALES PITCH, FOSTER YOU''RE DEAD, THE HOOD MAKER, HOLY QUARREL, IF THERE WERE NO BENNY CEMOLI, AUTOFAC and HUMAN IS

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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 Synopsis''No one would have believed, in the last years of the nineteenth century, that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man''s''Exploring the primordial nightmares that lurk within humanity''s dreams of progress and technology, H. G. Wells was a science fiction pioneer. This new omnibus edition brings together four of his hugely original and influential science-fiction novels - The Time Machine, The Island of Doctor Moreau, The Invisible Man and The War of the Worlds - with his most unsettling and strange short stories. Containing monstrous experiments, terrifying journeys, alien occupiers and grotesque creatures, these visionary tales discomfit and disturb, and retain the power to trouble our sense of who we are.With an introduction by Matthew Beaumont

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An entertaining and wide-ranging collection of science-fiction short stories featuring space aliens, spectacular inventions, futuristic technologies and vividly imagined worlds.Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, cloth-bound, pocket-sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. Classic Science Fiction Stories is selected and introduced by academic and science-fiction writer Adam Roberts.Classic Science Fiction Stories highlights not only famous writers such as Edgar Allan Poe, H. G. Wells and H. P. Lovecraft, but also gives voice to lesser known but equally inventive writers such as Florence McLandburgh and Ambrose Bierce. Spanning the 1750s to the early twentieth century, these mesmerizing and expertly crafted stories are by turns intriguing, terrifying and, at times, downright comic. Together they show how science fiction took root to develop into the global phenomenon it is today.

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Book SynopsisIn the distant future, when mortals mingle withthegods indeepspace, anout-of-date automaton, a recovering addict, and an angel race to solvethePope's murder in an abandoned corner of the galaxy.

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Book SynopsisScribble and his gang, the Stash Riders, haunt the streets of an alternate Manchester, chasing the immersive highs that come from Vurt Feathers. Place a feather in your mouth and it takes you to the Vurt: another place, a trip, a shared reality of all our dreams and mythologies. Different coloured feathers provide different experiences, but Scribble is searching for his lost love and only one feather offers the hope of finding her. It’s the ultimate feather, it may not even exist at all: Curious Yellow. But as the Game Cat says, “Be careful, be very careful. This ride is not for the weak.” First published in 1993, Jeff Noon’s extraordinary, influential, award-winning novel transcended SF boundaries and resisted categorization. Alluding to noir and surrealism alike, it was defiantly its own thing and remains so thirty years later. “Refreshing, disturbing and original," – The Independent File Under: Fantasy [ Curious Yellow Urban Wonderland Game Cat Living on the Dub Side ]Trade Review“I remember my sharp delight, in 1993 on first discovering Vurt’s hallucinogenic VR-induced Manchester. It instantly became one of my favourite examples of new directions in science fiction, and remains so these decades later!”– William Gibson, author of Neuromancer and The Peripheral “An intense, blistering story about the price of knowledge, full of dreamers and borderlands.”– Lauren Beukes, author of The Shining Girls “Passionate, distinctive, demanding and enthralling.”– The Times “A gripping piece of speculative fiction.”– The Guardian “Refreshing, disturbing and original.”– The Independent “An audacious fantasia, exhibiting a narrative daring and command few new writers can boast, sweeping the reader along as though it were a Vurt feather-trip itself.”– Publishers Weekly “Subversive, transgressive. It gets under your skin like Cronenberg.”– Chuck Wendig“These books, the best books, discover the essential human notes of their times, and they ring so strongly down the decades that we remember them still.”– Warren Ellis, author of Transmetropolitan“Vivid, restless, street-writing, neon-noir, ranging widely through fantasies and rationalities. An utterly unique, quite brilliant piece of writing.”– Adam Roberts, author of Jack Glass “Vurt was a better Philip K. Dick novel than most of Dick’s own books”– Richard Kadrey

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Book SynopsisIsaac Asimov's ROBOT series from the iconic collection I, Robot to four classic novels contains some of the most influential works in the history of science fiction. Establishing and testing the Three Laws of Robotics, they continue to shape the understanding and design of artificial intelligence to this day.How could robots be used in a time of war? Could a robot be raised like a child? Could we allow them to have children of their own? Is there any human profession that could never be performed by a robotic replacement?In The Rest of the Robots, robopsychologist Dr. Susan Calvin and engineers Powell and Donovan return to investigate many more puzzling anomalies and catastrophic malfunctions.With characteristic wit, foresight and imagination, Asimov's stories uncover the practical and ethical issues humanity will encounter in a robotic future.Trade Review‘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 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 SynopsisIn the year ten billion A.D., Diaspar is the last city on Earth. Agelss and unchanging, the inhabitants see no reason to be curious about the outside world. But one child, Alvin - only seventeen and the last person to be born in Diaspar - finds that he is increasingly drawn to what lies outside the city walls. Even though he knows the Invaders, who devastated the world, may still be out there...Later rewritten, expanded and republished as The City and the Stars, this early novella by one of the greats of science fiction remains a powerful and evocative depiction of the future of humanity...

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Book SynopsisThe Sunday Times BestsellerWITNESS THE BIRTH OF THE RESISTANCEWhen the Rebellion defeated the Empire in the skies above Endor, Leia Organa believed it was the beginning to a lasting peace. But after decades of vicious infighting and partisan gridlock in the New Republic Senate, that hope seems like a distant memory.Now a respected senator, Leia must grapple with the dangers that threaten to cripple the fledgling democracyfrom both within and without. Underworld kingpins, treacherous politicians, and Imperial loyalists are sowing chaos in the galaxy. Desperate to take action, senators are calling for the election of a First Senator. It is their hope that this influential post will bring strong leadership to a divided galaxy. As the daughter of Darth Vader, Leia faces with distrust the prospect of any one person holding such a powerful positioneven when supporters suggest Leia herself for the job. But a new enemy may make this path Leia's Trade ReviewFrom the New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Lost Stars comes a thrilling prequel to Star Wars: The Force Awakens, set roughly six years before the events of the film. * Publisher *An entertaining tale of intrigue and adventure * IGN *Star Wars: Bloodline isn’t just a great Star Wars book, or a great Leia book, or a great book; it’s a great introduction into the larger world of Star Wars in general. * Comicbook.com *Unmissable . . . Bloodline’s tense politics, vivid new characters, and perfectly characterized Leia make it feel as central to the Star Warsuniverse as one of the films * Tor.com *Gripping. . . Bloodline provides vital links between the Original Trilogy and The Force Awakens * NY Daily News *

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Book SynopsisA powerful post-apocalyptic allegory of persecution and intolerance, the Penguin Modern Classics edition of John Wyndham''s science fiction masterpiece The Day of the Triffids contains an introduction by M. John Harrison.Nuclear war has devastated the world, bringing with it a host of genetic mutations. In the bleak, primitive society that has emerged from its ruins, any sign of deviation, no matter how small, is ruthlessly rooted out and destroyed. David lives in fear of discovery, for he is part of a secret group of children who are able to communicate with each other by transferring thought-shapes into each other''s minds. As they grow older, they feel increasingly isolated. Then one of them marries a ''norm'', with terrifying consequences.John Wyndham (1903-1969) the son of a barrister, tried a number of careers including farming, law, commercial art and advertising before writing short stories, intended for sale, in 1925. After serving in the Civil Service and the Army during the Second World War, he decided to try writing a modified form of Science Fiction, which he called ''logical fantasy''. Among his most famous books are The Day of the Triffids (1951), The Kraken Wakes (1953), The Chrysalids (1955), The Midwich Cuckoos (1957, filmed twice as Village of the Damned), Trouble with Lichen (1960), and Chocky (1968). If you enjoyed The Chrysalids, you might like Arthur Miller''s The Crucible, also available in Penguin Modern Classics.''One of those few authors whose compulsive readability is a compliment to the intelligence''Spectator

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Book Synopsis''The greatest entertainer ever produced by science fiction'' J. G. BallardThese surreal, elegantly witty tales from one of the most esteemed writers of science fiction encompass indignant aliens, stranded space explorers, shapeshifters, a company that manufactures designer planets and a deadly hunting game in far-future New York.''Robert Sheckley is one of the great funny writers'' Douglas Adams''A writer not quite like any other whose forte is his own brand of strange and wonderful humour'' The New York Times''Genuinely funny SF'' Neil GaimanTrade ReviewRobert Sheckley is one of the great funny writers -- Douglas AdamsRobert Sheckley was writing genuinely funny SF before Douglas Adams was born ... It is a crime that most of his great short story collections from the 50s, 60s and 70s are out of print -- Neil GaimanRobert Sheckley is the greatest entertainer ever produced by modern science fiction . . . what a feast of wit and intelligence he lays out -- J.G BallardOne of science fiction's seminal humourists * The New York Times *One of the finest debut volumes ever published in the field, and contains several tales which have remained famous, including 'The Monsters' and the superb 'Specialist' ... Sheckley's stories are unfailingly elegant and literate * Science Fiction Encyclopedia *

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Book SynopsisTerry Pratchett (Author) Terry Pratchett was the acclaimed creator of the global bestselling Discworld series, the first of which, The Colour of Magic, was published in 1983. In all, he was the author of over fifty bestselling books which have sold over 100 million copies worldwide. His novels have been widely adapted for stage and screen, and he was the winner of multiple prizes, including the Carnegie Medal. He was awarded a knighthood for services to literature in 2009, although he always wryly maintained that his greatest service to literature was to avoid writing any.www.terrypratchettbooks.comStephen Baxter (Author) Stephen Baxter is one of the UK's most acclaimed writers of science fiction and a multi-award winner. His many books include the classic Xeelee sequence, the Time's Odyssey novels (written with Arthur C. Clarke) and Time Ships, a sequel to H. G. Wells's The Time Machine, aTrade ReviewInspired . . . something of the poetry and visionary wildness of an author such as Jeff VanderMeer . . . enthralling and thought-provoking in equal measure. -- Ned Denny * DAILY MAIL *Intricately described . . . gently immersive . . . Baxter's scientific grounding will make you dwell once more on that chilling quantum idea that to exist is to be observed . . . if you've been following the series from the beginning, this last chapter will make you cry, all on its own. -- Jenny Colgan * GUARDIAN *One of the unexpected delights of the later Pratchett career . . . a novel that comes across as a love letter to science fiction itself, one suffused with a Clarke-like optimism about the future. Baxter, you'd guess, is saluting two old friends here. -- Jonathan Wright * SFX magazine *A fine and fitting testament to the work of one of our greatest and much-missed writing legends, and a reminder that in the likes of Stephen Baxter, British science fiction remains in safe-hands. -- David Barnett * THE i NEWSPAPER *

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Book SynopsisChief Inspector Brett Nightingale and Sergeant Beddoes find the body of Princess Olga Karukhin, who fled from Russia at the time of the Revolution. Taking place in the three days leading up to Christmas, Nightingale's enquiry takes him to a gramophone shop and a jewellers, culminating in the wrapping of the mystery on Christmas Eve.

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Book Synopsis''As we saw it first it was the wildest and most desolate of scenes. We were in an enormous amphitheatre, a vast circular plain, the floor of the giant crater. Its cliff-like wall closed us in on every side''Thanks to the discovery of an anti-gravity metal, Cavorite, two Victorian Englishman decide to tackle the most prestigious goal - space travel. They construct a sphere that will ultimately take them to the moon. On landing, they encounter what seems like an utterly barren landscape but they soon find signs that the planet was once very much alive. Then they hear curious hammering sounds from beneath the surface, and come face to face with the Selenites, a race of insect-like aliens living in a rigidly organised hive society.Trade ReviewWells's scientific romances were works of art with unique relevance for our timesA classic study of scientific hubris brought to destruction - THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SCIENCE FICTIONThe Prospero of all the brave new worlds of the mind, and the Shakespeare of science fiction

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Book SynopsisEdward Prendick is shipwrecked and finds himself stranded on an island in the Pacific. Here he meets the sinister Dr Moreau, a vivisectionst driven out of Britain in disgrace. And soon strange events cause Prendick to uncover the full horror of Dr Moreau''s activities on the island.THE ISLAND OF DR MOREAU mixes discussion on the divide between humans and the animal kingdom and chilling macabre horror in an unrivalled fashion. Its question on how far science should go is one that rings true today as it did when it was first published.Trade ReviewThe Prospero of all the brave new worlds of the mind, and the Shakespeare of science fiction - Brian W. AldissWells' scientific romances were . . . works of art with unique relevance for our times - Arthur C. Clarke

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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 Synopsis‘This strange story of love and loneliness, which explores how we all long to belong, is simply wonderful.’ Daily Mail When, in 1859, George Hills is pulled from the wreck of the steamship Admella, he carries with him the uneasy memory of a fellow survivor. Someone else – or something else – kept him warm as he lay dying, half-submerged in the freezing Southern Ocean, kept him bound to life. As George adapts to his life back on land, he can’t quite escape the feeling that he wasn’t alone when he emerged from the ocean that day, that a familiar presence has been watching him ever since. What the creature might want from him – his life? His first-born? Simply to return to its home? – will pursue him, and call him back to the water, where it all began.‘[A] singular novel . . . [From the Wreck] movingly explores themes of loss, loneliness and guilt.’ Guardian ‘An absorbing, disturbing read, full of deep currents and lurking fears.’ Adrian Tchaikovsky, Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning author of The Children of TimeTrade ReviewThe power of this singular novel lies in Rawson’s ability to meld seemingly disparate narrative elements into a convincing whole that movingly explores themes of loss, loneliness and guilt. * Guardian *This strange story of love and loneliness, which explores how we all long to belong, is simply wonderful . . . Jane Rawson’s writing is uncannily good — an original blend of speculative fiction, chilling horror and emotional empathy, fluidly carrying the reader along on a remarkable journey. * Daily Mail *[A] superb novel . . . Rawson uses [the novel’s] set up to examine huge themes – the nature of existence and society, the symbiotic relationships between us all – but it’s also deeply personal and ultimately very moving. Extraordinary work. * Big Issue *An absorbing, disturbing read, full of deep currents and lurking fears. -- Adrian Tchaikovsky Arthur C Clarke Award-winning author of The Children of TimeFrom the Wreck is an utterly unique, fascinating story, richly and compellingly written. An impressive, absorbing reading experience that evokes empathy for Rawson’s unforgettable characters. -- Kate Mayfield, author of The Undertaker's Daughter[Rawson] has the rare talent of stretching our capacity to believe, while at the same time making us feel genuinely for the characters. There’s a beautiful quality of empathy here, light and aching . . . An intriguing tale whose humanity lingers warm long after the reading. * Australian *Rawson recreates a vanished historical world with utterly convincing characters . . . [Her] writing is mysterious, chilling and tender. The book is a sort of miracle. -- Lian HearnThis book had it all for me; originality, wonderful writing, a brilliant twisting plot, fantastic characters and some themes within it that you can really get your teeth into. -- Simon SavidgeIn this masterful novel, Jane Rawson combines the grim beauty of a dark fable with the gripping plot and breathtaking pace of a literary thriller. This captivating, otherworldly story will enchant you from start to finish. -- Jennie Melamed, author of Gather the DaughtersHaunting and marvellous . . . From the Wreck takes real historical events and bends them to its own ends in a manner I’ve not seen before, an imaginative leap that truly exemplifies the nature of radical speculation. -- Nina Allan, author of The RiftIntensely researched historical fiction . . . [From the Wreck] also has a cephalopod shapeshifting alien, so. SO, it’s remarkable . . . It’s dark and beautiful, and puzzling. -- Maria Dahvana Headley, author of The Mere WifeSomething approaching an old-fashioned historical yarn spliced with Cronenbergian body horror . . . The commonplace rubbing shoulders with the supernatural adds to the book’s considerations of mourning and absence a vivid hue . . . a genuine tension and sense of dread. * Sydney Morning Herald *Beautifully written. * SFX *

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Book SynopsisA powerful dystopian novel from a writer who experienced firsthand the dehumanising conditions of Soviet Russia, Ayn Rand''s Anthem includes an introduction by Leonard Peikoff in Penguin Modern Classics.Equality 7-2521 is a man apart. Since The Great Rebirth it has been a crime in his world to think or act as an individual. Even love is forbidden. Yet since his childhood in the Home of the Infants, Equality 7-2521 has felt that he is different. When he is sent by The Council of Vocations to work as a road sweeper, he stumbles upon a link to the old world that gives him the spur to break free. First published in England in 1938, Ayn Rand''s short dystopian novel crystallizes the ideas of individualism and competition that would make her name.Ayn Rand (1905-82), born Alisa Rosenbaum in St. Petersburg, Russia, emigrated to America with her family in January 1926, never to return to her native land. Her novel The Fountainhead was published in 1943 and eventually became a bestseller. Still occasionally working as a screenwriter, Rand moved to New York City in 1951 and published Atlas Shrugged in 1957. Her novels espoused what came to be called Objectivism, a philosophy that champions capitalism and the pre-eminence of the individual. If you enjoyed Anthem, you might also like Yevgeny Zamyatin''s We, available in Penguin Classics.''She created a new credo for all individualists''The Times Literary Supplement

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Book SynopsisA cautionary horror story about the dangers of greed, isolation and a science without ethics, from the father of science fiction. The stranger arrives early in February, one wintry day, through a biting wind and a driving snow. He is wrapped up from head to foot, and the brim of his hat hides every inch of his face. Rude and rough, the stranger works with strange apparatus locked in his room all day and walks along lonely lanes at night, his bandaged face inspiring fear in children and dogs. Is he the mutilated victim of an accident? A criminal on the run? An eccentric genius? But no-one in the village comes close to guessing who has come amongst them, or what those bandages hide. ‘Wells was the founding father of science fiction, and in his utopian fantasy novels he was proved eerily correct’ Daily TelegraphTrade ReviewEnduringly captivating * Observer *Pioneering * Daily Mail *Wells was the founding father of science fiction, and in his utopian fantasy novels he was proved eerily correct * Daily Telegraph *The original; and far better than any of the film versions * The Times *An old tale of scientific hubris that walks the line between comedy and horror * New York Times *

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Book SynopsisWhen the reporter Edward Malone is sent to interview the formidable Professor Challenger about his accounts of strange prehistoric beasts on a remote plateau in South America, he expects to be given short shrift by the researcher, notorious for man handling nosy enquirers. But Challenger, impressed by the young journalist's thirst for adventure, invites Malone along on his next expedition, plunging him into a mysterious and dangerous world populated by dinosaurs and murderous ape men. Having already written seminal works of detective fiction, Arthur Conan Doyle became a pioneer of early science fiction with The Lost World. This classic novel helped establish the genre and has inspired, since its first publication in 1912, countless stories, novels and films.

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Book SynopsisOne of Russian SF's most important novels, available uncensored for the first time, in a new translation by Andrew Bromfield.

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Book SynopsisThe second novel in Lewis's science fiction trilogy tells of Dr Ransom's voyage to the planet of Perelandra (Venus).In the second novel in C.S. Lewis''s classic science fiction trilogy, Dr Ransom is called to the paradise planet of Perelandra, or Venus, which turns out to be a beautiful Eden-like world. He is horrified to find that his old enemy, Dr Weston, has also arrived and is putting him in grave peril once more. As the mad Weston''s body is taken over by the forces of evil, Ransom engages in a desperate struggle to save the innocence of PerelandraTrade Review‘Thrilling.’ Sir Hugh Walpole ‘Remarkable … a rare power of inventive imagination.’ Times Literary Supplement

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Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics.Welcome to Utopia.When Mr. Barnstaple, an Earthling, is accidentally transported to Utopia with a group of others, he begins an adventure that will change how he views the world forever.Utopia has no government. Utopia has no religion. People are governed only by their own conscience and desires, and Barnstaple is drawn into what he sees as a perfect society. But when a disease brought by the Earthlings threatens the existence of the Utopians, Barnstaple must make a choice: take over Utopia, or betray his own people to save a world he has grown to admire

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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 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 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 Synopsis''You''ll never be happy until you can think and feel and look like other people . . .'' Jael 97 is an Alpha. Deemed over-privileged for her beauty, she is compelled to report to the Ministry of Facial Justice, where her face will be reconstructed. For Jael lives in the New State, created out of the devastation of the Third World War. Under the rule of the Darling Dictator, citizens must wear sackcloth and ashes, and only a 17.5% quotum of personality is permitted to each. Anything that inspires envy is forbidden.But Jael cannot suppress her rebellious spirit. Secretly, she starts to reassert the rights of the individual, and decides to hunt down the faceless Dictator.''An exquisitely entertaining fantasy'' ObserverTrade ReviewAn exquisitely entertaining fantasy * Observer *The most exciting and exhilarating of Mr Hartley's novels * Listener *A brilliant projection of tendencies already apparent in the post-war British welfare state . . . Hartley was a fine writer with a strong moral sense -- Anthony BurgessHartley spares us nothing; each horrid detail of this nightmare world is expertly driven home -- Peter Quennell

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Book Synopsis''A piece of invention as original as any of Tolkien''s or C.S. Lewis''s'' New Statesman''I have gone to look for a lion.'' In a world where lions have become extinct, the map-maker Jachin-Boaz nevertheless abandons his wife and son to find one, leaving just this note. But his decision has unexpected consequences. He will be pursued by his son, Boaz-Jachin, and by something else: a tawny-skinned, amber-eyed beast from another place and time, a bringer of life and death.''Magic at work ... Funny as well as beautiful'' Irish Times''Hoban is unclassifiable, thank goodness. His narrative is so minutely and compellingly realistic that after a time you cease to notice that he has stood reality on its head'' Sunday TimesTrade ReviewMagic at work ... Funny as well as beautiful. * Irish Times *Amazingly, the mythology is sustained in totally modern terms, desolate, comic and urban. * Time Out *A piece of invention as original as any of Tolkien's or C.S. Lewis's. * New Statesman *Worth rejoicing in ... a banquet of whimsical delights. Each Russell Hoban book is surprising ... but you also know what you're getting, which is curiosity, wonder and a world-encompassing empathy. -- John Self * The Guardian *Mr. Hoban is unclassifiable, thank goodness. His narrative is so minutely and compellingly realistic that after a time you cease to notice that he has stood reality on its head. * Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisTerry Pratchett (Author) Terry Pratchett was the acclaimed creator of the global bestselling Discworld series, the first of which, The Colour of Magic, was published in 1983. In all, he was the author of over fifty bestselling books which have sold over 100 million copies worldwide. His novels have been widely adapted for stage and screen, and he was the winner of multiple prizes, including the Carnegie Medal. He was awarded a knighthood for services to literature in 2009, although he always wryly maintained that his greatest service to literature was to avoid writing any.www.terrypratchettbooks.comStephen Baxter (Author) Stephen Baxter is one of the UK's most acclaimed writers of science fiction and a multi-award winner. His many books include the classic Xeelee sequence, the Time's Odyssey novels (written with Arthur C. Clarke) and Time Ships, a sequel to H. G. Wells's The Time Machine, aTrade ReviewThere's plenty of fun to be had from this . . . a hymn to the joys of unfettered world-building . . . but if the pace of plotting is gentle, the restless inventiveness more than compensates. -- Adam Roberts * GUARDIAN *Rich in an awe-inspiring sense of wonder, with mind-boggling concepts thrown out like sparks from a Catherine wheel. -- Barry Forshaw * INDEPENDENT *A triumph . . . brings fresh and exciting concepts to an SF staple (paralell worlds) while keeping credible human characters at their heart . . . as testament both to the diversity of Sir Terry Pratchett's writing, and the skill of Stephen Baxter's, The Long Earth series deserves a place on the bookshelves of hardcore SF fans and general readers alike. -- David Barnett * INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY *The Long Earth novels are beautifully visual and wittily imagined . . . The Long Utopia . . . serves to remind us just how bewitching and rich this series is, how beautiful is its writing, and vivid its imagination. * FOR WINTER NIGHTS *There's the sense of two enviably talented writers having fun as they play in an infinite fictional universe. -- Jonathan Wright * SFX *

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