Search Worlds Without End

A Korean War veteran must rely on wits, improvised weapons, and words from the dread Necronomicon to escape the lair of a deranged cult. A ghost cannot communicate how she died, no matter how desperately she tries, while an unconventional ghost hunter incurs the venomous wrath of the Queen of Night. Murderous conspiracies reveal themselves in online video clips, a saint blasphemes as a serial killer prays for mercy, and corrupt families in ancient kingdoms trade blood and souls for leverage over foes. Enduring nightmares for a living can lead to a fate worse than burnout. A gruesome invasion from outside space and time tests courage--and corporate loyalty--past all rational limits.

In these twenty-three stories and poems, two-time World Fantasy Award nominee Mike Allen spins twisted narratives, some wound through the fabric of our world, some set in imagined pasts or futures, all plumbing the depths of human darkness. "The consistency, here, is simply excellence," writes Bram Stoker Award finalist and Punktown creator Jeffrey Thomas in his introduction. "You are holding in your hands an overflowing cornucopia of monstrous goodness."

In 2012, the first African American president is assassinated by a white extremist - just four days after he is elected. The horrific tragedy leads to riots, financial collapse, and ultimately, a full-on civil war. In its aftermath, millions are left homeless as famine and disease spread throughout the country.

But from Chicago, a mysterious voice cries out...

To Leon Crane, a former NASA scientist now struggling to survive on the streets, the pleas he hears remind him of the wife he could not save - and offer him a chance at redemption.

To Jacob Fire Cloud, a revered Lakota medicine man, the voice is a sign that the White Buffalo Woman has returned to unite all the races in peace and prosperity.

And to little Amy Ladue, the cries are those of her mother, who disappeared during the devastating St. Louis earthquake - and who must still be alive.

These three strangers will be drawn together to rescue someone they have never met, a woman who holds the key to a new future for humanity - one remarkably brimming with hope.

After the Three Days disaster stripped the earth with fire, the people who were left formed groups to survive. There were the Travellers, who traded in small goods and stores. There were the medieval role players still carrying on such traditions in a place called Thorngard. There were the damaged tree men and the lost children. There was the Tribe, a loose gathering of nomads. And the city held the Breakers, the Children of the Broken Wheel, who destroyed every machine more complex than an egg timer, because the machines had brought catastrophe to the world. Out along the road, Sarah, a Child of the Breaker, encounters the Travellers in an attempt to save the world from a last final obliteration.

Fourteen year old telepath, Alain, learns that he must stop the Great Beast from destroying Whaleroad and thus gaining unimaginable powers of destruction.

When Tehan is rescued from the sewers by Gwyn and the Travellers, he finds himself part of the New Revelation led by the courageous Prophet Sarah. As one of the city's few empaths, Tehan is recruited by the Prophet to help find the child of the Voice. Suddenly Tehan finds himself running in a race against time. Can he save the city from a force that threatens to destroy everything the Children of the Broken Wheel have fought so desperately to call their own?

When Sasha investigates the takeover of the town's university by shaven-headed, rebel students, he discovers that the real power lies in the Management - a faceless group with immense power and its own army of guards. Sasha longs to bring down the Management and restore order to the university, but first he must gain the trust and support of the dangerous Xanthippe of Gan Edan and the Mother Abbess of the Convent of St Mary McKillop. And then he must discover the identity of the spy who is leaking everyone's secrets...

It's 2026, and the Alpha Centauri supernova has risen like a second sun, rushing Earth toward its last summer. Floods, fires, starvation and disease paralyze the planet. A flash of gamma rays has destroyed all microchips worldwide, leaving an already devastated Earth without communications, transportation, weaponry or medicine.

The disaster sets three groups of survivors on separate quests. A militant cult seizes the opportunity to free their leader from her long court-mandated coma. Three cancer patients also search for a man in judicial sleep: the brilliant scientist - and monstrous criminal - who alone can continue the experimental treatment that keeps them alive. From a far greater distance come the survivors of the first manned Mars expedition, struggling homeward to a world that has changed far beyond their darkest fears. And standing at the crossroads is one man, U.S. President Saul Steinmetz, who faces a crucial decision that will affect the fate of his own people... and the world.

The end draws nigh....

The year is 2053, and Earth has barely recovered from the Alpha Centauri supernova that destroyed much of the planet's infrastructure. Now the supernova's residual effect - a storm of high-energy particles - is racing toward Earth, and an international effort has been launched out of the Sky City space colony to save the planet. But the controversial plan - to build a giant protective shield for Earth - is falling dangerously behind schedule.

A series of unexplained murders has disrupted the Sky City workforce, so much so that a brilliant but monstrous criminal has been enlisted to track down the Sky City killer.Then comes more startling news. Evidence indicates that the original supernova was caused deliberately, and that the lethal particle storm will arrive sooner than anyone expected. But who - or what - tried to destroy the Earth? And will the answer come in time to save it from its final apocalypse?

The newly christened leader of Delta Force Team Ghost, Master Sergeant Joe Fitzpatrick arrives in Normandy over 70 years after Allied Forces joined the fight against the Nazis. The war to free survivors and eradicate pockets of adult Variants and their offspring is underway by the European Unified Forces. But as the troops push east, rumors of a new type of monster spread through the ranks. Fitz and his new team quickly realize that the fight for Europe might be harder than anyone ever imagined.

Back in the States, Captain Reed Beckham and Dr. Kate Lovato are settling into a new life on Plum Island. Across the United States, the adult Variants have all been wiped out, and the juveniles are on the run. But the survivors soon realize there are other monsters at home, and they may be human.

During the war against murderous, flesh-eating aliens, grimspace "jumper" Sirantha Jax decided to go it alone. The cost of her actions: the destruction of modern interstellar travel-and the lives of six hundred Conglomerate soldiers. Now she's on trial fro dereliction of duty, desertion, mass murder, high treason... and her life.

Having recovered from the catastrophic events of Wildfire, the Starfleet Corps of Engineers team on the U.S.S. da Vinci meets its new second officer: Mor glasch Tev, an arrogant Tellarite who's the best there is -- and he knows it.

Even as Captain Gold and Commander Gomez get used to their acerbic new officer, the S.C.E. team faces crises in its own solar system. A strange vessel appears in the middle of San Francisco that the S.C.E. must deal with -- aided by engineers extraordinaire Montgomery Scott and Miles O'Brien. Then they have to help the Venus terraforming team -- a mission that brings Bynar computer expert Soloman to a difficult crossroads.

That's only the beginning of the challenges for the Corps as it faces a Ferengi with a time machine, a prison colony in a black hole -- and a mission from the Dominion War that comes back to haunt the da Vinci crew in more ways than one....

Contents:

• vii - Introduction (Aftermath) - essay by Keith R. A. DeCandido
• 1 - Aftermath - [Star Trek: Starfleet Corps of Engineers - 29] - (2003) - novella by Christopher L. Bennett
• 105 - Ishtar Rising - [Star Trek: Starfleet Corps of Engineers - 30] - (2003) - novella by Michael A. Martin and Andy Mangels
• 237 - Buying Time - [Star Trek: Starfleet Corps of Engineers - 32] - (2003) - novella by Robert Greenberger
• 319 - Collective Hindsight - [Star Trek: Starfleet Corps of Engineers - 33] - (2003) - novella by Aaron Rosenberg
• 433 - The Demon - [Star Trek: Starfleet Corps of Engineers - 35] - (2004) - novel by Loren L. Coleman and Randall N. Bills
• 619 - About the Authors (Aftermath) - essay by uncredited

As the Empire reels from its critical defeats at the Battle of Endor, the Rebel Alliance--now a fledgling New Republic--presses its advantage by hunting down the enemy's scattered forces before they can regroup and retaliate. But above the remote planet Akiva, an ominous show of the enemy's strength is unfolding. Out on a lone reconnaissance mission, pilot Wedge Antilles watches Imperial Star Destroyers gather like birds of prey circling for a kill, but he's taken captive before he can report back to the New Republic leaders.

Meanwhile, on the planet's surface, former rebel fighter Norra Wexley has returned to her native world--war weary, ready to reunite with her estranged son, and eager to build a new life in some distant place. But when Norra intercepts Wedge Antilles's urgent distress call, she realizes her time as a freedom fighter is not yet over. What she doesn't know is just how close the enemy is--or how decisive and dangerous her new mission will be.

Determined to preserve the Empire's power, the surviving Imperial elite are converging on Akiva for a top-secret emergency summit--to consolidate their forces and rally for a counterstrike. But they haven't reckoned on Norra and her newfound allies--her technical-genius son, a Zabrak bounty hunter, and a reprobate Imperial defector--who are prepared to do whatever they must to end the Empire's oppressive reign once and for all.

It is a dark time for the Empire....

The Emperor is dead, and the remnants of his former Empire are in retreat. As the New Republic fights to restore a lasting peace to the galaxy, some dare to imagine new beginnings and new destinies. For Han Solo, that means settling his last outstanding debt, by helping Chewbacca liberate the Wookiee's homeworld of Kashyyyk.

Meanwhile, Norra Wexley and her band of Imperial hunters pursue Grand Admiral Rae Sloane and the Empire's remaining leadership across the galaxy. Even as more and more officers are brought to justice, Sloane continues to elude the New Republic, and Norra fears Sloane may be searching for a means to save the crumbling Empire from oblivion. But the hunt for Sloane is cut short when Norra receives an urgent request from Princess Leia Organa. The attempt to liberate Kashyyyk has carried Han Solo, Chewbacca, and a band of smugglers into an ambush--resulting in Chewie's capture and Han's disappearance.

Breaking away from their official mission and racing toward the Millennium Falcon's last known location, Norra and her crew prepare for any challenge that stands between them and their missing comrades. But they can't anticipate the true depth of the danger that awaits them--or the ruthlessness of the enemy drawing them into his crosshairs.

As the final showdown between the New Republic and the Empire draws near, all eyes turn to a once-isolated planet: Jakku.

The Battle of Endor shattered the Empire, scattering its remaining forces across the galaxy. But the months following the Rebellion's victory have not been easy. The fledgling New Republic has suffered a devastating attack from the Imperial remnant, forcing the new democracy to escalate their hunt for the hidden enemy.

For her role in the deadly ambush, Grand Admiral Rae Sloane is the most wanted Imperial war criminal--and one-time rebel pilot Norra Wexley, back in service at Leia's urgent request, is leading the hunt. But more than just loyalty to the New Republic drives Norra forward: Her husband was turned into a murderous pawn in Sloane's assassination plot, and now she wants vengeance as much as justice.

But Sloane, too, is on a furious quest: pursuing the treacherous Gallius Rax to the barren planet Jakku. As the true mastermind behind the Empire's devastating attack, Rax has led the Empire to its defining moment. The cunning strategist has gathered the powerful remnants of the Empire's war machine, preparing to execute the late Emperor Palpatine's final plan. As the Imperial fleet orbits Jakku, an armada of Republic fighters closes in to finish what began at Endor. Norra and her crew soar into the heart of an apocalyptic clash that will leave land and sky alike scorched. And the future of the galaxy will finally be decided.

For Adam Hardy and his small Berkshire community, hardship is all they've ever known. For almost a century after the coming of The Sisters, the survivors of rainswept England have huddled in their tiny communities, scavenging the ruins of the old world. Now, finally, the Long Autumn is coming to an end, and society of a kind is starting to rebuild.

But for how long? A new tyrant, Frank Pendennis, has risen in the east, while rumours of something even worse are coming from the north.

The struggle to inherit the world is just beginning...

Young Forktongue Davy has visions; epilepsy, his Ma calls it. He's barely able to help around the family farm.

But something about the lad is attracting attention: the menacing stranger who might be the angel of death himself; the women-only community at Wycombe; Daniel, sent by the mysterious Guz.

They all want Davy for their own reasons.

But what use can he be to anyone? He has visions of flight, but how can flight ever be possible in this shattered world?

A simple farmboy, caught up in events beyond his power to control--but his visions may be the key to the future.

This is the second book in The Aftermath series. The first book is Shelter, by Dave Hutchinson.

After the war in the Parish, Adam is looking forward to a period of peace, but his superiors have other ideas. There are rumours from Oxford and the Cotswolds that Father John - who once almost overthrew Plymouth - is building an army, and someone has to go and investigate.

Arriving in Oxford, Adam is surprised to find a thriving city with a healthy populace and technology not seen since before the fall of The Sisters. He also finds it patrolled by the descendants of the Thames Valley Police, among them Detective Inspector Leonie Mellow.

However, it doesn't not take long for dark events to concern Adam. Murders, paint-splashed graffiti on walls, people going missing - and he can't help but wonder if the past is following him.

In the wake of the Asteroid Wars that tore across the solar system, Victor Zacharius makes his living running the ore-carrier Syracuse. With his wife and two children he plies the Asteroid Belt, hauling whatever cargo can be found. When the Syracuse stumbles into the middle of a military attack on the habitat Chrysalis, Victor flees in a control pod to draw the attacker's attention away from his family. Now, as his wife and children plunge into the far deeps of space, Victor has been rescued by the seductive Cheena Madagascar. He must do her bidding if he's to have a prayer of ever seeing his family again.

Elverda Apacheta is the solar system's greatest sculptor. The cyborg Dorn was formerly Dorik Harbin, the ruthless military commander responsible for the attack on Chrysalis. Their lives and destinies have been linked by their joint discovery of the alien artifact that had, earlier, profoundly affected industrialist Martin Humphries. Similarly transformed by the artifact's mysterious powers, Apacheta and Dorn now prowl the Belt, determined to find the bodies of the many victims of Harbin's atrocities so that they can be given proper burials.

Kao Yuan is the captain of Viking, owned by Martin Humphries, who's determined to kill Dorn and Elverda because they know too much about the artifact and its power over him. But Viking's second-in-command, Tamara Vishinsky, appears to have the real power on board ship. When Viking catches up to Apacheta and Dorn, their confrontation begins a series of events involving them, the Zacharius family, and Martin Humphries and his son in the transformation of the human solar system...

Nothing has gone according to plan. To Captain Lee Harden, Project Hometown feels like a distant dream and the completion of his mission seems unattainable. Wounded and weaponless, he has stumbled upon a group of survivors that seems willing to help. But a tragedy in the group causes a deep rift to come to light and forces him into action. In the chaos of the world outside, Lee is pursued by a new threat: someone who will stop at nothing to get what he has. The Remaining: Aftermath is the second book in the bestselling The Remaining series.

Edited by Robert Lynn Asprin and Lynn Abbey. Cover art by Gary Ruddell. Cover: The door to Enas Yorl's house is guarded by the dreadmagic of basilisks.

Welcome to Sanctuary, a city of outlaws and adventurers in a world of war and wizardry, peopled with colorful characters created by today's top fantasy adventure talents, including:

• Lynn Abbey
• Robert Lynn Asprin
• John Brunner
• David Drake
• Janet Morris
• Andrew Offutt
• Mark C. Perry

In this explosive tenth volume, Tempus and the Stepsons abandon the war-torn city of Sanctuary -- as vicious rivalries emerge from the rubble. The fate of the city hangs in the balance. The struggle for power begins...

Contents:

• Dramatis Personae by Lynn Abbey
• Introduction by Robert Lynn Asprin
• Cade by Mark C. Perry
• Wake of the Riddler by Janet Morris
• Inheritor by David Drake
• Mercy Worse Than None by John Brunner
• Seeing is Believing (But Love is Blind) by Lynn Abbey
• Homecoming by Andrew Offutt