The SF Site: PS Publishing

PS Publishing

Don't Turn Out The Light (2005)
edited by Stephen Jones

It collects the following stories:

Covering The Night -- Introduction by Stephen Jones

Fever Dream by Ray Bradbury

Expanding Your Capabilities Using Frame/Shift TM Mode by David J. Schow

Shirleys Ghost by John Glasby

Flies By Night by Lisa Tuttle & Steven Utley

Phoenix Man by Garry Kilworth

Are You Afraid Of The Dark? by Charles L. Grant

Shallaballah by Mark Samuels

King Of Outer Space by Peter Atkins

The Other Family by Roberta Lannes

City Of Dreams by Richard Christian Matheson

The Bite Of The Tawse by John Burke

Inheritance by Paul McAuley

Queen Bee by Basil Copper

Ding-Dong-Bell by Jay Russell

The Cult Of The White Ape by Hugh B. Cave

Sickhouse Hospitality by Terry Lamsley

Dance Of The Dead by Richard Matheson

Little Machines (2005)
by Paul McAuley
introduction by Greg Bear

It collects the following stories:

The Two Dicks

Residuals (with Kim Newman)

All Tomorrow's Parties

Interstitial

How We Lost The Moon, A True Story by Frank W. Allen

Under Mars

Danger: Hard Hack Area

The Madness of Crowds

The Secret of My Success

The Proxy

I Spy

The Rift

Alien TV

Before the Flood

A Very British History

Crossroads Blues

Turns and Chances (2004)
by Juliet E. McKenna
introduction by Chaz Brenchley

The country of Lescar is in turmoil. Six rulers from each of its dukedoms all feel they have the right to rule. They set about maneuvering one another's court into alliances using strategies orchestrated to give them the power to rule. But the people are fed up with all of this petty rivalry. Some of them decide it is time to make some changes. Up steps a stable boy, a priest, a new mother, a duke's mistress and a blacksmith of unexpected talents in order to challenge the status quo.

Under the Penitence (2004)
by Mary Gentle
introduction by S.M. Stirling

Illario is in Carthage to paint. Unfortunately, she meets the wrong man and is sold into slavery. Her new owner, an eunuch, buys her as a scribe to copy scrolls but soon discovers her secret. Illario is a hermaphrodite who has been raised as both man and woman. She is also on the run from her family who wants her killed to prevent her secret from ruining their standing in the Spanish court at Tarraconensis. The arrival of her mother with a retinue precipitates events which will show Illario that family isn't just flesh and blood.

Trujillo: A Collection (2004)
by Lucius Shepard
introduction by Michael Swanwick

It collects the following stories:

Only Partly Here

A Walk In The Garden

Crocodile Rock

Eternity and Afterward

Hands Up! Who Wants To Die?

Jailwise

The Drive In Puerto-Rico

Senor Volto

The Same Old Story

The Park Sweeper

Trujillo

Out of His Mind (2004)
by Stephen Gallagher
introduction by Brian Clemens

It collects the following stories:

Magpie

Not Here, Not Now

By the River, Fontainebleau

Driving Force

The Visitors' Book

Little Angels

The Drain

Old, Red Shoes

The Horn

Modus Operandi

The Jigsaw Girl

Fancy That!

Life Line

Like Shadows in the Dark

No Life For Me Without You

God's Bright Little Engine

O, Virginia

The Sluice

Poisoned

Casey, Where He Lies

In Gethsemene

In There

No Traveller Returns (2004)
by Paul Park
introduction by Elizabeth Hand

Is there a place one goes after death? That is, a location somewhere, somewhen? After Jim Carbon's death and a chance encounter with a humanoid in India, it seems possible to follow. But what awaits us there? In this story it turns out you can follow but events can be difficult. High mountains, odd monks, unfathomable towns, police who aren't on your side and ravishing women can sweep you up into circumstances beyond your control. But the dead can lend a hand.

Mayflower II (2004)
by Stephen Baxter
introduction by Adam Roberts

The aliens occupying Earth has been overthrown and now the Coalition is in charge. They are scouring the solar system seeking collaborators. On an ice moon called Port Sol, the Pharaohs, long-lifers due to an alien technology, decide to flee using generation spaceships. But only a few of their subjects can go with them. Rusel is one and he must choose between his lover and his life. He leaves and is coerced into accepting immortality in order to guide the ship for the millennia to come. But as time passes, the origins of the journey are lost in the past and the cruelty of evolution works it magic on the crew. What will remain at journey's end?

My Death (2004)
by Lisa Tuttle
introduction by Thomas Tessier

An stunning connection to Helen Ralston causes our narrator to decide her next project will be a biography. Upon meeting Helen and her daughter, she knows they will be friends for life. Why she almost feels like she is part of the family. How is it possible? Sure she is taken with Helen's painting of a Scottish island -- almost disturbingly so -- done in 1929. And being a fan of W.E. Logan, Helen's art teacher and one of the most important Scottish artists of the period has helped. But why does this woman seem to be linked to her own life?

The Healthy Dead (2004)
by Steven Erikson
introduction by Paul Kearney

In this sequel to Blood Follows, Bauchelain is back, along with his partner Korbal Broach, and their put-upon servant, Emancipor Reese. Their vague and dubious investigations have kept them moving, always a step ahead of those pursuing them from the last town they visited. Upon arriving at the remote town of Quaint, Reese's employers are engaged by city's designated saints to rescue the city from a tyranny of goodness and health being taken to extremes. Bauchelain is quick to see the base evil that can reside in governing for the good of the people. And payment with a chest of gold helps. The only serious problem that Reese can see is that he is expected to "play an essential role" in his master's plans.

Gig (a double novella) (2004)
by James Lovegrove
introduction by Eric Brown

God Dog is about to play its last concert. Mik Dyer is tired of the fame and wants to get on with life. But there may be more to this than just another concert. Kim is a rabid God Dog fan, styling herself even to look like Mik. She believes she has gotten directions from her idol and is on the hunt for a backstage pass to ensure the succes of her mission. This book is made up of back-to-back novellas (like Ace Doubles) and you can read them in any order.

Banquet for the Damned (a novel) (2004)
by Adam Nevill
introduction by Ramsey Campbell

Scotland's oldest university town has a history of ritual killings and witchcraft. Odd events have the people talking: body parts washing ashore, inhabitants disappearing from their beds after suffering a rash of bad dreams, peculiar shadows playing over the ruins. Are these signifiers of the return of the Day of Wrath prophecy? Eliot Coldwell, local pariah and infamous author of Banquet for the Damned, probably knows. But who can stop it?

Michael Marshall Smith: The Annotated Bibliography (2004)
edited by Lavie Tidhar

In 1990, Michael Marshall Smith's story, "The Man Who Drew Cats," was published in Dark Voices 2: The Pan Book of Horror. It began a writing career that continues to this day. This bibliography covers his first four novels and four collections. Each editon, state and story appearance is noted along with B&W pictures of the book covers. Michael Marshall Smith adds in annotations about his fiction such as the origin of particular stories, what influenced the work and how the story idea came about.

The Overnight (a novel) (2004)
by Ramsey Campbell
introduction by Mark Morris

In a new branch of a book store chain, small events are playing havoc with the staff. Some are happeneing in the store like Madeline's problems with her section, some are personal like Wilf's problems from childhood returning and some are economic like Woody's concern over sales. Nobody thinks that the Fenny Meadows site, built on a drained bog, is the problem. That is until they all have to work overnight and find that their colleagues are coming to a horrible end.

Changing of Faces (2004)
by Tim Lebbon
introduction by Simon Clark

Some catastrophic event has turned most of the world into a living horror. Zombies are on the loose, eating brains were they can find them. Were-creatures are amok, killing everything in sight. The were-foxes and were-mice are not the little creatures of TV and the movies. They are human sized and they are clearing the land of any living thing. Jack and his father have found, with others, a degree of safety on a beached ferry along the UK coast. But a full moon is coming and the scavengers will be loosed upon the countryside and they can sense life. The ferry's passengers will make a fine feast. Jack feels a calling and, despite his father's warning, the teenager ventures out to discover what is luring him afield.

Jigsaw Men (2004)
by Gary Greenwood
introduction by Mark Chadbourn

Suppose the secrets of Victor Frankenstein are in the hands of the British Government, using it to construct their army of Jigsaw Men. Suppose the Martians have been defeated during their invasion and their secrets are in the hands of Germany. In this world, Livingstone, a detective with the Metropolitan Police and the son of the famous explorer, is assigned to the case of a missing girl, the daughter of a prominent MP. Seemingly, this is a straightforward missing person case. But soon complications ensue with the involvement of the underground porn industry, anti-Old World Order terrorists and a conspiracy to steal the Empire's most closely guarded secrets.

By Moonlight Only (2004)
edited by Stephen Jones

It collects the following stories:

Introduction by Stephen Jones

In the Fourth Year of the War by Harlan Ellison

The Crystal Doll Killings by Hugh B. Cave

The Art nouveau Fireplace by Christopher Fowler

These Beasts by Tanith Lee

Tight Little Stitches in a Dead Man's Back by Joe R. Lansdale

Replacements by Lisa Tuttle

Cell Call by Marc Laidlaw

The Walls by Terry Lamsley

The Buffalo Hunter by Peter Straub

Jimmy by David Case

Dear Abbey (2003)
by Terry Bisson
introduction by Brian W. Aldiss

Cole is an American Studies professor at a Connecticut community college. Lee is a sixtyish math whiz and a Chinese political refugee who speaks pidgen English with a Texas accent. They share a tiny office along with a taste for Edward Abbey and Jack Daniels. One Friday night, Cole and Lee find themselves taking a journey in a time machine. Their hope is to save the world from an ecological disaster. At each stage of the journey, they visit another time period to see whether they can change the future. They witness all the future horrors and glories such as the cannibal seals of the next Ice Age to a final campfire under a dying sun; from the delights found in 30th Century Paris to the pleasures of a dinner party a millions of years in the future.

Floater (2003)
by Lucius Shepard
introduction by Jeffrey Ford

William Dempsey, a detective with the New York Police Department is in trouble. Along with two other cops, he has survived a homicide trial for gunning down a Haitian immigrant, his fiancee has left, he has been taken off duty, and has taken to abusing vodka and pills. Now he is having trouble with his eye. It's a floater according to his doctor. Little bits of protein floating in the humor that cast shadows on the retina. But Dempsey's worried. Instead of being absorbed, the floater is growing, affecting his vision and causing hallucinations. Some have suggested that it may not be harmless but a sign of vengeance and the coming of a voodoo god.

Bibliomancy (2003)
by Elizabeth Hand
introduction by Lucius Shepard

It collects the following stories:

Cleopatra Brimstone

Pavane for a Prince of the Air

The Least Trumps

Chip Crockett's Christmas Carol

Infinity Plus Two (2003)
edited by Keith Brooke & Nick Gevers
introduction by John Clute

It collects the following stories:

Swiftly by Adam Roberts

Faitfhul by Ian MacDonald

The Witch's Child by Lisa Goldstein

Behold Now Behemoth by Stephen Baxter

Cheering for the Rockets by Michael Moorcock

Emptiness by Brian Stableford

The Genius Freaks by Vonda N McIntyre

Bear Trap by Charles Stross

untitled 4 by Paul Park

The Rift. by Paul J McAuley

Dark Calvary by Eric Brown

The Old Rugged Cross by Terry Bisson

The Arcevoala by Lucius Shepard

Told by the Dead (2003)
by Ramsey Campbell
introduction by Poppy Z. Brite

It collects the following stories:

No Story In It

Return Journey

The Previous Tenant

Becoming Visible

Agatha's Ghost

Little Ones

No Strings

The Word

Slow

The Entertainment

All for Sale

The Worst Fog of the Year

Fuzzy Dice (a novel) (2003)
by Paul Di Filippo
introduction by Rudy Rucker

Paul Girard is a clerk in a book store. He'd rather be a writer. But after 20 years of trying without selling, it seems unlikely that he'll be one. One day, Hans, an artificial life form known as a Moreveckian, drops into his life. He has a bargain for Paul. Hans wants a copy of Paul's life essence. In return, he'll give Paul the capacity to move between dimensions. Paul agrees and he is given the world-hopping controls in the form of a yo-yo. But as we all know, something this simple has strings attached. Paul has no idea how the device works so his rather vague choices of worlds take him to some rather odd places.

Light Stealer (2003)
by James Barclay
introduction by Stan Nichols

Septern is a mage; the one other mages look to with reverence. He has a ego the size of a house and he feels he has found the ultimate spell. He plans to present it at a mages' congress to astound his colleagues. He feels he has figured out all possible contingencies. Little does he know that his country's allies and enemies have other plans for him and his spell. He may be smart but the armies converging on his home are ruthless and committed to having the spell for themselves. Septern is in for a few surprises.

Righteous Blood (2003)
by Cliff Burns
introduction by Tim Lebbon

In the first of two novellas, "Living with the Foleys" follows Phil Poile, a homeless man living in their garage without their knowledge, as he tries to help in guarding against threats to the family and his friends. He's able to get away with this ruse for, you see, Phil can turn invisible at will. In the second story, "Kept," we meet Maxine who seduces strangers in bars, lures them home and mutilates and tortures them for her own enjoyment. She's also the caretaker for a building full of sociopaths who have their own little quirks. Unfortunately for them, Max's new captive makes their evil ways pale in comparison. And he's escaped the cuffs by peeling the skin off his own bones. He's working his way through their apartments looking for Max.

In Springdale Town (2003)
by Robert Freeman Wexler
introduction by Lucius Shepherd

Richard Shelling is a television actor who is fed up with the rat race. He takes off across the country and finds himself in the New England town of Springdale. He thinks he has found exactly what he is looking for; a town not disfigured by malls, not plagued by franchise and chain stores and nobody is looking to screw someone over a deal. Nirvana, Shangri-La, whatever; it is exactly as he'd hoped. Patrick Travis is a lawyer looking for something to relieve the day-to-day stresses. The Springdale of his youth may be the answer. He moves to town and settles in. But something is amiss. The shops are empty, the restaurants are staffed but nobody is eating. He meets the perfect girl and she leads him on a journey where his connection to Richard may shatter their perfectly contented lives.

Jupiter Magnified (2003)
by Adam Roberts
introduction by James Lovegrove

One day, Stina Ekman, poet of some renown, and the rest of the world look up to find the planet Jupiter dominating the sky. First, it is thought that its orbit has changed to move near Earth but no natural disasters occur and, aside from the odd burnt reddish glow, everything remains the same. But as people begin to focus on the planet and what has happened, society begins to break down. For reasons unknown, people are seeing a realtime view of the planet without a doppler effect. How has it happened and what can be done? Most are worried and feel helpless. The social order is changing and all is not well with our civilization.

White Bizango (2002)
by Stephen Gallagher
introduction by Joe R. Lansdale

John Lafcadio is a detective for the Iberville, Louisiana police and he is having a bad week. Coming upon an attempted kidnapping, he pursues a suspect, almost catching him and being spit upon as the perp slips away. He falls into a coma and is pronounced dead. During his autopsy with his chest split open, it is discovered he isn't really dead. With his life in turmoil (his wife has left, his house is being sold from under him), he decides to find out who did this, while recovering from his surgery. He discovers the kidnapping isn't the first one and that voodoo seems to be at the centre of this crime spree.

PS Publishing

Riding the Rock (2002)
by Stephen Baxter
introduction by Gregory Benford

Commissary Dolo is with the Commission for Historical Truth, the organization which tracks and eliminates anti-Doctrinal thinking. He and his novice, Luca, accompany Navy Captain Teel to the front where the war with the Xeelee has been raging for millennia. There, an outbreak has happened that may be religious in character. Their task is to investigate. But Luca has become smitten with Teel and she is going into battle. Teel decides to follow her and finds that the theory of war is antithetical to the practice. It also leads to the discovery of how minor a role the government plays when you and thousands of others are huddled in a hand-carved rock rill with bombs falling all around.

Keep Out the Night (2002)
edited by Stephen Jones

It collects the following stories:

Introduction: More Not at Night by Stephen Jones

Invasion from Inferno by Hugh B. Cave

The Viaduct by Brian Lumley

Spindleshanks (New Orleans, 1956) by Caitl�n R. Kiernan

Homecoming by Sydney J. Bounds

Feeders and Eaters by Neil Gaiman

Nothing of Him that Doth Fade by Poppy Z. Brite

The Unfortunate by Tim Lebbon

One of Us by Dennis Etchinson

Is There Anyone There? by Kim Newman

Dear Alison by Michael Marshall Smith

The Gossips by Basil Copper

Needling Ghosts by Ramsey Campbell

Ramsey Campbell, Probably: Essays & writings by Ramsey Campbell (2002)
by S.T. Joshi
introduction by Douglas E. Winter

This book contains in the neighbourhood of 140,000 words of Ramsey Campbell's non-fiction written over the past 30 years. Divided up into sections, it includes introductions to other author's books, afterwords done for his own books, all of his magazine columns and numerous other articles written over the years. The book is divided into six areas:

On Horror Fiction

On Horror and Fantasy Film

On Horror in Society

On Some Writers

On Ramsey Campbell

Afterword

V.A.O. (2002)
by Geoff Ryman
introduction by Gwyneth Jones

A landmine is known as Victim Activated Ordanance (VAO). The Happy Farm protects its residents with such devices. Alistair Brewster, 80, lives there, suffering the indignities of the aged; embezzling doctors, orderlies who must be bribed for services, etc. Security cameras film a gang of geezers committing vicious crimes, bypassing the VAO and inflicting murder and mayhem on the victims. Brewster seems like the perfect suspect. He developed many of the VAO gadgets. But when his granddaughter has her face burned off with microwaves, he decides it is time for him to find this crew and to put a stop to it.

The Fairy Feller's Master Stroke (2002)
by Mark Chadbourn
introduction by Neil Gaiman

Hanging in the Tate Gallery in London, the cover painting of this book, The Fairy Feller's Master Stroke, was done by Richard Dadd. He did it while in Bethlem Hospital (aka Bedlam). This was after he was committed for killing his father with a knife and razor. Danny and his mother would visit it regularly when he was young. A prodigy, he found school a drag and the lure of drugs and depravity was too much for him to resist. After almost dying, Danny decides to clean up his life. To do so, a change of environment was needed. His choice was to follow the travels of Richard Dadd. Generations later, the journey would be safer than that taken by the Victorian painter. Little did he know that civilization wasn't what he should be worried about.

The Uglimen (2002)
by Mark Morris
introduction by Stephen Laws

Rob Loomis is living the life he wants. He has a beautiful girlfriend, a job in a music store that he loves, a nice flat in London. Life is as it should be until the day that his mother phones him to say that his father is dead, an apparent suicide. He's been found hanging from the banister of their family home. Another call from a mysterious voice tell him his dad had been murdered by the uglimen and Rob is next on their list. At the funeral, Rob catches a glimpse of his father. Is he really dead? Did he fake it? Or is it a ghost come back to haunt Rob and to force him into setting things right? His father hides a secret from the past and it has be sorted out. Then Rob's mother is kidnapped. And his girl isn't quite whom she seems to be. Rob's life is going to pieces and he's not coping well.

The Darkest Part of the Woods (2002)
by Ramsey Campbell
introduction by Peter Straub

Goodmanswood is a village the Severn Valley. Locals tell stories about ghosts and other scary things that happen in the neighbourhood. Years ago, an American named Lennox Price brought his family to stay while he researched the sources of the tales there and in the town of Brichester. He was unable to resist the power hidden in the nearby wood and is committed to a nearby mental hospital with others affected by whatever is there. Nowadays, his family (wife Margo, daughter Sylvia and grandson Sam) seems to have come under the same spell. Only Heather, Sam's mother, seems able to resist it. But she has no idea what she is up against and it could destroy her, her family and all of its secrets.

A Year in the Linear City (2002)
by Paul Di Filippo
introduction by Michael Bishop

Along a single street, Broadway, all of the people live either on Riverside (the posh side towards the river) or on Trackside (the train tracks being on the less reputable side). The road stretches without limit. It is delineated only by Boroughs (each hundred blocks) separated by a single street, self-governing, culturally independent with subtle difference in language. We follow a period in the life of Diego Patchen, a fiction writer published in digest magazines. He has little idea of how his life is orchestrated by the facelessness of those who supply the food he eats, the shelter in which he lives, the goods that he consumes and the services that appear around him. Life is good, friends are happy and he's not sure how all of society works. Sound familiar?

The Tain (2002)
by China Miéville
introduction by M. John Harrison

In a post-holocaust London, Sholl is a survivor. He lives a quiet life of constant desperation, avoiding the enemy. His countrymen have lost the trappings of civilization, descending into tribalism and the invaders wreak their savagery. Sholl decides it is time to do something about this but he need to know more. He starts to gather allies and ferret out some of the invaders secrets. Who are they? Where do they come from? How can the imagos be stopped? What are their weaknesses? Little by little, he builds his following and finds out where their leaders are gathered. He knows what he has to do to end the fighting but does he have the bottle to do it?

Firing the Cathedral (2002)
by Michael Moorcock
introduction by Alan Moore

Jerry Cornelius has been around since the late 60s (The Final Programme [1968]); Michael Moorcock's quintessential everyman (or what every guy wanted to be) combining the spy world with rock and roll. Through his canon, we get introduced to his band of contacts like Bishop Beesley, Professor Hira, Colonel Nye and Jerry's nasty brother Frank. Also along for the ride are Una Persson, Shaky Mo Collier and Catherine. Now it is a post-September 11th world, with its war on terrorism, and the apocalypse may be upon us. Jerry is his usual sarcastic self, striding through a near-future riven with anarchy where the city of London has spread across the land down to the Sussex coast, Scotland is now considered a rogue state, and the USA has become a patchwork of warring factions.

Blood Follows (2002)
by Steven Erikson
introduction by Stephen R. Donaldson

Emancipor Reese is having a bad week. Once again, his employer has died leaving him out of work. He's running out of cash, his wife is badgering him, and his buddies are resistant to spotting him a drink or two when he is told about an ad, posted in the square, looking for a manservant. He's hired by this new stranger in town but something about the man and his belongings are not quite right. Like where is the stranger's companion supposedly sharing the rooms at the inn? But cash is cash. Meanwhile the town of Moll, a realm of Malazan, is experiencing another rash of murders. Guld, the King's investigator, is on the trail but it leads to places he'd rather not follow. Someone or something is bumping off the nobility and they have closed ranks. Questioning of suspects lead nowhere until Guld is told about this new stranger staying at the inn.

The Human Front (2001)
by Ken MacLeod
introduction by Iain M. Banks

Suppose that the Germans didn't surrender in 1945 and the war raged on. By 1974, the US, Britain, Germany, Portugal and Spain were about the only countries that weren't engaged in some type of guerrilla warfare. In the UK, John Matheson gets involved in The Human Front, first by supporting their cause, then by doing participating in events until he finds himself in charge of a cell that is going to blow up a bridge, steal some tanks and do some serious damage. Unfortunately, he's ambushed by a tall, statuesque blonde who may be from Venus. She arrived on a ship piloted by what may be a Martian. Despite the fact that his war wasn't going so well, John thought that things were going to get much stranger.

Park Polar (2001)
by Adam Roberts
introduction by Roger Levy

The Earth has been transformed by corporations into farms to feed the world. Wildlife has been relegated to gene pools, literally. About the only place where they can flourish is the harsh environment of the polar caps. To an Antarctica reserve has come Dr. Annalee McCollough to let loose her kangaroos. As she awakens them, the three guards who accompanied her are gunned down. The only suspects are her scientist colleagues. But which one did it? Realizing the impossibility of solving the crime, she flees, only to be stalked and attacked by the other critters let loose earlier. Her choices? Death by nature or death by another's hand. She has to decide fast which it is going to be.

Diamond Dogs (2001)
by Alastair Reynolds
introduction by Stephen Baxter

Roland Childe's family has spent 250 years in deep space exploration looking for signs of alien life or remnants of their civilization. In a far off corner, something is found on a planet called Golgotha. A ship making repairs has found a building shaped like a cathedral spire with a bulb seemingly spiked on the top. Its purpose and its contents remain a mystery for the spire's defenses repel with deadly force all those that enter unless they can solve the puzzles which control access to its rooms. Childe has brought together a group to crack the mystery of an alien artifact on this faraway planet.

Infinity Plus One (2001)
edited by Keith Brooke and Nicholas Gevers
introduction by Peter F. Hamilton

It collects the following stories:

Radio Waves by Michael Swanwick

The Second Window by Patrick O'Leary

Lovestory by James Patrick Kelly

Ghost Dancing with Manco Tupac by Jeff VanderMeer

Home Time by Ian R. MacLeod

A Spy In The Domain Of Arnheim by Michael Bishop

Memories Of The Flying Ball Bike Shop by Garry Kilworth

Kitsune by Mary Gentle

God's Foot by Tony Daniel

Tomorrow Town by Kim Newman

Jack Neck and the Worrybird by Paul Di Filippo

Old Soldiers by Kit Reed

The Lunatics by Kim Stanley Robinson

The Astonished Eye (a novel) (2001)
by Tracy Knight
introduction by Philip Jose Farmer

A UFO crash-lands in Elderton, Illinois, and The Astonished Eye, a tabloid of some repute sends Ben Savitch to investigate. He was born there and the story may just kick-start his mediocre career. But (as you'd suspect) things are not quite as they appear. For buried deep in the small town recesses is something even more magical. Residents like Almo Parrish, who believes he was a Munchkin in The Wizard of Oz, can predict the first autumn leaf to fall each year. Chandler Quinn can build or repair anything, including those belong to aliens. Frank Shepard is a pale shadow of a man; he's a superhero who has forgotten how to fly. What is a reporter to do?

A Writer's Life (2001)
by Eric Brown
introduction by Paul Di Filippo

Daniel Ellis is a writer whose book sales are not what his publishers had hoped. He supplements his income with franchise novels that yield little satisfaction. He's in love with Mina Pratt who shares his house and raises her daughters. He's got a weak spot for obscure Victorian novelists. One day, he finds a title by Vaughn Edwards, a writer whose work he's sought but never located. It changes his life like only a book can. He becomes obsessed with the work of this author at the expense of his career and relationship. Little does he know that it will lead to supernatural events, likely plagerism, unusual weather and perhaps even an alien abduction. Think H.P. Lovecraft meets The X-Files.

Nearly People (2001)
by Conrad Williams
introduction by Michael Marshall Smith

Howling Mile, a city in the not too distant, survives in the aftermath of a deadly toxic spill. Its denizens are a mean-spirited bunch, scavenging off others and the ruins of their surroundings. With an ever-dwindling gene pool, the choices for survival have forced a rise in violence and cannibalism. The Bordertypes keep alert for escapees with snipers and helicopter air patrols laden with flame-throwers. We meet Carrier who has fallen for The Dancer, a man she peeps through her apartment window bars and deep within her dreams. During the day, she ministers to Jake, dying from the slow poison endemic to the streets. On her forays out for food, she emails Enderby, a friend from the outside who has given her hope for the future. She soon comes under the tutelage of The Dancer who shows her there is beauty and magic beyond the filth and devastation and maybe a way out. But something is killing her neighbours (not much of a loss) and she could be next. She is finding that trust may be more dangerous that walking the streets.

Tendeléo's Story (2000)
by Ian McDonald
introduction by Robert Silverberg

Tendeléo Bi, who is 14, lives a pastoral life. Her world doesn't much extend beyond her parents' farm, her father's church and the village of Gichichi. Then one night, the alien Chaga falls to earth and all is changed. The alien infestation makes its slow daily 10 metre advance transforming non-animal life in its path into an environment that is strange, deadly, wondrous and unstoppable. It destroys her village turning her into a refugee, a smuggler, a gangster and finally a spy. As the southern hemisphere is being terraformed, Ten find life, hope, love and happiness in the UK, only to have it stripped from her as she's deported to a homeland that barely exists any more. She begins to understand that she is the only one who can control her future and she has a plan to have one.

Watching Trees Grow (2000)
by Peter F. Hamilton
introduction by Larry Niven

In an alternate England of 1832, the scientific revolution of the post-Roman occupation is underway. It is a time where lives average four centuries and the Grand Families of Europe preside over an era of economic prosperity. Wars are no more and crime is almost non-existent. Edward Bucahanan Raleigh, newly-qualified family representative is called in to investigate the almost unheard of act of murder. It has been better than 20 years since a member of the powerful Raleigh family has been killed. He begins an investigation of a dead student which baffles both the police and more experienced family members. There is apparently no motive. The victim had no enemies, only a group of friends who adored him. No clues lead to a murderer. In episodic fashion, we follow Edward's initiatives over the centuries as he employes new technologies in his pursuit of a killer through the solar system and out to the stars.

Naming of Parts (2000)
by Tim Lebbon
introduction by Steve Rasnic Tem

Jack Haines and his parents find themselves on the run as their home proves no defense from what is terrorizing the countryside. They are tearing apart any blood animal in their path. Not since Green Eyes by Lucius Shepard has a zombie story been capable of capturing the sheer relentlessness of such a horror. Jack's folks try to protect their faimly as they journey through woods and across farmland (who knows what you'll find on the roads?) in hopes that the nearby town hasn't been completely decimated and that their runaway daughter has escaped the infection that is killing and reanimating most of the population.

Reality Dust (2000)
by Stephen Baxter
introduction by Greg Bear

In 5408, Earth is recovering from the devastation following centuries of brutal alien occupation. On Earth, faction struggle for power, and to restore mankind's fortunes. Hama Druz is assigned by the ruling Coalition to investigate the affairs of the surviving 'pharaohs' -- ancients kept alive by a banned longevity technology in return for their collaboration. In an alien-built city, Hama is meets a pharaoh -- Gemo Cana -- who presents him with unimagined moral complexities. It leads him to Jupiter's frozen moon Callisto where another immortal has been labouring for centuries on a secret project which has the capacity to save or to destroy mankind. This story is set in Stephen Baxter's continuing Xeelee Sequence.

Making History (2000)
by Paul J. McAuley
introduction by Michael Swanwick

The Quiet War is over. Professor-Doctor Fredo Graves is a historian who has come to Paris, Dione, to construct a profile of the rebel leader Marisa Bassi. Demi Lacombe, an environmental landscaper and a breath-taking beauty, has come to determine a way to restore the battle-scarred city parklands. Dev Veeder, the colonel of security, is committed to the safety of the occupying force and takes his orders seriously, particularly when it comes to Demi. One day, Corso, the local guide, takes Graves and, reluctantly, Demi to the area where Bassi staged his final battle, it becomes obvious that the rebellion is far from over, and its true story is far more complicated and stranger than the professor can imagine.

Andy Warhol's Dracula (1999)
by Kim Newman
introduction by F.Paul Wilson

In late 70s New York, Johnny Pop, a vampire fresh from Europe, who some think may be Vlad himself, begins to make his mark. He's got a drug that sets the tribes of punk and disco at war. The first casualties, Sid and Nancy, have fallen in the Chelsea Hotel. Johnny slips into the swirl surrounding Andy Warhol, seen as the grey-faced undead master of the city. Johnny finds himself hanging with the coolest, shedding those whom he's climbed over, addicting them and ignoring them. He's got the cash, the drugs, the admirers and the gofers. What more is there? He's thinking maybe Hollywood is his next stop. But Andy's missed in his usual haunts and one of Johnny's early conquests is stalking him. Johnny may have a problem and he needs to be sure he can fix it.

The Vaccinator (1999)
by Michael Marshall Smith
introduction by M.John Harrison

Key West, Florida is the current home of Eddie Kruger -- a man with a shady past. These days he's working as a vaccinator; he pays out a ransom to aliens to prevent them from abducting humans. His contacts are three slightly addled extra-terrestrials who take his money and make make Eddie wonder how goofs like these can do the job. One day, Illinois businessman George Becker turns to Eddie for help in preventing the disappearance of his family. Eddie thinks, "No problemo," but he's in for a surprise. Despite the payoff, George's wife disappears and Eddie wonders why his boys went back on their word, for the first time. He's determined to find out but he may not like the answers.

How the Other Half Lives (1999)
by James Lovegrove
introduction by Colin Greenland

William Ian North has it all. Each day, he is chauffeured from his country mansion to the London headquarters of his worldwide financial empire. There, he trades and deals, finagles and manipulates his assets that affects millions of lives and billions of dollars. Companies, industries and nations prosper or decline upon his whim. Each evening, he rides back to his home and savagely tortures someone William Ian North keeps captive in his cellars. The greater the pain, the greater the success. But his basement guest has made a new friend. This arrangement is about to change and William Ian North, despite his wealth and power, can't do much about it.

Leningrad Nights (1999)
by Graham Joyce
introduction by Peter Straub

We are in Leningrad, World War II, during the Nine Hundred Days Siege when a young lad, Leo Shapoval, is forced to scavenge for himself. His Uncle Yevgeny has died but still speaks to him from the after-world. In the way of boys, he decided to dedicate himself to saving as many people as he can. He begins finding food and other essential needed for life. Unlike the others, he is able to feed what he soon thinks of his flock with assorted items available in the bombed-out ruins. One day, he comes across a half-dead pregnant prostitute. With his customary discipline, he finds a way to revive her, manage the birth of her son and form a kind of family he's never really known. In return, she offers to help him make the transition into manhood but suddenly finds herself at odds with Leo over how he has managed to feed so many.