Books with category 🛸 Science Fiction
Displaying books 577-624 of 632 in total

Mind of My Mind

A young woman harnesses her newfound power to challenge the ruthless man who controls her, in this brilliant and provocative novel from the award-winning author of Parable of the Sower.

Mary is a treacherous experiment. Her creator, an immortal named Doro, has molded the human race for generations, seeking out those with unusual talents like telepathy and breeding them into a new subrace of humans who obey his every command. The result is a young black woman living on the rough outskirts of Los Angeles in the 1970s, who has no idea how much power she will soon wield. Doro knows he must handle Mary carefully or risk her ending like his previous dead, either by her own hand or Doro's. What he doesn't suspect is that Mary's maturing telepathic abilities may soon rival his own power. By linking telepaths with a viral pattern, she will create the potential to break free of his control once and for all-and shift the course of humanity.

Cosmicomics

1976

by Italo Calvino

Italo Calvino's extraordinary imagination and intelligence combine here in an enchanting series of stories about the evolution of the universe. He makes his characters out of mathematical formulae and simple cellular structures. They disport themselves among galaxies, experience the solidification of planets, move from aquatic to terrestrial existence, play games with hydrogen atoms, and even have a love life.

During the course of these stories, Calvino toys with continuous creation, the transformation of matter, and the expanding and contracting reaches of space and time. He succeeds in relating complex scientific concepts to the ordinary reactions of common humanity.

William Weaver's excellent translation won a National Book Award in 1969. "Naturally, we were all there," old Qfwfq said, "where else could we have been? Nobody knew then that there could be space. Or time either: what use did we have for time, packed in there like sardines?"

Patternmaster

The combined mind-force of a telepathic race, Patternist thoughts can destroy, heal, rule. For the strongest mind commands the entire pattern and all within. Now the son of the Patternmaster craves this ultimate power, He has murdered or enslaved every threat to his ambition--except one. In the wild, mutant-infested hills, a young apprentice must be hunted down and destroyed because he is the tyrant's equal... and the Patternmaster's other son.

The Mote in God's Eye

In 3016, the 2nd Empire of Man spans hundreds of star systems, thanks to faster-than-light Alderson Drive. Intelligent beings are finally found from the Mote, an isolated star in a thick dust cloud. The bottled-up ancient civilization, at least one million years old, are welcoming, kind, yet evasive, with a dark problem they have not solved in over a million years.

To Your Scattered Bodies Go

To Your Scattered Bodies Go is the Hugo Award-winning beginning to the story of Riverworld, Philip José Farmer's unequaled tale about life after death. When famous adventurer Sir Richard Francis Burton dies, the last thing he expects to do is awaken naked on a foreign planet along the shores of a seemingly endless river. But that's where Burton and billions of other humans (plus a few nonhumans) find themselves as the epic Riverworld saga begins. It seems that all of Earthly humanity has been resurrected on the planet, each with an indestructible container that provides three meals a day, cigarettes, alcoholic beverages, a lighter, and the odd tube of lipstick. But why? And by whom? That's what Burton and a handful of fellow adventurers are determined to discover as they construct a boat and set out in search of the river's source, thought to be millions of miles away. Although there are many hardships during the journey--including an encounter with the infamous Hermann Goring--Burton's resolve to complete his quest is strengthened by a visit from the Mysterious Stranger, a being who claims to be a renegade within the very group that created the Riverworld. The stranger tells Burton that he must make it to the river's headwaters, along with a dozen others the Stranger has selected, to help stop an evil experiment at the end of which humanity will simply be allowed to die.

Childhood's End

Childhood's End is a seminal work by Arthur C. Clarke, an author celebrated for his contributions to the science fiction genre. This prescient novel explores the concept of first contact gone awry and has been regarded not only as a classic of science fiction but as a literary thriller of the highest order.

When vast spaceships suddenly appear over every city on Earth, they bring with them the Overlords, an alien race that is intellectually, technologically, and militarily superior to humans. Their initial demands are seemingly benevolent: unify Earth, eliminate poverty, and end war. As humankind enters a golden age, the Overlords' true agenda remains shrouded in mystery, prompting questions about the true cost of peace.

As the Overlords exert their influence, humanity ceases to strive for creative greatness, and a sense of malaise descends. For those who resist, it becomes clear that the Overlords have their own plans for the human race. As civilization stands at a crossroads, the Overlords' role in human evolution questions whether their arrival marks the end of humankind, or a new beginning.

The Dispossessed

Shevek, a brilliant physicist, decides to take action. He will seek answers, question the unquestionable, and attempt to tear down the walls of hatred that have isolated his planet of anarchists from the rest of the civilized universe. To do this dangerous task will mean giving up his family and possibly his life.

Shevek must make the unprecedented journey to the utopian mother planet, Urras, to challenge the complex structures of life and living, and ignite the fires of change. The Dispossessed is a penetrating examination of society and humanity—and one man's brave undertaking to question the unquestionable and ignite the fires of change.

Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said

1974

by Philip K. Dick

Jason Tavener woke up one morning to find himself completely unknown. The night before he had been the top-rated television star with millions of devoted watchers. The next day he was just an unidentified walking object, whose face nobody recognised, of whom no one had heard, and without the I.D. papers required in that near future.

When he finally found a man who would agree to counterfeiting such cards for him, that man turned out to be a police informer. And then Taverner found out not only what it was like to be a nobody but also to be hunted by the whole apparatus of society.

It was obvious that in some way Taverner had become the pea in some sort of cosmic shell game - but how? And why?

Philip K. Dick takes the reader on a walking tour of solipsism's scariest margin in his latest novel about the age we are already half into.

The Girl Who Was Plugged In

The Girl Who Was Plugged In by James Tiptree, Jr. (aka Alice Sheldon) is a critically acclaimed work, celebrated for its compelling short fiction. The novella, awarded the Hugo for best novella in 1974, presents a dystopian future dominated by corporate power, where traditional advertising is obsolete and life itself becomes a form of commercial influence through celebrities and product placements.

In this world, Philadelphia ("P.") Burke, a seventeen-year-old girl with profound deformities, is given a second chance at life after a suicide attempt. She is selected to become one of these pivotal celebrities, operating a flawless, brainless body engineered specifically for this role. As she steps into her new persona, a public figure whose sole responsibility is to be seen purchasing products, she becomes entangled in the complexities of fame, identity, and unexpected love.

The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas

The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas is a thought-provoking short story that poses a powerful ethical question. It explores the concept of a seemingly utopian city, Omelas, where the prosperity and happiness of its citizens are contingent upon the perpetual misery of a single child. The narrative delves into the moral implications of this arrangement and the reaction of the citizens when confronted with the reality of the child's suffering.

Ursula K. Le Guin's masterful storytelling invites readers to ponder the sacrifices made for the greater good and the individual's role in confronting injustices. The tale's enduring relevance and its challenge to societal norms make it a compelling read that continues to inspire philosophical debate and reflection.

Rendezvous with Rama

At first, only a few things are known about the celestial object that astronomers dub Rama. It is huge, weighing more than ten trillion tons. And it is hurtling through the solar system at an inconceivable speed. Then a space probe confirms the unthinkable: Rama is no natural object. It is, incredibly, an interstellar spacecraft. Space explorers and planet-bound scientists alike prepare for mankind's first encounter with alien intelligence. It will kindle their wildest dreams... and fan their darkest fears. For no one knows who the Ramans are or why they have come. And now the moment of rendezvous awaits — just behind a Raman airlock door.

The Gods Themselves

1973

by Isaac Asimov

In the twenty-second century, Earth obtains limitless, free energy from a source science little understands: an exchange between Earth and a parallel universe, using a process devised by the aliens. But even free energy has a price. The transference process itself will eventually lead to the destruction of the Earth's Sun—and of Earth itself.

Only a few know the terrifying truth—an outcast Earth scientist, a rebellious alien inhabitant of a dying planet, a lunar-born human intuitionist who senses the imminent annihilation of the Sun. They know the truth—but who will listen? They have foreseen the cost of abundant energy—but who will believe? These few beings, human and alien, hold the key to the Earth's survival.

Ringworld

1970

by Larry Niven

The artefact is a circular ribbon of matter six hundred million miles long and ninety million miles in radius. Pierson's puppeteers, the aliens who discovered it, are understandably wary of encountering the builders of such an immense structure and have assembled a team of two humans, a mad puppeteer and a kzin, a huge cat-like alien, to explore it. But a crash landing on the vast edifice forces the crew on a desperate and dangerous trek across the Ringworld.

Welcome to the Monkey House

Welcome to the Monkey House is a collection of Kurt Vonnegut’s shorter works. Originally printed in publications as diverse as The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and The Atlantic Monthly, these superb stories share Vonnegut’s audacious sense of humor and extraordinary range of creative vision.

Includes the following stories:

  • “Where I Live”
  • “Harrison Bergeron”
  • “Who Am I This Time?”
  • “Welcome to the Monkey House”
  • “Long Walk to Forever”
  • “The Foster Portfolio”
  • “Miss Temptation”
  • “All the King’s Horses”
  • “Tom Edison’s Shaggy Dog”
  • “New Dictionary”
  • “Next Door”
  • “More Stately Mansions”
  • “The Hyannis Port Story”
  • “D.P.”
  • “Report on the Barnhouse Effect”
  • “The Euphio Question”
  • “Go Back to Your Precious Wife and Son”
  • “Deer in the Works”
  • “The Lie”
  • “Unready to Wear”
  • “The Kid Nobody Could Handle”
  • “The Manned Missiles”
  • “Epicac”
  • “Adam”
  • “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow”

The Left Hand of Darkness

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin is a groundbreaking work of science fiction that explores the story of a lone human emissary to Winter, an alien world whose inhabitants spend most of their time without a gender. His goal is to facilitate Winter's inclusion in a growing intergalactic civilization. However, to achieve this, he must bridge the gulf between his own views and those of the completely dissimilar culture he encounters.

Embracing aspects of psychology, society, and human emotion on an alien world, The Left Hand of Darkness is celebrated as a landmark achievement in the annals of intellectual science fiction. The novel delves into complex themes involving gender and sexuality, challenging readers' perceptions of human nature and societal constructs. It is not only an adventure story but also a profound thought experiment that invites contemplation about the fluidity of gender and the potential for understanding amidst cultural differences.

2001

2001: A Space Odyssey is a classic work of science fiction that remains an influential part of the genre fifty years after its original publication. The story begins with the discovery of a black monolith on the moon, an event that leads humanity to send a manned expedition deep into the solar system in hopes of establishing contact with an alien intelligence. As the crew embarks on their momentous journey, they encounter unforeseen and inexplicable disasters.

Arthur C. Clarke's novel is not only compelling and prophetic but also addresses the perennial question of mankind's place in the universe. With Clarke's extensive knowledge of physics and astronomy, the narrative is both scientifically informed and richly imaginative, offering readers a gripping adventure that extends to the very limits of time and space.

City of Illusions

He was a fully grown man, alone in dense forest, with no trail to show where he had come from and no memory to tell who — or what — he was. His eyes were not the eyes of a human.

The forest people took him in and raised him almost as a child, teaching him to speak, training him in forest lore, giving him all the knowledge they had. But they could not solve the riddle of his past, and at last he had to set out on a perilous quest to Es Toch, the City of the Shining, the Liars of Earth, the Enemy of Mankind. There he would find his true self ... and a universe of danger.

The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress

The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress is a tale of revolution, of the rebellion of a former penal colony on the Moon against its masters on the Earth. It is a tale of a culture whose family structures are based on the presence of two men for every woman, leading to novel forms of marriage and family. It is the story of the disparate people, a computer technician, a vigorous young female agitator, and an elderly academic who become the movement's leaders, and of Mike, the supercomputer whose sentience is known only to the revolt's inner circle, who for reasons of his own is committed to the revolution's ultimate success.

Planet of Exile

The Earth colony of Landin has been stranded on Werel for ten years—and ten of Werel's years are over 600 terrestrial years. The lonely and dwindling human settlement is beginning to feel the strain. Every winter—a season that lasts for 15 years—the Earthmen have neighbors: the humanoid hilfs, a nomadic people who only settle down for the cruel cold spell.

The hilfs fear the Earthmen, whom they think of as witches and call the farborns. But hilfs and farborns have common enemies: the hordes of ravaging barbarians called gaals and eerie preying snow ghouls. Will they join forces or be annihilated?

Dune

1965

by Frank Herbert

Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, heir to a noble family tasked with ruling an inhospitable world where the only thing of value is the spice melange, a drug capable of extending life and enhancing consciousness. Coveted across the known universe, melange is a prize worth killing for...

When House Atreides is betrayed, the destruction of Paul's family will set the boy on a journey toward a destiny greater than he could ever have imagined. And as he evolves into the mysterious man known as Muad'Dib, he will bring to fruition humankind's most ancient and unattainable dream.

A stunning blend of adventure and mysticism, environmentalism and politics, Dune formed the basis of what is undoubtedly the grandest epic in science fiction.

Cat's Cradle

Told with deadpan humour and bitter irony, Kurt Vonnegut's cult tale of global destruction preys on our deepest fears of witnessing Armageddon and, worse still, surviving it. Dr Felix Hoenikker, one of the founding 'fathers' of the atomic bomb, has left a deadly legacy to the world. For he's the inventor of 'ice-nine', a lethal chemical capable of freezing the entire planet.

The search for its whereabouts leads to Hoenikker's three eccentric children, to a crazed dictator in the Caribbean, to madness. Felix Hoenikker's Death Wish comes true when his last, fatal gift to humankind brings about the end, that for all of us, is nigh...

A Wrinkle in Time

It was a dark and stormy night. Out of this wild night, a strange visitor comes to the Murry house and beckons Meg, her brother Charles Wallace, and their friend Calvin O'Keefe on a most dangerous and extraordinary adventure—one that will threaten their lives and our universe. Meg Murray, her little brother Charles Wallace, and their mother are having a midnight snack on a dark and stormy night when an unearthly stranger appears at their door. He claims to have been blown off course, and goes on to tell them that there is such a thing as a "tesseract," which, if you didn't know, is a wrinkle in time.

Meg's father had been experimenting with time-travel when he suddenly disappeared. Will Meg, Charles Wallace, and their friend Calvin outwit the forces of evil as they search through space for their father? A Wrinkle in Time, winner of the Newbery Medal in 1963, is the story of the adventures in space and time of Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin O'Keefe (athlete, student, and one of the most popular boys in high school). They are in search of Meg's father, a scientist who disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government on the tesseract problem.

Stranger in a Strange Land

NAME: Valentine Michael Smith
ANCESTRY: Human
ORIGIN: Mars

Valentine Michael Smith is a human being raised on Mars, newly returned to Earth. Among his people for the first time, he struggles to understand the social mores and prejudices of human nature that are so alien to him, while teaching them his own fundamental beliefs in grokking, watersharing, and love.

Atlas Shrugged

1959

by Ayn Rand

Atlas Shrugged is a narrative that intertwines ethics, metaphysics, politics, economics, and sex. It is the story of a man who said he would stop the motor of the world, and did. Is he a destroyer or the greatest of liberators? The reader is invited to discover the answer through a mystery story that integrates a ruthlessly brilliant plot structure with an irresistible suspense.

The novel presents an astounding panorama of human life - from the productive genius who becomes a worthless playboy, to the great steel industrialist who does not know he is working for his own destruction, to the philosopher who becomes a pirate, to the composer who gives up his career on the night of his triumph, to the woman who runs a transcontinental railroad, to the lowest track worker in her Terminal tunnels.

Atlas Shrugged is not only a philosophical revolution told in the form of an action thriller but also a masterful depiction of the potential of human greatness, portrayed with all the poetry and power of one of the twentieth century's leading artists.

On the Beach

1957

by Nevil Shute

After a nuclear World War III has destroyed most of the globe, the few remaining survivors in southern Australia await the radioactive cloud that is heading their way and bringing certain death to everyone in its path. Among them is an American submarine captain struggling to resist the knowledge that his wife and children in the United States must be dead. Then a faint Morse code signal is picked up, transmitting from somewhere near Seattle, and Captain Towers must lead his submarine crew on a bleak tour of the ruined world in a desperate search for signs of life.

On the Beach is a remarkably convincing portrait of how ordinary people might face the most unimaginable nightmare.

La ltima pregunta

La ltima pregunta, una obra maestra de la ciencia ficci n, es, tal y como afirm su autor en repetidas ocasiones, «por encima de toda duda, mi favorita entre todas las historias que he escrito en mi carrera». ¿Es posible revertir el inevitable final del Universo, o el mundo debe acabar de todas formas? Es la pregunta que desde un d a del siglo XXI, hasta generaciones y generaciones posteriores en el tiempo, hacen los humanos a los ordenadores.

En un relato aparentemente sencillo sobre un asunto sobrecogedor, el fin de los d as, Asimov demuestra, una vez m s, una mente preclara y una mano maestra para sobrecoger al lector y dejarlo en vilo, incluso despu s de la lectura.

Fahrenheit 451

1953

by Ray Bradbury

Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to burn books, which are forbidden, being the source of all discord and unhappiness. Even so, Montag is unhappy; there is discord in his marriage. Are books hidden in his house? The Mechanical Hound of the Fire Department, armed with a lethal hypodermic, escorted by helicopters, is ready to track down those dissidents who defy society to preserve and read books.

The classic dystopian novel of a post-literate future, Fahrenheit 451 stands alongside Orwell’s 1984 and Huxley’s Brave New World as a prophetic account of Western civilization’s enslavement by the media, drugs and conformity.

Bradbury’s powerful and poetic prose combines with uncanny insight into the potential of technology to create a novel which, decades on from first publication, still has the power to dazzle and shock.

City

City is a captivating series of interconnected stories, forming a tapestry of legends, myths, and campfire tales told by Dogs about the twilight of human civilization. These stories revolve around the Webster family, renowned for their remarkable achievements, including designing the ships that propelled humans to the stars and bestowing Dogs with the gift of speech and robots to aid them.

The narrative unfolds over the course of 10,000 years, through the eyes of the Webster family and the immortal robot Jenkins. It touches upon themes dear to 1940s science fiction: robots, genetic engineering, space exploration, domed cities, hiveminds, telepathy, and parallel worlds.

As humanity's influence wanes, the Dogs, bred to eschew violence, inherit the Earth. The stories, imbued with a pastoral serenity, explore the enduring question of which of humanity's creations will ultimately claim the stars.

Foundation and Empire

1952

by Isaac Asimov

Foundation and Empire is the second novel in Isaac Asimov's classic science-fiction masterpiece, the Foundation series. The epic saga continues as the Foundation, led by its founding father, the psychohistorian Hari Seldon, and utilizing superior science and technology, has survived the greed and barbarism of its neighboring warrior-planets.

Now the Foundation faces a new challenge. The Empire, once the mightiest force in the Galaxy, is in its death throes, yet it remains a significant threat. An ambitious general, intent on restoring the Empire's glory, directs the Imperial fleet towards the Foundation, placing the planet of scholars and scientists in peril.

The situation becomes even more dire with the appearance of a mysterious entity known as the Mule, who possesses powers beyond anything previously known to humanity. The Mule's capabilities are beyond human comprehension, and it remains unclear who—or what—the Mule truly is. As the darkness threatens to overwhelm the light, the courage of a few may be all that stands between humanity and annihilation.

With nail-biting suspense and nonstop action, Foundation and Empire explores humanity's perpetual struggle against the forces of chaos and the brave efforts to maintain enlightenment and civilization amidst the vast and tumultuous sea of stars.

Second Foundation

1952

by Isaac Asimov

Second Foundation is the third book in Isaac Asimov's classic science-fiction masterpiece, the Foundation series. The novel narrates the story of a secretly developed Second Foundation, which exists to protect the first from the threats of a deadly mutant and a corrupt First Foundation seeking control of the galactic empire.

The fate of the Foundation rests upon young Arkady Darell, a fourteen-year-old girl burdened with a terrible secret. As the scientists prepare for a final showdown with the Mule, the survivors of the First Foundation embark on a desperate search. They, too, wish to find and destroy the Second Foundation before it has the chance to destroy them.

Unforgettable and thought-provoking, Second Foundation is a tale of adventure and ideas that spans the Galaxy. It is a powerful narrative about humankind's struggle to preserve the fragile light of wisdom against the threat of its own dark barbarism.

The Day of the Triffids

1951

by John Wyndham

In 1951, John Wyndham published his novel The Day of the Triffids to moderate acclaim. Fifty-two years later, this horrifying story is a science fiction classic, touted by The Times (London) as having "all the reality of a vividly realized nightmare."

Bill Masen, bandages over his wounded eyes, misses the most spectacular meteorite shower England has ever seen. Removing his bandages the next morning, he finds masses of sightless people wandering the city. He soon meets Josella, another lucky person who has retained her sight, and together they leave the city, aware that the safe, familiar world they knew a mere twenty-four hours before is gone forever.

But to survive in this post-apocalyptic world, one must survive the Triffids, strange plants that years before began appearing all over the world. The Triffids can grow to over seven feet tall, pull their roots from the ground to walk, and kill a man with one quick lash of their poisonous stingers. With society in shambles, they are now poised to prey on humankind. Wyndham chillingly anticipates bio-warfare and mass destruction, fifty years before their realization, in this prescient account of Cold War paranoia.

Foundation

1951

by Isaac Asimov

The first novel in Isaac Asimov's classic science-fiction masterpiece, the Foundation series—For twelve thousand years the Galactic Empire has ruled supreme. Now it is dying. But only Hari Seldon, creator of the revolutionary science of psychohistory, can see into the future—to a dark age of ignorance, barbarism, and warfare that will last thirty thousand years.

To preserve knowledge and save humankind, Seldon gathers the best minds in the Empire—both scientists and scholars—and brings them to a bleak planet at the edge of the galaxy to serve as a beacon of hope for future generations. He calls his sanctuary the Foundation.

The Foundation novels of Isaac Asimov are among the most influential in the history of science fiction, celebrated for their unique blend of breathtaking action, daring ideas, and extensive worldbuilding. In Foundation, Asimov has written a timely and timeless novel of the best—and worst—that lies in humanity, and the power of even a few courageous souls to shine a light in a universe of darkness.

The Illustrated Man

1951

by Ray Bradbury

The Illustrated Man is a collection of eighteen science fiction short stories by American writer Ray Bradbury. A recurring theme throughout the stories is the conflict of the cold mechanics of technology and the psychology of people. The book presents itself with an ingenious framework, opening and closing with a nameless narrator who meets the Illustrated Man—a wanderer whose entire body is a living canvas of exotic tattoos.

What's even more remarkable, and increasingly disturbing, is that the illustrations are themselves magically alive, each unfolding its own story. These tales explore a variety of themes, including virtual reality, stranded astronauts, and alien invasions, making the collection a marvelous quilt of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. The stories included in this collection were mostly written in the 1940s and 1950s, showcasing Bradbury's timeless talent for storytelling that will continue to captivate readers for generations to come.

I, Robot

1950

by Isaac Asimov

I, Robot is a fixup novel of science fiction short stories or essays by American writer Isaac Asimov. The stories, which originally appeared in the American magazines Super Science Stories and Astounding Science Fiction between 1940 and 1950, are woven together by a framing narrative. In this narrative, the fictional Dr. Susan Calvin tells each story to a reporter in the 21st century.

The stories share a theme of the interaction of humans, robots, and morality. Together, they tell a larger story of Asimov's fictional history of robotics. The collection explores profound questions such as: What is human? And is humanity obsolete?

Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics are central to the narrative:

  1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

  2. A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

  3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

These laws lay the foundation for a bold new era of evolution, opening up enormous possibilities—and unforeseen risks. As humans and robots struggle to coexist on Earth and in space, the future of both hangs in the balance. I, Robot not only changes our perception of robots but also challenges the timeless myth of man's dream to play god—with all its rewards and terrors.

Perelandra

1943

by C.S. Lewis

Perelandra, the second book in C. S. Lewis's acclaimed Space Trilogy, continues the adventures of the extraordinary Dr. Ransom. Pitted against the most destructive of human weaknesses, temptation, the great man must battle evil on a new planet — Perelandra — when it is invaded by a dark force. Will Perelandra succumb to this malevolent being, who strives to create a new world order and who must destroy an old and beautiful civilization to do so? Or will it throw off the yoke of corruption and achieve a spiritual perfection as yet unknown to man? The outcome of Dr. Ransom's mighty struggle alone will determine the fate of this peace-loving planet.

Space Trilogy: Out of the Silent Planet / Perelandra / That Hideous Strength

1938

by C.S. Lewis

The Cosmic Trilogy relates the interplanetary travels of Ransom, C.S. Lewis's ill-informed and terrified victim who leaves Earth much against his will. In the first book of the trilogy, Out of the Silent Planet, published by the Bodley Head in 1938, Ransom encounters the imaginary and delightful world of Macalandra.

In the second book, Perelandra (1943), Ransom is transported to a world of sweet smells and delicious tastes, a new Garden of Eden in which is enacted, with a difference, the story of Temptation.

That Hideous Strength (1945) completes the trilogy and finds Dr. Ransom returned from his travels in space and living in an English university town - where the Senior Common Room is given a mysterious depth, a more than earthly dimension which such things, in the author's view, always have in life.

C.S. Lewis believed that popular science was the new mythology of his age, and in The Cosmic Trilogy he ransacks the uncharted territory of space and makes that mythology the medium of his spiritual imagination.

Brave New World

1932

by Aldous Huxley

Aldous Huxley's profoundly important classic of world literature, Brave New World is a searching vision of an unequal, technologically-advanced future where humans are genetically bred, socially indoctrinated, and pharmaceutically anesthetized to passively uphold an authoritarian ruling order–all at the cost of our freedom, full humanity, and perhaps also our souls. “A genius [who] spent his life decrying the onward march of the Machine” (The New Yorker), Huxley was a man of incomparable talents: equally an artist, a spiritual seeker, and one of history's keenest observers of human nature and civilization.

Brave New World, his masterpiece, has enthralled and terrified millions of readers, and retains its urgent relevance to this day as both a warning to be heeded as we head into tomorrow and as thought-provoking, satisfying work of literature. Written in the shadow of the rise of fascism during the 1930s, Brave New World also speaks to a 21st-century world dominated by mass-entertainment, technology, medicine and pharmaceuticals, the arts of persuasion, and the hidden influence of elites.

“Aldous Huxley is the greatest 20th century writer in English.” —Chicago Tribune

Un mundo feliz

1932

by Aldous Huxley

Un mundo feliz es un clásico de la literatura del siglo XX, una sombría metáfora sobre el futuro. La novela describe un mundo en el que finalmente se han cumplido los peores vaticinios: triunfan los dioses del consumo y la comodidad y el orbe se organiza en diez zonas en apariencia seguras y estables. Sin embargo, este mundo ha sacrificado valores humanos esenciales, y sus habitantes son procreados in vitro a imagen y semejanza de una cadena de montaje.

The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

1900

by Douglas Adams

The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy collects five of Douglas Adams's classic science fiction works in one volume. This series takes readers on a hilarious journey through space and time with Arthur Dent, a man who finds himself an unwitting adventurer in the cosmos after the Earth is destroyed to make way for a galactic freeway.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Arthur Dent discovers the meaning of life (or lack thereof) with the help of Ford Prefect, Zaphod Beeblebrox, and the depressed robot Marvin.

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe: Arthur and company search for a decent meal, leading to encounters with bizarre beings and escapades across the galaxy.

Life, the Universe and Everything: Our heroes confront the sinister inhabitants of planet Krikkit who, tired of gazing upon the universe, decide it's high time to destroy it.

So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish: Arthur Dent returns to Earth, questioning his past interstellar adventures, but a cryptic gift reminds him that reality is often stranger than fiction.

Mostly Harmless: Just as Arthur starts to settle into a semblance of normal life, chaos ensues, and he must navigate further cosmic conundrums.

Also included is the short story "Young Zaphod Plays It Safe", which offers more of Adams's trademark wit and insight into the human condition—albeit from the perspective of extraterrestrial beings and the odd, often perplexing universe they inhabit.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

One of the most thrilling science fiction adventures of all time.

A huge sea monster has attacked and wrecked several ships from beneath the sea. Professor Arronax bravely joins a mission to hunt down the beast. He goes aboard the Nautilus, a secret submarine helmed by the mysterious Captain Nemo.

At first, the mission is exciting, as Nemo takes Arronax on a voyage around the underwater world. But when things start to go wrong, Arronax finds there's no escape from the Nautilus -- he is now Captain Nemo's captive!

Allegiant

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered - fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she's known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris's new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature - and of herself - while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

Told from a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the Divergent series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.

Armageddon Cometh

Under the guidance of Netty, Abby concocts her plans to abduct the wildlife at the Big Cat Sanctuary in Sarasota. She enlists the help of the handsome Italian yacht captain, Cobby and his son Kane, forcing her to expose the changes to her body, including her hidden wings. Hiding her plans from Jose, he departs on his own mission to find his adopted mother and sisters, leaving Abby to draw closer to the charming and capable Captain Cobby.

Young Scotty embarks on a romance with a young rich local girl named Chloe who suffers from the mysterious death of her mother and the constant absences of her father.

Life moves expeditiously toward the climax at Chloe’s father’s mansion on Bird Key as strange connections and revealed identities collide with political intrigue and murder, leaving Chloe and Jose traumatized. Joining them in the frantic dash to a yacht moored on the key enabling them to make their escape, wildlife and all, to Tampa Bay, is Kenya, a sassy and striking young pregnant black girl; and Peter, their trusted attorney that falls victim to Armoni and Ginger Mae’s plot, leaving him dangerously scarred and emotionally ruined. During their escape to Tampa Bay ahead of the cops and devastation from the sky, it becomes clear that Scotty might be the mysterious One, as foretold by Caesar, the iconic Siberian tiger that attaches himself to Echo and Scotty.

Dust

In a time when secrets and lies were the foundations of life, someone has discovered the truth. And they are going to tell.

Jules knows what her predecessors created. She knows they are the reason life has to be lived in this way.
And she won't stand for it.

But Jules no longer has supporters. And there is far more to fear than the toxic world beyond her walls.
A poison is growing from within Silo 18.
One that cannot be stopped.
Unless Silo 1 steps in.

Earth Girl

Jarra is stuck on Earth while the rest of humanity portals around the universe. But can she prove to the norms that she’s more than just an Earth Girl?


2788. Only the handicapped live on Earth. While everyone else portals between worlds, 18-year-old Jarra is among the one in a thousand people born with an immune system that cannot survive on other planets. Sent to Earth at birth to save her life, she has been abandoned by her parents. She can’t travel to other worlds, but she can watch their vids, and she knows all the jokes they make. She’s an ‘ape’, a ‘throwback’, but this is one ape girl who won’t give in.


Jarra invents a fake background for herself – as a normal child of Military parents – and joins a class of norms that is on Earth to excavate the ruins of the old cities. When an ancient skyscraper collapses, burying another research team, Jarra’s role in their rescue puts her in the spotlight. No hiding at the back of class now. To make life more complicated, she finds herself falling in love with one of her classmates – a norm from another planet. Somehow, she has to keep the deception going.


A freak solar storm strikes the atmosphere, and the class is ordered to portal off-world for safety – no problem for a real child of military parents, but fatal for Jarra. The storm is so bad that the crews of the orbiting solar arrays have to escape to the planet below: the first landing from space in 600 years. And one is on a collision course with their shelter.

Echo

Netty’s influence transcends a full century as the United States evolves to a point of politically driven economic collapse. The year is 2033 as a young mother, abused by her shiftless husband, heroically decides to remove her two sickly children, Scotty and Abby, from the mean streets of their government subsidized tenement town of Short Hills, New Jersey to the hills and old farmland of Sussex County. There they unite with a Latino family that adopted Jose, a young boy from Costa Rica, traumatized at the age of seven by the brutal murder of his parents and the kidnapping of his infant sister. The two families unite to pool finances, creating the love and bonds that will enable them to survive the psychotic attention of Armoni, a soul damaged beyond redemption, discovery of Baby’s miraculous offspring, Echo; and their subsequent body changes.

Through the efforts of Echo who develops an unexplained passion for the curly haired dog, Barney, they flee the clutches of Armoni after the murder of Armoni’s sidekicks by Echo, to Sarasota, Florida, one of the last remaining enclaves of wealth in the U.S. Scotty learns to utilize Echo as a co-conspirator in his intrigue to thwart the efforts of heinous people that prey on the lives of creatures in their environmentally rich new home, where the insidious miscreant, Armoni, tracks them; dragging along Ginger Mae, a New York City prostitute looking for opportunity with her mute child, Daisy; bringing brutality and violence to all. Having fallen in love, the young Abby and Jose draw close, only to be separated by the transcendental Netty, who tries to use Abby as a conduit in her plan to rescue as much wildlife as they can before despicable political events bring on the specter of Armageddon.

Evil Among Us

Lorna, Jennifer, and Seth struggle to reach the Hive amid the chaos of Armageddon. Their bodies and minds wasted, will Lorna survive long enough to rat out Seth's psychotic cruelty? And what of the innocent child Suzy that has been kidnapped by Doc Benjamin's tribe of female enslaving barbarians? What fate awaits the beloved planet Earth?

The Hive is now one big happy family, romance is in the air as our survivors become mysteriously fit and robust, pheromones and testosterone fly as all accept the new law of the Hive: protect the animals at all cost.

Netty, Wil, and Baby now hold the power with the help of the terrifying Kreyven. Shock after shock ensues as the survivors unravel most of the mysteries of the Hive and mourn unexpected deaths. The overriding surprise will be a complete blast from Netty's past, tying up all of the unanswered questions from Baby.

First Contact

Crop circles magically appear in Farmer Johnson’s field. A mysterious light sweeps over the night sky and awakens Farmer Johnson and Gilbert, the boy next door.

Curious, Gilbert ventures out to discover the source of the light and stumbles into a beautiful Martian girl sitting in a crop circle. Farmer Johnson also investigates the strange light, and thinking that Gilbert and Aoléon are vandals, he chases them. But they sprint to Aoléon’s saucer and escape only to be pursued by the U.S. Air Force.

Gilbert has never been attacked by swarms of giant killer robots. Never met strange aliens from other worlds. Never skyboarded across a megalopolis hidden deep inside an extinct volcano. Never trekked across a vast Martian desert. And never been eaten alive by a gigantic slor (well, almost never, unless you count Billy the fat bully at school).

And luckily, he has never ever confronted an evil ruler of Mars bent on conquering the Earth to steal its cows. Never...until now! This may be the adventure Gilbert always wished for. If only he can survive.

Join Gilbert and Aoleon in this exciting middle-grade science fiction and fantasy adventure!

Ghost in the Machine

Ghost In The Machine is a mature space opera romance filled with strong language, some violence, a good heaping of romance, some steamy bits, a few crazy aliens, one very confused android, an empathic girl with emotional issues who tends to trip herself up, and a crew of space agents who seem to enjoy making their Central Director yank out her hair.

Love is like a wormhole. You stumble onto it blindly, it sucks you in and takes you somewhere completely unexpected. You can’t fight it, because that would tear your ship apart. You can’t control it, either. All you can do is set your thrusters on glide and let it take you where it’s going to take you.

Going against the rules of her Vesparian Sisterhood, which seeks to keep its entire existence a secret, Orynn is thrown into the open by a request for help that she could not refuse. Seeking to reconcile past mistakes and gain a forgiveness she feels she does not deserve, the control over her empathic abilities is put to the test when the darkness that lives within her spirit threatens to once again destroy any piece of happiness that she allows herself to find.

As a Mechatronic Automaton, Ethan defines his world through a set of logically defined values and understandings. Encountering Orynn throws his system out of balance as he tries to decide if he should trust the feelings he is developing, or if he should follow the logic telling him that she is trying to control him for some unknown purpose. Should he keep her at a distance despite his want to bring her near, or should he follow the heart he swears he does not have? As his understanding of her develops, he begins to question all of his preconceived notions about both himself and the universe around him.

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