Best of Apex Magazine

Best of Apex Magazine PDF Author: Jason Sizemore
Publisher: Apex Publications
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 257

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Book Description
This anthology collects some of the best original short fiction published in Apex Magazine in its first six years. The stories include our numerous award-nominated works, our readers' Story of the Year selections, and personal favorites chosen by Apex Magazine editor-in-chief Jason Sizemore and managing editor Lesley Conner. TABLE OF CONTENTS Jackalope Wives by Ursula Vernon Going Endo by Rich Larson Candy Girl by Chikodili Emelumadu If You Were a Dinosaur, My Love by Rachel Swirsky Advertising at the End of the World Keffy R.M. Kehrli The Performance Artist by Lettie Prell A Matter of Shapespace by Brian Trent Falling Leaves by Liz Argall Blood from Stone by Alethea Kontis Sexagesimal by Katharine E.K. Duckett Keep Talking by Marie Vibbert Remembery Day by Sarah Pinsker Blood on Beacon Hill by Russell Nichols The Green Book by Amal El-Mohtar L’esprit de L’escalier by Peter M. Ball Still Life (A Sexagesimal Fairy Tale) by Ian Tregillis Build a Dolly by Ken Liu Multo by Samuel Marzioli Armless Maidens of the American West by Genevieve Valentine Pocosin by Ursula Vernon She Gave Her Heart, He Took Her Marrow by Sam Fleming Also includes a foreword by Jason Sizemore and afterword by Lesley Conner.

Best of Apex Magazine

Best of Apex Magazine PDF Author: Jason Sizemore
Publisher: Apex Publications
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 257

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Book Description
This anthology collects some of the best original short fiction published in Apex Magazine in its first six years. The stories include our numerous award-nominated works, our readers' Story of the Year selections, and personal favorites chosen by Apex Magazine editor-in-chief Jason Sizemore and managing editor Lesley Conner. TABLE OF CONTENTS Jackalope Wives by Ursula Vernon Going Endo by Rich Larson Candy Girl by Chikodili Emelumadu If You Were a Dinosaur, My Love by Rachel Swirsky Advertising at the End of the World Keffy R.M. Kehrli The Performance Artist by Lettie Prell A Matter of Shapespace by Brian Trent Falling Leaves by Liz Argall Blood from Stone by Alethea Kontis Sexagesimal by Katharine E.K. Duckett Keep Talking by Marie Vibbert Remembery Day by Sarah Pinsker Blood on Beacon Hill by Russell Nichols The Green Book by Amal El-Mohtar L’esprit de L’escalier by Peter M. Ball Still Life (A Sexagesimal Fairy Tale) by Ian Tregillis Build a Dolly by Ken Liu Multo by Samuel Marzioli Armless Maidens of the American West by Genevieve Valentine Pocosin by Ursula Vernon She Gave Her Heart, He Took Her Marrow by Sam Fleming Also includes a foreword by Jason Sizemore and afterword by Lesley Conner.

The Best of World SF

The Best of World SF PDF Author: Lavie Tidhar
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1838937668
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 585

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Book Description
Twenty-six new short stories representing the state of the art in international science fiction. 'Rare and wonderful' The Times 'The most important anthology of SF short fiction since Dangerous Visions' Adam Roberts 'Fizzes with great ideas and wonderful writing... Now this book exists, it feels absurd it didn't exist sooner' SFX The future is coming. It knows no bounds, and neither should science fiction. They say the more things change the more they stay the same. But over the last hundred years, science fiction has changed. Vibrant new generations of writers have sprung up across the globe, proving the old adage false. From Ghana to India, from Mexico to France, from Singapore to Cuba, they draw on their unique backgrounds and culture, changing the face of the genre one story at a time. Prepare yourself for a journey through the wildest reaches of the imagination, to visions of Earth as it might be and the far corners of the universe. Along the way, you will meet robots and monsters, adventurers and time travellers, rogues and royalty. In The Best of World SF, award-winning author Lavie Tidhar acts as guide and companion to a world of stories, from never-before-seen originals to award winners, from twenty-three countries and seven languages. Because the future is coming and it belongs to us all. Stories: 'Immersion' by Aliette de Bodard; 'Debtless' by Chen Qiufan (trans. from Chinese by Blake Stone-Banks); 'Fandom for Robots' by Vina Jie-Min Prasad; 'Virtual Snapshots' by Tlotlo Tsamaase; 'What The Dead Man Said' by Chinelo Onwualu; 'Delhi' by Vandana Singh; 'The Wheel of Samsara' by Han Song (trans. from Chinese by the author); 'Xingzhou' by Yi-Sheng Ng; 'Prayer' by Taiyo Fujii (trans. from Japanese by Kamil Spychalski); 'The Green Ship' by Francesco Verso (trans. from Italian by Michael Colbert); 'Eyes of the Crocodile' by Malena Salazar Maciá (trans. from Spanish by Toshiya Kamei); 'Bootblack' by Tade Thompson; 'The Emptiness in the Heart of all Things' by Fabio Fernandes; 'The Sun From Both Sides' by R.S.A. Garcia; 'Dump' by Cristina Jurado (trans. from Spanish by Steve Redwood); 'Rue Chair' by Gerardo Horacio Porcayo (trans. from Spanish by the author); 'His Master's Voice' by Hannu Rajaniemi; 'Benjamin Schneider's Little Greys' by Nir Yaniv (trans. from Hebrew by Lavie Tidhar); 'The Cryptid' by Emil H. Petersen (trans. from Icelandic by the author); 'The Bank of Burkina Faso' by Ekaterina Sedia; 'An Incomplete Guide...' by Kuzhali Manickavel; 'The Old Man with The Third Hand' by Kofi Nyameye; 'The Green' by Lauren Beukes; 'The Last Voyage of Skidbladnir' by Karin Tidbeck; 'Prime Meridian' by Silvia Moreno-Garcia; 'If At First You Don't Succeed' by Zen Cho

Let's Play White

Let's Play White PDF Author: Chesya Burke
Publisher: Apex Publications
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 198

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Book Description
White brings with it dreams of respect, of wealth, of simply being treated as a human being. It's the one thing Walter will never be. But what if he could play white, the way so many others seem to do? Would it bring him privilege or simply deny the pain? The title story in this collection asks those questions, and then moves on to challenge notions of race, privilege, personal choice, and even life and death with equal vigor. From the spectrum spanning despair and hope in "What She Saw When They Flew Away" to the stark weave of personal struggles in "Chocolate Park," Let's Play White speaks with the voices of the overlooked and unheard. "I Make People Do Bad Things" shines a metaphysical light on Harlem's most notorious historical madame, and then, with a deft twist into melancholic humor, "Cue: Change" brings a zombie-esque apocalypse, possibly for the betterment of all mankind. Gritty and sublime, the stories of Let's Play White feature real people facing the worlds they're given, bringing out the best and the worst of what it means to be human. If you're ready to slip into someone else's skin for a while, then it's time to come play white. Reviews: "The label of "dark fantasy and horror" fits this collection both ironically and genuinely. Haunted by history and past wrongs, Burke's characters are never alone, never safe, never comfortable. She weaves African and African-American historical legend and standard horror themes into stories that range from gritty subway gore fests to a sympathetic take on zombies. The magnificent closing novella, "The Teachings and Redemption of Ms. Fannie Lou Mason," follows a "hoodoo woman" as she nurtures and protects twin girls with similar powers and shows them what they are meant to do. If the urban realism doesn't always seem quite realistic, the depth of Burke's characters, the weight of their decisions, and their choices make this the very opposite of escapist fantasy. (July 2011)" Publishers Weekly "Let's Play White is a brutally honest book and the fact that the unthinkable happens, like a talking rat, a few zombies or communication with the dead, the underlying truthfulness is so powerful that it supersedes any implausible element. Although race is an essential backdrop to the stories, this is not a book about white racism against blacks. Instead, Burke touches on a variety of prejudices to let the reader know that color is not the only way in which we discriminate. Although some might cringe at the idea of reading a book about unfairness, racism and the dark tendencies of human nature, Burke's impeachable openness and undeniable writing skills make "Let's Play White" a very enjoyable read that fans of all literature should enjoy." Austin Post, Gabino Iglesias "Human is many different things all at once. "Let's Play White" is a collection of short stories from Chesya Burke as she discusses issues of race and the problems we face regardless of it, and what links us all together in our plight of life. Thoughtful and thought provoking, "Let's Play White" is a fine choice that is a worthy addition to any literary short fiction collection, highly recommended." Midwest Book Review " Chesya Burke’s writing style is just mesmerizing – there is an undeniable lyricism there but also a tangible darkness and pain. Readers who enjoy their fantasy decidedly dark and deep should check out this profoundly moving collection asap." Paul Goat Allen, B&N Books Club Blurbs: "These raw, brutal stories, often with intriguingly open endings, display an odd and unsettling relationships to the poetry of violence. These dark tales announce the arrival of a formidable new master of the macabre." —Samuel R. Delany, author of Dhalgren and Through the Valley of the Nest of Spiders "What a stunning collection. Let’s Play White… and so on time. [Chesya Burke has] touched something special in [her] stories. I’m a big Octavia Butler fan and I see a peek of that as well as some latter-day Toni Morrison [within these pages]. I see the light and warmth [Chesya is] offering. There definitely is magic in that. The short story, next to poetry, is the most difficult writing form. [Chesya has] tamed it and made it yield to [her] touch." --Nikki Giovanni, Grammy-nominated spoken word artist and poet

Plague Birds

Plague Birds PDF Author: Jason Sanford
Publisher: Apex Publications
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 407

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Book Description
Glowing red lines split their faces. Shock-red hair and clothes warn people to flee their approach. They are plague birds, the powerful merging of humans and artificial intelligences who serve as judges and executioners after the collapse of civilization. And the plague birds’ judgment is swift and deadly, as Crista discovered as a child when she watched one kill her mother. In a world of gene-modded humans constantly watched over by benevolent AIs, everyone hates and fears the plague birds. But to save her father and home village, Crista becomes the very creature she fears the most. And her first task as a plague bird is hunting down an ancient group of murderers wielding magic-like powers. As Crista and her AI symbiote travel farther from home than she ever imagined, they are plunged into a strange world where she judges wrongdoers, befriends other outcasts, and uncovers an extremely personal conspiracy that threatens the lives of millions. Plague Birds is a genre-bending mix of science fiction and dark fantasy and the epic story of a young woman who becomes one of the future’s most hated creatures, with a killer AI bonded to her very blood.

The Apex Book of World SF: Volume 4

The Apex Book of World SF: Volume 4 PDF Author: Mahvesh Murad
Publisher: Apex Publications
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 336

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Book Description
Now firmly established as the benchmark anthology series of international speculative fiction, volume 4 of The Apex Book of World SF sees debut editor Mahvesh Murad bring fresh new eyes to her selection of stories. From Spanish steampunk and Italian horror to Nigerian science fiction and subverted Japanese folktales, from love in the time of drones to teenagers at the end of the world, the stories in this volume showcase the best of contemporary speculative fiction, wherever it’s written. Cover art and design by Sarah Anne Langton. "Important to the future of not only international authors, but the entire SF community." —Strange Horizons Featuring: Vajra Chandrasekera (Sri Lanka) — "Pockets Full of Stones" Yukimi Ogawa (Japan) — "In Her Head, In Her Eyes" Zen Cho (Malaysia) — "The Four Generations of Chang E" Shimon Adaf (Israel) — "Like a Coin Entrusted in Faith" (Translated by the author) Celeste Rita Baker (Virgin Islands) — "Single Entry" Nene Ormes (Sweden) — "The Good Matter" (Translated Lisa J Isaksson and Nene Ormes) JY Yang (Singapore) — "Tiger Baby" Isabel Yap (Philippines) — "A Cup of Salt Tears" Usman T Malik (Pakistan) — "The Vaporization Enthalpy of a Peculiar Pakistani Family" Kuzhali Manickavel (India) — "Six Things We Found During the Autopsy" Elana Gomel (Israel) — "The Farm" Haralambi Markov (Bulgaria) — "The Language of Knives" Sabrina Huang (Taiwan) — "Setting Up Home" (Translated by Jeremy Tiang) Sathya Stone (Sri Lanka) — "Jinki and the Paradox" Johann Thorsson (Iceland) — "First, Bite a Finger" Dilman Dila (Uganda) — "How My Father Became a God" Swabir Silayi (Kenya) — "Colour Me Grey" Deepak Unnikrishnan (The Emirates) — "Sarama" Chinelo Onwualu (Nigeria) — "The Gift of Touch" Saad Z. Hossain (Bangaldesh) — "Djinns Live by the Sea" Bernardo Fernández (Mexico) — "The Last Hours of the Final Days" (Translated by the author) Natalia Theodoridou (Greece) — "The Eleven Holy Numbers of the Mechanical Soul" Samuel Marolla (Italy) — "Black Tea" (Translated by Andrew Tanzi) Julie Novakova (Czech Republic) — "The Symphony of Ice and Dust" Thomas Olde Heuvelt (Netherlands) — "The Boy Who Cast No Shadow" (Translated by Laura Vroomen) Sese Yane (Kenya) — "The Corpse" Tang Fei — "Pepe" (Translated by John Chu) Rocío Rincón (Spain) — "The Lady of the Soler Colony" (Translated by James and Marian Womack)

The Apex Book of World SF: Volume 1

The Apex Book of World SF: Volume 1 PDF Author: Lavie Tidhar
Publisher: Apex Publications
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 302

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Book Description
The Apex Book of World SF, edited by Lavie Tidhar, features award-winning science fiction and fantasy short stories from Asia, Eastern Europe and around the world. The world of speculative fiction is expansive; it covers more than one country, one continent, one culture. Collected here are sixteen stories penned by authors from Thailand, the Philippines, China, Israel, Pakistan, Serbia, Croatia, Malaysia, and other countries across the globe. Each one tells a tale breathtakingly vast and varied, whether caught in the ghosts of the past or entangled in a postmodern age. Among the spirits, technology, and deep recesses of the human mind, stories abound. Kites sail to the stars, technology transcends physics, and wheels cry out in the night. Memories come and go like fading echoes and a train carries its passengers through more than simple space and time. Dark and bright, beautiful and haunting, the stories herein represent speculative fiction from a sampling of the finest authors from around the world. Table of Contents: S.P. Somtow (Thailand) — “The Bird Catcher” Jetse de Vries (Netherlands) — “Transcendence Express” Guy Hasson (Israel) — “The Levantine Experiments” Han Song (China) — “The Wheel of Samsara” Kaaron Warren (Australia/Fiji) — “Ghost Jail” Yang Ping (China) — “Wizard World” Dean Francis Alfar (Philippines) — “L’Aquilone du Estrellas (The Kite of Stars)” Nir Yaniv (Israel) — “Cinderers” Jamil Nasir (Palestine) — “The Allah Stairs” Tunku Halim (Malaysia) — “Biggest Baddest Bomoh” Aliette de Bodard (France) — “The Lost Xuyan Bride” Kristin Mandigma (Philippines) — “Excerpt from a Letter by a Social-realist Aswang” Aleksandar Žiljak (Croatia) — “An Evening in the City Coffehouse, With Lydia on My Mind” Anil Menon (India) — “Into the Night” Mélanie Fazi (France, translated by Christopher Priest) — “Elegy” Zoran Živković (Serbia, translated by Alice Copple-Tošić) — “Compartments” Cover art and design by Sarah Anne Langton. Reviews: “From S.P. Somtow’s World Fantasy Award-winning “The Bird Catcher,” a restrained horror tale of a young boy’s friendship with Thailand’s most infamous human “monster,” to “Wizard World,” Galaxy Award winner Yang Ping’s story of high-tech gamers, this extraordinary anthology of 16 tales introduces English-speaking readers to some of the world’s best writers of sf, horror, fantasy, and metafiction. Contributors include Jamil Nasir (Palestine), Aleksandar Ziljak (Croatia), Guy Hasson (Israel), Kaaron Warren (Australia/Fiji), and Jetse de Vries (Netherlands). VERDICT This literary window into the international world of imaginative fiction, the first in a new series, is sure to appeal to adventurous sf fans and readers of fiction in translation." —Library Journal “The great thing about Tidhar’s collection is that it is full of such masterpieces. You do have to get used to having your mind warped as if by some powerful psychedelic. You’ll definitely feel that way after Zoran Zivkovic and his Godot-like explorations. Or after Guy Hassan’s thought experiment about the nature of mind and thought. But once you get used to the idea, you can settle in and enjoy the ride.” —42SciFi-Fantasy.com, Randy Lazarus "These stories deserve to be heard!" —Frederik Pohl

The Year's Best Science Fiction: Thirty-Fifth Annual Collection

The Year's Best Science Fiction: Thirty-Fifth Annual Collection PDF Author: Gardner Dozois
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
ISBN: 1250164648
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 854

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Book Description
The multiple Locus Award-winning annual collection of the year's best science fiction stories. In the new millennium, what secrets lay beyond the far reaches of the universe? What mysteries belie the truths we once held to be self-evident? The world of science fiction has long been a porthole into the realities of tomorrow, blurring the line between life and art. Now, in The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Thirty-Fifth Annual Collection, the very best SF authors explore ideas of a new world. This venerable collection brings together award-winning authors and masters of the field. Featuring short stories from acclaimed authors such as Indrapramit Das, Nancy Kress, Alastair Reynolds, Eleanor Arnason, James S.A. Corey & Lavie Tidhar, an extensive recommended reading guide and a summation of the year in science fiction, this annual compilation has become the definitive must-read anthology for all science fiction fans and readers interested in breaking into the genre.

Pimp My Airship

Pimp My Airship PDF Author: Maurice Broaddus
Publisher: Apex Publications
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 352

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Book Description
Warning: Don’t Believe the Hype! All the poet called Sleepy wants to do is spit his verses, smoke chiba, and stay off the COP’s radar—all of which becomes impossible once he encounters a professional protestor known as (120 Degrees of) Knowledge Allah. They soon find themselves on the wrong side of local authorities and have to elude the powers that be. When young heiress Sophine Jefferson’s father is murdered, the careful life she’d been constructing for herself tumbles around her. She’s quickly drawn into a web of intrigue, politics and airships, joining with Sleepy and Knowledge Allah in a fight for their freedom. Chased from one end of a retro-fitted Indianapolis to the other, they encounter outlaws, the occasional circus, possibly a medium, and more outlaws. They find themselves in a battle much larger than they imagined: a battle for control of the country and the soul of their people. The revolution will not be televised!

Appalachian Undead

Appalachian Undead PDF Author: Eugene Johnson
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781937009069
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 222

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Book Description
Almost Heaven... Or is it? Is Appalachia as mysterious and wonderful as people say? Or does its enduring beauty hold something dark. Something dreadful. Something very hungry for our flesh. Can the people of the region stand up against the hordes of the Undead and thrive as they have thrived under other worst circumstances? Appalachian Undead takes a look at the dark side of Appalachia, where the Undead walk, driven by old magic and worse, their hunger for us. Nestled in the safety of the hills, the inhabitants have thrived and adapted even to the worst of conditions, but can they survive against an army that never tires and never stops feeding? With new intriguing tales of the Undead, this anthology contains work by some of the best names in horror, including Jonathan Maberry, Gary A. Braunbeck, Tim Lebbon, Elizabeth Massie, Lucy Snyder, Bev Vincent, Tim Waggoner and many more. Table of Contents: When Granny Comes Marchin' Home Again - Elizabeth Massie Calling Death - Jonathan Maberry Hide and Seek - Tim Waggoner Twilight of the Zombie Game Preserve... - S. Clayton Rhodes Being in Shadow - Maurice Broaddus Sitting up with the Dead- Bev Vincent The Girl and the Guardian - Simon McCaffery Repent, Jessie Shimmer! -Lucy Snyder Almost Heaven -Michael Paul Gonzalez On Stagger - G. Cameron Fuller We Take Care of Our Own - John Everson Sleeper - Tim Lebbon Reckless - Eliot Parker Company's Coming - Ronald Kelly Black Friday - Karin Fuller Spoiled - Paul Moore Miranda Jo's Girl - Steve Rasnic Tem Times Is Tough in Musky Holler - John Skipp & Dori Miller Long Days to Come - K. Allen Wood Hell's Hollow - Michael West Brother Hollis Gives His Final Sermon from a Rickety Make-Shift Pulpit in the Remains of a Smokehouse that now Serves as His Church - Gary A. Braunbeck Introduction by S.G. Browne (author of Breathers: A Zombie's Lament) Special Afterword by Fangoria Magazine editor Rebekah McKendry

The Weight of Chains

The Weight of Chains PDF Author: Lesley Conner
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781944044008
Category : Demonology
Languages : en
Pages : 436

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Book Description
Gilles de Rais has control over every aspect of his life: the servants he employs, the village he lords over, the carefully crafted visage he shows to the world. He dictates where his subjects live, what they eat, if they live or die. He has ultimate power and wields it with a flourish to conceal the dark desires that lurk behind his smile and the despair within his castle in Machecoul. When a wizard tasked with raising a demon loses control of the beast, Gilles's tight grasp on his world begins to slip. His cook plans to flee, taking her son away from the dangers of the castle. His guard wants to claim Gilles's lifestyle as his own. His wizard frantically searches for a way to survive both his lord and the demon he has called into the world. And the villagers - like Jeanetta and her family -move through life in Machecoul too consumed with the task of surviving day to day, and oblivious to the turmoil building within the castle that is threatening to break out and consume them all.