Best Selling Books by Charles Stross

The Cthulhu Mythos is one of the 20th century''s most singularly recognizable literary creations. Initially created by H. P. Lovecraft and a group of his amorphous contemporaries (the so-called "Lovecraft Circle"), The Cthulhu Mythos story cycle has taken on a convoluted, cyclopean life of its own. Some of the most prodigious writers of the 20th century, and some of the most astounding writers of the 21st century have planted their seeds in this fertile soil. The Book of Cthulhu harvests the weirdest and most corpulent crop of these modern mythos tales. From weird fiction masters to enigmatic rising stars, The Book of Cthulhu demonstrates how Mythos fiction has been a major cultural meme throughout the 20th century, and how this type of story is still salient, and terribly powerful today. Skyhorse Publishing, under our Night Shade and Talos imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of titles for readers interested in science fiction (space opera, time travel, hard SF, alien invasion, near-future dystopia), fantasy (grimdark, sword and sorcery, contemporary urban fantasy, steampunk, alternative history), and horror (zombies, vampires, and the occult and supernatural), and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller, a national bestseller, or a Hugo or Nebula award-winner, we are committed to publishing quality books from a diverse group of authors.

If you''re planning to create a professional presence on the World Wide Web you need to master the tools and tactics the experts use. Treat yourself to a copy of the grand plan with The Web Architect''s Handbook and find out how they do it. Basic HTML and graphics techniques will only get you part of the way; when it comes to creating a large web site, different methods are needed. The Web Architect''s Handbook will provide you with an overview of web structure and show you how different types of web site have differing requirements. Along the way you will learn about maintaining large publications, creating dynamic documents, and building a site that is durable and useable.

Charles Stross builds a new series with Empire Games, expanding on the world he created in the Family Trade series, a new generation of paratime travellers walk between parallel universes. The year is 2020. It''s seventeen years since the Revolution overthrew the last king of the New British Empire, and the newly-reconstituted North American Commonwealth is developing rapidly, on course to defeat the French and bring democracy to a troubled world. But Miriam Burgeson, commissioner in charge of the shadowy Ministry of Intertemporal Research and Intelligence—the paratime espionage agency tasked with catalyzing the Commonwealth''s great leap forward—has a problem. For years, she''s warned everyone: "The Americans are coming." Now their drones arrive in the middle of a succession crisis. In another timeline, the U.S. has recruited Miriam''s own estranged daughter to spy across timelines in order to bring down any remaining world-walkers who might threaten national security. Two nuclear superpowers are set on a collision course. Two increasingly desperate paratime espionage agencies try to find a solution to the first contact problem that doesn''t result in a nuclear holocaust. And two women—a mother and her long-lost daughter—are about to find themselves on opposite sides of the confrontation. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

From the author of Rule 34 and Halting State, a tale of deception, engineering, and the most unlikely rocket propulsion technology imaginable. "A Tall Tail" by award-winning science fiction author Charles Stross is a Tor.com Original set in a compelling alternative universe. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Britain is under New Management. The disbanding of the Laundry - the British espionage agency that deals with supernatural threats, has culminated in the unthinkable - an elder god in residence in 10 Downing Street. But in true ''the enemy of my enemy'' fashion, Mhairi Murphy finds herself working with His Excellency Nylarlathotep on foreign policy - there are worse things, it seems, than an elder god in power, and they lie in deepest, darkest America. A thousand-mile-wide storm system has blanketed the midwest, and the president is nowhere to be found - Mhari must lead a task force of disgraced Laundry personnel into the storm front to discover the truth. But working for an elder god is never easy, and as the stakes rise, Mhari will soon question exactly where her loyalties really lie.

Season of Skulls continues Hugo Award-winning author Charles Stross''s Lovecraftian Laundry Files series. Welcome to the sunlit uplands of the 21st century! Britain''s avuncular Prime Minister is an ancient eldritch god of unimaginable power. Crime is plummeting as almost every offense is punishable by death. And everywhere you look, there are people with strange powers, some of which they can control, and some, not so much. Hyperorganized and formidable, Eve Starkey defeated her boss, the louche magical adept and billionaire Rupert de Montfort Bigge, in a supernatural duel to the death. At least, she has reason to hope he''s dead. But though she''s now in charge of the Bigge Corporation, she''s not free of him yet. Through the fecklessness of her brother Imp, combined with the intricate feudal law of a tiny Channel Island, it would appear that unbeknownst to her, she was married to Bigge--and that proving his death and releasing herself from his arcane bindings will take years and cost millions. Then an emissary of the Prime Minister arrives with an offer that she absolutely can''t...well, you know. This is the final novel in the trilogy that began with Dead Lies Dreaming and continued with Quantum of Nightmares. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

An unabridged collection of the “best of the best” science fiction stories written in 2011 by current and emerging masters of the genre, edited by Allan Kaster. In “Dying Young,” by Peter M. Ball, cyborgs, clones and post-humans collide with a dragon bent on revenge in a post-apocalptic space western. “Martian Heart,” by John Barnes, chronicles a teenage couple taken to Mars as indentured servants in a “rags to riches” tale. In “Canterbury Hollow,” by Chris Lawson, two lovers on a planet orbiting a killer sun share their few remaining weeks together before they die. “The Choice,” by Paul McAuley, set in the author’s Jackaroo universe, follows two boys who set sail to investigate a beached alien vessel on the English coast. In “After the Apocalypse,” by Maureen McHugh, a mother and daughter traverse a ravaged U.S. in a tale that takes on McCarthy’s, The Road, from a female viewpoint. “Purple,” by Robert Reed, tells of a blind and maimed young man convalescing in an off-world menagerie of wayward alien species, prior to returning to Earth. In “Laika’s Ghost,” by Karl Schroeder, a Russian and an American search the steppes of the former U.S.S.R. for metastable weapons that terrorists could use to make nuclear bombs. “Bit Rot,” by Charles Stross, follows post-humans struggling to survive after their generation ship is struck by a Magnetar ray in this clever zombies-in-space tale. In “For I Have Laid Me Down on The Stone of Loneliness and I’ll Not Be Back Again,” by Michael Swanwick, Irishmen plot to strike back against alien occupiers by enlisting an Irish American tourist to their cause. Finally, Steve Rasnic Tem, tells of a young man awakened from suspended animation, on a future Earth, with the technological know-how of plant-like aliens in “At Play in the Fields.”

The universe shifts and changes: suddenly you understand, you get it, and are filled with wonder. That moment of understanding drives the greatest science-fiction stories and lies at the heart of Engineering Infinity. Whether it’s coming up hard against the speed of light – and, with it, the enormity of the universe – realising that terraforming a distant world is harder and more dangerous than you’d ever thought, or simply realizing that a hitchhiker on a starship consumes fuel and oxygen with tragic results, it’s hard science-fiction where a sense of discovery is most often found and where science-fiction’s true heart lies. This exciting and innovative science-fiction anthology collects together stories by some of the biggest names in the field, including Gwyneth Jones, Stephen Baxter and Charles Stross.

The Revolution Trade: an omnibus edition of the fifth and sixth novels--The Revolution Business and Trade of Queens--in Charles Stross''s Merchant Princes series. Miriam Beckstein has said good-bye to her comfort zone. The transition from journalist to captive in an alternative timeline was challenging to say the least, she discovered that her long-lost family, the Clan, were world-skipping assassins. Now, while civil war rages in her adopted home, she''s pregnant with the heir to their throne and a splinter group want her on their side of a desperate power struggle. But as a leader or figurehead? Meanwhile, unknown to the Clan, the US government is on to them and preparing to exploit this knowledge. But it hadn''t foreseen a dissident Clan faction carrying nuclear devices between worlds—with the US president in their sights. The War on Terror is about to go transdimensional. But Mike Fleming, CIA agent, knows the most terrifying secret of all: His government''s true intentions. "These books are immense fun."--Locus At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Darrell Schweitzer interviews seventeen science fiction writers. Included are scintillating conversations with: George R. R. Martin, James Morrow, Jack Dann, Geoffrey A. Landis, Joe W. Haldeman, Zoran Zivkovic, Esther M. Friesner, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Harry Turtledove, Gregory Frost, Tom Purdom, D. G. Compton, Robert J. Sawyer, Charles Stross, Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson, and Howard Waldrop.

The Bloodline Feud: an omnibus edition of the first two novels in Charles Stross''s The Merchant Princes series The six families of the Clan rule the kingdom of Gruinmarkt from behind the scenes. They are a mixture of nobility and criminal conspirators whose power to walk between their world and ours makes them rich in both. Miriam, a hip tech journalist from Boston, discovers her alternate-world relatives with explosive results that shake three worlds. Now, as the prodigal Countess Helge Thorold-Hjorth, she finds herself ensnared in schemes and plots centuries in the making. She is surrounded by unlikely allies, lethal contraband, and—most dangerous of all—her family. To avoid a slippery slope down to an unmarked grave, Miriam must build a power base of her own—with unexpected consequences for three different time lines, including the quasi-Victorian one exploited by the hidden family. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Enjoy two short stories and a novella from the Laundry Files. Originally published on Tor.com, these stories by Charles Stross continue the adventures of the Laundry, a secret division of the British government dedicated to tracking down and containing breaches of reality by occult and otherworldly threats. "An entertaining mash-up of Lovecraftian mythology and an extremely twisted take on a fantasy trope."--Publishers Weekly (on Equoid: A Laundry Novella) At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Der Verschwörung auf der Spur Nach der Singularität haben sich die Menschen über die Galaxis verstreut – nicht ganz freiwillig, und nicht ohne Konflikte. Als die noch junge Zivilisation auf dem Planeten Moskau von einer Supernova bedroht wird, werden die Bewohner eilig evakuiert, darunter auch die junge Wednesday. Der neugierige Teenager erkundet das Transportschiff, das sie in Sicherheit bringen soll, auf eigene Faust – und entdeckt zuerst geheime Dokumente und dann eine Leiche. Noch ahnt sie nicht, wie brisant ihre Entdeckung ist, doch schon bald wird ihre Familie getötet und sie selbst gnadenlos verfolgt. Zeitgleich nimmt die Agentin Rachel Mansour ihre Ermittlungen auf, denn es scheint, als wäre Moskaus Sonne mittels einer geächteten Waffe zur Explosion gebracht worden. Die Hauptverdächtige ist die Regierung Neu-Dresdens, und nur Wednesdays Dokumente könnten Licht in diesen verworrenen Fall bringen...

Dark State is the second book in a thrilling series - set in the same world as Charles Stross'' Merchant Princes series. This book follows Empire Games.In the near future, one America is experiencing its first technological revolution - whilst in a parallel world, the United States is a hi-tech police state. But both timelines are poised for conflict. Miriam Burgeson''s America is heading for civil war. However, a high profile defection might avert this crisis, if only Miriam and her agents can arrange it in time. And Rita Douglas, rival US spy, arrives during this turmoil. Rita''s world is rocked when she realizes Miriam is her birth mother, changing her own mission irrevocably. Then her United States discovers yet another parallel earth, and the remains of an advanced society. Something destroyed that civilization, Rita''s people are about to rouse it - and two worlds will face the consequences.

Mit diesem Buch beginnt die Zukunft 2.0 Dein Name: Sue Smith. Dein Job: Police Sergeant in Edinburgh. Dein Auftrag: Herausfinden, was bei Hayek Associates, einer kleinen Softwarefirma, bei einem Einbruch gestohlen wurde. Dein Problem: Der Überfall wurde in einer Online-Spielewelt von einem Dutzend Orks ausgeführt - doch der Schaden geht in die Millionen. Je weiter du ermittelst, umso deutlicher wird dir, dass du hier auf eine hochbrisante Intrige rund um illegale Informationstechnologie und Industriespionage gestossen bist. Und du begreifst: Dies ist kein Spiel ... Der definitive Roman über die Internet-Spielewelten, an denen Millionen von Menschen beteiligt sind.

Wir schreiben das 27. Jahrhundert: Der Veteran Robin unterzieht sich einem Eingriff in sein Langzeitgedächtnis, der mit einer Neudefinition seiner Persönlichkeit einhergeht. Dabei wird ihm während der ersten Orientierungsphase klar, dass jemand - oder etwas - versucht, ihn zu töten. Deswegen meldet er sich freiwillig für ein Experiment: Anhand historischer Quellen wurde ein virtueller Raum geschaffen, der der Welt des 21. Jahrhunderts nachempfunden ist. Robin flieht in die bedrückende Atmosphäre dieser Zeit - und muss schnell feststellen, dass er seinen Gegnern genau in die Arme läuft ...

Einmalig in Raum und Zeit 21. Jahrhundert: Bahnbrechende Erkenntnisse der Quantenphysik lassen Zeitreisen möglich werden. Während die Wissenschaft noch diskutiert, nimmt eine haushoch überlegene Intelligenz Kontakt auf: Das Eschaton kommt aus der Zukunft und untersagt den Menschen jede Verletzung der Kausalität. Wer sie bedroht, wird vernichtet. 24. Jahrhundert: Fern der Erde leben die Menschen der Neuen Republik unter der Knute eines technikfeinden Systems, als es plötzlich technische Geräte regnet. Das Festival, einst Teil der menschlichen Zivilisation, jetzt mobiler Informationsdienst, reist durch die Sphäre bewohnter Welten und verteilt seine Gaben. Die Admiralität ersinnt einen verwegenen Plan: Bis an die Zähne bewaffnet wird ein Schiff in die Vergangenheit geschickt, um das Festival zu zerstören ...

In ferner Zukunft haben die Menschen aufgehört zu existieren ... Zumindest in ihrer biologischen Form. Es gibt sie noch – auf Datenträgern, als abgespeicherte Bewusstseinseinheiten –, aber sie müssen sich die Welt nun mit ihren eigenen Schöpfungen teilen: Maschinenwesen, die das All kolonisiert haben und den letzten Geheimnissen des Universums auf der Spur sind. Freya Nakamachi-47 wurde als perfekte Konkubine gezüchtet, doch als ihre Produktionslinie auf den Markt kommt, gibt es bereits keine Menschen mehr. Sie nimmt einen Job als Botin an und soll ein Paket vom Merkur zum Mars bringen. Damit gerät sie jedoch in den Fokus mächtiger Wesen, die das mit allen Mitteln verhindern wollen ...

Es el siglo veinticinco. La humanidad ha sido revolucionada por el contacto con el Eschaton, una casi omnipotente inteligencia artificial capaz de controlar los viajes en el tiempo. Mientras, en la Nueva República, toda la tecnología avanzada excepto la necesaria para el viaje interestelar ha sido prohibida. Pero el decadente mundo de Rochald, una colonia de la Nueva República, ha sido revolucionado por la influencia de una misteriosa inteligencia alienígena, El Festival, aparentemente dispuesta a concederles cualquier cosa imaginable a cambio de muy poco. La Nueva República reacciona enviando su flota a través del tiempo para coger al Festival por sorpresa.

Fantascienza - racconto lungo (46 pagine) - Il programma nucleare americano durante la Guerra Fredda poteva opporsi alle magie oscure e ai mostri degli abissi evocati dai loro nemici? Al termine della Seconda guerra mondiale la Russia ebbe accesso alle scoperte scientifiche tedesche sul nucleare, e anche su quelle basi poté sviluppare il proprio programma atomico. Ma i nazisti avevano molti interessi: tra gli altri, è noto, anche quello per alcuni ambiti piuttosto oscuri. E se anche queste nozioni fossero finite in mano ai Russi? E se invece di bombe atomiche i russi avessero sfruttato la magia nera, l''evocazione di demoni e di mostri lovecraftiani? Il programma nucleare americano sarebbe stato sufficiente a contrastare questa minaccia? Da questo lungo racconto Charles Stross ha poi sviluppato il ciclo di grande successo della Lavanderia, col quale ha vinto due premi Hugo. Charles Stross, nato a Leeds nel 1964 ma da tempo residente in Scozia, si è laureato in farmacia, poi ha preso una specializzazione in informatica e ha lavorato come consulente e sviluppatore, per dedicarsi a tempo pieno alla scrittura dal 2000. Tra le sue opere più famose Accelerando (premio Locus), una delle opere più interessanti sul tema della Singolarità tecnologica; Palinsesto, vincitore del Premio Hugo nel 2012; e la serie della «Lavanderia», un''organizzazione segreta che si occupa di occulto, alla quale ha dedicato diversi romanzi e numerose novelle, tra le quali Rapporto sulle atrocità (Urania), Giungla di cemento (Premio Hugo 2005, Delos Books) e Equinoide (Premio Hugo 2014, Delos Digital e Elara).

Fantascienza - romanzo (126 pagine) - Gli unicorni sono reali. E sono famelici predatori venuti dallo spazio profonto. Una nuova storia della Lavanderia - PREMIO HUGO 2014 Dimenticate le creature fatate, simbolo di pace e purezza. Gli unicorni che sono sbarcati nella quieta campagna dell''Inghilterra sono bestie feroci, fameliche, aliene. E chi deve occuparsene se non Bob Howard, ex consulente di informatica, ora agente della segretissima «Lavanderia», l''agenzia britannica che, come Scotland Yard si occupa dei crimini comuni e Torchwood di quelli alieni, è specializzata in problematiche "occulte". In un''ambientazione a metà tra il cyberpunk e H.P. Lovecraft tornano i personaggi di Giungla di cemento e di Rapporto sulle atrocità, con un nuovo romanzo breve vincitore del Premio Hugo 2014. Charles Stross, nato a Leeds nel 1964 ma da tempo residente in Scozia, si è laureato in farmacia, poi ha preso una specializzazione in informatica e ha lavorato come consulente e sviluppatore, per dedicarsi a tempo pieno alla scrittura dal 2000. Tra le sue opere più famose Accelerando (premio Locus), una delle opere più interessanti sul tema della Singolarità tecnologica; Palinsesto, vincitore del Premio Hugo nel 2012; e la serie della «Lavanderia», un''organizzazione segreta che si occupa di occulto, alla quale ha dedicato diversi romanzi e numerose novelle, tra le quali Rapporto sulle atrocità (Urania), Giungla di cemento (Premio Hugo 2005, Delos Books) e Equinoide (Premio Hugo 2014, Delos Digital e Elara).

Fantascienza - racconto lungo (33 pagine) - Neppure a Natale ci si può rilassare quando si fa parte dell''organizzazione segreta chiamata La Lavanderia Straordinari. È un aggettivo adatto per descrivere gli agenti della Lavanderia, l''organizzazione governativa britannica (segreta, naturalmente) nata per difendere il Regno (e il mondo) dalle minacce aliene e occulte. Ma, ahimè,“straordinari” sono anche le ore di lavoro che tocca svolgere quando si sarebbe dovuti essere a casa, tranquilli, a rilassarsi davanti a un cenone natalizio. E questo capita ovviamente con inquietante regolarità. Perché quale momento è migliore, per mettere in pericolo il mondo, del Natale stesso? Charles Stross, nato a Leeds nel 1964 ma da tempo residente in Scozia, si è laureato in farmacia, poi ha preso una specializzazione in informatica e ha lavorato come consulente e sviluppatore, per dedicarsi a tempo pieno alla scrittura dal 2000. Tra le sue opere più famose Accelerando (premio Locus), una delle opere più interessanti sul tema della Singolarità tecnologica; Palinsesto, vincitore del Premio Hugo nel 2012; e la serie della «Lavanderia», un''organizzazione segreta che si occupa di occulto, alla quale ha dedicato diversi romanzi e numerose novelle, tra le quali Rapporto sulle atrocità (Urania), Giungla di cemento (Premio Hugo 2005, Delos Books) e Equinoide (Premio Hugo 2014, Delos Digital e Elara).

Fantascienza - racconto lungo (34 pagine) - Essere catturati in una versione moddata di un famoso gioco di ruolo? Fatto. Una nuova storia dell’acclamato ciclo della Lavanderia C''è un posto di lavoro in cui si viene ripresi perché si gioca nelle ore di lavoro troppo poco. Anche se giocare forse non è il termine esatto: diciamo utilizzare giochi di ruolo online per cercare e distruggere entità demoniache, più esattamente. Non noiosissimo, ma neanche esaltante. Per Bob Howard però le cose diventano più complicate quando il suo nuovo stagista fa tutto quello che gli era stato detto di non fare e finisce catturato all''interno di una versione modificata di Neverwinter Nights. E c''è di peggio: il ragazzo è il figlio della tizia delle Risorse Umane che da tempo gli sta sul collo. Ed è sua responsabilità, ora, andarlo a recuperare. Charles Stross, nato a Leeds nel 1964 ma da tempo residente in Scozia, si è laureato in farmacia, poi ha preso una specializzazione in informatica e ha lavorato come consulente e sviluppatore, per dedicarsi a tempo pieno alla scrittura dal 2000. Tra le sue opere più famose Accelerando (premio Locus), una delle opere più interessanti sul tema della Singolarità tecnologica; Palinsesto, vincitore del Premio Hugo nel 2012; e la serie della «Lavanderia», un''organizzazione segreta che si occupa di occulto, alla quale ha dedicato diversi romanzi e numerose novelle, tra le quali Rapporto sulle atrocità (Urania), Giungla di cemento (Premio Hugo 2005, Delos Books) e Equinoide (Premio Hugo 2014, Delos Digital e Elara).

"It contains his previously unpublished novel, Scratch Monkey, an essay about writing the novel, and a second essay about a writer''s view of publishing. The novel is set in the distant future, when humans have spread through the galaxy, physically and virtually. We are not alone; we have created a race of AIs, the Superbrights, to administer and expand the virtual side of our presence in the Milky Way. Oshi Adjani works for a Superbright, traveling to worlds where her Boss cannot go, and solving the problems he has set her. One success reveals a secret of the Superbrights, so the Boss forces her into one last, deadly mission, with her freedom as her reward for doing the impossible."--Amazon.com.

Fantasy-roman.

Bob Howard est employé par l''agence de renseignements la plus secrète du monde : la Laverie, située dans les sous-sols pouilleux d''une banlieue de Londres - en fait, une administration ubuesque où l''agent Howard, quand il n''est pas occupé à sauver le monde, est forcé d''assister à de fastidieuses réunions. Cette fois, sa mission sera d''une importance cruciale. Un milliardaire américain de l''informatique, Ellis Billington, ayant réussi à s''emparer d''une arme secrète enfermée dans un sous-marin soviétique échoué au fond du Pacifique, Bob est chargé de s''introduire dans son yacht, mouillé en mer des Caraïbes, afin de le neutraliser. Comme l''illustre agent 007, Bob dispose de quelques atouts et gadgets technologiques, et, comme Bond, il doit résister aux charmes d''une redoutable créature, Ramona Random, une beauté fatale qui travaille pour la Chambre noire, l''équivalent US de la Laverie... Un roman époustouflant, hommage à ceux de lan Fleming, qui, à la manière de X-files ou de Men in Black, transcende les genres, mêlant allègrement espionnage, fantastique et nouvelles technologies, avec une touche d''érotisme d''autant plus torride qu''il est souvent aquatique.

Sometime in the twenty-third century, humanity went extinct leaving only androids behind. Freya Nakamichi 47 is a femmebot, one of the last of her kind still functioning. With no humans left to pay for the pleasures she provides, she agrees to transport a mysterious package from Mercury to Mars. Unfortunately for Freya, she has just made herself a moving target for some very powerful, very determined humanoids who will stop at nothing to possess the contents of the package.

Drame écologique, guerre nucléaire, catastrophe naturelle... A plus ou moins long terme, toute civilisation est vouée à disparaître. Cela s''est d''ailleurs produit des millions de fois depuis la formation de notre planète. Pour préserver l''humanité de ces inévitables apocalypses, des agents venus d''un lointain futur voyagent tout au long de l''histoire de la Terre : à chaque fin du monde, ils sauvent ce qui peut l''être, permettant à notre espèce de redémarrer. Mais toute intervention sur l''histoire peut avoir des conséquences graves : la vie de Pierce, l''un de ces agents, bascule le jour où sa famille est "effacée" par une nouvelle version de l''histoire, tel un palimpseste. Son seul espoir réside à la fin des temps, où sont archivés tous les événements non advenus. Dans l''infini des possibles, retrouvera-t-il les siens ?