New Releases by John Brunner

Nel 2020 una squadra spaziale internazionale, esplorando Sigma Draconis a diciannove anni luce dalla Terra, scopre i resti di una società altamente evoluta che ha lasciato dietro di sé un artefatto spettacolare: il più grande telescopio immaginabile. Gli equipaggi spaziali successivi stabiliscono che la cultura nativa si è evoluta ed è scomparsa misteriosamente dopo solo tremila anni. Nel 2028 un''altra missione raggiunge il pianeta con un solo obiettivo: scoprire perché quella civiltà è scomparsa. E ha una sola speranza: scoprirlo per impedire che la stessa cosa accada sulla Terra.

Le monde en 2010. Tout est informatisé, automatique, électronique. Le Réseau est accessible à partir de n''importe quelle prise téléphonique. Et si vous êtes un petit malin, vous pouvez savoir tout sur tous. Les plus, forts, évidemment, en savent davantage. Jusqu''à ce que Nick Haflinger, génie de l''informatique qui compose des programmes comme Bach des cantates, décide de ruiner le Réseau. Et y expédie des couleuvres. Ce qu''on appelait autrefois des virus. En beaucoup, beaucoup plus gros. Ce tableau d''un univers peu utopique, qui passionnera ceux qui se méfient des ordinateurs comme ceux qu''ils font rêver, est l''un des volets de la célèbre fresque prospective de John Brunner, composée de Tous à Zanzibar, L'' Orbite déchiquetée, Le Troupeau aveugle et, bien entendu , Sur l''onde de choc. L''avenir en direct.

The mercenary Stepsons leave Sanctuary behind in this tenth volume of the shared-world fantasy anthology series. As Tempus and his mercenary army, the Stepsons, depart from war-torn Sanctuary, there are some who view it as a return to normal. Yet what is normal in this city of thieves and adventurers? Laborers arrive to help in the rebuilding efforts, but some of these able-bodied men are disappearing. An assassin seeks revenge for his brother, and others aim to instill peace in the community while vicious rivalries emerge from Sanctuary''s rubble. And a struggle for power seems to be brewing . . . If this is your kind of "normal," then enter an action-packed world of sword and sorcery in this shared-world anthology featuring stories by some of fantasy''s best authors: Robert Lynn Asprin, Mark C. Perry, Janet Morris, David Drake, John Brunner, Lynn Abbey, and Andrew Offutt.

The third Thieves'' World® anthology—with stories by fantasy''s favorite authors—curated by the New York Times–bestselling author of the Myth series. Times are hard, and the citizens of Sanctuary are not their greedy, immoral, grifting selves. But desperate times call for desperate measures, which means the bad guys are about to up their game. No one is safe from Sanctuary''s evil charms—not the fish in the waters, not the prince''s own Hell Hound guards, not even Satan himself. " Shadows also includes another story by Offutt that reinforces my opinion that he is incapable of writing a bad story for this series. A number of the tales are Tempus stories, with several of our other recurring characters also making appearances. By virtue of Tempus'' unique relationship with the god Vashanka, these stories also bring us back toward the storyline of the competing deities, and help us to look forward to new developments in the fourth book. All in all, Shadows is the strongest book amongst the first three publications." —Fantasy-Faction

War looms over Sanctuary in the fifth Thieves'' World® anthology compiled by the New York Times–bestselling author of the Phule''s Company series. The invasion by the Beysibs, an amphibious humanoid race, brings unusual prosperity to the city of Sanctuary. But underneath the glittering façade lies a ticking time bomb, for the nefarious residents of Sanctuary don''t take kindly to an invasion—well-meaning or otherwise . . . Join Janet Morris, C. J. Cherryh, Robert Lynn Asprin, Lynn Abbey, David Drake, and Diana L. Paxson as their stories unravel the fates of Sanctuary''s favorite liars, thieves, assassins, and warriors. "Abbey . . . understands Sanctuary and its characters. She also knows how to write a short story with a strong main character, a riveting plot that contains twists and turns, and a satisfying resolution. Best story in the book . . . Lalo is the most interesting of all of the characters in Thieves'' World and his stories are always interesting. Paxson . . . spins an interesting and well written yarn that closes the book nicely." —brianbookreviews.blogspot.com

Sixth in the magical, action-packed shared-world series: "Thieves'' World® has grown into a real presence in the fantasy genre" (Fantasy-Faction). Under the rule of a humanoid race, the city of Sanctuary finds itself divided. Rebels and assassins stalk the shadows, bringing chaos to the streets—which is nothing new to the lawless locals. But even they will have to put aside their differences to unite against their common enemy. An accomplishment easier said than done in a city where everyone is out for themselves . . . Stories by Chris and Janet Morris, Robin W. Bailey, Diana L. Paxson, Diane Duane, C. J. Cherryh, Andrew J. Offutt, Lynn Abbey, and Robert Lynn Asprin add to the legend and lore of this "surprisingly rich and deep world" (Book Riot). "In the sixth book of the collection, the friction between the residents of Sanctuary and the invading Beysib heats up and makes for some exciting reading . . . Offutt''s character Shadowspawn gets some good coverage, and a few fresh new characters also get some play . . ." —Fantasy-Faction "''The Hand That Feeds You'' [by Diane Duane] is one of the best stories in the entire collection to date." —brianbookreviews.blogspot.com

A whirlwind of fantasy action and adventure descends on Thieves'' World®—as related by C. J. Cherryh, Diana L. Paxson, Andrew J. Offutt, and others. Welcome back to Sanctuary, "the city where anything could happen, where characters created by some of the best fantasy writers of the generation crossed paths and shared adventures" ( Black Gate). The Thieves'' World® series continues with a story line created by Robert Lynn Asprin, C. J. Cherryh, Diana L. Paxson, Lynn Abbey, Janet Morris, and Andrew J. Offutt. In Storm Season, immortal warrior Tempus Thales and his nemesis, the crime lord Jubal, go head to head in fast-paced exploits that bring the simmering tension between them to a boil. "Much of Storm Season pertains to the conflict between Asprin''s gladiator/crime lord Jubal and Morris'' Tempus, and the other stories work to move this plotline along, while telling their own tales. Offutt, as usual, steals the show with a Shadowspawn story . . ." —Fantasy-Faction

Three visionary sci-fi novels from the Hugo Award–winning author whose dystopian prescience made him "one of the most important" (SF Site). British science fiction master John Brunner remains one of the most influential and respected authors of all time, and now many of his classic works are being made available to new generations of readers. The very definition of timeless, Brunner''s skillful and often frightening political and social commentary takes its place alongside the most iconic works of Arthur C. Clarke, Aldous Huxley, Margaret Atwood, and George Orwell. The Sheep Look Up: In a near future of poison air and soaring health hazards, environmentalist Austin Train is on the run—from the insurrectionists who want him to lead and the government that wants him dead, in this Nebula Award Finalist. "An arresting diary of what''s in store for us." — The Washington Post The Crucible of Time: On a planet hurtling precariously through space, an alien civilization struggles for generations against ice ages and catastrophic meteors while scientists slowly develop the technology that will ultimately save them. "Impeccably detailed, and beautifully thought out, even to the fascinating alien personalities, speech patterns, and thoughts: Brunner in top form." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review The Jagged Orbit: In this Nebula Award Finalist, a journalist tries to expose the corrupt director of a mental hospital in a dystopian future where drug abuse, organized crime, and the inhumane treatment of anyone deemed "insane" have all but destroyed social order. "One of his most trenchant dystopias, yet it is as irresistible as it is biting." —SFReviews.net

Because of a twist in the structure of Time, three strangers were brought unexpectedly together: Red Hawkins of California, Chantal Vareze of London and a man from the 41st Century. Their meeting seemed an impossible prank of a universe gone mad - but it turned out to be quite otherwise. For it seemed there was a war going on throughout space and time. A war fought by men of different epochs, on planets of different cultures, but for a cause that all could acknowledge - the very continued existence of creation itself. And the coming together of these three very unlikely people - a modern man, a lovely girl and a futurian soldier - was to prove the master stroke of a super-science strategy that had already brought humanity to the THRESHOLD OF ETERNITY.

A u200b20. század elején a statisztikusok azt mondták, a Föld akkori teljes népessége elférne a Wight-szigeten. 1968-ban már csak egy duplaakkora szárazulaton fért volna el mindenki, mondjuk Man szigetén. Mai, több mint 7 milliárd főt számláló emberiségünknek Zanzibár teljes területére lenne szüksége, és még akkor is vizes lenne néhányunk lába. A 2010-es évek túlnépesedett, társadalmi feszültségekkel teli világában két New York-i fiatalember keresi a helyét. Akaratukon kívül keverednek bele történelemformáló eseményekbe, melyek a bolygó elmaradottabb területeiről kiindulva alapjaiban fogják megrengetni a nemzetközi gazdaság és politika felépítményét, kihatva a Föld minden lakójának életére. És hogy a dolgok tovább bonyolódjanak, az egyik nagyvállalat megalkot egy öntudattal bíró szuperszámítógépet John Brunner Hugo- és Brit SF-díjas, monumentális regénye hol kémtörténetre emlékeztet, hol John Dos Passos társadalmi panorámáit idézi, megelőlegezve William Gibson Neurománcát és még tucatnyi, később íródott SF-művet. Jóslatai a megjelenése óta eltelt évtizedek alatt bámulatos számban váltak valóra, az elharapózó iskolai erőszaktól és terrorakcióktól kezdve, Kína szuperhatalommá válásán és az európai országok unióba tömörülésén keresztül, egészen a biotechnológia előretöréséig és az egyneműek kapcsolatának széles körű elfogadásáig. Nem véletlenül válogatták be minden idők 100 legjobb SF-regénye közé. Tökéletesre csiszolt disztópia. The Guardian Ha ez a könyv kötelező olvasmány lenne minden nemzedék számára, akkor világunk nem jutott volna ilyen kétségbeejtő helyzetbe. Joe Haldeman, az Örök háború szerzője

Das Porträt der Welt, in der wir leben Schauplatz dieses Romans, der erstmals 1968 erschien, ist die Welt von morgen, die mittlerweile die Welt ist, in der wir leben: Das 21. Jahrhundert. Er spielt in den USA und Afrika ebenso wie in Europa und Asien und zeigt eine Zukunft, die unserer Gegenwart in markanten Punkten gleicht, sich aber auch von ihr unterscheidet: Künstliche Intelligenz und Genmanipulation sind an der Tagesordnung; Firmen kaufen Entwicklungsländer auf, der Handel mit menschlichen Organen wird an der Börse notiert ...

„Sauerstoff – 25 Cent!“ Kurz nach der Jahrtausendwende steht die Menschheit am Abgrund: In den Städten ist die Luftverschmutzung so stark, dass man ohne Filtermasken das Haus nicht mehr verlassen kann; die Sonne sieht man nur noch selten; Meere und Seen sind verseucht; Leitungswasser zu trinken birgt ein unkalkulierbares Risiko. Die Verbrechensrate ist explodiert, die Menschen sind krank, immer mehr Kinder kommen missgebildet zur Welt. Wie bei einem Puzzle setzt sich nach und nach aus verschiedenen Handlungssträngen, Nachrichtenfetzen, Listen von Umweltgiften und Werbeslogans das erschreckende Bild einer Zukunft zusammen, die immer noch Wirklichkeit werden kann.

A down-on-his-luck actor finds himself directed toward self-sabotage in this science fiction thriller from the award-winning author of Stand on Zanzibar. In The Productions of Time, Murray Douglas has beaten his alcohol addiction, needs a new acting job and can''t be choosy. Then he ends up in an isolated country estate with every move being recorded by what appear to be alien instruments, every deviant desire and weakness constantly prodded and encouraged and self-destruction the order of the day, every day. What is the goal of the production? Who (or what) will ever see the show? Will he (or anyone) survive the ordeal? The show must go on . . . "One of the most important science fiction authors. Brunner held a mirror up to reflect our foibles because he wanted to save us from ourselves." —SF Site

Hugo Award Finalist: "Story plotting holding much in common with chess . . . An exciting political thriller in the vein of Graham Greene" (Speculiction). In The Squares of the City, Brunner takes the moves of a classic championship chess game and uses them as the structure to build a novel about a revolution in a South American country obsessed with chess and dominated by a dictator who sees people as pawns in his game of power and survival. Intriguing premise, dramatic story, future setting, great entertainment. "One of the most important science fiction authors. Brunner held a mirror up to reflect our foibles because he wanted to save us from ourselves." —SF Site

Nebula Award Finalist: Mankind has been reduced to slavery by technology and surveillance, in this near-future novel from the author of Stand on Zanzibar. In The Jagged Orbit, Brunner, writing at the peak of form that allowed him to create Stand on Zanzibar, takes a long, hard, disturbing, and hilarious look at the near and not-so-distant future. Catastrophic changes due to rampant drug abuse, uncontrolled violence, high-level government corruption, inhumane treatment of the too-readily defined "insane," and the accompanying collapse of the social order are wreaking havoc on the world we recognize and turning it into a reality we must fear and hope to avoid. Brunner tells a spine-chilling tale of where the world could possibly go that is all too believable and real for our comfort. "For each generation, there is a writer meant to bend the rules of what we know. Hugo Award winner (Best Novel, Stand on Zanzibar) and British science fiction master John Brunner remains one of the most influential and respected authors of all time, and now many of his classic works are being reintroduced. For readers familiar with his vision, it is a chance to reexamine his thoughtful worlds and words. For new readers, Brunner''s work proves itself the very definition of timeless.

An alien race struggles to survive on an uninhabitable planet in this "impeccably detailed and beautifully thought out" novel from a Hugo Award winner ( Kirkus Reviews, starred review). On a planet besieged with cosmic dust, where meteors of all sizes frequently hit, wiping out entire civilizations, a strange alien species struggles against extinction over the course of millennia. As their star grows hotter, melting ice caps and causing more earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, higher levels of radiation lead to higher rates of mutation. Plants that had been edible become poisonous or die off altogether. Watching their dire situation only get worse, the planet''s scientists finally acknowledge that to survive long-term, the inhabitants will have to abandon their fraught home world and become a space-faring species. In a story that spans millennia, Hugo Award–winning author and British science fiction master John Brunner introduces us to an alien race that takes control of their own evolution and builds the technological society that will be their way into space. "One of the most important science fiction authors. Brunner held a mirror up to reflect our foibles because he wanted to save us from ourselves." — SF Site

This "story of a severely handicapped man in a Dystopic world . . . very much reminds you of the Cyberpunk novels that would appear 20 years later" (Wanderings). In A Whole Man, a baby boy is born in a hospital surrounded by the chaos of battle and civil unrest. The birth is unremarkable and little noted, but the child, Gerald Howson, turns out to be very special. He is afflicted by infirmities and bodily flaws, but his mind becomes a miraculous device, capable of telepathic marvels that can, and do, change the world. But the power fantasies that sometimes tempt him are deadly to those near him and can ultimately threaten the whole of the world. And a man in a physical envelope that inspires pity and fright turns out to be the embodiment of a superman. This ebook was originally published in the United Kingdom under the title Telepathist. For each generation, there is a writer meant to bend the rules of what we know. Hugo Award winner (Best Novel, Stand on Zanzibar) and British science fiction master John Brunner remains one of the most influential and respected authors of all time, and now many of his classic works are being reintroduced. For readers familiar with his vision, it is a chance to reexamine his thoughtful worlds and words, while for new readers, Brunner''s work proves itself the very definition of timeless.

"Speculation is compounded with suspense" in these thirteen short works of sci-fi from the Hugo Award–winning author of Stand on Zanzibar—"Genuine startlers" ( Kirkus Reviews, starred review). Collected when Brunner was at the peak of his writing form, this even dozen of his short stories, with a bonus poem thrown into the mix, offers provocative ideas and thrilling action mixed with conceptions of the inevitable future, the inventable future, the alternate future, the future to be avoided, and the future that is sometimes right now. A heady brew. For each generation, there is a writer meant to bend the rules of what we know. Hugo Award winner (Best Novel, Stand on Zanzibar) and British science fiction master John Brunner remains one of the most influential and respected authors of all time, and now many of his classic works are being reintroduced. For readers familiar with his vision, this is a chance to reexamine his thoughtful worlds and words, while for new readers, Brunner''s work proves itself the very definition of timeless.

An alien hidden in the ocean''s depths is awakened—and wreaks havoc on mankind—in this science fiction classic from the Hugo Award–winning author. In The Atlantic Abomination, an exploratory expedition to the bottom of the ocean discovers the remnants of a long-lost civilization, and then, the enormous body of an alien being preserved for unknown millennia. An attempt to raise the body unleashes a horror beyond imagining as the creature revives from a long sleep and begins to exert control over men''s minds throughout the world. This is a classic SF horror story in the mode of John W. Campbell''s The Thing, the source material for SF thriller movies in the 1950s and again, via John Carpenter, in the 1980s. For each generation, there is a writer meant to bend the rules of what we know. Hugo Award winner (Best Novel, Stand on Zanzibar) and British science fiction master John Brunner remains one of the most influential and respected authors of all time, and now many of his classic works are being reintroduced. For readers familiar with his vision, this is a chance to reexamine his thoughtful worlds and words, while for new readers, Brunner''s work proves itself the very definition of timeless.

"A world on the brink of war . . . Credible characters, suspenseful plotting and Brunner''s broad vision make this humane novel a winner" ( Kirkus Reviews). The world is awash in civic decay, military coups and revolutionary governments, bands of believers (''Godheads'') roaming the streets and turning plastic crosses into assault weapons. One scientist has discovered a new kind of viral drug, VC, which has the power to drastically alter the human mind. It could save civilization but at what cost? And who has the right to make a decision about whether or not to use it? Brunner at his thought-provoking, action-packed best. "One of the most important science fiction authors. Brunner held a mirror up to reflect our foibles because he wanted to save us from ourselves." —SF Site

Telepathic children hold the fate of humanity in their hands in this "compulsively readable novel" from the Hugo Award–winning author of Stand on Zanzibar ( The Washington Post). In Children of the Thunder, Brunner creates another near-contemporary vision of a world gone awry and proposes a peculiarly disturbing and frightening solution. Starting separately, a small number of very smart and uniquely talented children, none more than fourteen years old, create lucrative designer drugs, kill a Marine commando in unarmed combat, run a sex-ring of chilling depravity. None of them are even punished for their crimes. Combine powers of mental control and irresistible suggestion with creative and completely amoral intelligence and you have the recipe for a super-race of world-savers—or for the subjugation of all humanity to a new form of collective evil. "One of the most important science fiction authors. Brunner held a mirror up to reflect our foibles because he wanted to save us from ourselves." —SF Site

First there was the end. After weeks of running from pursuers, Gene and Stacy finally found refuge on an isolated island. But around them the island changed - and so did they. Each time they awoke from sleep, they lived a different life in a different time. And the farther back they went, the more they lost their anchor to their own world. When at last they were found, the people they had become no longer recognised their pursuers. And that was the beginning.

He was the most dangerous fugitive alive, but he didn''t exist! Nickie Haflinger had lived a score of lifetimes . . . but technically he didn''t exist. He was a fugitive from Tarnover, the high-powered government think tank that had educated him. First he had broken his identity code - then he escaped. Now he had to find a way to restore sanity and personal freedom to the computerised masses and to save a world tottering on the brink of disaster. He didn''t care how he did it . . . but the government did. That''s when his Tarnover teachers got him back in their labs . . . and Nickie Haflinger was set up for a whole new education! First published in 1975.

Whether or not he had wanted to turn back at the last minute, he couldn''t have - the wave of dirty, hungry people carried him helplessly along in their fervour reach the temple. Like dope addicts, he told himself, they don''t even care about themselves, only about the thing that is inside the temple! He remembered the day ten years ago when his older brother had been made a Warden of Asconel, a prosperous and happy planet, and he and his other brothers had left in the interests of their people. Now they returned to a world where a fanatical cult had usurped the Warden''s chair, and men and women were offering themselves up as human sacrifices to Belizuek - whoever or whatever that being from beyond the galaxy was . . . I''ll find out, he told himself grimly, when I enter these doors . . . (First published 1965)

He was ''The Visitor'' . . . in a society revolutionised and troubled by a transportation device that let you walk through a door and be anywhere in the world - instantly. He was ''The Visitor'' . . . at a time when unauthorised travel had caused the violent deaths of countless millions and the survivors were quaking in fear. He was ''The Visitor'' . . . in a world where the invasion of privacy was the ultimate crime and where his obsession with visiting places where he had no right to be led him on a perilous adventure towards his own destruction.

When racial hatred turns to murderous menace . . . First a rocket ship loses its engines on take-off and is destroyed. On board - an important extra-terrestrial visitor. Next someone slams into the sealed vehicle used for transporting aliens around in the lethal atmosphere of Earth. Then the vital controlled environment for the Tau Cetian delegation is sabotaged. Oxygen leaks in, and the aliens are half burnt alive. Even if it means brutal murder, The Stars Are For Man League is determined to shatter the harmony between Earth and civilizations on other planets - and to keep mankind supreme among the alien life forms. Only one man can stop them - a man who unknowingly nurses a viper in his bosom . . . First published in 1965.

A stardropper got its name from the belief that the user was eavesdropping on the stars. But that was only a guess . . . nobody really knew what the instrument did. The instrument itself made no sense scientifically. A conventional earpiece, an amplifier, a power source - all attached to a small vacuum box, an alnico magnet, and a calibrated ''tuner''. What you got from all this was some very extraordinary noises and the conviction that you were listening to beings from space and could almost understand what you were hearing. What brought Special Agent Dan Cross into the stardropper problem was the carefully censored news that users of the instrument had begun to disappear. They popped out of existence suddenly - and the world''s leaders began to suspect that somehow the fad had lit the fuse on a bomb that would either destroy the world or change it forever. (First published 1972)

If the past is tampered with, the present might be totally transformed. So the whole fabric of reality depends on the watchful efforts of the Society of Time. Don Miguel Navarro is a junior officer in this force dedicated to defending the Spanish Empire and the mother church from the results of meddling in history by time-travellers. But he begins to wonder just how dedicated the Society really is when he has to deal with a case of corruption involving fellow officers . . . After he has to rescue the entire court from death at the hands of Amazon warriors brought through time, his greatest trial becomes unavoidable. Facing a threat to the most vulnerable event in his world''s history, can the young Don prevent catastrophe? Or will the glorious triumph of the Spanish Armada never have occurred? (First published 1969)

Allyn Vage was once a beautiful woman, but due to an accident - which may have been a murder attempt - she was now a hopeless cripple, burned and disfigured and without the senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. When they brought her to Jome Knard, that noted physician had no choice but to employ a certain apparently miraculous device, incomprehensible even to him, to keep her immobile body alive and to restore and regulate her sensory perception. This strange machine had been imported from a seemingly primitive people on the world of Akkilmar. They had allowed it to be exported, but there was something about it they couldn''t - or wouldn''t - explain. Little did either the doctor or his patient realize that between them they had now become the lever that could topple a world! (First publshed 1961)

''How short a time a century really is . . .'' The speaker was Immortal Karmesin, and he had lived a thousand years. He stood, a gigantic figure against the rush of time, a permanently open channel for the infants of the galaxy to explore the deep past. He was anathema to the Phoenixes, for their creed was that of birth in death, of regeneration in destruction. And he knew that he - one man - had to unravel the Phoenix mystery, or live to watch it bring fiery death to all the planets of man . . . (First published 1963)