Best Selling Books by Nancy Kress

L''UNDICESIMO PORTALE Le città-stato degli Otto Mondi stanno vivendo un momento di tensioni economiche e territoriali. Eppure, memori di quanto successo alla Terra, nessuno vuole lo scoppio di una guerra che porterebbe alla rovina dei pianeti. Quando però il conflitto esplode accidentalmente, tutti cercano di sfruttarlo a proprio vantaggio, tranne le due persone che hanno la chiave per la vittoria o la pace: Philip Anderson e Tara Landry. A Philip interessa solo svelare il significato trascendente della fisica che sta alla base dell''universo e Tara trova per caso un nuovo portale per il salto spaziotemporale. Cosa c''è, oltre l''undicesimo portale? La sua scoperta e quello che Philip ne farà cambieranno tutto sugli Otto Mondi.

In un futuro prossimo gli alieni arrivano sulla Luna e dichiarano di voler porre rimedio a una grave ingiustizia causata alla razza umana diecimila anni prima. Attraverso un bizzarro annuncio, cercano ventuno testimoni da spedire su sette pianeti da loro selezionati, per poi tornare a riferire al resto dell''umanità. Lo scopo degli alieni sembrerebbe semplice: ridare agli uomini la comprensione del passato, per garantire loro un futuro. Ma un paio di inquietanti domande restano in sospeso: perché mandare laggiù degli umani? E per cosa stanno espiando, gli alieni?

TRILOGIA DEI MENDICANTI Per festeggiare degnamente l''ultimo mese dell''anno che ha segnato i 70 anni di vita di «Urania», la collezione «Millemondi» propone ai lettori una formidabile trilogia completa di una delle autrici più amate dagli appassionati, in un volume speciale da leggere tutto d''un fiato! La celebre saga dei Mendicanti si compone dei romanzi Mendicanti di Spagna (nella versione lunga derivata dal romanzo breve che ha vinto i premi Hugo, Nebula, Locus e molti altri) e dei suoi seguiti, Mendicanti e superuomini e La rivincita dei mendicanti, tutti proposti nella loro versione integrale. Mettetevi comodi in poltrona, ed entrate nel prossimo futuro, un futuro in cui la razza umana evolverà fino a conseguenze inimmaginabili, grazie a modificazioni genetiche che daranno vita agli Insonni, una specie superiore di Homo Sapiens che ha potuto privarsi della principale limitazione nella vita degli esseri umani: il sonno.

Two stories about artificial intelligence from one of the most respected names in hard science fiction. Multiple Hugo and Nebula winner Nancy Kress gives us a fascinating look into the evolution of artificial intelligence and the impact it has on human society.

Nancy Kress is unrivaled in her treatment of genetic engineering. In 1991 she wrote the ground-breaking classic novella Beggars in Spain (Hugo/Nebula) and since then has only enhanced her outstanding reputation of telling stories set in the near-future and dealing with genetics. *** This collection brings together six of these stories written between 1984 and 2008, including "The Flowers of Aulit Prison" which won the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award for best short story.

From award-winning author Nancy Kress comes a lush historical fantasy that reimagines the life of Anne Boleyn from the lens of the witch who helps guide her in courtly rise--an enchanted tale of sisterhood, power, and a dangerous bid for the throne. Alysoun Rowe descends from an ancient line of cunning women--healers and hedge witches whose full power only awakens when they bond with their destined Third. But after a spell goes frightfully wrong, she discovers her familiar is no ordinary object or animal. It''s a distant kinswoman: Anne Boleyn, a brilliant young lady on the rise in King Henry VIII''s luminous yet treacherous court. Anne will do anything to wear the crown of England. And Alysoun will go just as far to unlock the wild magick spiraling inside her, even if it means breaking her coven''s age-old rules. As the king''s desire morphs into a dangerous obsession and a ruthless witch hunt closes in, the two women form a reluctant truce. Bound by fate in a realm of lust, rivalry, and betrayal, they each face a choice. But how far will they go to seize power in a world that would gladly watch them burn?

It is extremely difficult to win a Hugo award. It is also extremely difficult to win a Nebula. These are like the Oscars and Golden Globes on the science fiction/fantasy writing side, and just like it is the extremely rare movie that gets both the Oscar and the Golden Globe for Best Movie, it is only stories of the highest caliber that get awarded both the Nebula and the Hugo. The Hugo is awarded at the annual Worldcon, voted on by fans. The Nebula is awarded by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) voted on by its member, primarily professional writers. A piece that wins both, signifies that it had wide-spread fan appeal (fan votes) and also the highest regard by professionals in the field (voted on by exclusively by SFWA member). A novella is something just short of a novel (in word-count), and many of the worlds outstanding series started off as novellas, including Orson Scott Card''s Ender''s Game (the novella is the one that won all the awards, and then was extended into a novel, and finally a series). Some consider the novella the perfect size for a story...large enough to develop it, but with a wordcount constrain that still imposes writing discipline. This anthology reprints four novellas, each of which has stood the test of time and each of which won both the Nebula and the Hugo. Some went on to win a plethora of other awards from around the world. For example, Mike Resnick''s "The Seven Views of Olduvai Gorge" may be one of the most awarded stories in science fiction, having won not only the Hugo and Nebula, but also the HOMer award, the SF Chronicle Award, and awards from countries like as Spain, France and Croatia. Here then are four of the most outstanding and most acclaimed novellas in science fiction, penned by Joe Haldeman, Lois McMaster Bujold, Mike Resnick and Nancy Kress. Beggars in Spain take place in a future where genetic engineering has become a reality, and society and culture face the consequences of genetic modifications. The story revolves around the existence of the "Sleepless" individuals genetically modified to not need sleep, who have greater potential for intelligence and accomplishment than ordinary humans, called "Sleepers". The Hemingway Hoax weaves together a story of an attempt to produce a fake Ernest Hemingway manuscript with themes concerning time travel and parallel worlds. The story is based on the real-life incident in Hemmingway''s life when his first wife Hadley lost a suitcase with his manuscripts. The Mountains of Mourning explores the concepts of justice and mercy when Miles Vorkosigan is sent to represent the empire in a far-flung rural village where a woman demands justice for the murder of her baby who was born healthy, but with a cleft lip and palate. The Seven Views of Olduvai Gorge explores the meaning of human progress and decline, long after humans have disappeared from the Earth. An alien archeological expedition is sent to explore humanities rise and fall in its birthplace of Olduvai Gorge where seven recounted stories based on artifacts found tell the tale of how they rose and how they fell, but also leave the aliens with an uneasy feeling of what the future may hold.

This is a collection of the best science fiction stories set on planet Earth published in 2024 by leading authors of the genre, edited by Allan Kaster. "Spill" by Cory Doctorow-Hackers, indigenous people, and environmentalists battle an oil pipeline company. "Vouch for Me" by Greg Egan-A latent virus causes extensive retrograde amnesia in people who survive a flare-up. "Phosphorescence" by Ben Barman Ghan-A botanist and a machinist plot to spoil the plans of the elites for the future of life. "Wápato" by Molly Gloss-A widow manages time''s malleability one step at a time. "The Alice Run" by Nancy Kress-An experimental procedure is used to force a comatose patient back to consciousness. "Breathing Constellations" by Rich Larson-Humans in Argentinian Patagonia seek the permission of orcas to harvest plankton in their waters. "A Catalog of 21st Century Ghosts" by Pat Murphy-A woman treks across a climate-changed US visiting sites with ghosts created by game engineers. "Eternity is Moments" by R. P. Sand-A woman competes with her cousin for her grandfather''s affection as the Earth dies. "I Am Not the One Who Gets Left Behind" by Eric Smith-A father and son are the last to flee an alien-infiltrated Philadelphia. "This Good Lesson Keep" by James Van Pelt-A high school English teacher competes with her students'' tech for their attention while studying Hamlet.

On a découvert, non loin de Mars, déjà terraformée et habitée, un tunnel spatial menant instantanément vers un autre système solaire peuplé par des humanoïdes. Hélas, les Terriens ont du même coup fait connaissance avec les Faucheurs, une race belliqueuse qui semble bien décidée à éradiquer toute forme de vie sur son passage. Une équipe terrienne regroupant des anthropologues, un géologue et une botaniste est envoyée étudier Monde, une planète sur laquelle les habitants ont développé une culture étrange, basée sur un principe de réalité partagée : toute violence préméditée, tout mensonge ou désaccord avec la communauté est sanctionné par une douleur physique insupportable. Mais cette mission scientifique n''est que la couverture d''un projet militaire visant à s''approprier l''un des satellites de Monde, un artefact qui renferme une arme redoutable. C''est sans compter la présence des Faucheurs dont la maîtrise technologique surpasse de loin celle des Terriens... Premier volume d''une trilogie, Réalité partagée mêle habilement space opera et hard science. Nancy Kress aborde ici des thèmes qui lui sont chers comme l''anthropologie et les effets du développement technologique.

Elaboré selon les principes d''exigence propres à "Quarante-Deux", à l''image des recueils de Greg Egan, de Peter Watts et de Ken Liu dans la même collection, Danses aériennes, sans équivalent en langue anglaise, réunit onze récits - dont cinq courts romans. Pensé comme une porte d''entrée, une invite à la découverte d''une oeuvre essentielle au sein du corpus SF contemporain, il s''avère un cocktail corsé aux perspectives prodigieuses.

Encore plus pernicieux qu''on ne le prévoyait, les effets de la pollution chimique ont entraîné une chute radicale du taux de la fertilité dans le monde. Il n''y naît pratiquement plus d''enfants. A tel point que certaines personnes en mal de progéniture en arrivent à traiter leurs animaux domestiques comme d''authentiques bébés... Mais cette situation entraîne probablement de plus sombres déviations, comme le soupçonne Shana Walders, une jeune appelée de l''armée américaine, quand, participant à l''évacuation d''une zone rendue dangereuse par le déraillement d''un transport de produits toxiques, elle se retrouve face à l''inconcevable dans une société où les manipulations génétiques sont soumises à de sévères limitations. Les Etats-Unis seraient-ils en train de se transformer souterrainement en une nouvelle île du docteur Moreau ? Tel est le lièvre qu''a soulevé Shana. Mais qui voudra le suivre avec elle ?

Clarkesworld is a Hugo and World Fantasy Award-winning science fiction and fantasy magazine. Each month we bring you a mix of fiction (new and classic works), articles, interviews and art. Our June 2016 issue (#117) contains: Original fiction by Margaret Ronald ("And Then, One Day, the Air was Full of Voices"), Sam J. Miller ("Things With Beards"), E. Catherine Tobler (".identity"), and Zhang Ran ("The Snow of Jinyang"). Reprints from Michael Flynn ("The Promise of God") and Nancy Kress ("Pathways"). Non-fiction by Matthew Simmons (The Science Fiction Future of the Microbiome), an interview with Guy Gavriel Kay, an Another Word column by Alethea Kontis, and an editorial by Neil Clarke.

Le conflit entre Humains et Faucheurs est loin d''être terminé. Chaque camp possède désormais un artefact, arme redoutable capable d''anéantir une galaxie et perturber l''espace-temps. Lyle Kaufman et sa compagne Marbet, la Sensitive qui a pu communiquer avec un Faucheur, tentent de contrer les desseins de l''amiral Pierce, nouveau chef du Conseil de Défense de l''Alliance solaire. Ce dernier s''apprête à provoquer une catastrophe cosmique en utilisant l''artefact des Humains dans le système des Faucheurs. Seul Tom Capelo, le physicien qui en a découvert le fonctionnement, pourrait tenter de faire entendre raison à l''amiral. Mais il a été kidnappé et personne ne sait comment le retrouver. A part sa fille, peut-être, qui fut témoin de son enlèvement...