Best Selling Books by WALTER JON WILLIAMS

"Jane Austen meets P.G. Wodehouse--- IN SPACE!" After years of struggle, Drake Maijstral has been rated Number One Burglar by the Imperial Sporting Commission. Surely by now he deserves a vacation— and he fully intends to take one, on Earth. But valuable items keep disappearing, and it’s clear that Maijstral, the master thief to end all master thieves, is being preyed upon by another expert burglar. Maijstral would very much like to solve this mystery, but unfortunately people keep challenging him to duels, and he’s become enmeshed in conspiracies laid by two very attractive, very dangerous ladies. And to make things worse, the corpse of Maijstral’s father has been stolen— a corpse that is dead, but still senile. Rock of Ages is the third hilarious Drake Maijstral adventure by the New York Times best-selling author Walter Jon Williams.

"Jane Austen meets P.G. Wodehouse--- IN SPACE!" One obsessed cop. Two master thieves. A very small island in space. And The Greatest Treasure in the Empire. Silverside Station is a small asteroid resort catering to the rich, the famous, and the celebrated— but is it big enough for both Drake Maijstral (the devious hero of The Crown Jewels) and Geoff Fu George (rated the galaxy’s top burglar by the Imperial Sporting Commission), both of whom have set their sights on the Eltdown Shard, a fabulous jewel that captures the light of a dying sun, a jewel that dangles around the comely throat of the Duchess Roberta, a beautiful and dashing heiress who clearly has plans of her own. Mayhem and hilarity at the only possible result. House of Shards continues the droll adventures of Drake Maijstral— thief, devout coward, and reluctant hero— as he schemes his way to the top of the ratings.

Wesen so mächtig wie Götter Die Aristoi sind gottgleiche Wesen. Sie leben in der Wirklichkeit ebenso wie in virtuellen Realitäten, sind Meister der Bio- und der Nanotechnologie und beherrschen die Manipulation der Materie absolut. Das Wohlergehen der Menschen, ihrer Vorfahren, ist ihr höchstes Anliegen. Sie tun alles, um dafür zu sorgen, dass es ihnen gut geht – auch wenn das bedeutet, den Menschen ihr Schicksal vorzuschreiben. Aber einigen ist dieses Dasein zu ereignislos. Sie lieben den Nervenkitzel und die Lust an der Gewalt, und sie lassen die Menschen ihre Macht spüren, indem sie ganze Planeten mit Terror und Tod überziehen. Als Aristos Gabriel die Ermittlungen gegen die Abtrünnigen aufnimmt, gerät der Kosmos aus den Fugen ...

Captain Favian Markham, USN, is a man surrounded by secrets. Secrets that will be revealed when he is court-martialled for losing his ship. Secrets held by his mistress Caroline. The secrets of enemy spies signaling to British ships over the horizon. And the greatest secret of the War of 1812, a secret which will be revealed once Favian breaks the enemy blockade in The Macedonian, a frigate stolen from his own government . . . The Macedonian, originally published as by "Jon Williams," is one of the works of historical fiction with which Walter Jon Williams began his career.

Short novels are movie length narratives that may well be the perfect length for science fiction stories. This collection presents the best-of-the-best short science fiction novels published in 2012 by current and emerging masters of this vibrant form. In "In the House of Aryaman, a Lonely Signal Burns," by Elizabeth Bear, Police Sub-Inspector Ferron investigates the murder of genetics engineer, Dexter Coffin, who has been turned inside out, in a cutting edge biomedical lab set in a not too distant future India. In Jay Lake''s"The Stars Do Not Lie," Morgan Abutti is soon in fear for his life when he tries to announce his discovery of something in the stars that contradicts the creation myth of a major religion on his planet. In "The Weight of History, the Lightness of the Future," also by Jay Lake, set in the author''s "Sunspin" series, the Howard Immortal, Before Michaela Cannon, and an untrustworthy shipmind investigate the cause of the Mistake, an alien attack on human civilization with an EMP weapon that occurred more than a thousand years ago and wiped out most of its technology. In "Sudden, Broken and Unexpected," by Steven Popkes, a burnt-out, talented musician is hired to help a world-class rock star divaloid, an electronic construct, prepare for her new world tour. There''s only one problem, the musician passionately despises divaloids. In Robert Reed''s"Eater-of-Bone," marooned human colonists, from the "Great Ship," fight for dominance on a planet inhabited by smaller, weaker, and less intelligent aliens. Finally, in "The Boolean Gate," by Walter Jon Williams, set in the 19th century, an elderly Samuel Clemens escapes his Mark Twain persona through his friendship with Nicola Tesla. As Tesla''s inventions come to fruition, Twain suspects that Tesla has opened up a gateway to an alien intelligence.

Devastated by the loss of his family, Gideon Markham has retreated to his ship and the life of the sea. Heir to a privateering tradition, he brings his schooner into the Gulf of Mexico to wage unremitting war on the British who threaten America’s freedom. But the puritanical Gideon finds the Gulf a strange and threatening place, and soon he must face Jean Laffite’s pirates, a mutiny, an attack by Red Stick Creeks, and a British invasion . . . none of which he finds as baffling and alarming as Maria-Anna de Suarez, an attractive widow who gambles at cards, brandishes a pair of pistols, and plans to lead an expedition into the heart of enemy territory, with Gideon as her guide and pawn. Originally published as The Yankee, this is one of the action-packed historical novels with which Walter Jon Williams began his career.

An original collection of interwoven short stories set in the Wild Cards universe, where an alien virus mutates some and grants superpowers to others, created by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Game of Thrones An alien virus ravages the world, with effects as random as a hand of cards. Those infected either draw the black queen and die, draw an ace and receive superpowers, or draw the joker and are bizarrely mutated. Croyd Crenson is the Wild Card’s greatest failure—and its greatest success. Dubbed “The Sleeper,” he randomly undergoes hibernations that can span days, weeks, or even months. After each hibernation, he awakens with a new appearance and set of powers—sometimes a joker, sometimes an ace, and sometimes a combination of both—until exhaustion claims him and his next inevitable sleep shuffles the cards anew. Ever since his initial infection in 1946, he’s awoken in a singular body—until now. His latest awakening has left him split into six different incarnations, each of them a self-contained piece of the original and each with a unique look and ability. One of them, at least, recognizes this for the disaster that it is, and tasks the clever and elusive Tesla—a joker with ace powers—to locate and gather the remaining five versions of himself before sleep claims them again and leaves Croyd permanently fractured. What follows is a journey through Croyd’s long and colorful life, through the lens of some who have encountered the world’s most unusual wild carder. And as Tesla delves deeper into the investigation, he’ll have to work fast, because not every Croyd is as amiable as the first—and they’ll do whatever it takes to survive. Featuring stories from: Christopher Rowe • Carrie Vaughn • Cherie Priest • William F. Wu • Walter Jon Williams • Stephen Leigh • Mary Anne Mohanraj • Max Gladstone • Edited by George R. R. Martin • Assisted by Melinda M. Snodgrass

“Williams knows exactly what to do with Quillifer, and it''s hugely entertaining.” —Locus “Walter Jon Williams is always fun, but this may be his best yet, a delight from start to finish, witty, colorful, exciting and amusing by turns, exquisitely written.” —George R. R. Martin “Chock full of derring-do, blood and thunder, swashbuckling, and other good stuff evocative of Rafael Sabatini, Sir Walter Scott, and the penny-bloods.” —Paul Di Filippo, author of The Big Get-Even Quillifer—now a member of the nobility—finds himself further immersed in court politics as the outcast princess Floria is suddenly in a position of power with a rebellion stoked by a certain brilliant tactician, in this thrilling sequel to Quillifer. Rogue. Joker. Lover. Reluctant conspirator. The ambitious young Quillifer was been knighted for services to the crown, but was then banished from court by a queen who finds him obnoxious. Now, after a two-year voyage to improve his fortunes, Quillifer returns to court and is plunged immediately into a maelstrom of intrigue that triggers duels, plots, amours, and rollicking adventure. Bounding back and forth from the high councils of state to the warm bed of his mistress, Quillifer must exert every ounce of seductive charm and low cunning in order to survive. Queen Berlauda’s foreign husband brings war in his wake, along with a clutch of officials who enforce the royal will with violence, torture, and judicial murder. A dragon menaces the realm, and political conspiracy threatens the life of Quillifer’s young patroness, Princess Floria. It’s the traditional job of a knight to fight dragons and rescue princesses, but Quillifer is hardly a traditional knight, and he brings to the job an array of unorthodox skills that dazzles his swarm of rivals, seduces their wives, and threatens the realm. But there’s a greater menace to Quillifer than deadly political intrigue, for once again he finds himself hunted by the cruel, beautiful, and vengeful goddess Orlanda.

Peleng is a planet ripe for the plucking, and Drake Maijstral is an Allowed Burglar rated in the Top Ten by the Imperial Sporting Commission. But what should be a simple case of breaking-and-plundering turns into an intergalactic crisis when Maijstral steals something so rare, so valuable, so utterly desirable, that everyone wants it— including well-armed Imperial spies, gun-toting human militias, a homicidal maniac with a very large sword, and a fanatical countess with a really, really nasty croquet habit. The Crown Jewels, by award-winning author Walter Jon Williams, is sophisticated science fiction comedy at its best.

Revised, Improved, and at a Better Price! “Walter Jon Williams has succeeded in creating the perfect contemporary space opera, revved up and ready to take the SF genre by force with all the artistry and panache one could ask for.” --Enigma “This is a hugely fun ride. It has empires crashing, civil wars, aliens, humans, scheming clans, plucky young heroes and villains fighting battles in huge starships--- what more can you ask for?” --Alien Online Following the Naxid revolt, the Empire of the Shaa has collapsed into defeat and chaos, leaving the star-crossed lovers Martinez and Sula light-years apart. While Martinez raids deep into enemy territory, he must solve a deadly mystery that threatens the integrity of his command. And Sula, stranded in the enemy-occupied capital, is forced to weld human and alien, law-abiding and criminal elements into an improvised army capable of striking at the very heart of rebellion. Only when they have clawed their way from the depths of defeat can Martinez and Sula meet in a blazing reunion that will determine whether the empire can survive. “Walter Jon Williams has been compared to writers as diverse as Patrick O’Brian and Jane Austen; both comparisons, bizarrely, make sense. This is classic space opera, elegantly written and beautifully plotted.” --Guardian

As our 88th issue was coming together, I noticed that we have a pair of jungle adventure novels—the first Bomba the Jungle Boy story, as well as Tarzan and the Lost Empire. So I’m going to bill it as a “Special Jungle Warrior Issue” and just add that it’s a fun one. #88 also includes two original mysteries (Mark Thielman, N.M. Cedeño) plus a bunch of other great modern and classic stories (Fritz Leiber! Day Keene! George O. Smith!). I would have gladly bought Anna Tambour’s story for Weird Tales when I was editing WT—don’t forget to check it out. (It falls somewhere between fantasy, crime, and Rod Serling’s the Twilight Zone. And we are super happy to welcome back Acquiring Editor Cynthia Ward, who brings us the Walter Jon Williams tale this time. We look forward to many more selections from her. Here’s the complete lineup: Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “License to Kill,” by Mark Thielman [Michael Bracken Presents short story] “The Case of the Burgled Bushels,” by Hal Charles. [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] “Short-Term Murder,” by N.M. Cedeño [Michael Bracken Presents short story] “Dead Men Do Tell Tales,” by Day Keene [short story] Bomba the Jungle Boy, by Roy Rockwood [novel] Science Fiction & Fantasy: “Lethe,” by Walter Jon Williams [Cynthia Ward Presents short story] “I Killed for a Lucky Strike,” by Anna Tambour [short story] “Atomic Bonanza,” by George O. Smith “Martians Keep Out!” by Fritz Leiber [short novel] Tarzan and the Lost Empire, by Edgar Rice Burroughs [novel]

Blending fast-paced military science fiction and space opera, the first volume in a dynamic trilogy from the New York Times bestselling author of The Praxis, set in the universe of his popular and critically acclaimed Dread Empire’s Fall series—a tale of blood, courage, adventure and battle in which the fate of an empire rests in the hands of a cadre of desperate exiles. It’s been seven years since the end of the Naxid War. Sidelined for their unorthodox tactics by a rigid, tradition-bound military establishment, Captain Gareth Martinez and Captain the Lady Sula are stewing in exile, frustrated and impatient to exercise the effective and lethal skills they were born to use in fighting the enemy. Yet after the ramshackle empire left by the Shaa conquerors is shaken by a series of hammer blows that threaten the foundations of the commonwealth, the result is a war that no one planned, no one expected, and no one knows how to end. Now, Martinez, Sula, and their confederate Nikki Severin must escape the clutches of their enemies, rally the disorganized elements of the fleet, and somehow restore the fragile peace—or face annihilation at the hands of a vastly superior force.

Favian Markham is a rising young American officer in during the War of 1812. As commander of the small, slow brig Experiment, he must break the British blockade and take his outgunned vessel on a daring raid into the Narrow Seas of England. On his desperate journey he faces duels, rivalries, ambitious politicians, yardarm-to-yardarm combat, and the deadly beauty of a foreign courtesan. Yet his greatest battle is not with the enemy, but with his own divided nature . . . Brig of War (originally published as The Raider) is one of the historical novels with which Walter Jon Williams began his career.

Nominated for both the Hugo and Nebula Award, City on Fire returns to the world-city of Metropolitan, a city dominated by plasm, the magical substance capable of both creation and destruction. With her help, Aiah’s lover Constantine has established himself in the metropolis of Caraqui, a nation dominated by corrupt officials, gangsters, and the genetically altered known as the “twisted.” Here they hope to create a revolution in the cosmic order--- but first they must fend off treachery, war, and the threat of Taikoen, the “hanged man,” a deadly creature that lives within plasm itself. Aiah must fight not only for her revolution and for her place in the world, but for Constantine’s very soul.

Loren Hawn is a traditional Western peace officer walking the streets of 21st Century New Mexico, and seemingly unaware that times have changed. And when a dying man named Randal falls out of a bullet-riddled car and dies in Loren’s arm, Loren finds he isn’t the only man living in the wrong time--- because he remembers pulling Randal’s dead body out of a wrecked car twenty years before. He knows the car belongs to a scientist who works at the high-security laboratory built on the outskirts of town, and he knows that if he doesn’t work fast, all evidence of a crime will disappear into national security vaults. In order to bring justice back to his community, Loren will have to risk everything, his life, his job, his faith, and his family. The Chicago Sun-Times said, "This is a novel that works marvelously on a variety of levels--- as an adventure story, a trek through personal entanglements, a study in detailed police techniques and an elightening lesson in theoretical science. And if that isn''t enough, it also offers a totally unexpected ending.

“For all of you who need some great fantasy to read while you''re waiting for The Winds of Winter...try Quillifer, by Walter Jon Williams. WJW is always fun, but this might be his best yet, a delight from start to finish, witty, colorful, exciting and amusing by turns, exquisitely written.” —George R. R. Martin, author of the Song of Ice and Fire series “Chock full of derring-do, blood and thunder, swashbuckling, and other good stuff.” —Paul di Filippo, Locus “You have risen as far as you can, and from this point, you may only fall. The matter is inevitable, and I need not intervene.” Quillifer’s archenemy, the beautiful and vengeful goddess Orlanda, predicts his inescapable fall from power, and Quillifer has to admit that she may be right. Quillifer has risen high at court. The butcher’s son is now a lord, and now is the confidential agent of the state, the caretaker of the kingdom’s secrets, and the secret lover of the young and brilliant Queen Floria. He finds himself surrounded by perils. The nobles are at odds with one another, but united in despising Quillifer. Someone has brought deadly poison into court, and Quillifer fears the Queen may be the intended victim. Another assassination plot is aimed at Quillifer himself, and an enemy nation has landed troops intending to topple Floria by force. Quillifer must solve every mystery, meet every danger, and discover every secret in order to guard himself and his love, Floria, from the dangers that beset them. Lord Quillifer marks the anticipated return of Walter Jon Williams, a New York Times bestselling author and multiple award-winning fantasy author.

Fantascienza - racconto lungo (26 pagine) - Da un maestro delle ucronie una divertente variazione sul mito del grande Elvis Presley Il ragazzo sa di avere avuto un fratello che era proprio come lui, se non per il fatto che è un angelo. Erano gemelli – gemelli identici, infatti i loro alluci avevano le stesse impronte digitali – e il più vecchio visse mentre il più giovane era nato morto. La madre del ragazzo dice che questo fatto lo rende speciale, che persino prima di nascere aveva reso suo fratello un angelo. Inizia così (in realtà c’è un breve brano introduttivo prima), con queste frasi toccanti e intriganti, uno dei migliori racconti di storia alternativa di Walter Jon Williams, che sarà poi ripreso anche nella classica raccolta annuale fatta da Gardner Dozois dei migliori titoli apparsi nell’anno precedente (si era nel 1994). Williams è sempre stato un amante del “what if”, delle infinite possibilità offerte dalle ucronie alla fantasia degli autori di fantascienza. Stavolta ci presenta un ritratto umano e affascinante di un Elvis Presley assai diverso da quello che abbiamo conosciuto.... Apparso sulla prestigiosa antologia Alternate Outlaws, curata dal compianto Mike Resnick, Elvis il Rosso è uno dei nuovi racconti di Walter Jon Williams che abbiamo acquisito e che pubblicheremo in questa collana, dopo Emersione, Elegia per angeli e cani e Il giorno dell’incarnazione, La Piramide Sommersa della Dinastia Tang, Argonautica. Nato nel 1953 a Duluth nel Minnesota, Walter Jon Williams si è laureato in letteratura inglese all''università del Nuovo Messico, dove attualmente vive e lavora. Autore di una ventina di romanzi, tra cui ricordiamo Hardwired (1986), La voce del vortice (1987), Stazione Angelica (1989), Aristoi (1992), Metropolitan (1995), di sceneggiature cinematografiche e televisive e di numerosi racconti, ha vinto due volte il premio Nebula, la prima nel 2001 con il racconto Daddy''s world e, successivamente, nel 2004, con L''era del flagello (The Green Leopard Plague), pubblicato in Italia nella collana Odissea Delos. Autore eclettico e dotato, Walter Jon Williams ha attraversato varie fasi nella sua carriera. Dopo un inizio influenzato da Roger Zelazny, è poi diventato uno degli esponenti di spicco del cyberpunk degli inizi degli anni novanta con il gradevole I guerrieri dell''interfaccia (Hardwired), per poi raggiungere la piena maturità con opere come La voce del vortice, Stazione Angelica, Aristoi.

Thank you, Mr. Vance / Dean Koontz -- Preface / Jack Vance -- The True vintage of Erzuine Thale / Robert Silverberg -- Grolion of Almery / Matthew Hughes -- The Copsy Door / Terry Downling -- Caulk the witch-chaser / Liz Williams -- Inescapable / Mike Resnick -- Abrizonde / Walter Jon Williams -- The Traditions of Karzh / Paula Volsky -- The Final quest of the Wizard Sarnod / Jeff Vandermeer -- The Green bird / Kage Baker -- The Last golden thread / Phyllis Eisenstein -- An Incident at Uskvesk / Elizabeth Moon -- Sylgarmo''s Proclamation / Lucius Shepard -- The Lamentably comical tragedy (or the laughably tragic comedy) of Lixal Laoavee / Tad Williams -- Guyal the Curator / John C. Wright -- The Good magician / Glenn Cook -- The Return of the Fire Witch / Elizabeth Hand -- The Collegeum of Mauge / Byron Tetrick -- Evillo the Cunning / Tanith Lee -- The Guiding nose of Ulf?nt Banderoz / Dan Simmons -- Frogskin cap / Howard Waldrop -- A Night at Tarn House / George R.R. Martin -- An Invocation of incuriosity / Neil Gaiman.

Plasma ist Leben und Tod Plasma ist die geheimnisvolle Energie, die durch den Untergrund der erdumspannenden Stadt strömt. Es ist die magische Kraft, die alles in Bewegung hält und die mit lebenden Organismen interagiert. Wer diese Kraft meistert, kann ebenso heilen wie töten. Plasma ist deswegen die Quelle der politischen Macht auf dem Planeten. Als Aiah, eine farbige Außenseiterin im Polizeidienst, in den Ruinen eines unterirdischen Terminals eine offenbar unendliche Plasmaquelle entdeckt, weiß sie, dass sie finanziell ausgesorgt hat. Aber sie weiß auch, dass sie fortan ein verdammt gefährliches Leben führen wird ...

This is Walter Jon Williams’ first published work, one of the historical novels with which he began his career. The American Revolution is throwing up a new breed of hero, Yankee privateers who dare the might of the Royal Navy to slash at British commerce. Foremost among them are the three Markham brothers, Jehu, Josiah, and Malachi, who link their destiny to that of their young nation, and seek their fortune in the cannon’s mouth.

Rock of Ages: He''s the Human Constellation''s number-one-rated Allowed Burglar, one of a very select few permitted to rob the public and keep his plunder - provided he performs with style and avoids getting caught before the caper is broadcast galaxy-wide to his enormous audience. Drake is so famous as an Allowed Burglar that he has been invited to join the Diadem, the group of celebrities who are well-known enough to need only one name, and whose every movement is recorded and broadcast, and sighed over by billions of humans and aliens in both the Empire and the Human Constellation. Maijstral has made himself a legend by declining to join. But being Number One has its drawbacks. Suddenly you become the target of every other Allowed Burglar in the system. You can''t go anywhere without being suspected of every theft that occurs, and your friends suddenly become all too cautious about their valuables. And then there are the Duels. Drake Maijstral can tolerate the constant suspicion and the suddenly cancelled invitations. But the challenges to fight to the death over imagined breaches of hospitality are too much for him. The last straw comes when Drake himself is the victim of a burglary that is clearly a challenge to his status. Someone has stolen Drake''s father''s coffin, the hibernation module that maintains the old Duke in his status as Legally Dead. Clearly, something must be done.

“Walter Jon Williams has succeeded in creating the perfect contemporary space opera, revved up and ready to take the SF genre by force with all the artistry and panache one could ask for.” --Enigma “This is a hugely fun ride. It has empires crashing, civil wars, aliens, humans, scheming clans, plucky young heroes and villains fighting battles in huge starships--- what more can you ask for?” --Alien Online The Empire of the Shaa has collapsed into civil war. The alien Naxids, striving for dominion, have already won a massive victory, and stand ready to take the capital. Two star-crossed lovers, the young officers Gareth Martinez and Caroline Sula, have developed a plan to thwart Naxid rule, but first they must overcome the opposition of the entrenched political establishment, as well as their own distrust of one another. Only then can they enter combat, and try to reunite the sundered empire. “Walter Jon Williams has been compared to writers as diverse as Patrick O’Brian and Jane Austen; both comparisons, bizarrely, make sense. This is classic space opera, elegantly written and beautifully plotted.” --Guardian

"Interstellar adventure has a new king" --George R.R. Martin This special edition of Investments also contains the story "The Stickpin," never before seen in print and unavailable anywhere else. Investments finds Gareth Martinez unable to find a meaningful post due to the hostility of his superiors. He''s accepted a meaningless post as Inspector General of Chee, a newly-settled world. Intending nothing more than a pleasant vacation with his family, he first stumbles across a murderous conspiracy, and then learns he must battle a literal cosmic menace that threatens to wipe out all life on the planet. In "The Stickpin," set in the Naxid War, Caroline Sula leads the resistance against the Naxid occupiers, and shows how a pleasant afternoon stroll can have deadly consequences to the enemy.

This is a landmark anthology of four original novellas by the reigning masters of alternate history. Set in different eras, different places, and different times, these forays into "what might have been" showcases the stunning breadth and far-reaching possibilities the genre represents.

Walter Jon Williams writes a compelling sequel to Roger Zelazny''s The Graveyard Heart (included in this volume). The Set, an ultimately priveleged group of people in cold-sleep, has survived several hundred years into the future, but a new member of the elite has his own interests at heart.

Game based on the novel Hardwired, by Walter Jon Williams; and played on the basic Cyberpunk game set.