New Releases by Walter Jon Williams

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]

LA CITTÀ E L''ABISSO (1997) Aiah, la protagonista di Metropolitan, deve difendere Constantine nell''immensa città di Caraqui, alimentata dalla possente energia del plasma. L''obiettivo di Constantine è chiaro: per liberare l''umanità dalla prigionia bisogna distruggere lo Scudo. Ma un nemico pericoloso si cela nell''ombra, capace di annientare le sue vittime dall''interno. Nominato per il premio Nebula nel 1997 e per l''Hugo nel 1998, City on Fire, che «Urania Collezione» ha presentato in due volumi, questo e Città di fuoco (n. 238), è il sequel di Metropolitan e ci riporta su Caraqui, dove si dipanano leggende, storie, sogni, geografie, maghi dai poteri immensi ed entità insondabili...

CITTÀ DI FUOCO (1997) La guerra è finita. Aiah e Constantine hanno vinto. Ma ora il Metropolita che lei stessa ha messo al potere le chiede di formare una nuova squadra per sconfiggere la Mano d''Argento e i suoi seguaci che minacciano la stabilità di Città Nuova. Nominato per il premio Nebula nel 1997 e per l''Hugo nel 1998, City on Fire, che «Urania Collezione» presenta in due volumi, questo e La città e l''abisso, di prossima uscita nella nostra collana, è il sequel di Metropolitan e ci riporta su Caraqui. È arrivato il momento di sfondare lo scudo che separa la città dallo spazio!

“Interstellar adventure has a new king, and his name is Walter Jon Williams.” —George R.R. Martin Blending fast-paced military science fiction and space opera, the third and final 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, comes a tale of blood, courage, adventure, and battle in which the fate of an empire rests in the hands of two lovers. Shattered Victory Star-crossed lovers Gareth Martinez and Caroline Sula have decisively beaten the forces of the corrupt Zanshaa government. It seems all there’s left to do is to travel to the capital of Zanshaa to reunite the empire under the banner of the Restoration. Before they can sweep up the pieces, though, it’s revealed that any advance would spring an enemy trap. To make things worse, their opponents have more resources than Martinez and Sula could have imagined, and a superior force is now aimed at the heart of the Restoration. Shattered Love But before Martinez and Sula can contend with the gathering enemy forces, a surprising act of violence on Sula’s part threatens their relationship—and damages their trust. Hurt and confused, Martinez sends Sula into exile while he tries to recover from his broken heart. Somehow, these two lovers must repair their relationship in order to defeat this new enemy threat... especially when more than love is at stake.

Welcome to Black Cat Weekly #39. It’s hard to believe BCW is 39! As with every magazine, our goals include not just entertaining our readers, but making every issue better than the last. I finally feel like we’re on top of production methods, and the contents keep offering a selection of great stories for every reader’s taste. (If you can’t find something you love here, I’d be very surprised.) From classic pulp fiction to modern SF and mysteries (not to mention our ventures into adventure fiction and westerns), we cover all the bases. Here''s the lineup: Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “Last Seen Heading East” by Joseph S. Walker [Michael Bracken Presents short story] “A Little Boy Is Missing,” by Saul Golubcow [short story] “A Secret Admirer,” by Hal Charles [solve-it-yourself mystery] “A Close Shave,” by Art Taylor [Barb Goffman Presents short story] The Case of Angus Blair, by Hulbert Footner [novel] The Affair in Death Valley, by Clifford Knight [novel] Science Fiction & Fantasy: “The Last Ride of German Freddie,” by Walter Jon Williams [Cynthia Ward Presents short story] “The Rat Aloft,” by John Gregory Betancourt [short story] “A Question of Salvage,” by Malcolm Jameson [novella] “The Secret of Kralitz,” by Henry Kuttner [short story] “The Monster-God of Mamurth,” by Edmond Hamilton [short story]

"Space opera the way it ought to be . . . Bujold and Weber, bend the knee; interstellar adventure has a new king, and his name is Walter Jon Williams."—George R. R. Martin Following The Accidental War, the second book of a brand-new series set in the Praxis—an epic mix of space opera and military science fiction, from a grand master of science fiction, Walter Jon Williams. The Praxis, the empire of now extinct Shaa, has again fallen into civil war, with desperate and outnumbered humans battling several alien species for survival. Leading the human forces are star-crossed lovers Gareth Martinez and Caroline Sula, who must find a way to overcome their own thorny personal history to defeat the aliens and assure humanity’s survival. But even if the human fleet is victorious, the divisions fracturing the empire may be too wide to repair, as battles between politicians, the military, and fanatics who want to kill every alien threaten to further tear the empire apart. While Martinez and Sula believe they have the talent and tactics to defeat an overwhelming enemy, what will prevent their fellow humans from destroying themselves?

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.

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.

"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.

“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 From New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Walter Jon Williams comes an adventurous epic fantasy about a man who is forced to leave his comfortable life and find his fortune among goddesses, pirates, war, and dragons. Rogue. Joker. Lover. Reluctant soldier. Quillifer is a young man, serially in love and studying law, when a family tragedy throws him into the world to seek his fortune. A charmer rather than a fighter, he soon finds himself embroiled with a bandit gang, caught up in vicious court intrigues, and the plaything of an angry, beautiful, and very jealous goddess. While he struggles to establish himself in the capital, the country finds itself pitched into a civil war, and Quillifer, a unwilling soldier at best, finds himself caught up in the action, and able to tip the scales of fortune. Quillifer, with its engaging hero and his exploits with lovers, brawlers, warriors, and privateers, is a book that bursts with life. It’s the first volume in a new epic fantasy by bestselling and award-winning author Walter Jon Williams.

Fantascienza - romanzo (122 pagine) - Uno splendido romanzo ucronico ambientato durante la Guerra di Secessione americana Jase Miller è un mercenario della Guerra Civile Americana al soldo degli Stati Confederati. Assieme alla sua ciurma improvvisata, apparentemente alle dipendenze dei capi militari della Marina Confederata, Jase riesce a impadronirsi di una corazzata praticamente invincibile e, sfuggendo a battaglie e imboscate delle navi yankee sui corsi d’acqua del sud, a mettersi alla ricerca di un misterioso tesoro in soldoni d’oro di una banca del Sud, custodito da un’affascinante e bella ereditiera dagli strani poteri... Argonautica, teoricamente un’ucronia ambientata nel sud degli Stati Uniti ai tempi appunto della Guerra Civile (un periodo storico che ha sempre affascinato e colpito gli scrittori americani), è in realtà un pezzo di bravura, una incredibile riscrittura del mito di Giasone e Medea, e del Vello d’Oro. Un’opera, quasi un romanzo per la sua lunghezza, che solo un autore come Walter Jon Williams poteva concepire, un autore capace di passare nel corso della sua carriera, con eccezionale bravura, dalle suggestione intime e poetiche di opere riecheggianti i capolavori di Roger Zelazny alle tematiche hard e violente del cyberpunk, giungendo infine a una sintesi perfetta dei valori tecnologici e di quelli umanistici che rimane tipica della migliore fantascienza moderna. Apparso sulla prestigiosa Asimov’s Science fiction Magazine nel 1999, Argonautica è il quinto romanzo breve di Walter Jon Williams che pubblichiamo in questa collana, dopo Emersione, Elegia per angeli e cani, Il giorno dell’incarnazione e La Piramide Sommersa della Dinastia Tang. 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.

THIS IS NOT A GAME is a novel built around the coolest phenomenon in the world. That phenomenon is known as the Alternate Reality Game, or ARG. It''s big, and it''s getting bigger. It''s immersive and massively interactive, and it''s spreading through the Internet at the speed of light. To the player, the Alternate Reality Game has no boundaries. You can be standing in a parking lot, or a shopping center. A pay phone near you will ring, and on the other end will be someone demanding information. You''d better have the information handy. ARGs combine video, text adventure, radio plays, audio, animation, improvisational theater, graphics, and story into an immersive experience. Now, one of science fiction''s most acclaimed writers, Walter Jon Williams, brings this extraordinary phenomenon to life in a pulse-pounding thriller. This is not a game. This is a novel that will blow your mind.

"Walter Jon Williams kills every damn time." ---Junot Diaz, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Steward is a Beta- a clone. In his memories, he''s an elite commando for an orbital policorp- but because his Alpha never did a brain-scan update, Steward''s memories are fifteen years out of date . . . and in those fifteen years, everything has changed. An interstellar war destroyed the company that held his allegiance. His wife has divorced him, along with the second wife that he can''t even remember. Most of his comrades died in a useless battle on a world called Sheol, and those who survived are irrevocably scarred. An alien race has arrived and become the center of a complex and deadly intrigue. And someone has murdered him. "Fast-moving, hard-driving, with a robust well-handled plot . . . a stirring and heartening performance." - Kirkus Reviews "Walter Jon Williams proves that he is a master of action, character and galaxy-spanning plots." - Fantasy Review "A combination of fast action, gritty realism, and high-tech polytechnics that is certain to be popular with Williams'' growing audience." -Booklist. "(Williams) is a master of the intricate yet fast-paced plot- the essence of thrillers and novels of political intrigue." -Locus

New York Times-Bestselling, Nebula Award–Winning Author: "One of the great space opera series of all time continues . . . [a] masterful writer." —James Patrick Kelly, Hugo Award–winning author of The First Law of Thermodynamics Having offended her superiors by winning a battle without permission, Caroline Sula has been posted to the planet Earth, a dismal backwater where careers go to die. But Sula has always been fascinated by Earth history, and she plans to reward herself with a long, happy vacation amid the ancient monuments of humanity''s home world. Sula may be an Earth history buff, but there are aspects of her own history she doesn''t want known. Exposure is threatened when an old acquaintance turns up unexpectedly. Someone seems to be forging evidence that would send her to prison. And that''s all before someone tries to kill her . . . If she''s going to survive, Sula has no choice but to make some history of her own. "Well-drawn characters, and excellent wordsmithing . . . It feels like Williams is having a great time with Impersonations." — Locus "Readers will savor this intriguing glimpse into the life of a woman who struggles with her own identity and the price of her action." — Publishers Weekly "Interstellar adventure has a new king." —George R.R. Martin

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

“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

ROMANZO BREVE (78 pagine) - FANTASCIENZA - Aveva dedicato tutta la vita allo studio degli abissi e dei suoi immensi e misteriosi abitanti. Romanzo finalista ai premi Hugo e Nebula "Emersione" è la storia di Anthony, biologo marino che ha dedicato la sua vita allo studio delle balene e degli Abitanti degli Abissi, oscure e immense creature oceaniche. Solo raccogliendo dati preziosi e lavorando al largo, lontano dal mondo umano che tanto lo ha segnato, Anthony riesce ad affogare i dolori di un passato travagliato. Giovane in un mondo di vecchi immortali, profondamente segnato, a volte violento, Anthony dovrà infine fare i conti con se stesso e con le scelte della sua vita quando incontrerà Philana, una donna altrettanto problematica, anch''essa amante dei cetacei e degli oceani. Solo insieme riusciranno ad affrontare le difficoltà di un universo ostile e alieno, in cui convivono esseri intelligenti e pacifici come le balene e alieni potentissimi e imperscrutabili provenienti da un''altra dimensione. Una storia possente e tormentata, tempestosa come i mari del pianeta alieno, in cui si alternano momenti di rara violenza e autodistruzione ad altri di umana passione e tenerezza. 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 Books. 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." Apparso sulla prestigiosa Asimov SF Magazine e candidato allo Hugo e al Nebula nel 1989 come miglior romanzo breve, "Emersione" ("Surfacing") è la terza novella di Walter Jon Williams che pubblichiamo in questa collana, dopo "Elegia per angeli e cani" e "Il giorno dell''incarnazione".

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.

A Philip K Dick Award-nominated novel. Eight hundred years ago Doran Falkner gave humanity the stars, and he now lives with his regrets on a depopulated Earth among tumbledown ruins and ancient dreams brought to life by modern technology. But word now comes that alien life has been discovered on a distant world, life so strange and impossible that the revelation of its secrets could change everything. A disillusioned knight on the chessboard of the gods, Doran must confront his own lost promise, his lost love, and his lost humanity, to make the move that will revive the fortunes both of humans and aliens . . . "Knight Moves is an engrossing and evocative read, a tale of immortality and love and death rendered in a style that reminds me more than a little of the early Roger Zelazny. Williams’ people are intriguing and sympathetic, and his portrait of an Earth left transformed and empty by a humanity gone to the stars, where aliens dig among ancient ruins for old comic books while the creatures of legends stir and walk again, will linger in my memory for a long time. Williams is a writer to watch, and– more importantly– to read." –--George R.R. Martin, author of Game of Thrones "Knight Moves uses an unmatched cast of characters, human and otherwise, to tell an intriguing story." –-- Fred Saberhagen, author of the Book of Swords Trilogy

Written with care, intelligence, and grace, [Aristoi] depicts a future society based on highly developed computers and biological engineering, the key skills of which are controlled by an elite known as the Aristoi. This world is depicted meticulously and vividly, and so is the near war of all against all that is unleashed when one of the Aristoi falls prey to the corruption of power. A fine, thoughtful work, highly recommended; Williams seems to grow with each book. ---Roland Green, Chicago Sun-Times Beneath the facade of universal prosperity, however, lurks a tide of dissension and madness that can only be fought from within. Williams tests the borders of imagination in a novel that combines brilliant hard science and speculative vision with a firm grip on the central humanity of his characters. A priority purchase for sf collections. ---Library Journal In this complex and rewarding novel, Williams has created a future which features many of the wonders SF has been promising us for years: virtual reality, genetic engineering, faster-than-light travel, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, telepathic links with computers, and more. ---Publishers Weekly Gabriel is one of the Aristoi, the elite class that hold dominion over a glittering interstellar culture, their rule more absolute than that of any Old Earth tyrant. When another of the Aristoi is murdered, Gabriel finds that the foundations of his civilization are tottering, and that his own power may have its roots in the greatest lie in all history. In order to defend himself and the interstellar order, Gabriel must go on a quest into the heart of barbarism and chaos, and discover within himself his own lost, tattered humanity.

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.

"The Rift would be a very good beach book, if you could put it down long enough to get into the water." —— The San Diego Union Tribune FRACTURE LINES PERMEATE THE CENTRAL UNITED STATES. Some comprise the New Madrid fault, the most dangerous earthquake zone in the world. Other fracture lines are social—— economic, religious, racial, and ethnic. What happens when they all crack at once? Caught in the disaster as cities burn and bridges tumble, young Jason Adams finds himself adrift on the Mississippi with African-American engineer Nick Ruford. A modern-day Huck and Jim, they spin helplessly down the river and into the widening faults in American society, encountering violence and hope, compassion and despair, and the primal wilderness that threatens to engulf not only them, but all they love... " A breakout book that you''ll swear the author lived" —— SF Age "I don''t like disaster novels. I would not have even glanced at The Rift if it weren''t backed by Walter Jon Williams'' reputation for excellence. And I definitely would not have kept reading if Williams hadn''t demonstrated on every page that he deserves his reputation. The result? I was so engrossed in—— and engaged by ——The Rift that I forgot that I don''t like disaster novels. This book is an impressive achievement.” —— Stephen R. Donaldson, New York Times bestselling author of The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant "The Rift is bloody wonderful! Williams brings an historic disaster back for an encore and metaphorically flattens it again. This is the stuff for which sleep is lost--and awards are made." —— Dean Ing "The Rift shakes up the world like it''s never been shaken before." —— Fred Saberhagen "[For fans of the disaster novel] Williams delivers the requisite thrills and setpieces—— but he also, to paraphrase Conrad, offers a bit of that truth for which they forgot to ask." —— Locus

“Well-developed characters, an intriguing plot and a clear-eyed view of the double-edged sword called change make [AMBASSADOR OF PROGRESS] an engrossing book...” LIBRARY JOURNAL “Williams has an above-average knack for fast pacing, gritty realism, and high-tech details.” BOOKLIST An interstellar catastrophe has left humanity scattered on dozens of primitive worlds. Fiona is an emissary to one such world, charged with helping the inhabitants of Echidne rise from barbarism. But once she’s arrived on the planet, she finds herself in the middle of a war... the Brodaini, the world’s most ferocious warriors, have risen in revolt against their overlords. The combat soon threatens to become a war of extermination. Fiona is a neutral. But Echidne is proving a perilous place for neutrals...

RACCONTO LUNGO (54 pagine) - FANTASCIENZA - Alison è una ragazza brillante e geniale. Ha solo un problema: è virtuale, e nel mondo futuro ipotizzato da Walter Jon Williams non tutti i giovani virtuali riescono a sopravvivere fino alla maggiore età.... In tutte le società, in tutte le epoche, la transizione dalla giovinezza all''età adulta, il momento in cui si diventa maggiorenni, è un punto di svolta profondo e significativo, a volte addirittura rischioso. Ma mai quanto nella società futura che così brillantemente ci viene descritta da Walter Jon Williams in questo racconto, in cui la riuscita nel passaggio alla maggior età fa la differenza tra ricevere un corpo, e una vita, oppure... essere cancellati. Bello e toccante, "Il giorno dell''incarnazione" ("Incarnation Day", uscito sulla prestigiosa antologia di Jack Dann e Gardner Dozois "Escape from Earth" nel 2006) è una variazione sul tema del mondo virtuale e dell''essenza dell''umanità, e si basa sul presupposto che i giovani manterranno le loro prerogative di vivacità, intelligenza e rabbia contro gli adulti anche se il loro essere viene rimosso dalla carne e da un corpo tradizionale. 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."

ROMANZO (132 pagine) - FANTASCIENZA - Il primo capolavoro di Walter Jon Williams, un romanzo affascinante che racconta le avventure decadenti di un gruppo di immortali, ispirato alle opere del grande RogerZelazny. Lamoral è un ricchissimo principe teutonico della famiglia Thurn und Taxis, che ha ascendenze fino alle dinastie medievali germaniche e possiede una quantità imprecisata di terreni e castelli. Assieme ad altri nobili o ricchi industriali del vicino futuro fa parte del Giro delle Feste e vive in un mondo di sogno, ibernato per gran parte del tempo e isolato dalle miserie e dalle guerre che sconvolgono la vita dei comuni mortali. Il Giro delle Feste fa il tour del sistema solare, passando dalle calde Bermuda alle gelide distese di Ariele e delle lune di Urano, nella decadente mondanità di amori turbinosi e improvvisi, coi sensi assopiti da droghe nuove come il Lilt, per la gioia dei milioni di osservatori silenziosi che assistono da lontano alle avventure degli immortali. Ma anche in questo nuovo paradiso terrestre si aggira il serpente dell''invidia e della violenza: la morte di un importante protagonista del Giro porterà lo scompiglio in un equilibrio già instabile, in un susseguirsi di avvincenti avvenimenti che cambierà radicalmente lo stato del circo degli immortali. Un romanzo affascinante, ambientato in un mondo creato da Roger Zelazny e narrato con uno stile lirico e barocco che riprende in maniera esemplare quello del grande maestro e ispiratore. 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." Questo "Elegia per angeli e cani", del 1990, è uno splendido omaggio a Roger Zelazny. Scritto in origine come seguito del classico "The Graveyard Heart" di Zelazny, rappresenta uno dei momenti più alti della carriera di WJW, sia per lo stile lirico ed evocativo sia per la magnifica narrazione di un vicino futuro dove, ai drammi della normale umanità, si contrappone la vita spensierata di un gruppo di ricchi aristocratici che vivono in un mondo fatato, alternando decenni di ibernazione a momenti di feste sfarzose.

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.