First Contact

Following their successful escape from Androchida Prime’s capital city, Sir Chuck and the rest of the Phantoms find themselves mystified by unsettling news. The leader of the Blood Guard resistance, famed General Cordan, has defected to the AE. But while many doubt the veracity of the development, more pressing intel awaits: the empire is planning to invade the Sci-Rung home world.

Ariock Dovanack never asked to be a hero, let alone a demigod. But when a prophecy deemed him "The One," he dutifully amassed thousands of messianic followers in the sun-starved civilization beneath the Torth Empire's capital. Now, destined to lead the cave-dwelling Alashani people into the light of other worlds, he and a small army must first annihilate the formidable telepaths who guard the city's spaceport. By Ariock's side is Thomas Hill. A Torth/human hybrid, Thomas may be physically vulnerable, but he's also a telepathic supergenius.

She's an oracle. She knows that trouble is closing in. However, there's an instant in which she could escape, and so could those she loves. Too bad she's surrounded herself with ridiculously noble allies. The kind of self-sacrificing, kind, clever, and resolute people who force you to love them…then go off to risk their lives for the greater good. Of course, Cherry has to rescue them. And if she's rescuing those she loves, maybe she could save everyone else along the way.

Having been separated from his mother when Green Bank was commandeered by the Cosmics, Bobbie Cagle is left with Imago, the extraterrestrial guide who somehow saved him from catastrophe. Forced into hiding after being labeled a terrorist, Bobbie develops his telepathic powers under the tutelage of Imago, and the results prove staggering. Will they, however, be nearly enough to find endangered Angie and bring Earth back from the brink?

First, the stars in the Milkey Way go dark. Then everyone on earth hears in their minds a very real voice speaking in their own language, dialect, and gender at the precise same time: ''Judgment of the inhabitants of the planet Earth will be held in five days. Please prepare yourselves for the final examination and departure. That is all". Humanity prepares for the rapture. But wait, fate takes a turn.

Sixty-seven years ago the Qash'vo'tar conquered Earth. Ever since then, the aliens had ruled from above. The Qash'vo'tar did not care what humanity did on the ground, as long as they didn't attempt to build anything that could get them to the stars. And now, sixty-seven years after they had been conquered, it was time for humanity to show the Qash'vo'tar that they had been right to fear humanity.

The only way I've been surviving through the chronic pain of my mutation is the drug, Kixx. I hate what the addiction has done to me, but what I resent the most is that I've had to barter with a lowlife Rogastix for my supply. One day, he shows off his new property-a human female. He makes me a deal to protect her until he can exchange her for a healthy supply of Kixx of which I'll get a lion's share.

Joshua has a life. He's attending college. He's in love. A secret crime fighting agency brings him into their fold and gives him a new name, Bear. A world opens up with aliens, and drugs that can control the minds of the strongest men. They want Bear to find the leader of the biggest crime syndicate on Earth, Centurian. They make him point on missions, and it makes him feel like he's doing the right thing.

"Who Goes There?" is the novella that formed the basis of John Carpenter's classic film The Thing. Campbell's classic story tells of an Antarctic research base that discovers and thaws the ancient, frozen body of a crash-landed alien with terrifying results!

In the title story, a man's newfound ability to walk in the past allows him to dwell among dinosaurs, saber-toothed tigers . . . and something even more timeless. In "Construction Shack," the first manned expedition to Pluto reveals that no matter how advanced aliens may be, even they don't always get everything right. And in "Univac 2200," the thin line between humans creating technology and humans becoming technology is about to be crossed-and there may be no going back.

The Tyr stand on the brink of extinction. The Clay family has one last desperate plan to save the Tyr. Sarah leads an infiltration team of Tyr deep behind the invader's lines, but can she trust the Hidden caste operatives with her? David carries the device that could sever the planet from the threat of Director Zike, while Tyr traitors are on his trail and will stop at nothing to obey their new masters and to exact revenge against General Fastal. As the Tyr fight for survival, secrets will be revealed with implications for the galaxy far beyond what happens on their world.

His name is Taylor McFadden, survivor of eighty-three trips into the ZOO. Now, he's retired, and yet his country needs his skills to save people in the country he calls home.

Piper fled Olympus Station with a broken heart, finding solace in the far reaches of the galaxy as an exobotanist breeding rare plants. She left behind an unspoken love and a cruel sister, who enjoyed making her suffer. Eight years later, the last person she expects to hear from is her sister’s husband, Weston Templeton—especially bearing the news her estranged sister is near death, and her baby needs a womb to continue developing after Pippa’s passing.

Humanity's last stand. An attack by unknown aliens has devastated the Nova Fortuna colony. Its long-term survival seems impossible. But the colonists aren't going down without a fight. Ethan must prepare the Gens for their final battle. Geneticist Cariad must decide whether to reactivate the sinister Guardians to aid in the colony's defense. Earth is lost. The new world settlers are without hope. When the moment to decide humanity's fate arrives, will they be ready?

The Voraxian king has come again—and this time, he's come for me. I've got no desire to be claimed by the alien king. Blue skin, seven feet, and strapped with muscle, I've seen what his kind does to humans. And I don't care that he watches me with hunger.