Fantasy Patrick

After risking everything, Grant and Leah Walton are finally reunited. But it's no happy ending. As the reality of the situation dawns on their neighbors, the Waltons find themselves the subject of more than idle curiosity. Not everyone can be trusted. People they counted as friends now look at them with suspicion and fear. Faced with neighbors determined to take all they have, Grant and Leah prepare to leave. But strangers have other plans.

A boy named Seth drowns, desperate and alone in his final moments, losing his life as the pounding sea claims him. But then he wakes. He is naked, thirsty, starving. But alive. How is that possible? He remembers dying, his bones breaking, his skull dashed upon the rocks. So how is he here? And where is this place? It looks like the suburban English town where he lived as a child, before an unthinkable tragedy happened and his family moved to America.

From Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, here are the best stories of 2002, written by four of the most respected writers of our day: Robert Silverberg, James Patrick Kelly, Ian Watson, and Gregory Benford. Also try The Best of Analog Science Fiction and Fact Magazine and The Best of Fantasy and Science Fiction Magazine 2002.

On Day Zero, the collapse of civilization was as instantaneous as it was inevitable. A mysterious and oppressive movement rose to power in the aftermath, forcing people into isolated communes run like regimes. Kayle Jenner finds himself trapped on a remote beach, and all that remains of his life before is the vague and haunting vision of his son. In his relentless search for his son, Kayle will discover more than just his lost past. He will discover the truth behind Day Zero - a truth that makes both fools and gods of men.

Three years have passed since Cha Ming’s arrival in Verdant Crossroads. He would like nothing more than to settle down, but his peaceful days have come to an end. To fully revive the Monkey King, he agrees to journey to the Sacred Kerava Desert. The Runebound Clan seeks the ruins of an ancient city, as well as the treasures that lie within.

In the aftermath of Gettysburg, the 35th Regiment of the Union Army were pulled through a time warp, leaving them stranded in a strange alien world. Now it's time for exploration - and to discover a way to survive.

The Concord is in shambles after the return of the Statu, but under the guidance of the Zilph'i, trust is slowly being rebuilt. Thomas Baldwin remains confident in his team, the secrets of his ship and the Concord no longer a dire threat. While the Founders continue to appease the Concord members, the Border Wars are picking up steam, and Constantine is sent to the far reaches of space to the Zilph'i homeworld to request the Ugna's aid.

A 55 year-old professor of physics at Harvard University, Mark Peterson creates a time machine and uses it to travel back to 1973 and revisit his first love, Lena Mendleson. When traveling to his past, he does not arrive as a double of himself but takes over the body of his younger self which goes into a limbo state.

I can't believe so many of my human friends have fallen in love with aliens. Sure, the Sea Sand warlords are strong and tall, and some might even say good-looking. I still think it's absolutely nuts to jump into a relationship with one of them. I will be avoiding all of that, thank you very much. That's what I keep trying to tell Galok, the arrogant, grinning warrior who refuses to leave me alone. I can't figure out what his deal is. There are far more willing humans than me in our camp, and we aren't even supposed to be mates in the first place.

Cha Ming’s qi core is broken. Practicing martial arts is difficult and painful. But the Monkey King is fading fast, and he’ll need something stronger than mortal medicine to recover. To that end, Cha Ming must cross the Bridge of Stars. The competition is stiff, and it will be hard to pass, even with the three-tailed fox Huxian by his side. It’s a good thing he meets a pretty lady who’s only too happy to help.

A war between angels and devils is in full swing, and it’s a war Cha Ming can’t avoid. To deal a pre-emptive blow, he journeys to the South. His mission? Infiltrate the Wang family. Incriminate it. Then break it. Back in Gold Leaf City, Wang Jun is in a neck-and-neck competition with his brother. He’s given up on fairness and will use any means necessary to win. Hong Xin and her courtesans are helping him from the shadows, but as head of the Red Dust Pavilion, she has her own worries....

Gears have been turning for centuries, and war has broken out. Cha Ming and Feng Ming rush to shore up the North’s meager defenses before devils from the South overrun them. No country can escape. In Gold Leaf City, Wang Jun has betrayed the North. He loathes his own actions, but he will do what he must to protect his beloved. He weaves a deep web while walking on the edge of a razor. A single misstep will cost him everything.

Steven Drokharis has built an empire that stretches across the United States and around the world. He seems unstoppable - a force of nature and a creature of wrath. But now, he’ll have to deal with something deadlier than enemies...Dragonsoul allies. Exiled from America and on the run, Steven and his escort of beautiful women will have to unravel the secrets of the past to save their future.

Mercy has been keeping a secret from his loved ones and his village. A secret that could very well end his life. Descended from a group of ancient warriors from Aitus, Mercy is destined to become the greatest Keeper of Light the planet has ever seen, but one mistake will cost him everything.

Watchman by day, vigilante by night, Shadowbane's world is turned upside down when he runs across a powerful wizard - in the form of a confused, hunted girl who finds herself at the heart of a fell plot. When his friends start dying and the girl is kidnapped, Shadowbane must choose between the darkness and the light in his heart: to avenge the deaths of his friends, or to let the villain live to face - and possibly escape - justice.

What Paige Campbell saw when she opened a door into 70 years from now scared the hell out of her. She and her Tangent colleagues brought their terrible discovery to the President and were met with a hail of automatic gunfire after leaving the White House. Only Paige survived.

Sometimes the only way out is to fall further in…

As Earth's leaders gather to usher in a new era of interplanetary cooperation, a remarkable discovery in the skies above New Kerguelen threatens to destroy the peace on both worlds....

When Cha Ming goes to help his friend Wang Jun’s ailing business in the capital, the last thing he expected was to compete with a seer. Their opponent is always one step ahead, and it’s sink or swim in this devil-infested marketplace. To make matters worse, the king has been poisoned. Cha Ming is barely keeping him alive. If they don’t find a cure, a fight for succession is all but certain....

When legends live, dragons die. Steven Drokharis is on an impossible quest to find the Holy Grail. The Dragonknights came close, but then their ranks were decimated by the mysterious Dragon Slayer, a legend that still fills Primes with terror. Standing in Steven’s way are ancient forces that have been waiting for the Lost Son and Merlin’s Daughter to continue the hunt. And yet, war has come to Steven’s doorstep, and he must balance defending what he’s earned with his greater ambition of bringing revolution to Dragonsouls everywhere.

Some doors aren't meant to be opened.... While many on Earth grow fearful of the Messengers' remarkable powers and others lament a lack of interplanetary cooperation, two discoveries threaten to turn the world on its head. One find could simultaneously rewrite the history of two planets; one revelation could tear Dan McCarthy's life apart. With the stakes higher than ever following the birth of his daughter Piper - a child like no other with a secret the world isn't ready to handle - Dan will do whatever it takes to protect his family.