Modern Science Fiction

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, unique tales inspired by traditional literary forms appeared frequently in socialist-leaning British periodicals, such as the Clarion, Labour Leader, and Social Democrat. Based on familiar genres, these stories were meant to entertain readers of all ages - and some challenged the conventional values promoted in children’s literature for the middle class. Acclaimed critic and author Michael Rosen brings together more than 40 of the best and most enduring examples of these stories in one beautiful volume.

Long ago and far away (and somewhere south of France) lies the kingdom of Esquaveta. There, Princess Tullia is in nearly as much peril as her struggling kingdom. Esquaveta desperately needs to forge an alliance, and to that end, Tullia's father has arranged a marriage between her and an odious prince. However, one month before the "wedding of the century," Tullia falls in love with a lowly apprentice scribe. The king turns to Anatole, his much-maligned magician. Seventeen years earlier, when Anatole first came to the castle, he was regarded as something of a prodigy.

Alice Wyndham has been plagued by visions of birds her whole life...until the mysterious Crowley reveals that Alice is an "aviarist": capable of seeing nightjars, magical birds that guard human souls. When her best friend is hit by a car, only Alice can find and save her nightjar. With Crowley’s help, Alice travels to the Rookery, a hidden, magical alternate London to hone her newfound talents.

La clarividencia de Julio Verne ha inspirado a medio mundo y Heinrich Himmler no iba a ser menos. Obsesionado con la clave secreta que contiene uno de sus escritos lanzará todo su poder para conseguir descifrar los misterios ocultos en una novela de Verne: "Viaje al centro de la Tierra". Arqueólogos, soldados y aventureros se lanzan en una frenética búsqueda en el centro de la tierra para encontrar la solución definitiva a la guerra y al dominio de la raza humana.

Our new life in Scotland isn’t perfect, but somehow, being surrounded by the bewitching Highlands has kept the memory of our parents alive. But amongst the looming mountains, lush greenery, and murky lochs, there are hidden mysteries. Mysteries that may hold the key to both our past — and our future. And I’m more determined than ever to get to the bottom of the feud between the Duncan and Blackwood clans. But although things may seem oddly quiet, nothing stays that way when magic is involved.

Так казав Заратустра — філософський тритомний роман-трактат Фрідріха Ніцше, зміст якого обертається навколо ідей вічного повторення, "смерті Бога" та пророцтва про надлюдину. Головний персонаж — переосмислений Ніцше пророк зороастризму Заратустра, що повертається з проповіддю до людства після тривалого усамітнення в горах.

Best-selling urban fantasy and paranormal suspense author M.D. Massey welcomes listeners back to the world of the Junkyard Druid for his third short story collection. Blood Bound includes "Voodoo Ball", "Prince Mark's Price", and "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do".

When a woman with perfect memory sets out to solve a riddle, the threads she tugs on could bring a whole city crashing down. The God-King who made her is at risk, and his other servants will do anything to stop her. To become the God-King's Amanuensis, Manet had to master all seven perfections, developing her body and mind to the peak of human performance. She remembers everything that has happened to her, in absolute clarity, a gift that will surely drive her mad.

Mit "Also sprach Zarathustra" hat Nietzsche ein faszinierendes Hauptwerk geschaffen, einen Meilenstein der Weltliteratur. In drei zentralen Formeln fasst er seine Philosophie zusammen: der Wille zur Macht, die ewige Wiederkehr des Gleichen und der Übermensch. "Gott ist tot." Es ist eine Ironie des Schicksals, dass dieses Werk von den Nazis missbraucht wurde.

Die liebliche Bestie Mensch verliert jedesmal, wie es scheint, die gute Laune, wenn sie gut denkt...

Have you heard the story about the bird that turned to stone? Did your parents warn you about the extra-specially-super-deliciously-fantastically naughty boy who got a frog stuck in his throat? No? Well, never fear: Onjali Q Raúf is here to entertain you with her sparkling collection of fables for kids who want to make the world a better place!

The Iron City is a prison, a maze, an industrial blight. It is the result of a war that saw the goblins grind the fae beneath their collective boot heels. And tonight, it is also a city that churns with life.

Cindi Ella Lass didn't have a career in Paris, Texas in mind when she graduated with a degree in fashion, but her grandmother's offer of a place to live (free rent!) entices her to the small town. When she arrives, she notices the most beautiful pair of crystal shoes in the shop next door...and she can't get them out of her head.

A crew of experienced astronauts nearing the completion of a 20-year mission in space discover that their ship is being followed by an unknown craft on their way back to earth. In this science fiction novelette, the crew debates an impossible decision on whether to lead the craft back to earth and risk all of humanity, or veer off into space to protect the earth but ensure their own demise. Short story/novelette 13,000 words Science fiction From 13 Acorns-Modern Short Stories for Thoughtful Adults

Let us have a fair hearing at last for the Twelfth Fairy who has for so long been unjustly accused of sending the Sleeping Beauty to oblivion on her 16th birthday. The Lady Melicia never denied that she played a key part in this unhappy affair but, in her defense, has a question for her accusers: Do you really believe in fairies? In this retelling of a classic fairy tale 12 fairies confer miraculous gifts as proof of God’s existence. Things go wrong when one of the 12 turns unbeliever and declares that fairy gifts are nonsense.

Everything is going Jason’s way, and he should be happy. He has slain his tormentors, returned home to his family, and his dream of being magical has finally been achieved. But with his return, so comes the news that his former love is still alive, and she is out to destroy not only Jason, but the entire Warlock nation. To make matters worse, she has now pitted Jason and the entire Warlock nation between two powerful forces. The question he must now answer: To save his people, can he kill the woman he may still love?

Young Mackinsi Wrighton has always been a dreamer. After he accidentally uncovers a hidden world around him, he discovers he is a Stormbreaker...a warrior of light destined to face an ancient evil called "Destroyer". Possessing supernatural powers and weapons he has no idea how to use, Mackinsi must unite the other Stormbreakers against Destroyer's fiends before Destroyer pulls our dimension into a relic of evil called the Heartstone.

In the summer of 1816, Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley - the two great poets of their age - and a lovely 17-year-old named Mary Shelley were partying and reading ghost stories on the shores of Lake Geneva. They dared each other to come up with the scariest story. Young Mary was the only one to rise to the challenge, and she gave birth to the entire horror and science fiction genres by crafting a brilliant and chilling account of what it means to be human, what responsibilities we have to each other, and how far we can go in tampering with nature.

Few creatures of horror have seized imaginations and held them for so long as the anguished monster of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. The story of Victor Frankenstein's terrible creation and the havoc it caused has enthralled generations of readers and listeners and inspired countless writers of horror and suspense.

Victor Frankenstein learns how to create life and creates a being in the likeness of man, but larger and more powerful than the average man. Frankenstein rejects the creature, and lives to regret his desire to create life, after it kills his brother William. Frankenstein is a warning against the "over-reaching" of modern man and the Industrial Revolution, alluded to in the novel's subtitle, The Modern Prometheus.