Robot Fiction

Seduta in vetrina sotto i raggi gentili del Sole, Klara osserva il mondo di fuori e aspetta di essere acquistata e portata a casa. Promette di dedicare tutti i suoi straordinari talenti di androide B2 al piccolo amico che la sceglierà. Gli terrà compagnia, lo proteggerà dalla malattia e dalla tristezza, e affronterà per lui l'insidia più grande: imparare tutte le mille stanze del suo cuore umano. Dalla vetrina del suo negozio, Klara osserva trepidante il fuori e le meraviglie che contiene: il disegno del Sole sulle cose e l'alto Palazzo RPO dietro cui ogni sera lo vede sparire.

Stevie is a kiler. But she brings her victims back to life again, to demand, "What Do You See?" Now she's about to find out for herself. After an accident in which her mother dies, Stevie has a near-death experience, and finds herself in a room full of people - everyone she's ever annoyed. They clutch at her, scratch and tear at her. But she finds herself drawn back to this place, again and again, determined to unlock its secrets. Which means she has to die, again and again. And Stevie starts to wonder whether other people see the same room...when they die.

The two magicians came to take Vegas. Now it’s taking them back. When two college freshmen decide to use Spring Break making magic on the gambling tables of Las Vegas, little do they imagine that Vegas harbours a dark magical secret of its own…the whole place is run by magic, and an undead Harry Houdini is in charge. Matt Forbeck has worked full-time on fiction and games since 1989. His work has been published in at least a dozen different languages.

Marvo is a stage magician. His magic is real. Marvo grows up without knowing his parents, without knowing his heritage, without knowing much about life. The magicians have always been with us, since the beginning of civilisation. They fill our heads with the mist, keeping us from witnessing the stark reality of existence. But are things so bad that Marvo will bring it down on all of us, forever? Marvo begins to understand those around him, and his place in the world; he discovers that his remarkable powers can be put to good, or to evil.

Thomas Usher has a terrible gift. Following a car crash in which his wife and daughter are killed, he can see the recently departed, and it's not usually a pretty sight. When he is called to investigate the violent death of the daughter of a prominent local gangster, Usher's world is torn apart once more. For the barriers between this world and the next are not as immutable as once he believed.

Botanica is an island, but almost all of the island is taken up by the Tree. Lillah has come of age and is now ready to leave her community and walk the tree for five years, learning all Botanica has to teach her. Can Lillah keep the huge secret she has been entrusted with, or will she have to resort to breaking the oldest taboo on Botanica?

Eliot Lazar lavora per una compagnia che produce e vende spinner, gli androidi, simulacri di esseri umani creati a servizio degli heartbeat, gli uomini. La sua fortuna - o sfortuna - è quella di innamorarsi di una spinner modello C-900, Iris Matsuo: nella Los Angeles di fine XXI secolo le relazioni tra heartbeat e spinner, lasciate spesso impunite dalla legge, rappresentano un'offesa sociale, un crimine morale da perseguire. Eliot e Iris decidono allora di trasferirsi nell'isola artificiale di Avernus, una sorta di Stato pirata dove tali pregiudizi non esistono.

When Alfie goes to Airport Lost Property, he finds more than he bargained for. A lot more. Because there's a giant robot called Eric hidden away on the shelves. Eric has lost one leg and half his memory. He's super strong but super clumsy. He's convinced that he's the latest technology, when he's actually nearly 100 years old and ready for the scrap heap.

You’ve got to keep your head to survive in Nekropolis. It’s a shame Victor Baron couldn’t manage that. Now everyone wants a piece of him. Zombie detective Matt Richter and his glamourous she-vampire companion Devona are back on the case, with another wild and wonderful investigation. Tim Waggoner is a novelist and college professor.

A series of seemingly motiveless murders of supernatural creatures points to a vigilante targeting the supe community of Scranton. Markowski wouldn’t normally have much of a problem with that, but his daughter may be next on the killer’s list... Justin Gustainis was born in Northeast Pennsylvania in 1951. He attended college at the University of Scranton, a Jesuit university that figures prominently in several of his writings. He is currently a Professor of Communication at Plattsburgh State University.

Meet Matt Richter. Pi. Zombie. Another case proves dangerous for zombie PI Matt Richter, in the underworld realm of Nekropolis. From his arrival at Nekropolis, Matt has found himself embroiled in disputes with the city's vampire lords, shapeshifters, golems, and other monstrosities. Nothing has prepared him for the Dark War. Tim Waggoner is a novelist and college professor.

Who Collects the Collectors? Sam Thornton has had many run-ins with his celestial masters, but he’s always been sure of his own actions. However, when he’s tasked with dispatching the mythical Brethren – a group of former Collectors who have cast off their ties to Hell – is he still working on the side of right?

San Francisco, anni Cinquanta. Jim Briskin è uno speaker radiofonico di successo che non riesce a lasciarsi definitivamente alle spalle il rapporto con la sua ex moglie Patricia. Art Emmanual è un assiduo ascoltatore del programma di Jim e vive in un seminterrat insieme a sua moglie Rachael, da cui sta per avere un bambino.

「僕は人間じゃない。ロボットなんだ」ユーモアと優しさに満ちた、幻想的なタッチで描かれる青春小説。第1回CRUNCHNOVELS新人賞 大賞作家デビュー作

They sought the box for many years, because held inside that arcane magical artefact was, miraculously, a house. But now its real purpose has become clear - it was a prison, and the infinitely evil being it was built to imprison has been let loose. Now the real quest begins in earnest. This direct sequel to the critically acclaimed The World House is an extraordinary modern fantasy, like an episode of Doctor Who imagined by the twisted mind of Clive Barker.

Abbey Mei Otis's short stories are contemporary fiction at its strongest: taking apart the supposed equality that is clearly just not there, putting humans under an alien microscope, putting humans under government control, and more. Otis has long been fascinated in using strange situations to explore dynamics of power, oppression, and grief, and the 12 stories collected here are at once a striking indictment of the present and a powerful warning about the future.

Evelyn has a constant need for perfection that’s blown some fuses among her robotics teammates, and she’s worried nobody’s taking the upcoming competition seriously. Allie is new to school, and she’s had a history of short-circuiting on teachers and other kids. So when Allie is assigned to the robotics team as a last resort, all Evelyn can see is just another wrench in the works!

Anno 2052. Il giovane mago Geller irrompe nella vita della giovane umana Ada Luring, per metterla in guardia da un imminente pericolo. Geller è in fuga da suo padre Cavelos, capo di una setta di maghi intenzionata a uccidere Ada e sua madre Sara, ricercatrice in intelligenza artificiale. La donna è infatti l'artefice della creazione del primo robot, membro della categoria nemica giurata dei maghi che, tempo addietro, dopo aver subìto un terribile massacro per mano di un esercito di "meccanuomini", hanno scatenato la secolare rivalità tra le due fazioni.

When a young man breaks into her home claiming her life is in danger, Ada Luring's world changes forever. Geller is a wizard, on the run from his father's hidden clan, who want to kill Ada and her mother. Sara Luring is the scientist who will create the first robot, the wizards' age-old foes. But a robot has travelled back in time to find Ada and will lay everything on the line to protect her, as she may just be the key to preventing the earth's destruction in the future.

Ullsaard has conquered the known world. All have fallen before his armies. Now it's time to take the long journey home, back to the revered heart of the great Empire he had helped create for his distant masters. But when he returns to the capital, life there is so very different from what he had believed. Could it be that everything he has fought for, has conquered and killed for, has been a lie? Gav Thorpe works from Nottingham, England and has written more than a dozen novels and even more short stories.