Top Science Fiction eBooks

Boneshaker eBook by Priest, Cherie

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 53:11:24 GMT

In the early days of the Civil War, rumors of gold in the frozen Klondike brought hordes of newcomers to the Pacific Northwest. Anxious to compete, Russian prospectors commissioned inventor Leviticus Blue to create a great machine that could mine through Alaska's ice. Thus was Dr. Blue's Incredible Bone-Shaking Drill Engine born. But on its first test run the Boneshaker went terribly awry, destroying several blocks of downtown Seattle and unearthing a subterranean vein of blight gas that turned anyone who breathed it into the living dead. Now it is sixteen years later, and a wall has been built to enclose the devastated and toxic city. Just beyond it lives Blue's widow, Briar Wilkes. Life is hard with a ruined reputation and a teenaged boy to support, but she and Ezekiel are managing. Until Ezekiel undertakes a secret crusade to rewrite history. His quest will take him under the wall and into a city teeming with ravenous undead, air pirates, criminal overlords, and heavily armed refugees. And only Briar can bring him out alive.

Debatable Space eBook by Palmer, Philip

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 53:11:24 GMT

Flanagan (who is, for want of a better word, a pirate) has a plan. It seems relatively simple: kidnap Lena, the Cheo's daughter, demand a vast ransom for her safe return, sit back and wait.

Only the Cheo, despotic ruler of the known universe, isn't playing ball. Flanagan and his crew have seen this before, of course, but since they've learned a few tricks from the bad old days and since they know something about Lena that should make the plan foolproof, the Cheo's defiance is a major setback. It is a situation that calls for extreme measures.

Luckily, Flanagan has considerable experience in this area . . .

By Heresies Distressed eBook by Weber, David

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 53:11:24 GMT

Now the battle for the soul of the planet Safehold has begun. The Kingdom of Charis and the Kingdom of Chisholm have joined together, pledged to stand against the tyranny of a corrupt Church. The youthful Queen Sharleyan of Chisholm has wed King Cayleb o

Command Decision eBook by Moon, Elizabeth

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 53:11:24 GMT

With the Vatta’s War series, award-winning author Elizabeth Moon has claimed a place alongside such preeminent writers of military science fiction as David Weber and Lois McMaster Bujold. Now Moon is back–and so is her butt-kicking, take-no-prisoners heroine, Kylara Vatta. Once the black-sheep scion of a prosperous merchant family, Kylara now leads a motley space force dedicated to the defeat of a rapacious pirate empire led by the mysterious Gammis Turek.

After orchestrating a galaxy-wide failure of the communications network owned and maintained by the powerful ISC corporation, Turek and his marauders strike swiftly and without mercy. First they shatter Vatta Transport. Then they overrun entire star systems, growing stronger and bolder. No one is safe from the pirate fleet. But while they continue to move forward with their diabolical plan, they have made two critical mistakes.

Their first mistake was killing Kylara Vatta’s family.
Their second mistake was leaving her alive.
Now Kylara is going to make them pay.

But with a “fleet” consisting of only three ships–including her flagship, the Vanguard, a souped-up merchant cruiser–Kylara needs allies, and fast. Because even though she possesses the same coveted communication technology as the enemy, she has nowhere near their numbers or firepower.

Meanwhile, as Kylara’s cousin Stella tries to bring together the shattered pieces of the family trading empire, new treachery is unfolding at ISC headquarters, where undercover agent Rafael Dunbarger, estranged son of the corporation’s CEO, is trying to learn why the damaged network is not being repaired. What he discovers will send shock waves across the galaxy and crashing into Kylara’s newly christened Space Defense Force at the worst possible moment.

From the Hardcover edition.

At Empire's Edge eBook by Dietz, William

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 53:11:24 GMT

From the national bestselling author of When Duty Calls, the first book in an exciting new science fiction duology.

In a far-distant future, the Uman Empire has spread to the stars and beyond, conquering and colonizing worlds, ruling with a benevolent''but iron''fist. The Pax Umana reigns, and all is well. But on one planet, the remnants of a violent, shape-shifting race called the Sagathis are confined, kept captive by xeno-cops, who have been bio-engineered to be able to see through their guises. Still, sometimes one manages to escape.

Zak Cato is a xeno-cop. He's returning a fugitive Sagathi when things go horribly wrong. Cato'' the only survivor after the rest of his men are slaughtered''must now figure out who betrayed them and bring the alien in, whatever the cost.

Cat's Cradle eBook by Vonnegut, Kurt

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 53:11:24 GMT

Cat's Cradle

60 Seconds and You're Hired! eBook by Ryan, Robin

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 53:11:24 GMT

In a book that can be read from cover to cover the night before an interview, Robin Ryan lays out the essentials for making a great impression on potential employers. Designed for all job seekers--whether they're just starting out or moving onwards and upwards--60 Seconds & You're Hired! presents sure-fire strategies based on current hiring trends, including how to: * give the best answers to the interviewer's questions * communicate that you are the right person for the job using Ryan's 5-point agenda and 60-second sell techniques * ask the questions you should * avoid common pitfalls that cause most people to fail * negotiate the best salary and benefits package possible Packed with insiders' tips from hiring managers, Seconds & You're Hired!ers the best and quickest route to clinching a dream job.

A Second Chance at Eden eBook by Hamilton, Peter F.

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 53:11:24 GMT

For new readers of Peter Hamilton, A Second Chance at Eden is a great introduction into the universe of The Reality Dysfunction. For previous readers of The Reality Dysfunction and The Neutronium Alchemist, these stories will keep them happy and eager as they await the final volume

Bloodhype eBook by Foster, Alan Dean

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 53:11:24 GMT

Revived by a secret manufacturer, a deadly drug called Bloodhype returns to the humanx galaxy.Flinx and Pip risk their skins to stop the scourge. Can even the remarkable Flinx stop the deadly drug that was sweeping the galaxy?

Colonization Second Contact eBook by Turtledove, Harry

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 53:11:24 GMT

In the Worldwar tetralogy, set against the explosive backdrop of World War II, master of alternate history Harry Turtledove wove a saga of world powers locked in conflict against a deadly enemy from the stars. Now, with Colonization: Second Contact, Turtledove expands his magnificent epic into the volatile 1960s -- when humanity must face its greatest challenge: alien colonization of planet Earth. During the Worldwar, Washington, D.C., Tokyo, and dozens of other cities perished in the radioactive holocaust of nuclear battle. Twenty years later, a fitful peace reigned over the continents. Though Himmler controlled Germany and France, Molotov ruled Russia, and President Earl Warren tenuously governed the United States, the invaders lorded over most of the world -- coexisting in an uneasy balance with humans. As both the alien and human races experience the rampant social turmoil of the sixties, they are fatefully influenced by the tremendous upheavals -- and by each other.Then amidst this strife comes a new phase of the alien invasion... the arrival of the colonization fleet -- an enemy that seeks to sweep humankind aside on a global scale. The fleet's terrible goal is to colonize and seize control of every man, woman, and child on Earth. Yet as governments feverishly develop weaponry, a terrible truth emerges: This war will be fought not only on the ground but in the vacuum of space. The United States must summon all its technological genius -- or face destruction.

Dark Matter: Reading the Bones eBook by

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 53:11:24 GMT

In the tradition of The Norton Anthology of Black Literature, DARK MATTER: READING THE BONES, like its ground-breaking predecessor, will introduce black SF, fantasy, and speculative fiction writers to those who have not yet realized the depth and breadth of their workor even, in some cases, that it exists. Including original short fiction and nonfiction as well as previously published works and essays, DARK MATTER will contain approximately 30 stories from the early part of the century through the most cutting-edge work of today.
Contributors to this new volume include Charles Johnson, National Book Award-winning author of Middle Passage; Tananarive Due; Walter Mosley, W.E.B. Du Bois; Samuel R. Delany; Nalo Hopkinson; and many more.

Colonization Aftershocks eBook by Turtledove, Harry

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 53:11:24 GMT

World War II. The great powers were at one another's throats. Armiesclashed across rolling countryside. Air forces sowed death from above.Then, in 1942, everything changed. A new front opened in World WarII&#8212;when an alien race attacked the Earth...In his extraordinary alternate-history epic, Harry Turtledove createdthe acclaimed Worldwar saga. Now, in the Colonization series,what began as war has evolved into decades of epic struggles andrebellions erupting against the invaders known as the Race.As the 1960s begins, one of the great powers explodes a nuclear strikeagainst the Race's colonization fleet. As she did a generation before,Germany goes to war over Poland, this time against the Race.Retaliation is swift and deadly, leaving much of the Third Reich in ruins. TheUnited States has used its fast-developing military technology to lockthe invaders into a standoff. And in China, the ragtag revolutionaryarmy of Mao Tse-tung&#8212;armed with Russian-supplied, German-madeweapons&#8212;may prove the Race's most intractable enemy of all.On Earth, the alien invaders find themselves confronting a far morecomplex and difficult species than any they have encountered before.From the hatred between the Jews and the Deutsche to the irrepressibleinventiveness of human technology, the reptilian invaders realize theyhave met creatures that cannot be tamed. Ultimately, only superiorfirepower may keep Earth under the Empire's control-or may destroy theworld.Despite its military superiority, the Race still fears itunderestimates its foes. While uprisings and aftershocks of war shake the planet,while the Race's troops are undermined by ginger addiction, one nation plotsa stunning counterattack.With its sprawling cast of characters, startling plot twists, anduncanny sense of history, Colonization: Aftershocks is anothermarvelous achievement from Harry Turtledove&#8212;the author USA Todaycalls "the leading author of alternate history."

4400: Promises Broken eBook by Mack, David

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 53:11:24 GMT

4400 taken, 4400 returned. All were given startling new abilities. Now, if you are willing to risk it all, you too can be extraordinary. Is this what the future intended to ensure the survival of the human race?

Promicin -- which kills half of those who dare to inject it and grants paranormal abilities to those who survive -- is spreading across the globe and threatening to plunge the entire world into chaos.

One year has passed since Jordan Collier and his followers seized control of Seattle and renamed it Promise City. U.S. armed forces have surrounded Seattle, and each day brings Collier and his Promicin-Positive Movement closer to all-out war with the world's greatest military superpower.

However, the real threats are the Marked -- agents from the future whose identities are encoded into body-hijacking nanites. They were sent back to thwart the efforts of the 4400. The last three surviving Marked lurk in the shadows, working in secret as they prepare to deliver a deathblow to the planet.

Caught in the crossfire are NTAC agents Tom Baldwin and Diana Skouris. His son, Kyle, and her thirteen-year-old adopted daughter, Maia, are both more loyal to Jordan's movement than to them. And when the standoff between Collier and the U.S. military explodes into open conflict, Tom, Diana, and fellow agents wind up outnumbered and outgunned.

In the end, the fate of all mankind will rest in the hands of one man: Tom Baldwin.

Absolution Gap eBook by Reynolds, Alastair

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 53:11:24 GMT

They are ancient killing machines, designed to locate and destroy any life form reaching a certain level of intelligence. Now, stirred from eons of sleep, the Inhibitors have descended on their latest target: Humanity." "The first wave of Inhibitors has sent war veteran Clavain and a ragtag group of refugees into hiding. Their leadership is faltering, and their situation is growing more desperate. But their little colony has just received an unexpected visitor: an avenging angel with the power to lead mankind to safety - or draw down its darkest enemy." As she leads them to an apparently insignificant moon light-years away, it begins to dawn on Clavain and his companions that to beat one enemy, it may be necessary to forge an alliance with something much worse.

Close Encounters eBook by Allred, Katherine

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 53:11:24 GMT

Customer Review: This will appeal to fans of Linnea Sinclair and Autumn Dawn. Kiera is a genetically engineered person (GEP) who just wants to be normal. To save an alien race from genocide she will discover new abilities,secrets and open herself emotionally, particularly to the Buri's handsome leader Thor. I really enjoyed the world building and characters in Close Encounters and I can't wait for more in this series.