New Releases by Adam-Troy Castro

Futur lointain. Planète Vlhan. Ils sont tous là. Ambassadeurs et représentants de la plupart des mondes et intelligences connus. Sur leur estrade, serrés les uns contre les autres, le regard tourné vers une seule direction, tendus. Car ceux qu’ils observent, ces êtres impénétrables, colossaux, que d’aucuns nomment les marionnettes, s’apprêtent à se livrer au plus singulier des rituels : lu00ade Ballet, une communion frénétique de plusieurs jours à l’issue de laquelle ils mourront — par dizaines de milliers. Nul ne comprend les motivations de ce sacrifice annuel ultime qui fascine toute la Galaxie. À commencer par Alex Gordon, exolinguiste au service de la Confédération terrienne, qui va y assister pour la troisième fois. Mais alors que les marionnettes, par myriades, agitent leurs fouets immenses, Alex distingue une silhouette inattendue et résolument non extraterrestre au sein de la mêlée : une jeune femme appareillée de façon étrange qui semble sur le point de se joindre à la danse alien. Cette femme n’a rien à faire là, et elle se prépare à mourir. À moins que... « Un grand talent qui opère avec une efficacité maximale. » HARLAN ELLISON

Andrea Cort. Genius. War Criminal. Crime-Solver. An emergency summons brings Andrea and her partners, Oscin and Skye Porrinyard, to an isolated research station, where a brilliant scientist lies brutally murdered. Who committed the crime is no mystery. But it may be impossible to prosecute, because the culprit has arranged a strange transformation for himself, and may no longer be the same person who committed the crime. For Andrea, who has recently begun planning the next stage in her own personal evolution, the issue cuts straight to the atrocities of her own past...and the question that might destroy her: can she escape the guilt that has always pursued her? This collection is set in the award-winning Andrea Cort series, featuring the titular novella "Hiding Place," as well as the short stories “Among the Tchi” and “Down, Please: The Only Recorded Adventure of Lars Fouton, Captain’s Lift Operator on the Starship Magnificent.”

Who are Minnie and Earl? In the earliest days of constructing the first permanent colony on the moon, they are the single secret shared by the everyone working on the project: two friendly old people, who somehow beat the astronauts to the lunar surface and are perfectly happy with hosting the kids to nightly dinners, but remain close-mouthed about who they are and how they got there. But they are not the strangest thing to be found on the moon. Three entries from Adam-Troy Castro''s Nebula-nominated series feature some of the adventures stemming from this extremely weird period in the history of lunar colonization. Get ready to find out about the explanation that doesn''t matter. About the first gunfight in the history of lunar colonization. About the strangely familiar couple doing pratfalls out in the lunar wastes, where only one deeply confused team engineer can see them. And about just what Wyatt Earp has to do with all this. Don''t be afraid. You can always drop on and Minnie and Earl for advice. This collection includes: "Sunday Night Yams At Minnie and Earl''s", a 2002 Analytical Laboratory Winner for Best Novella and 2003 Nebula Nominee for Novella "Gunfight on Farside", 3rd Place for 2010 Analytical Laboratory Award for Best Novella "The Gorilla In A Tutu Principle or, Pecan Pie at Minnie and Earl''s", a 2020 Analog Analytical Laboratory Award Winner for Best Novella

Now available in English for the first time, War of the Marionettes is the final novel in Adam-Troy Castro''s award-winning Andrea Cort series. Vlhan. Where a race of incredibly intelligent, and sometimes unpredictably dangerous, aliens yearly perform a dance where tens of thousands of their kind die, all in pursuit of a mysterious purpose vital not only to their own survival but also to that of the human race. But something has gone wrong... Andrea Cort. Genius. Misanthrope. War Criminal. Solver of Crimes. She has traveled to Vlhan with her lovers, the linked pair known as the Porrinyards. Now, against the backdrop of a sudden and bloody war, she must not only find a missing girl, not only prevent a catastrophe that might spell the end of the human race...but also make a decision that will change her own future beyond imagining. Previous stories about the Vlhani have been nominated for two Nebulas and one Hugo. The Andrea Cort stories have been also been Nebula-nominated, and the first novel, Emissaries From The Dead, won the Philip K. Dick Award. Now Andrea Cort arrives on Vlhan for the confrontation that will change everything!

A Hollywood hookup becomes a nightmare for a woman who discovers that the predators in the hills seem to include one very hungry tiger... The last people on Earth look for final distractions in a once-great city being consumed by desert wastelands... A barfly pauses by an elaborate sand castle and finds herself attacked by armored defenders... A man suggests to his new love that it''s time for them to share their worst secrets, only to hear that hers is a little harder to swallow... How the human race will spend their last amounts of time on this planet... All this and more in nine memorable stories from one of today''s most unpredictable writers. Beyond the reach of human range... a drop of hell...a touch of strange.

"Compulsively readable space mysteries ... Highly recommended."—i09 Andrea Cort, convicted war criminal and legal Counselor for the Diplomatic Corps, has received an urgent summons from the very last people in the universe who should have any reason to contact her: the ruthless family of munitions manufacturers known as the Bettelhines. Bettelhine technology has destroyed worlds. The Bettelhine Corporation is responsible for millions of deaths. But a summons to the Bettelhine homeworld, Xana, is too important to ignore, especially for a woman like Andrea, who is already fighting her own secret war. She arrives on Xana with her lovers, a man and a woman with a single shared personality, and finds out almost immediately that there are people on Xana who want her dead...and there will be more deaths before she stands even a slight chance of getting the answers she needs. It all comes down to just who she is...and who is ruthless enough to use the ancient alien weapon known as the Claw of God. Includes the novella "Knives That Carve the Marionettes," set chronologically after The Third Claw of God. “I’m particularly fond of blends of SF and the detective story, particularly when they’re as well done as this one.”—Critical Mass Adam-Troy Castro''s fiction has won the Seiun and Philip K. Dick Awards, and received two nominations for the Hugo, three for the Stoker, and eight for the Nebula. Andrea Cort Novels Emissaries from the Dead The Third Claw of God The War of the Marionettes Andrea Cort short stories With Unclean Hands The Coward''s Option and Tasha''s Fail-Safe Unseen Demons The Knives that Carve the Marionettes

Toujours à la poursuite des Démons Invisibles, responsables de la mort de ses parents, Andrea Cort se rend sur la lointaine planète Vlhan. Ses imposants habitants y pratiquent un rituel qui tient tout autant du spectacle de danse que du suicide collectif. Une fois, par le passé, le ballet a dégénéré, et les habitants de Vlhan se sont retournés contre les spectateurs présents pour les massacrer. Andrea est convaincue qu''élucider le mystère à l''origine de cette tragédie peut la mener à ses Démons Invisibles. Mais la disparition d''une jeune fille vient rapidement compliquer sa quête personnelle. Vlhan est une planète dangereuse et Andrea ignore à quel point elle s''apprête à danser avec la mort.

A silent leviathan deals daily death to the inhabitants of a typical American city... A man sees visions of his next incarnation as a crustacean... A lovelorn junk collector seeks a time traveler''s assistance in a matter of the heart... A strange visitor from another planet, with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men, is found by people less promising than a pair of kindly Kansan farmers... ...take a taste of the latest from an award-winning writer of science fiction, fantasy and horror.

En choisissant ses nouveaux maîtres, Andrea Cort a été bien récompensée : elle est devenue Procureure extraordinaire pour le Corps diplomatique de la Confédération homsap. Enfin libérée de la plupart des liens hiérarchiques, elle n''a plus à rendre compte de ses déplacements. Invitée par la famille Bettelhine - des marchands d''armes qui sont moralement complices de nombreux massacres et génocides -, elle se rend sur Xana. Andrea méprise les Bettelhines, mais la curiosité est plus forte : elle aimerait savoir ce qu''ils lui veulent. A peine arrivée au port orbital, des assassins tentent de l''éliminer avec une arme extraterrestre vieille de 15 000 ans : la troisième griffe de Dieu. Une arme aux effets effroyables. Piégée dans un ascenseur spatial, Andrea va devoir mener l''enquête la plus périlleuse de sa carrière. Adam-Troy Castro est l''auteur d''une vingtaine de romans et de cinq recueils de nouvelles. La trilogie Andrea Cort (Emissaires des morts, La Troisième griffe de Dieu, La Guerre des Marionnettes) est son oeuvre la plus connue. Le premier roman, Emissaire des morts a reçu le prix Philip K. Dick.

Un space opera coup-de-poing situé dans un futur lointain, celui du Système Mercantile, où le racisme, la guerre, l''esclavagisme et la corruption n''ont pas pris fin, bien au contraire. Quand elle avait huit ans, Andrea Cort a été témoin d''un génocide. Pire, après avoir vu ses parents massacrés, elle a rendu coup pour coup. En punition de ses crimes, elle est devenue la propriété perpétuelle du Corps diplomatique. Où, les années passant, elle a embrassé la carrière d''avocate, puis d''enquêtrice pour le bureau du procureur. Envoyée dans un habitat artificiel aussi inhospitalier qu''isolé, où deux meurtres viennent d''être commis, la jeune femme doit résoudre l''affaire sans créer d''incident diplomatique avec les intelligences artificielles propriétaires des lieux. Pour ses supérieurs, peu importe quel coupable sera désigné. Mais les leçons qu''Andrea a apprises enfant ont forgé l''adulte qu''elle est devenue : une femme pour le moins inflexible, qui ne vit que pour une chose, « combattre les monstres ».

Alors qu''elle était enfant, Andrea Cort a été témoin du massacre de ses parents. L''instant d''après, dans la folie d''un génocide incompréhensible, car frappant deux espèces qui vivaient jusque-là en parfaite harmonie, elle a rendu coup pour coup. Reconnue coupable de crime de guerre, elle est devenue la propriété perpétuelle du Corps Diplomatique où, très vite, elle s''est révélée être une enquêtrice particulièrement douée. En effet, qui pourrait mieux comprendre les monstres qu''une des leurs ? « Avec du sang du les mains » est la première enquête d''Andrea Cort. Elle débute à un moment où, complètement déboussolée, Andrea ne tient le coup qu''à la seule force de sa volonté.

“As great as I’d hoped...Andrea Cort and her universe have terrific scope for future development.” —i09 The place is One One One, a gigantic enclosed space station constructed by the AIsource, a mysterious software collective that may be the most advanced, most powerful creatures in the known universe. They have seeded the world with creatures of their own devising, and invited a delegation of human beings to observe. But now the little research community has been rocked by murder...and it appears that the AIsource may be playing a deeper game. Enter Andrea Cort. Prosecutor. War Criminal. Misanthrope. Genius. She has been sent to get to the bottom of these heinous crimes. But she is facing enemies both human and more than human...and the solution to the mystery just might change her very relationship to the world she knows... Praise for Emissaries from the Dead “A brilliantly executed novel, fully successful as both science fiction and murder mystery. Indeed, it evidences a writer at the peak of his career, and it shows none of the flaws one expects from first novels... Emissaries from the Dead is one of the best science fiction novels of the year so far, and it can be recommended especially to fans of science fiction mysteries.” —SciFi Weekly “A uniquely absorbing read. It envelops you in a truly exotic and alien environment, and gives you a heroine to root for... It offers mystery, action, a few good jolts, and a bit of the old redemption sans mawkishness. All of the ingredients for a story sure to knock ’em dead.” —SF Reviews “Adam-Troy Castro’s Emissaries from the Dead is SF at its best: Silence of the Lambs as Larry Niven might have written it. A clever, thought-provoking page-turner. Bravo!” —Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo Award-winning author of Rollback “Adam-Troy Castro has given us the ultimate high-wire thriller.” —Jack McDevitt

Space prosecutor Andrea Cort returns in a tale from the author of Emissaries from the Dead, “one of the best science fiction novels of the year” (SciFi Weekly). Emil Sandburg, serial killer. His victims were all Catarkhans, specimens of a closed-off sentient race incapable of sensing the great atrocities he committed against them. Prosecuting him by their laws is going to be a problem. Enter Andrea Cort: misanthrope, genius, controversial figure. Aware, even as she takes the case, that other alien forces intend to use her past against her and against humanity. Unaware that its implications will change the course of her life . . . Praise for the Philip K. Dick Award–winning novel, Emissaries from the Dead “A brilliantly executed novel, fully successful as both science fiction and murder mystery.” —SciFi Weekly “A uniquely absorbing read. It envelops you in a truly exotic and alien environment, and gives you a heroine to root for . . . It offers mystery, action, a few good jolts, and a bit of the old redemption sans mawkishness. All of the ingredients for a story sure to knock ’em dead.” —SF Reviews “Adam-Troy Castro’s Emissaries from the Dead is SF at its best: Silence of the Lambs as Larry Niven might have written it. A clever, thought-provoking page-turner. Bravo!” —Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo Award–winning author of Calculating God “Adam-Troy Castro has given us the ultimate high-wire thriller.” —Jack McDevitt, Nebula Award–winning author of Octavia Gone

Two stories from the early years of Andrea Cort, later the heroine of the Philip K. Dick Award-winning novel, Emissaries from the Dead. “The Coward’s Option”: On the hostile home-world of the Caith, Andrea Cort has been assigned the case of a murderer who’s been condemned to a horrible death. All legal options have been exhausted, but the Caith offer a rarely-used alternative to execution, one that purports to ensure that the accused will never break the law again. Alas, it’s not so much another chance at life, but deliverance into a hell far worse than mere death... “Tasha’s Fail-Safe”: Once, she and Andrea Cort hated each other. Now, the victim of a savage assassination attempt by a traitor to the Confederacy, she lies in an unresponsive state, the identity of her assailant locked inside her head. Can Andrea penetrate a vital secret she never even knew existed? Other Andrea Cort stories available from JABberwocky: With Unclean Hands Unseen Demons

Gustav and Fernie continue their journey through Dark Country in this new title! In the final installment of Adam-Troy Castro''s creepy Gustav Gloom series, the fate of the Dark Country rests on Gustav and Fernie''s shoulders. After weeks of traveling on a quest to find their fathers, Fernie and Gustav finally come face-to-face with their nemesis—the evil Lord Obsidian. Filled with heroic action sequences, terrifying chills, and plenty of humor, this final book will keep fans on the edge of their seats.

Gustav and Fernie continue their journey through Dark Country! Gustav and Fernie’s adventures in the Dark Country continue as they search for their families. But as they get closer to discovering their families’ fates, their mission is once again threatened by old foes—as well as some new, even more treacherous, ones. Will Gustav and Fernie be able to battle their way through and rescue their families before it’s too late?

Fantastic Stories of the Imagination, edited by Hugo and Wold Fantasy Award nominated editor Warren Lapine brings you the very best in science fiction and fantasy. Join us as we explore strange new worlds. This is the ebook edition of the Fantastic Stories webzine containing all content from the September 2014 issue, including: Original Novella: Invisible Friends Too (Or, I have no bananas and Ice must cream) by Steven Sawiki Monkeys, aliens, and Elvis . . . oh my. Novellette: Planting Walnuts by Linda Tiernan Kepner They were broke, outnumbered, and outgunned... but they were just getting started. Short Story: The Big Guy by Mike Resnick Is there anything that compares to the thrill of victory . . . ? Short Story: Time Slip by Hannah Kollef What if your past, present, and future could commingle? Reviews: The Fan: Backtracking, Dislocations, Learning Curves, and Getting One''s Bearings in which Carole McDonnell interogates a series of puzzling novels. Reviews: The Magic Lantern: To Start With in which Adam-Troy Castro reveals and reviews off-the beatean path films; finding some hidden gems amongst those justly obscure. Commentary: Roots of Spec Fic: The Greater Evil of H.P. Lovecraft in which by Jay O''Connell dissects HPL''s enduring-and troubling-appeal. Make sure you go to www.fantasticstoriesoftheimagination.com every months for lots of great, free content.

Original Novella: New Beaches by Daniel Hatch: Power, corruption, and danger rise with the tides. Short Story: Man or Mech by Rebecca McFarland Kyle: Underneath the shiny, indestructible surface is the soul of a man. Novella: Invisible Friends by Steven Sawicki: He''s just an all American boy with a dog that loves to drive his car, some talking monkeys, and a few damned aliens. Short Story: Canceled by Edward J. McFadden III The damnedest things can happen when a man comes face to face with the reality of his past. Reviews: Area 51 1/2 by Steven Sawicki - A damn alien shares his opinion of Earth''s so-called culture. Reviews: The Fan by Carol McDonnell - Carole McDonnell reviews five dystopian YA novels with teen saviors. Reviews: The Remake Chronicles: In which Leito Leaps Twice by Adam-Troy Castro - Multiple Hugo and Nebula nominee Adam-Troy Castro examines the stories that movies keep returning to. This column will alternate with A-TC''s regular video recommendations.

ANDREA CORT. War criminal. Genius. Outcast. Heroine. Sent to the home-world of the Zinn, a once-powerful race now on the long path to extinction, she’s expected to sign the approval for a simple prisoner transfer -- but why are the Zinn so eager to take custody of an unremarkable human murderer? What brutal crime is being planned against an innocent? What hidden agenda threatens to topple the balance of power? This Nebula-Award nominated novella is the earliest adventure of Andrea Cort, heroine of the Philip K.Dick Award winning novel, Emissaries From The Dead. Other Andrea Cort stories available from JABberwocky: The Coward’s Option (and Tasha’s Fail Safe) Unseen Demons

Gustav and Fernie begin their journey to the Shadow Country to save their fathers! Fernie and Gustav leave the safety of the Gloom Mansion and begin their long journey to the Shadow Country to save their families from the evil Lord Obsidian. Aided by the magical Cryptic Carousel, Fernie and Gustav travel to lots of exotic locations as they try to locate the Shadow Country, meeting a few new foes along the way. Featuring a unique paper-over-board cover and beautifully dark full page illustrations by Kristen Margiotta.

A utopia where the most privileged get to do whatever they want to do with their lives, indulging their slightest whims via the bodies whose wombs they occupy; a soldier''s wife tries to love a husband who is little more than backup memory; a society in which the citizens all make merry for nine remarkable days, and on the tenth get a taste of hell; the last ragged survivors of an expedition to a savage backwater world hunt down an infamous war criminal; a divorcing couple confront their myriad troubles to gain resolution, reason, respect -- but not without sacrifice. Introducing these stories (and more) from Adam-Troy Castro, whose short fiction has been nominated for two Hugos, three Stokers, and eight Nebulas.

In Gustav Gloom and the Four Terrors, things are not always what they seem in the Gloom Mansion. Gustav decides that he needs to rescue his father from the Dark Country, but he can’t do that without Fernie’s help. After Gustav convinces Fernie’s safety-conscious father to enter the Gloom Mansion with Fernie and Pearlie, there is a prison break from the Hall of Shadow Criminals and it’s up to Fernie to save her family and Gustav before it’s too late. Featuring a unique paper-over-board cover, a die-cut window with printed acetate, and beautifully dark full-page illustrations by Kristen Margiotta.

Hugo Award nominee Adam-Troy Castro’s exciting new world full of shadows and mystery grows in book 2 of the Gustav Gloom series. In Gustav Gloom and the Nightmare Vault, Fernie and Gustav find themselves battling another shadowy foe—The Shadow Eater. He is after one thing, The Nightmare Vault, which his master, the evil Lord Obsidian will use to unleash the most terrifying and threatening shadows into the world. As Fernie and Gustav race to stop the Shadow Eater, Fernie learns about Gustav''s mysterious past and just what happened to his missing parents. Featuring a unique paper-over-board cover and beautifully dark full page illustrations by Kristen Margiotta, Gustav Gloom is sure to be a hit with fans who, like Fernie, love a little darkness in their lives.

A collection of some of the best original short fiction published on Tor.com in 2012. Includes stories by Elizabeth Bear, Adam Troy Castro, Paul Cornell, Kathryn Cramer, Brit Mandelo, Pat Murphy, Charles Stross, Michael Swanwick, Rachel Swirsky, and Gene Wolfe. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Enter an exciting new world of shadows from Hugo Award nominee Adam-Troy Castro. Meet Gustav Gloom. Fernie What finds herself lost in the Gloom mansion after her cat appears to have been chased there by its own shadow. Fernie discovers a library full of every book that was never written, a gallery of statues that are just plain awkward, and finds herself at dinner watching her own shadow take part in the feast! Along the way Fernie is chased by the People Taker who is determined to take her to the Shadow Country. It''s up to Fernie and Gustav to stop the People Taker before he takes Fernie''s family. Featuring a unique cover and beautifully dark full-page illustrations by Kristen Margiotta, Gustav Gloom is sure to be a hit with fans who love a little darkness in their lives.

HELL TO THE CHIEF All United States Presidents have the same lesson to learn, and they all learn it early on the first full morning of their respective Administrations. They are all confronted with the horrific secret at the heart of the White House...the one that subjects them to a blood-soaked, savage battle for survival. To commemorate the 2012 election season, Hugo, Nebula and Stoker Nominee Adam-Troy Castro presents a newly-updated edition of one of his all-time strangest short stories, a one-of-a-kind mixture of political satire and relentless zombie horror that pits a new President against a siege by...the Founding Fiends. Will Democracy survive...and what will be left of it?

On a savage backwater world, the last ragged survivors of an expedition to hunt down the infamous war criminal known as The Beast Magrison set off into an inhospitable wilderness in search of the alien village that may be sheltering this beast. The hunters are aliens from two different species, the village is inhabited by strange aliens of yet another species, and Magrison himself is no sterling advertisement for humanity. Who''s human in this situation? The answer may surprise and upset you. This novella from acclaimed SF writer Adam-Troy Castro explores the fate of the dread Magrison. Readers can find out more about the world that spawned Magrison by tracking down his Andrea Cort novels, Emissaries from the Dead and The Third Claw of God. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

A Is for Arterial Spray, B Is for Bedroom Window, C Is for Children of the Night . . . A humorous and wonderfully illustrated A-to-Z guide that takes us inside the world of bloodsuckers. Learn all about that violent nut Van Helsing, the art of undead seduction, the dangerous myth of garlic, the trouble inherent in vampire real estate deals, the downside of eternal youth, as well as where to aim that wooden stake, with a friendly reminder to . . . Lock the house and protect your neck!