New Releases by Connie Willis

Ein amüsanter Roman über Alien-Invasionen, Verschwörungen und die Albernheiten, die Menschen zu glauben bereit sind – und die nicht einmal alle falsch sein müssen – von der mit mehreren Nebula- und Hugo-Awards ausgezeichneten Autorin der Romane "Dunkelheit" und "Licht". Die besonnene Francie ist zur Motto-Hochzeit ihrer Zimmergenossin aus College-Tagen eingeladen – nach Roswell in New Mexico. Das Motto? UFOs. Der Bräutigam? Ein wahrer Gläubiger. Alles spricht mit weit aufgerissenen Augen über Außerirdische – vollkommener Blödsinn! Das ist für Francie keine Frage. Man kann sich daher lebhaft ihre Überraschung vorstellen, als sie von einem Außerirdischen entführt wird. Vielleicht noch seltsamer ist, dass ihr Entführer in nichts jenem Bild gleicht, das die Massenmedien erschaffen haben. Francie ist auch nicht das einzige Opfer seiner Entführungsorgie. Innerhalb kürzester Zeit hat er einen charmanten Hochstapler namens Wade eingefangen, eine nette, spielsüchtige alte Dame, einen Rentner mit einem riesigen Wohnmobil und einer Leidenschaft für alte Western und einen verrückten UFO-Jäger, der felsenfest überzeugt ist: Der Außerirdische will entweder Experimente an ihnen durchführen oder den Planeten erobern! Francie jedoch glaubt immer weniger, dass der Außerirdische ein Invasor ist. Er scheint in Schwierigkeiten zu stecken ... Sie muss ihm helfen! Nur weiß sie nicht, wie sie das anstellen soll. "The Road to Roswell" ist ein Alien-Entführungsabenteuerroman, eine Roadtrip-Geschichte und eine romantische Komödie. Vollgestopft mit Men in Black, Elvis-Imitatoren, Touristenfallen, Klapperschlangen, Chemtrails und Begegnungen der dritten, vierten und fünften Art. Kann Francie in ihrem lindgrünen Brautjungfernkleid die Welt retten und es danach noch rechtzeitig zurück zur Hochzeit schaffen?

A delightful novel about alien invasions, conspiracies, and the incredibly silly things people are willing to believe—some of which may actually be true—from the Nebula and Hugo award-winning author of Blackout and All Clear “An absolute blast with abundant humor, copious references to old westerns, and . . . a delightful, intergalactic twist on the romantic comedy.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) A WALL STREET JOURNAL BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • LOCUS AWARD FINALIST When level-headed Francie arrives in Roswell, New Mexico, for her college roommate’s UFO-themed wedding—complete with a true-believer bridegroom—she can’t help but roll her eyes at all the wide-eyed talk of aliens, which obviously don’t exist. Imagine her surprise, then, when she is abducted by one. Odder still, her abductor is far from what the popular media have led her to expect, with a body like a tumbleweed and a mass of lightning-fast tentacles. Nor is Francie the only victim of the alien’s abduction spree. Before long, he has acquired a charming con man named Wade, a sweet little old lady with a casino addiction, a retiree with a huge RV and a love for old Westerns, and a UFO-chasing nutjob who is thoroughly convinced the alien intends to probe them and/or take over the planet. But the more Francie gets to know the alien, the more convinced she becomes that he’s not an invader. That he’s in trouble and she has to help him. Only she doesn’t know how—or even what the trouble is. Part alien-abduction adventure, part road trip saga, part romantic comedy, The Road to Roswell is packed full of Men in Black, Elvis impersonators, tourist traps, rattlesnakes, chemtrails, and Close Encounters of the Third, Fourth, and Fifth kind. Can Francie, stuck in a neon green bridesmaid’s dress, save the world—and still make it back for the wedding?

UN ARTEFACTO PERDIDO. UNAS VACACIONES FORZOSAS. ... Y TODO ESTO, POR NO MENCIONAR AL PERRO. Segundo libro de la serie Historiadores de Oxford. Ned Henry necesita urgentemente un descanso. Obligado por su insoportable jefa a saltar continuamente en el tiempo en busca de un misterioso objeto que constituye una pieza clave en la reconstrucción de la catedral de Coventry, está empezando a perder el norte. La Inglaterra victoriana de 1888, con sus atardeceres ociosos, el té de las cinco, partidos de croquet en el césped y la tranquila vida campestre, prometen el paraíso. Pero descansar será lo último que hará Ned, dado que tendrá que apañárselas para salvar el continuo espacio tiempo de un colapso total, entre mayordomos victorianos, gatos, espiritistas y detectives aficionados... Por no mencionar al perro, de la increíble Connie Willis, una de las mejores y más inteligentes voces de la ciencia ficción moderna, muestra u n viaje a través de un mundo impredecible de misterio, amor y viajes en el tiempo. Algo inusual en la ciencia ficción: una brillante comedia. Tanto El libro del día del juicio final como Por no mencionar al perro se pueden leer de forma autoconclusiva.

The Martian Invasion! Accounts of the War of the Worlds as told from celebrity eyewitnesses all around the globe! - Jules Verne reports on the Martian attacks on Paris - Teddy Roosevelt, big game hunter, goes after the most dangerous game...from another world. - Mark Twain recounts the Martians on the Mississippi. - Jack London fights the Martians in the Yukon. - Albert Einstein pits his great mind against the Martian overlords. And fourteen other imaginary reports from the front lines of the War of the Worlds, including H.P. Lovecraft, Winston Churchill, Pablo Picasso, Rudyard Kipling, Joseph Conrad, and others-as written by some of the greatest names in modern science fiction.

« Un thriller qu''on lit d''une traite. » Publishers Weekly « L''évocation la plus saisissante de l''Angleterre pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale que l''on ait jamais écrite. » The Washington Post « L''un des plus grands auteurs américains. » The Denver Post Londres, 29 décembre 1940 : l''une des nuits les plus meurtrières du Blitz. Pris au coeur de l''un des pires raids de l''époque, les historiens du futur Michael, Merope et Polly cherchent désespérément à revenir au XXIe siècle. En attendant de trouver un moyen de s''échapper, le trio tente de survivre aux bombardements et aux évacuations, mais il y a plus grave encore : d''après les archives oxfordiennes de 2060, il semblerait que leurs interventions aient modifié le cours des événements... et la guerre pourrait bien se terminer autrement, bouleversant l''Histoire à jamais. Quelle que soit l''ampleur des sacrifices exigés, les voyageurs du futur doivent s''engager dans un combat acharné contre le temps...

Oxford, futur proche. L''université est définitivement dépoussiérée : historien est devenu un métier à haut risque. Car désormais, pour étudier le passé, il faut le vivre. Littéralement. Michael Davies se prépare pour Pearl Harbor, Merope Ward est aux prises avec une volée d''enfants évacués en 1940, Polly Churchill sera vendeuse en plein coeur du Blitz, et le jeune Colin Templer irait n''importe où, n''importe quand, pour Polly... Ils sont aux premières loges. Une aubaine pour des historiens, sauf quand l''Histoire elle-même se met à dérailler. Et si, finalement, il était possible de changer le passé ? « Ce roman étourdissant nous parle à la fois de souffrance et d''espoir... La plus belle réussite à ce jour de l''un de nos meilleurs écrivains de science-fiction. » The Denver Post « Un tour de force. » The New York Times Book Review

DOS ENFERMEDADES MORTALES. DOS ÉPOCAS DIFERENTES. UN MISMO DESTINO: EL FIN DEL MUNDO SE ACERCA... El gran clásico de una de las autoras más premiadas de la ciencia ficción mundial. Primer libro de la serie Historiadores de Oxford. Para Kivrin, estudiante de Historia de la Universidad de Oxford, viajar a la Inglaterra del siglo XIV es un sueño hecho realidad. Por fin va a poder estudiar in situ una de las eras más apasionantes de la historia humana: la Edad Media. Sin embargo, una crisis que vincula pasado y presente altera sus planes. Debido a un error en los cálculos del viaje, Kivrin queda atrapada en una de las épocas más mortíferas del medievo, al tiempo que una epidemia particularmente virulenta se extiende por la Inglaterra de mediados del siglo XXI, lo que imposibilita rescatarla... En El libro del día del juicio final, obra maestra ganadora de los premios Hugo, Locus y Nebula a la mejor novela, Willis se confirma como la gran dama de la ciencia ficción mientras explora con maestría el tema atemporal de la enfermedad, el sufrimiento y la indomable voluntad del espíritu humano. Tanto El libro del día del juicio final como la segunda entrega de la serie Historiadores de Oxford, Por no mencionar al perro , se pueden leer de forma autoconclusiva. La crítca ha dicho: «Un tour de force.» The New York Times Book Review

Antología inédita en español sobre canallas. Incluye “El príncipe canalla”, precuela inicial de Juego de Tronos (George R.R. Martin) y otras historias de autores consagrados como Joe Abercrombie, Scott Lynch, Neil Gaiman o Patrick Rothfuss. -Todo el mundo ama a un canalla (Introducción) por George R.R. Martin -Tiempos duros siempre de Joe Abercrombie -¿A qué te dedicas? de Gillian Flynn -La posada de las Siete Bendiciones de Matt Hughes -El árbol torcido de Joe R. Lansdale -Bruna Enaguas de Michael Swanwick -Procedencia de David W. Ball -Los turbulentos años veinte de Carrie Vaughn -Un año y un día en la antigua Theradane de Scott Lynch -Dura como el metal de Bradley Denton -Metal pesado de Cherie Priest -El significado del amor de Daniel Abraham -Una forma mejor de morir de Paul Cornell -Mal vistos en Tiro de Steven Saylor -Una carga de marfiles de Garth Nix -Diamantes de tequila de Walter Jon Williams -La caravana a ninguna parte de Phyllis Eisenstein -El curioso caso de las esposas muertas de Lisa Tuttle -Como el Marqués recuperó su abrigo de Neil Gaiman -Una tarde de cine de Connie Willis -El árbol del relámpago de Patrick Rothfuss -El Príncipe pícaro o el hermano de un Rey de George R. R. Martin

THREE CLASSIC SCI-FI NOVELLAS IN ONE VOLUME—from a Hugo and Nebula award-winning author In Terra Incognita, Connie Willis explores themes of love and mortality while brilliantly illuminating the human condition through biting satire. Uncharted Territory Findriddy and Carson are explorers, dispatched to a distant planet to survey its canyons, ridges, and scrub-covered hills. Teamed with a profit-hungry indigenous guide of indeterminate gender and an enthusiastic newcomer whose specialty is mating customs, the group battles hostile terrain as they set out for unexplored regions. Along the way, they face dangers, discover treasures, and soon find themselves in an alien territory of another kind: exploring the paths and precipices of sex—and love. Remake In the Hollywood of the future, live-action movies are a thing of the past. Old films are computerized and ruthlessly dissected, actors digitally ripped from one film and thrust into another. Humphrey Bogart and Marilyn Monroe in A Star Is Born? No problem. Hate the ending? Change it with the stroke of a key. Technology makes anything possible. But a starry-eyed young woman wants only one thing: to dance on the big screen. With a little magic and a lot of luck, she just may get her happy ending. D.A. Theodora Baumgarten is baffled and furious: Why was she selected to be part of a highly competitive interstellar cadet program? After all, she never even applied. But that hasn’t stopped the powers that be from whisking her onto a spaceship bound for the prestigious Academy. With her protests ignored, Theodora takes matters into her own hands, aided by her hacker best friend, to escape the Academy and return to Earth—only to uncover a conspiracy that runs deeper than she could have imagined. Praise for Terra Incognita “Willis’s lively, funny forays into futuristic territory shine as brightly today as when originally released. . . . In all three stories, the protagonists find their narrow concepts of life challenged and expanded by possibilities created through technology. As a collection, these smart, accessible shorts make for an entertaining initiation or reintroduction into the world of one of sci-fi''s greatest treasures.”—Shelf Awareness “A master of fantasy playfully combines science fiction with other genres in three antic novellas. . . . Clever, funny, thought-provoking, and sweet, these stories are classic Willis.”—Kirkus Reviews

Combinando humor e romance, Connie Willis, ícone da ficção científica, traz um livro envolvente sobre os perigos da tecnologia, do excesso nas redes sociais e... do amor. Em um futuro não muito distante, um simples procedimento cirúrgico é capaz de aumentar a empatia entre os casais, e ele está cada vez mais na moda. Por isso, Briddey Flannigan fica contente quando seu namorado, Trent, sugere que eles façam a cirurgia antes de se casarem — a ideia é que eles desfrutem de uma conexão emocional ainda maior, e que o relacionamento fique ainda mais completo. Bem, essa é a ideia. Mas as coisas acabam não acontecendo como o planejado: Briddey acaba se conectando com outra pessoa, totalmente inesperada. Conforme a situação vai saindo do controle, Briddey percebe que nem sempre muita informação é o melhor, e que o amor — e a comunicação — são bem mais complicados do que ela esperava. "Um dos livros de ficção científica mais divertidos dos últimos anos."— Locus "Um conto de fadas tecnológico extremamente divertido." — BookPage

Edward Bryant influenced a generation of readers and writers. Edward Bryant''s Sphere of Influence contains twenty-four stories influenced by a master of science-fiction and horror. In this book you''ll discover the extraordinary influence of a master''s touch!

Dans un futur pas si lointain, une intervention chirurgicale a été mise au point pour améliorer l''empathie dans le couple. Tous les amoureux en rêvent. Briddey Flannigan se réjouit quand Trent, son petit ami, lui propose cette opération avant leurs fiançailles : leur lien émotionnel s''en trouvera renforcé et la communication n''aura plus de secrets pour eux. Mais les choses ne se déroulent pas tout à fait comme prévu : bien malgré elle, Briddey se retrouve connectée à quelqu''un d''autre. C''est plus qu''elle n''en peut supporter, surtout avec le stress déjà engendré par une famille obsédée par la communication, de jour comme de nuit. Mais ce n''est qu''un début. Alors que la situation empire, Briddey commence à prendre conscience des inconvénients d''un excès d''informations. Elle comprend alors que l''amour - et la communication - s''avèrent bien plus complexes qu''elle ne l''imaginait... « Une critique de notre obsession pour les téléphones portables dans une future Amérique trop proche... Connie Willis y mêle adroitement connaissances scientifiques et personnages hauts en couleur. On obtient une histoire délicate et pleine d''humour où l''héroïne rencontre enfin le prince charmant. Willis juxtapose une réflexion salutaire sur l''ambiguïté des portables et sur la menace que les nouvelles technologies font peser sur l''éthique et la sphère émotionnelle. » Publishers Weekly « Vous pensez que les smartphones et les réseaux sociaux menacent votre intimité ? Imaginez que vous puissiez entendre les pensées des autres... et qu''on entende les vôtres. En plus de maîtriser habilement les ressorts de la comédie, Connie Willis critique la société moderne et nous propose une métaphore sur les joies et les dangers de la connexion humaine. Sous une autre plume, ce roman aurait pu être une succession de clichés, mais il n''en est rien grâce à l''intrigue prenante et à l''humour vivace de Connie Willis. » Kirkus Reviews

This new, expanded edition of Miracle and Other Christmas Stories features twelve brilliantly reimagined holiday tales, five of which are collected here for the first time. Christmas comes but once a year, yet the stories in this dazzling collection are fun to read anytime. They put a speculative spin on the holiday, giving fans of acclaimed author Connie Willis a welcome gift and a dozen reasons to be of good cheer. Brimming with Willis’s trademark insights and imagination, these heartwarming tales are full of humor, absurdity, human foibles, tragedy, joy, and hope. They both embrace and send up many of the best Christmas traditions, including the holiday newsletter, Secret Santas, office parties, holiday pageants, and Christmas dinners (both elaborate and spare). There are Rockettes, the best and worst Christmas movies, modern-day Magi, Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present, and Yet to Come—and the triumph of generosity over greed. Like all the timeless classics we return to year after year, these stories affirm our faith in love, magic, and the wonder of the season. Praise for A Lot Like Christmas “A perfect stocking stuffer for Christmas—celebrating fans of [Connie] Willis’s humorous SF.”—Publishers Weekly “A collection of Christmas stories with just the right blend of sugar and spice . . . sweet and sharp, whimsical and heartfelt, funny and warm . . . Fans of Willis’s gently comic speculative fiction will love this collection, and it will also appeal to readers looking to get into the holiday spirit.”—Kirkus Reviews

Até que ponto é possível desafiar a morte? Em meados do século XXI, a jovem estudante Kivrin Engle se prepara para viajar no tempo. Ela pretende fazer um estudo de campo sobre uma das épocas mais sombrias da história da humanidade: a Idade Média. Em um primeiro momento, tudo parece ter corrido bem com a empreitada, e ela finalmente está no século XIV. O que Kivrin não sabe é que o técnico responsável pelo seu salto temporal, de volta para 2054, está terrivelmente doente. Seu retorno pode estar comprometido, e isso pode afetar todos os habitantes do Reino Unido. De 1300 a 2050, Connie Willis faz um trabalho magnífico na construção de personagens complexos, densos e pelos quais é impossível não sentir empatia. O livro do juízo final é ao mesmo tempo uma incrível reconstrução histórica e uma aula sobre o poder da amizade.

Propulsé en 1940 à Londres par le professeur Dunworthy sans la moindre préparation, John Bartholomew intègre la brigade des veilleurs du feu, ces héros qui ont sauvé la cathédrale Saint-Paul des bombes allemandes... À cette époque, de nombreux Londoniens ont survécu au Blitz en se réfugiant dans le métro, dont plusieurs stations portent aujourd’hui encore de bien curieux stigmates... Et tandis que d’autres vont chercher la mort beaucoup plus loin, sur les rives antiques du Nil, certains accueillent en eux la présence des dieux à têtes d’animaux pour en faire un commerce fort lucratif.Neuf nouvelles et courts récits primés – parmi lesquels Les veilleurs du feu, préquelle au roman Black-Out et au cycle temporel –, qui donnent à voir un aperçu complet des talents de conteuse de Connie Willis.

Science fiction icon Connie Willis brilliantly mixes a speculative plot, the wit of Nora Ephron, and the comedic flair of P. G. Wodehouse in Crosstalk—a genre-bending novel that pushes social media, smartphone technology, and twenty-four-hour availability to hilarious and chilling extremes as one young woman abruptly finds herself with way more connectivity than she ever desired. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR In the not-too-distant future, a simple outpatient procedure to increase empathy between romantic partners has become all the rage. And Briddey Flannigan is delighted when her boyfriend, Trent, suggests undergoing the operation prior to a marriage proposal—to enjoy better emotional connection and a perfect relationship with complete communication and understanding. But things don’t quite work out as planned, and Briddey finds herself connected to someone else entirely—in a way far beyond what she signed up for. It is almost more than she can handle—especially when the stress of managing her all-too-eager-to-communicate-at-all-times family is already burdening her brain. But that’s only the beginning. As things go from bad to worse, she begins to see the dark side of too much information, and to realize that love—and communication—are far more complicated than she ever imagined. Praise for Crosstalk “A rollicking send-up of obsessive cell phone usage in too-near-future America . . . [Connie] Willis’s canny incorporation of scientific lore, and a riotous cast . . . make for an engaging girl-finally-finds-right-boy story that’s unveiled with tact and humor. Willis juxtaposes glimpses of claimed historical telepaths with important reflections about the ubiquity of cell phones and the menace that unscrupulous developers of technology pose to privacy, morality, and emotional stability.”—Publishers Weekly “An exhilarating and laugh-inducing read . . . one of those rare books that will keep you up all night long because you can’t bear to put it down.”—Portland Book Review “A fun technological fairy tale.”—BookPage “One of the funniest SF novels in years.”—Locus

UNA MISIÓN: LA SEGUNDA GUERRA MUNDIAL. CUANDO UNO SE ACERCA DEMASIADO AL FUEGO, TERMINA QUEMÁNDOSE... PARA ESTUDIAR EL PASADO, HAY QUE VIVIRLO. Tercera entrega de la serie Historiadores de Oxford. En la Inglaterra de 2060, unos estudiantes se preparan para sus nuevos proyectos. Michael Davies va a estudiar Pearl Harbor, Merope Ward observará a los niños evacuados de Londres y Polly Churchill investigará los bombardeos desde unos grandes almacenes. Su misión: observar, desde un lugar seguro, la vida cotidiana en ese gran momento histórico. Al menos, en teoría. Esta es una gran oportunidad para ellos, excepto cuando la Historia misma comienza a descarrilar. Y los historiadores, a medida que el tiempo corre, atrapados en los eventos caóticos que conforman la historia, se ven obligados a participar en ellos. El apagón forma, junto con su continuación, Cese de alerta, un retrato conmovedor y exquisitamente detallado de un mundo sitiado y dominado por el caos, de la incertidumbre y la amenaza de la extinción inminente y, sobre todo, de la increíble capacidad humana para mantener la esperanza hasta en los momentos más oscuros. El díptico formado por El apagón y Cese de alerta obtuvo en 2010 el premio Nebula a la mejor novela y en 2011 el Locus a la mejor novela de ciencia ficción.

What’s on the horizon for 2016 and beyond? Find out in this annual ebook sampler of excerpts from some of Del Rey’s most exciting science fiction and fantasy titles! Inside are a slew of iconic authors and brands. Michael J. Sullivan, the author of the Riyria series, kicks off an original five-book saga. Elizabeth Moon revisits her classic military sci-fi epic Vatta’s War with a new standalone novel. Science Fiction Hall of Famer Connie Willis returns with a satire of love and (mis)communication. China Miéville, one of the most consistently original voices in any genre, presents a brilliant work of alternate history. And a bold era of World of Warcraft storytelling begins with a tale of justice and vengeance. Here, too, are emerging voices and incredible new visions. At the edge of the Russian wilderness, a young girl tries to protect her family from terrifying fairy tales come to life. In Kolkata, India, a college professor learns of a race of people at once more than human yet kin to beasts. An ordinary family in England undertakes a ten-year period of servitude to a ruling class endowed with powerful magic. A contestant on a reality TV show, cut off from all outside contact, learns that the real world may have changed in terrifying ways. A young man with inexplicable powers is recruited by a secret training program at West Point. And in South Dakota, a child falls through the earth—only to wake up in the palm of a giant metal hand. This marvelous ebook sampler contains excerpts from eleven recent and upcoming works: AGE OF MYTH by Michael J. Sullivan THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE by Katherine Arden COLD WELCOME by Elizabeth Moon CROSSTALK by Connie Willis THE DEVOURERS by Indra Das GILDED CAGE by Vic James THE LAST DAYS OF NEW PARIS by China Miéville THE LAST ONE by Alexandra Oliva THE POINT by John Dixon SLEEPING GIANTS by Sylvain Neuvel WORLD OF WARCRAFT: ILLIDAN by William King

Een geschiedenisstudente komt na een tijdreis per ongeluk terecht in het jaar van de pest. Wanneer geschiedenisstudente Kivrin de kans krijgt een tijdreis te maken, twijfelt ze geen moment: ze is gefascineerd door de middeleeuwen. Goed voorbereid vertrekt ze en komt aan in de veertiende eeuw, in een Engels dorpje, waar ze wordt opgenomen in een boerenfamilie. Dan wordt iedereen om haar heen ziek. Wat is er aan de hand? Kivrin ontdekt dat ze zich bevindt in het beruchte jaar 1348, het jaar van de Zwarte Dood. De pest grijpt genadeloos om zich heen. Zal Kivrin overleven en kunnen terugkeren naar haar eigen tijd? ''Het is een van de boeiendste boeken die ik in lange tijd heb gelezen.'' Sarah Hart in Vrij Nederland

ATTENTION ÉVÈNEMENT : Du 06/05/2015 au 03/06/2015 Découvrez les Intégrales Bragelonne ! Des séries complètes en numérique pour une durée limitée et à prix canon ! Cette édition exclusive numérique contient les ouvrages suivants : Black-out (2012) All Clear (2013) « Un superbe tableau de cette Angleterre des débuts de la guerre. Un très beau roman. » France Culture « Un tour de force. » The New York Times Book Review « Un thriller qu’on lit d’une traite. » Publishers Weekly « La plus saisissante des évocations de l’Angleterre pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale. » The Washington Post « L’un des plus grands auteurs américains. » The Denver Post Oxford, futur proche. L’université est définitivement dépoussiérée : historien est devenu un métier à haut risque. Car désormais, pour étudier le passé, il faut le vivre. Littéralement. Michael Davies se prépare pour Pearl Harbor, Merope Ward est aux prises avec une volée d’enfants évacués en 1940, Polly Churchill sera vendeuse en plein cœur du Blitz, et le jeune Colin Templer irait n’importe où, n’importe quand, pour Polly... Ils seront aux premières loges pour les épisodes les plus fascinants de la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Une aubaine pour des historiens, sauf que les bombes qui tombent sont bien réelles et une mort soudaine les guette à tout moment. Sans parler de ce sentiment grandissant que l’Histoire elle-même est en train de dérailler. Et si, finalement, il était possible de changer le passé ?

Rangez vos pantalons en velours côtelé, vos ronds de cuir, votre pipe, vos vieux livres et tout autre cliché sur les historiens : depuis l''invention du transmetteur temporel, étudier le passé n''a plus rien d''une discipline poussiéreuse. Cette machine révolutionnaire permet aux professeurs de l''université d''Oxford de se rendre au coeur même des événements qu''ils auscultent, tant pour lever le voile sur certains épisodes encore méconnus que pour partager, le temps d''une mission, la vie de nos aïeuls. Mais attention, un saut dans le temps ne s''improvise pas : le candidat au voyage doit subir un entraînement drastique, comme l''apprendra Kivrin Engle, qui plus que tout désire se rendre au Moyen Âge. Langue, habitudes, vêtements... Pas un détail ne doit trahir sa véritable identité, car le moindre changement dans la trame historique pourrait avoir des conséquences désastreuses.

This new collection of stories from the multi-award-winning author of Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog contains: A Letter from the Clearys At the Rialto Death on the Nile The Soul Selects Her own Society Fire Watch Inside Job Even the Queen The Winds of Marble Arch All Seated on the Ground Last of the Winnebagos Ten stories - which have all won the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award or both - are compulsory reading for the serious science fiction fan.

Few authors have had careers as successful as that of Connie Willis. Inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame and recently awarded the title of Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Willis is still going strong. Her smart, heartfelt fiction runs the gamut from screwball comedy to profound tragedy, combining dazzling plot twists, cutting-edge science, and unforgettable characters. From a near future mourning the extinction of dogs to an alternate history in which invading aliens were defeated by none other than Emily Dickinson; from a madcap convention of bumbling quantum physicists in Hollywood to a London whose Underground has become a storehouse of intangible memories both foul and fair—here are the greatest stories of one of the greatest writers working in any genre today. All ten of the stories gathered here are Hugo or Nebula award winners—some even have the distinction of winning both. With a new Introduction by the author and personal afterwords to each story—plus a special look at three of Willis’s unique public speeches—this is unquestionably the collection of the season, a book that every Connie Willis fan will treasure, and, to those unfamiliar with her work, the perfect introduction to one of the most accomplished and best-loved writers of our time. Praise for The Best of Connie Willis “Filled with warmth and sadness, great drama, witty dialogue, characters you will care about and moments that you will remember for a long time.”—SFF World “If anyone can be named ‘best science fiction writer of the age,’ it’s Connie Willis, and these stories are the best of her best. Truly.”—Analog “Ranging from the hilarious to the profound, these stories show the full range of [Connie] Willis’s talent for taut, dazzling plots, real science, memorable characters, penetrating dialogue and blistering drama.”—Kirkus Reviews “Thank goodness [for] Connie Willis, who says many things that desperately need saying in more than one delightful way.”—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel “The Best of Connie Willis? Isn’t that like sorting through diamonds?”—Lytherus

Joy to the world . . . or, joy to the worlds! Let heaven and nature¾and also the supernatural¾sing. A Cosmic Christmas presents twelve stories of Christmas in very unusual circumstances, ranging from vampires to robots, from the hills of Appalachia to a high orbit space station, all celebrating the holiday in their own, off-beat ways. New York Times best-selling author Larry Correia sends his popular tough guy detective and magicwielder, Jake Sullivan, on a special case at Christmas time, while visions of tommy guns dance in the heads of the thugs he''s up against. Mark L. Van Name''s Lobo, an A.I. housed in a pocket battle starship, drops his usual cynical pose to help a troubled family at Christmas time. Nebula Award-winner Catherine Asaro tells of a romantic Yuletide weekend that turns into a mystery in a futuristic high-tech house. New York Times best seller Mercedes Lackey offers a Christmas ghost the likes of which Scrooge never encountered. George O. Smith, a star of the Golden Age of science fiction, is on hand with an episode from his classic Venus Equilateral series, in which a Christmas celebration on a gigantic space station is interrupted by the arrival of a ruthless interplanetary criminal, who didn''t drop by to hand out presents. And much more, in a holiday package that any fan of science fiction and fantasy would be delighted to find under their tree, on any planet. At the publisher''s request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).

El Espíritu de la Navidad y otros relatos agrupa seis cuentos publicados en la revista Asimov''s Magazine y dos totalmente originales: comienza con Milagro en el que una oficinista espera que su apuesto compañero se fije en ella en la fiesta de Navidad de la empresa donde trabajan; En la tienda de juguetes de Coppelius, un sujeto narcisista descubrirá que "Cosechas lo que siembras" es algo más que un dicho al verse encerrado en una tienda de juguetes atestada de gente en Navidad; en el magnífico Adaptación los espíritus de las Navidades presente y futura visitarán a un librero solitario que se dará cuenta de que lo importante en esta vida es dar; en Posada, una cantante de coro dará cobijo a un hombre sin hogar y su esposa embarazada, para descubrir que bajo esa apariencia hay mucho más de lo que se observa...

Winner of six Nebula and two Hugo awards for her fiction, Connie Willis is acclaimed for her gifted imagination and bold invention. Here are eleven of her finest stories, surprising tales in which the impossible becomes real, the real becomes impossible, and strangeness lurks at every turn. The end of the world comes not with a bang but a series of whimpers over many years in "The Last of the Winnebagos." The terror of pain and dying gives birth to a startling truth about the nature of the stars, a principle known as the "Schwarzschild Radius." In "Spice Pogrom," an outrageous colony in outer space becomes the setting for a screwball comedy of bizarre complications, mistaken identities, far-too-friendly aliens--and even true love.

Winner of the Nebula Award Traveling back in time, from Oxford circa 2060 into the thick of World War II, was a routine excursion for three British historians eager to study firsthand the heroism and horrors of the Dunkirk evacuation and the London Blitz. But getting marooned in war-torn 1940 England has turned Michael Davies, Merope Ward, and Polly Churchill from temporal tourists into besieged citizens struggling to survive Hitler’s devastating onslaught. And now there’s more to worry about than just getting back home: The impossibility of altering past events has always been a core belief of time-travel theory—but it may be tragically wrong. When discrepancies in the historical record begin cropping up, it suggests that one or all of the future visitors have somehow changed the past—and, ultimately, the outcome of the war. Meanwhile, in 2060 Oxford, the stranded historians’ supervisor, Mr. Dunworthy, frantically confronts the seemingly impossible task of rescuing his students—three missing needles in the haystack of history. The thrilling time-tripping adventure that began with Blackout now hurtles to its stunning resolution in All Clear.

Connie Willis has won more Hugo and Nebula awards than any other science fiction author. Now, with her trademark wit and inventiveness, she explores the intimate relationship between science, pop culture, and the arcane secrets of the heart. Sandra Foster studies fads—from Barbie dolls to the grunge look—how they start and what they mean. Bennett O''Reilly is a chaos theorist studying monkey group behavior. They both work for the HiTek corporation, strangers until a misdelivered package brings them together. It''s a moment of synchronicity—if not serendipity—which leads them into a chaotic system of their own, complete with a million-dollar research grant, caffé latte, tattoos, and a series of unlucky coincidences that leaves Bennett monkeyless, fundless, and nearly jobless. Sandra intercedes with a flock of sheep and an idea for a joint project. (After all, what better animal to study both chaos theory and the herd mentality that so often characterizes human behavior?) But scientific discovery is rarely straightforward and never simple, and Sandra and Bennett have to endure a series of setbacks, heartbreaks, dead ends, and disasters before they find their ultimate answer. . . . Praise for Bellwether “One of science fiction''s best writers.”—The Denver Post “Connie Willis deploys the apparatus of science fiction to illuminate character and relationships, and her writing is fresh, subtle, and deeply moving.”—The New York Times Book Review “Keen social satire touched with genuine humanity . . . Connie Willis''s fiction is one of the most intelligent delights of our genre.”—Locus “A sheer pleasure to read . . . Sprightly, intelligent fun.”—Publishers Weekly

Oxford in 2060 is a chaotic place, with scores of time-traveling historians being sent into the past. Michael Davies is prepping to go to Pearl Harbor. Merope Ward is coping with a bunch of bratty 1940 evacuees and trying to talk her thesis adviser into letting her go to VE-Day. Polly Churchill’s next assignment will be as a shopgirl in the middle of London’s Blitz. But now the time-travel lab is suddenly canceling assignments and switching around everyone’s schedules. And when Michael, Merope, and Polly finally get to World War II, things just get worse. For there they face air raids, blackouts, and dive-bombing Stukas—to say nothing of a growing feeling that not only their assignments but the war and history itself are spiraling out of control. Because suddenly the once-reliable mechanisms of time travel are showing significant glitches, and our heroes are beginning to question their most firmly held belief: that no historian can possibly change the past.