New Releases by Esther Friesner

From the Gamma Quadrant they came, hordes of merciless Jem''Hadar soldiers commanded by the shape-changing Founders, who seek to conquer both the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon™ Empire. Now that the Dominion has joined forces with the Cardassians, and claimed Deep Space Nine™ as their prize, Starfleet is running out of time. As a secret military project nears completion, the destiny of the entire Alpha Quadrant depends on the courage of a few. In the Federation''s time of greatest peril, as the Starship Enterprise™ readies itself for battle, Captain Jean-Luc Picard leads a desperate mission of espionage deep into the heart of the hostile Cardassian Empire. Unless they can prevent the Dominion from creating an artificial wormhole, hordes of fresh Jem''Hadar warriors and Changelings will pour into the Alpha Quadrant, dooming the Federation to unconditional surrender. But there may be a traitor along on the mission and Picard finds he cannot trust even his closest allies.

Tim Desmond, a mere freshman at Princeton University, must battle the forces of evil when his girlfriend disappears, his mother falls in love with a black magician, and the forces of Death and Destruction gather in Poughkeepsie

Welcome to Black Cat Weekly #17—another fun issue, with great mystery and science fiction short stories, classic novels, and more! The lineup this time: Mysteries / Suspense: “Smart Cookie,” by Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] “Shanks Gets Mugged,” by Robert Lopresti [short story] “Thubway Tham Reforms,” by Johnston McCulley [short story] “The Man in the Dick Tracy Hat” by Elizabeth Zelvin [Barb Goffman Presents short story] The Seal of Gijon, by Nicholas Carter [novel] Science Fiction & Fantasy: ufeff “The Hour of Their Need,” by Amy Wolf [Cynthia Ward Presents short story] “Dragonet,” by Esther Friesner [Darrell Schweitzer Presents short story] “Vengeance in Her Bones,” by Malcolm Jameson [short story] “Taste Taste,” by Larry Tritten [short story] Secret of the Martians, by Paul W. Fairman [novel]

The Unidentified Funny Objects series delivers an annual dose of funny, zany, and unusual science fiction and fantasy stories. All-new fiction from the genre''s top voices! In this volume you''ll find: * Overworked fairies distributing swords. * Alien yeti slackers * Elf bakers * Absconded books * Superhero dance battles * Matchmakers ... in spaaace! This anthology contains the following stories: "The Hero of Small Things" by Amanda Saville "Chai Noon" by Esther Friesner "If Pages Could Blush" by Kyle A. Massa "The Time Loop Device is Counting Down" by Beth Goder "Crouching Swan Hidden Polka" by Jim C Hines "Sgt. Yeti" by Gini Koch "The Great Beyond Commands" by John Wiswell "The Second Wish" by James Beamon "These Three Aliens Walk into a Bar" by Simon R. Green "Our Most Sincere Apologies to the People of Brazil" by Jane Espenson "Liability Insurance Policy for Immortals, Cryptids, and Other Magical Beings: Annual Newsletter" by Tina Connolly "The Shadchen of Venus" by Lavie Tidhar "Cory Sucks" by Auston Habershaw "Sunnyside Daycare Employees'' Chat Log, Post Alien Takeover" by Amanda Helms "Cooking Up Trouble" by C. Flynt "Right to Remain Silent" by Jody Lynn Nye "Auntie Elsie''s Compleat Guide to Heartbreak" by Tim Pratt "The Troll Bridge" by Adam Gaylord "Do Gumshoes Dream of Electric Sleep" by Dave Vierling "Hell''s Bureaucracy" by David Hankins "A Crisis of Fate" by Zach Shephard

SCIENCE FICTION, FANTASY, HUMOR The Unidentified Funny Objects series delivers an annual dose of funny, zany, and unusual science fiction and fantasy stories. All-new fiction from the genre''s top voices! * Superheroes mired in government bureaucracy. * Cat cat-burglars. * Grandmotherly golems. * Literal-minded self-driving cars. * Evil overlords retired in Florida. * Indifferent aliens.