Most Popular Books by Michael Swanwick

A second "Mongolian Wizard" tale from Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author Michael Swanwick – continuing an epic of magic and deception in an alternate Europe of railroads and sorcery. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Clarkesworld is a Hugo and World Fantasy Award-winning science fiction and fantasy magazine. Each month we bring you a mix of fiction, articles, interviews and art. Our December 2020 issue (#171) contains: * Original fiction by Fiona Moore ("The Island of Misfit Toys"), Lisa Nohealani Morton ("Things That Happen When You Date Your Ex''''s Accidentally Restored Backup From Before The Divorce"), Michael Swanwick ("The Last Days of Old Night"), Robert Reed ("Conversations in the Dark"), Chi Hui ("No Way Back"), AnaMaria Curtis ("Forward Momentum and a Parallel Toss"), and Andy Dudak ("Songs of Activation"). * Non-fiction by Carrie Sessarego, interviews with Stina Leicht and Tim Pratt, and an editorial by Neil Clarke.

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.

There is no light without dark; no highlights without shadows; no good without evil. The Devil is where things happen. Where stories begin. This collection brings together stories from multiple cultures, featuring the Devil both as an abstract concept and a creature, a terror, a force of nature, an enemy, a trickster, and so many more. Step into the world of shadows, and travel through Devil’s many incarnations spanning centuries of history and myth, from the Ancient Greece, African and Caribbean folklore, dark ages in Europe, all the way to the present day. This anthology features new and established authors from diverse, multicultural backgrounds.

A visitor from Moscow Center has Tanya seeing red, while Gabe baits his hook in the latest episode of Serial Box''s The Witch Who Came in from the Cold, featuring the distinctive storytelling magic of award-winning author and special-guest writer Michael Swanwick. When an unwanted interloper from Moscow Center intrudes on local KGB operations in Prague, Tanya finds that red tape can strangle as effectively as any garrote. Meanwhile, Gabe must deal with a new arrival from Washington, D.C., sent to command the ANCHISES operation. It seems that bureaucracy is the same on both sides of the Iron Curtain! Where can two enemy spies turn for help . . . but to each other? This episode is brought to you by the award-winning Michael Swanwick, who would like to warn you that looks can be deceiving. Praise for The Witch Who Came in from the Cold: "Those who like to mix magic, spycraft, and secret history should enjoy this—it may please fans of Stross’s Laundry series." —Locus Magazine "Full of fast-paced, high-intensity action paired with magic at a level that has not been seen until now, with a cliff-hanger that lets readers know that the game is not over and has only just begun." —The San Francisco Book Review "The Witch Who Came in from the Cold is a chilly evocation of a different kind of Cold War." —Charles Stross, author of the Laundry Files series “Take a double shot of Le Carré, a dash of Deighton, a twist of Quiller, a splash of Al Stewart’s The Year of the Cat, throw in a jigger full of elemental magic, mix well ... and voilà! The Witch Who Came In From The Cold.” —Victor Milán, author of The Dinosaur Lords "The occult love child of John le Carre and The Sandbaggers." —Marie Brennan, author of A Natural History of Dragons "As soon as I saw that, I was instantly hooked, and the pilot jacked the intrigue to the max. Two female Soviet spy witches, an American spy with something weird drilling magical holes in his head, and a world of secrets within secrets in a locale where old-world myth and the Cold War face off, pedal to the metal . . . it’s awesome. Or as we said in 1970, Far out. " —Sherwood Smith, author of Crown Duel "The installments are easy to read one at a time, but the tangles of alliances, secrets, and shocking double-crosses will have readers up all night mumbling, “Just one more.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

With "The Mongolian Wizard," Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author Michael Swanwick launches a new fiction series at Tor.com -- beginning with this story of a very unusual international conference in a fractured Europe that never was. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Each year, members of the World Science Fiction Convention vote for the science fiction and fantasy works they love the most: the Hugo Awards. Now, for the first time in more than a decade, you can find these treasured gems within a single volume. The Hugo Award Showcase collects the stories-by rising stars like Kij Johnson, beloved taleslingers like Michael Swanwick, and literary legends like Nancy Kress-that have captured the hearts and imaginations of some of the genre''s most dedicated readers.

A collection of some of the best original short fiction published on Tor.com in 2011. Includes stories by Charlie Jane Anders, James Allan Gardner, Yoon Ha Lee, Nnedi Okorafor, Paul Park, Matthew Sandborn Smith, Michael Swanwick, and Harry Turtedove. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Crime, corruption, and detection in the Big City—only this is a city of ghosts, ogres, and demons!

This collection of unabridged, unforgettable tales, written by some of science fiction’s most esteemed authors, pays homage to one of the genre’s most cherished story types. Whether time travel stories leap forward in time or slip into the past, they remain popular with fans. John Barnesspins a tale of intrigue as the principles of science are discovered centuries ahead of time while mankind is divided into classes (Com''n and Liejt) and the Irish people are slaves in “Things Undone.” Nancy KressAnne Boleyn and that of historians from a distant future to which pivotal historic figures are taken in order to prevent otherwise inevitable bloodshed in “And Wild for to Hold.” Ian R. MacLeodsends three time traveling historians from the future to rescue Captain Oatesfrom the doomed Scott party amidst the race to the South Pole in the early 20thcentury in “Home Time.” Tom Purdomsets historians from the future on a high seas adventure to document a 19thcentury British Admiralty anti-slavery patrol in “The Mists of Time.” Science fiction grand master, Robert Silverberg, slowly slides the fifty-seven year old owner of a Toyota dealership in the San Francisco Bay area backwards in time towards his birth in “Against the Current.” Allen M. Steeletells the story of how a U.S. Navy blimp crewmember happens upon time travelers while monitoring Soviet sea traffic around Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis in “The Observation Post.” Michael Swanwickfollows the director of a dinosaur research center holding a timeline-polluting fund raiser located in the late Cretaceous period in the Hugo award winning story, “Scherzo with Tyrannosaur.” Genevieve Valentineobserves the detrimental effects of time travel on the timeline through the eyes of a seamstress whose wealthy patrons are obsessed with their time period costumes in “Bespoke.”

This collection of unabridged, spectacular steampunk speculations includes several classics of the genre. These tales will sweep you away with their amazing automata, daring dirigibles, grinding gears, and scintillating steam as days long gone are infused with tech. In “Smoke City,” by Christopher Barzak, a woman comes to terms with the loss of her family to the child labor mills of the city. A doctor tries to cope with a strange plague terrorizing the citizens of London in Jeffrey Ford’s “Dr. Lash Remembers.” In “Machine Maid,” by Margo Lanagan, a sexually repressed wife gets revenge on her husband through a robot maid. Friedrich Engels strives to spread class revolution as a labor organizer for factory cyborg matchstick girls in Arbeitskraft, by Nick Mamatas. In “Ninety Thousand Horses,” by Sean McMullen, an acclaimed mathematician, with a murky past, is forced to spy for an industrialist prior to becoming Britain’s foremost rocket expert during World War II. An orphan boy builds an automaton, in an aging scientist’s laboratory, that becomes more than an idle companion in Cherie Priest’s “Tanglefoot (A Clockwork Century Story).” In “Clockwork Fairies,” by Cat Rambo, an English aristocrat courts a woman who would rather spend her time in a laboratory than at high society balls. At Chicago’s Columbian Exposition, in 1893, an Algerian bodyguard crosses paths with a disoriented naked man in Chris Roberson’s “Edison’s Frankenstein.”. In “A Serpent in the Gears,” by Margaret Ronald, a dirigible journeys to an isolated land and discovers people and animals merged with machine parts. Radio Jones finds a way to listen in on the Naked Brains, who rule the world, while Rudy the Red fights against the oppressors in “Zeppelin City,” by Michael Swanwick& Eileen Gunn.

If you wanted to know how one of the best editors and writers thinks, who would you want to know about? Gardner Dozois! Gardner has won more Hugo awards for editing than anyone, for his incredible work with Asimove''s Science Fiction Magazine-where stories he selected and edited won tons more awards. He''s won awards for his own writing as well, and has created a huge number of anthologies, including the reknowned "Year''s Best Science Fiction" series. There''s no better choice than getting insights into a mind like that. BEING GARDNER DOZOIS is an in-depth look at what makes him tick; a facinating interview with his friend (and notable SF author) Michael Swanwick, that describes Gardner''s thoughts on writing, his obsessions, collaborations, and his influence in the world of Fantasy and Science Fiction. A must for anyone who wants to get published (or get published more... or win awards... or win more awards), or anyone who loves the science fiction field.

MUTINY IN SPACE began as a novella entitled "Valentine''s Planet," which appeared in the August 1964 issue of Worlds of Tomorrow. "To space opera of the time, the character of the captain was as important as that of the king was to Shakespeare. He (the captain was always a "he," even when the author was female) was the model and exemplar for society, the man with the right stuff, he who made the tough decisions and enforced discipline?

Todeszone Pennsylvania 1979 kommt es zur Katastrophe im amerikanischen Atomreaktor Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania. Die freigesetzte Radioaktivität verwandelt den Osten der USA in eine nuklear verseuchte Wüste. Hundert Jahre nach dem Super-GAU leben in der Todesschneise, der Fallout-Zone um das Kraftwerk, nur noch Mutanten und Ausgestoßene. Philadelphia ist die größte Stadt direkt an der Grenze zur Schneise. Dort sind nach dem Zusammenbruch der Machtstrukturen in den USA direkt nach dem GAU die Karnevalisten, einstmals ein Verein, der die Paraden zum Neujahrstag organisiert hat, an der Macht. Sie müssen immer häufiger Mutanten, die sich der Stadt nähern, erschießen. Das fällt Keith Piotrowicz, Fahrer eines Giftmülltrucks, und dem Journalisten Fletch auf. Sie stellen Nachforschungen in der Todesschneise an – die den Karnevalisten jedoch überhaupt nicht gefallen ...

Allein auf dem Mond Gunther Weil arbeitet als Wissenschaftler auf dem Mond. Als auf der Erde ein Atomkrieg ausbricht, werden auch die Mondbewohner in den Konflikt mit hineingezogen: zum einen ist die Basis auf Nachschublieferungen von der Erde angewiesen, zum anderen setzt ein Terrorist ein Kampfgas frei, das fast die gesamte Besatzung verrückt werden lässt. Gunther ist einer der wenigen, die von dem Gas verschont geblieben sind, weil er zum Zeitpunkt des Anschlags auf der Mondoberfläche unterwegs war. Zusammen mit seinen Kollegen sucht er nach einem Gegenmittel – und findet es auch. Doch dieses Mittel könnte jeden, der es einnimmt, radikal verändern ...

Discover the vast worlds and pocket universes of Michael Swanwick (Stations of the Tide), the only author to win science fiction''s most prestigious award five times in six years. In his dazzling new collection, the master of speculative short stories returns with tales in which magic and science improbably coexist with myth and legend. With two stories original to this collection, Swanwick aptly demonstrates with poignant humor why he is widely respected as a master of imaginative storytelling. In engaging stories, Mischling the thief races through time to defeat three trolls before the sun rises for the first time and turns the inhabitants of her city into stone. A scientist is on the run from assassins, because her research in merging human intelligence with sentient AI is too dangerous. An aging veteran obtains a military weapon from his past: a VR robotic leopard in which he rediscovers the consequences of the hunt. In the biggest heist in the history of the universe, a loser Trickster (and the girlfriend who is better than he deserves), sets out to violate every trope and expectation of fiction possible

Vor der Großen Flut Der Planet Miranda hat einen so exzentrischen Orbit, dass seine Polkappen alle zweihundert Jahre schmelzen und den gesamten Planeten überfluten. Die einheimische Flora und Fauna ist an das Leben zu Land wie zu Wasser hervorragend angepasst, die Siedler von der Erde jedoch nicht. Als erneut eine Große Flut bevorsteht, werden die Kolonisten evakuiert. Doch Gregorian, der auf Miranda als Zauberer gilt, verspricht gegen Zahlung einer gewaltigen Geldsumme die Menschen so umzuwandeln, dass auch sie im Wasser überleben können. Die Abteilung für Techniktransfer vermutet, dass sich der ehemalige Wissenschaftler geheime Technik angeeignet und sie illegal nach Miranda gebracht hat. Sie schickt den Bürokraten aus, um Gregorian zu stellen. Doch dem Bürokraten bleibt nicht viel Zeit, denn die Flut rückt immer näher ...

Als Das Fest der Heiligen Janis 1980 in New Dimension 11 erschien, war allen klar, dass mit Michael Swanwick am Himmel der US-amerikanischen Science Fiction ein neuer Star aufgetaucht war. Die meisterhafte Erzählung gelangte prompt in die Entausscheidung zum Nebula Award und machte Appetit auf mehr. Aber man musste sich auf die Suche begeben, um zu entdecken, wo der Autor weitere Stories publizierte, denn nur die wenigsten erschienen in den üblichen SF-Magazinen. In Engel der Schwerkraft sind nun dreizehn der herausragendsten Erzählungen Michael Swanwicks aus den Jahren 1980 bis 1989 zusammengefasst! Darunter Die Kirche der göttlichen Verheißung, wo eine belagerte Kirche zum Schauplatz eines Wunders apokalyptischen Ausmaßes wird, während sich in der Raumfahrer-Story Der blinde Minotaurus High-Tech und Mythos vermischen und in Die Drachenlinie einem Abgesandten aus mythischer Vergangenheit die Aufgabe zufällt, die abgewirtschaftete Erde zu retten. Von der alptraumhaften Landschaft Pennsylvanias nach einer Kernschmelze bis zur interstellaren Reise durch Schwarze Löcher bietet diese einmalige Collection eine faszinierende Palette bester Science Fiction auf höchstem stilistischem Niveau.

Fantascienza - racconto lungo (36 pagine) - Una scatola contiene tutto ciò che tu possa desiderare nell''universo. Ma Howard desiderava davvero qualcosa? Howard è un tizio posato, ordinato, metodico. Quella sera proporrà alla sua fidanzata Mimi di sposarlo: ha già progettato tutto, le rose, il letto fresco di bucato, la cena, il dopocena. Tutto preciso. Almeno finché non compare all''improvviso lo zio Paulie. Che fino a un minuto prima non sapeva neppure di conoscere. Lo zio Paulie ha una cosa. Una scatola, non proprio una scatola in effetti, anche se lo sembra. Dentro c''è praticamente l''intero universo. C''è tutto quello che si possa desiderare, ma questo è anche un guaio, perché c''è gente molto poco per bene e molto, molto pericolosa che desidera cose e che vorrebbe impossessarsi della scatola. C''è una serata fuori, un doposbornia, e poi le cose cominciano a correre un po'' troppo per Howard. Un rapimento, un salvataggio, delle uccisioni. Un''avventura rocambolesca e piena di colpi di scena: riuscirà Howard a riconquistare, alla fine, se non Mimi almeno la sua tranquillità? Michael Swanwick, americano di Philadelphia, è uno degli autori più quotati della fantascienza e del fantastico degli ultimi decenni. Cinque volte vincitore del Premio Hugo – sempre nella categoria racconto – e vincitore di un Premio Nebula col romanzo Domani il mondo cambierà (Urania), Swanwick è attivo dall''inizio degli Anni Ottanta. Eclettico, originale, brillante, Swanwick ha scritto soprattutto fantascienza ma si è avventurato anche in campi limitrofi. Ha all''attivo una decina di romanzi (l''ultimo è Chasing the Phoenix, 2015, ambientato in una Russia post-utopica) e dodici raccolte di racconti. Tra i saggi, ha pubblicato un libro su Gardner Dozois, il grande editor recentemente scomparso.

Il mito di Atlantide, i vari Diluvi rappresentati nella Bibbia e al cinema ci hanno insegnato che maree travolgenti possono cambiare il mondo, spazzando la civiltà faticosamente costruita dai suoi colonizzatori. Nel caso di un pianeta esterno al sistema solare, e che subisce periodicamente drammatici mutamenti nel clima, il flagello può essere visto come un''opportunità di rinnovamento, di palingenesi. Ma su Miranda si aggira un ambiguo personaggio - metà filosofo, metà scienziato - che tenta di esportare tecnologia proibita, e che bisogna rintracciare prima delle maree del giubileo; mentre l''uomo che lo insegue, un cacciatore delle tecno-esportazioni, non ha più un minuto da perdere. Torna su "Urania" un romanzo famoso e vincitore del premio Nebula, ardita cavalcata oltre la Terra che ha il sapore dell''antico mito di Oceano.

Fantascienza - racconto lungo (33 pagine) - Il suo lavoro consisteva nel dover premere un pulsante se avesse notato qualcosa di insolito. Ma non si sarebbe mai aspettata qualcosa di così insolito! PREMIO HUGO 2004 Eleanor Voigt faceva il più strano lavoro di chiunque conoscesse. Lavorava otto ore al giorno in un ufficio dove non si faceva niente. Il suo compito consisteva nello stare seduta alla scrivania e tenere d’occhio la porta dello sgabuzzino. Sulla scrivania c’era un bottone che lei avrebbe dovuto premere se qualcuno fosse mai uscito da quella porta. C’era un grosso orologio appeso al muro e ogni mezzogiorno in punto lei andava alla porta e la sbloccava con la chiave che le avevano affidato. Dietro l’uscio c’era uno sgabuzzino spoglio. Non c’erano né botole né pannelli nascosti – aveva controllato. Era soltanto un ripostiglio vuoto. Finché un giorno non decise di entrare. Michael Swanwick, americano di Philadelphia, è uno degli autori più quotati della fantascienza e del fantastico degli ultimi decenni. Cinque volte vincitore del Premio Hugo – sempre nella categoria racconto – e vincitore di un Premio Nebula col romanzo Domani il mondo cambierà (Urania), Swanwick è attivo dall''inizio degli Anni Ottanta. Eclettico, originale, brillante, Swanwick ha scritto soprattutto fantascienza ma si è avventurato anche in campi limitrofi. Ha all''attivo una decina di romanzi (l''ultimo è Chasing the Phoenix, 2015, ambientato in una Russia post-utopica) e dodici raccolte di racconti. Tra i saggi, ha pubblicato un libro su Gardner Dozois, il grande editor recentemente scomparso.

I 1970’erne raser Den Kolde Krig i Prags mørke gyder. Samtidig udspiller der sig en gammel konflikt mellem to okkulte samfund: Isen og Flammen. Engang havde den amerikanske CIA-agent Gabe Pritchard troet, at den eneste hemmelige verden, der fandtes, var den, som han levede og arbejdede i. Det ændrede sig under en udsending til Kairo, hvor et magisk væsen trængte ind og bosatte sig i hans hoved. På den modsatte side står heksen Tanya Morozova, som viste loyalitet over for Isen, længe før hun blev agent hos det russiske statspoliti, KBG. Begge agenter får nu sat loyaliteten over for deres land på prøve, når de indser, at de må arbejde sammen for at forhindre Flammen i at ødelægge verden. SLX

« La matrice tire son origine des jeux d’arcade, dit la voix off, des premiers programmes graphiques et des expériences militaires sur les prises crâniennes. » Sur le Sony, une guerre cosmique en deux dimensions disparut derrière une forêt de fougères calculées pour démontrer les possibilités spatiales des spirales logarithmiques ; puis défilèrent des images militaires d’un bleu froid, animaux de laboratoire branchés sur des appareils de tests, casques reliés à des commandes de tir de tanks ou d’avions de chasse.? « Le cyberespace. Une hallucination consensuelle ressentie au quotidien, dans le monde, par des milliards de techniciens autorisés, par des enfants y découvrant des concepts mathématiques... Une représentation graphique des données extraites des mémoires de tous les ordinateurs du système humain. Une impensable complexité. Des traits lumineux alignés dans le non-espace de l’esprit, des amas et des constellations d’information. Tels les éclairages d’une ville qui s’éloignent... » “Neuromancien” [extrait] William Gibson

Fantascienza - racconto lungo (23 pagine) - Sembrava un cane così fine ed elegante, ma in realtà non era altro che un ladro gentiluomo, Un''appassionante avventura in una Londra Vittoriana del futuro, vincitrice del PREMIO HUGO 2002 In un futuro non molto lontano il genere umano dovrà combattere una guerra all''ultimo sangue per la propria sopravvivenza contro le sue stesse creazioni, le intelligenze artificiali. Riuscirà a prevalere, ma solo a costo di rinunciare per sempre alla tecnologia elettronica e regredire a un''epoca simile all''era Vittoriana. Sir Blackthorpe Ravenscairn de Plus Precieux è un cane intelligente antropomorfo, appena arrivato a Londra dalle Americhe. Non ci mette molto a incontrare il suo futuro compare, insieme al quale progettare un''audace truffa da perpetrare alla corte della Regina Gloriana. Racconto vincitore del Premio Hugo 2002. Michael Swanwick, americano di Philadelphia, è uno degli autori più quotati della fantascienza e del fantastico degli ultimi decenni. Cinque volte vincitore del Premio Hugo – sempre nella categoria racconto – e vincitore di un Premio Nebula col romanzo Domani il mondo cambierà (Urania), Swanwick è attivo dall''inizio degli Anni Ottanta. Eclettico, originale, brillante, Swanwick ha scritto soprattutto fantascienza ma si è avventurato anche in campi limitrofi. Ha all''attivo una decina di romanzi (l''ultimo è Chasing the Phoenix, 2015, ambientato in una Russia post-utopica) e dodici raccolte di racconti. Tra i saggi, ha pubblicato un libro su Gardner Dozois, il grande editor recentemente scomparso.

Fantascienza - racconto (16 pagine) - Non c’è vacanza come fare un giro giù nel Cretacico a guardare dinosauri. Ma attenti alle regole temporali o sono guai. PREMIO HUGO 2000 Donald non faceva fatica a immedesimarsi nell''entusiasmo di quel bambino: proprio a quell''età lui stesso era rimasto folgorato dai dinosauri, davanti all’affresco L’era dei rettili di Rudy Zallinger, al Museo Peabody di New Haven. Poi erano arrivati i viaggi nel tempo e la possibilità di vederli dal vivo. Ormai i dinosauri erano il suo pane quotidiano, il suo sguardo molto più cinico. Ma ricordava. E se per caso se lo fosse dimenticato, ci avrebbe pensato il Vecchio a ricordargli cosa è davvero importante nella vita. Un brillante e affascinante racconto vincitore del Premio Hugo nel 2000, da uno dei più esperti autori della fantascienza moderna. Michael Swanwick, americano di Philadelphia, è uno degli autori più quotati della fantascienza e del fantastico degli ultimi decenni. Cinque volte vincitore del Premio Hugo – sempre nella categoria racconto – e vincitore di un Premio Nebula col romanzo Domani il mondo cambierà (Urania), Swanwick è attivo dall''inizio degli Anni Ottanta. Eclettico, originale, brillante, Swanwick ha scritto soprattutto fantascienza ma si è avventurato anche in campi limitrofi. Ha all''attivo una decina di romanzi (l''ultimo è Chasing the Phoenix, 2015, ambientato in una Russia post-utopica) e dodici raccolte di racconti. Tra i saggi, ha pubblicato un libro su Gardner Dozois, il grande editor recentemente scomparso.

The definitive short story collection of science fiction author James Tiptree, Jr. (a pen name of Alice Bradley Sheldon).

Désespéré par l''inutilité de son savoir, le Docteur Faust brûle ses livres. Alors, une voix étrange retentit et l''appelle. Méphistophélès va offrir à Faust des secrets capables d''amener l''humanité à un nouvel âge d''or. Mais du progrès à la damnation, il n''y a parfois qu''un pas... Lyrique, terrifiante, provocante, une nouvelle interprétation de la légende de Faust, l''homme qui vendit son âme au diable en échange de la connaissance absolue.

Workers and researchers for the high-tech industries controlling the Moon watch helplessly as the Earth seems headed for world war and a cutoff of their life-giving supplies