Plague Ship by Andre Norton
Aboard the Galactic Free Trader Solar Queen, apprentice Dane Thorson endures a humiliating ritual, coating himself in exotic spices for the sake of trade with the aloof, feline Salariki of Sargol. But the scent is the least of his worries. The promise of valuable Koros stones has drawn them to this planet, but they aren’t the only ones seeking fortune here.
A ruthless Company man arrives, challenging their claim and threatening to unravel everything Traxt Cam fought for. As tensions rise under the fragile peace of a blood-oath shield, Dane and Van Rycke must navigate treacherous negotiations, hidden agendas, and a growing sense of dread.
They soon discover that the true cost of trade on Sargol may be far higher than they ever imagined—and that a deadly secret lurks beneath the planet’s fragrant surface.
The Celestial Blueprint by Philip José Farmer
B. T. Revanche arrives at Bioid Electronic with an arrogance that dares anyone to challenge him, a man accustomed to power and recognition. He strides into a world of breathtaking artifice—statues that breathe, paintings that shimmer with life, all born from the genius of Benangelo Michelardo Da Vincelleo. But Revanche isn’t here for beauty; he seeks something far more audacious.
He comes bearing an impossible proposition to Da Vincelleo, a request so shocking it threatens to unravel everything the master creator has built. A chilling glimpse into Revanche’s past reveals a ruthless ambition fueled by secrets and shadowed desires. As the two titans clash, a dangerous game unfolds, one where the stakes are not just wealth or power, but their very existence.
Prepare to enter a universe brimming with innovation, dark humor, and unsettling truths; a world where even the gods aren’t safe from the reach of a determined man.
Deathworld by Harry Harrison
Jason dinAlt craves escape. A quiet vacation on Cassylia seems perfect—until a colossal stranger named Kerk Pyrrus pulls him into a proposition he can’t ignore. Twenty-seven million credits, a bankroll for a single night at the Casino, with one chilling condition: win three billion more, or face deadly consequences.
Pyrrus doesn’t care how Jason wins, only that he does. As Jason delves deeper into this dangerous game, he uncovers a hidden world of ambition, desperation, and a fortune built on secrets mined from a distant planet. He’s outdrawn at his own game for the first time in his life, forced to trust a man who promises everything and threatens oblivion.
With every roll of the dice, Jason risks not just his winnings, but his very survival. Is Pyrrus a fool with endless money, or a master manipulator leading him into a trap? In a universe where luck is fleeting and danger lurks around every corner, one thing is certain: tonight, Jason dinAlt will gamble for everything—including his life.
Valley of Dreams by Stanley G. Weinbaum
Captain Harrison and his crew were humanity’s first hope on Mars, a daring expedition poised to deliver incredible discoveries back to Earth. But for chemist Dick Jarvis, the red planet is proving to be anything but hospitable. After a harrowing ordeal that leaves him stranded and reliant on an unlikely ally—a peculiar, ostrich-like creature named Tweel—Jarvis finds himself questioning everything he thought he knew about life itself.
When a routine mission to recover vital film footage takes a detour into the unexplored southern plains, Jarvis and biologist Leroy stumble upon a reality far stranger than they could have imagined. A world where the line between plant and animal blurs, where communities operate with chilling collective consciousness, and where ancient beings breathe silicon and build monuments across millennia.
But as they delve deeper into the mysteries of Mars, a growing unease settles over them. Leroy returns changed, haunted by what he’s seen in the alien landscape. Now, back on board the Ares, Jarvis must unravel the truth that suggests this desolate planet isn’t just harboring life … it’s harboring something profoundly unsettling, and perhaps, irrevocably altering their understanding of existence itself.
This is not a story of conquest, but of revelation—a journey into a valley where dreams and nightmares intertwine, and the very definition of “living” is challenged at every turn.
Hubris by Idoru Toei
Humanity reached for the stars and built a paradise—a utopia woven from algorithms and fueled by boundless desire. On Mars, gardens bloom under shimmering domes, and life flows with effortless equality. But mastery comes at a cost. As they push further into the void, a chilling stillness descends, a vast darkness that echoes with an unsettling reply to their yearning.
Hubris explores the delicate balance between ambition and consequence, resilience and loss, inviting you into the fragile nature of self in a universe determined to remain silent.
Security by Poul Anderson
Allen Lancaster just wanted a quiet evening. A frustrating day at the lab, looming threats of reassignment, and the weight of responsibility for his young team were enough to warrant a stiff drink and some Mozart. But peace is shattered by a cryptic message from Security—a directive so urgent, so secret, it demands absolute obedience and complete erasure.
Suddenly, Lancaster finds himself pulled into a shadowy world of clandestine operations, where trust is a luxury he can’t afford. He’s offered the chance to work on something vital, something bigger than anything he’s ever imagined … but at a terrifying cost. To succeed, he must vanish, replaced by a perfect double while he’s smuggled away under a false identity.
As Lancaster prepares to surrender his life and become a ghost, he grapples with the chilling implications of this mission and the unsettling realization that even within the highest levels of control, nothing is as it seems. In a future where freedom is carefully curated and dissent is swiftly silenced, how far will one man go to serve a system that demands everything, and reveals nothing?
The Legion of Lazarus by Edmond Hamilton
The wait is the worst part: the sterile room, the echoing silence, the knowledge of what lies beyond the airlock. For Hyrst, facing the ultimate penalty for a crime he doesn’t remember committing, there’s only resignation … until oblivion isn’t final.
Fifty years later, he awakens to a world irrevocably changed, haunted by fragmented memories and a chilling whisper in his mind. He is different now, part of something beyond human comprehension, a resurrected man adrift in a sea of secrets. But freedom comes with a terrifying price. Someone wants him back—someone consumed by an ancient rage, determined to see justice served for sins Hyrst insists he didn’t commit.
As he navigates a landscape of suspicion and betrayal, guided by the enigmatic voice within, Hyrst must unravel the truth behind his conviction before those who orchestrated his return claim him once more. He is caught in a deadly game where the past refuses to stay buried, and the line between life, death, and something far stranger has been irrevocably blurred.
Omnilingual by H. Beam Piper
Dust storms swirl across the crimson plains of Mars, burying the ghosts of a lost civilization. Martha Dane is part of an expedition tasked with unearthing its secrets, a city frozen in time for fifty thousand years. But amidst the crumbling ruins and alien artifacts, a deeper challenge looms: to understand the language of those who vanished.
She meticulously catalogs every symbol, every inscription, driven by a desperate hope that a single word might unlock the story of this forgotten people. Yet, with each passing day, doubt creeps in. Surrounded by colleagues who believe the task is futile, Martha clings to the belief that meaning isn’t lost with time, only hidden.
As discoveries are made, a sense of urgency builds. Can they find the key before the city yields its last secrets to the relentless red dust? Or will the story of Mars remain forever silent, a haunting echo across the vastness of space and time?
This is a tale of perseverance in the face of impossible odds, and a poignant testament to the enduring human need to connect with those who came before.
The Magnificent Possession by Isaac Asimov
Walter Sills has dedicated his life to a relentless pursuit: unlocking scientific breakthroughs in his cramped, forgotten laboratory. Years of sacrifice and quiet desperation have yielded little more than mounting debt and fading hope. But on the verge of fifty, he believes he’s finally achieved something extraordinary: pure ammonium, a discovery poised to revolutionize industry and bring him the recognition he craves.
When a dazzling new metal emerges from his experiments, Sills envisions a future brimming with wealth and acclaim—a future he shares with his optimistic friend, Eugene Taylor. Yet, their triumph quickly unravels as word of this incredible invention reaches those who see not progress, but profit … and threat.
As ambitious captains of industry and cunning figures from the shadows converge, Sills finds himself caught in a whirlwind beyond his control. He sought fame through science, unaware that his magnificent possession could ignite a desperate scramble for power with consequences he never imagined. This is a story about ambition, betrayal, and the perilous price of innovation in a world driven by greed.
The Variable Man by Philip K. Dick
In 2136, humanity teeters on the brink of a silent war against the Centauran Empire—a conflict waged not with battleships and lasers, but with calculations. Commissioner Reinhart races against time, obsessed with shifting statistical ratios that determine Terra’s fate. Every new weapon design is met by an instant countermeasure, a frustrating cycle of innovation leading nowhere.
Hope arrives in the form of Icarus, a revolutionary bomb conceived to bypass the limitations of space and time itself. But this breakthrough comes at a cost: reliance on Peter Sherikov, a brilliant but fiercely independent scientist who distrusts Reinhart’s rigid control. As the countdown begins, Reinhart must navigate not only the complexities of advanced technology, but also the dangerous currents of ambition and ideology that threaten to unravel everything.
With the weight of a world resting on his shoulders, Reinhart pushes for completion, unaware that the very weapon meant to secure Terra’s future holds a terrifying variable, one that could shatter reality itself. This is a story of desperate measures, calculated risks, and the chilling realization that victory might demand a sacrifice beyond comprehension.
Additional details
This EPUB3-version has been produced by humans. It contains advanced typesetting (embedded fonts) and graphic elements, including dozens of new and original illustrations. Ten exciting stories, over 250 thousand words.
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