Ambassador Sarek meets his future wife. Captain Ransom atones for his sins. T'Pol pursues a composer, after she is captivated by the human's music. Strands of DNA are woven together from four Starfleet captains, creating one man with one mission. An entity fights for its right to live, despite the fact that it is not alive. From the ordinary to the extraordinary, all of these stories are embraced by the vision of Star Trek®. When Gene Roddenberry created Star Trek, he also tapped a wellspring of human imagination. Viewers were transformed into fans, who embraced the show and turned the definition of "fan" on its ear. However, when what was on the screen was simply not enough, fans started writing their own stories, which they then shared among friends and family. Ten years ago, Pocket Books offered Star Trek fans a unique opportunity to become a part of the Star Trek mythos. A contest was created in which the best stories submitted by...

Five really, really, really weird Poker Boy stories from twisted mind of USA Today bestselling writer, Dean Wesley Smith. In this volume, Dean presents five very different Poker Boy stories from different parts of his life so far. All will keep you smiling.Includes:"Hidden Box Inn and Casino""The Old Girlfriend of Doom""Dead Even""You Forgive the Night's Scream""Luck Be a Lady"You love Poker Boy, you love slightly twisted? Dean gives you both layered on thick in this amazingly fun volume.

Torn from the universe by an insatiable cosmic vortex, Earth is trapped in the grotesque parody of reality called the Maelstrom -- along with thousands of other planets, millions of species, billions of warring creatures...all swirling toward ultimate destruction.ALIEN HORRORIt materializes off the Oregon coast in a burst of devastation and tsunamis: an island containing an alien city ... and perhaps the way for Earth to escape the Maelstrom. But the Union soldiers and civilian scientists sent to the strange ruins aren't the only ones who want the island's power. For the humans are soon confronted by unearthly monsters -- the walking-dead Pharons and morphing Sand. And these horrors intend to claim victims on their unholy journey through the Maelstrom, even as the entire island itself begins to disappear.

Sometimes the special jukebox in the Garden Lounge does more than take a person back to a memory. Sometimes it brings a memory to the bar.And when that memory is of a murder, Stout and the rest have to risk their lives to do the right thing.A special jukebox story from bestselling writer Dean Wesley Smith.Bestselling author Dean Wesley Smith has written more than one hundred popular novels and well over two hundred published short stories. His novels include the science fiction novel Laying the Music to Rest and the thriller The Hunted as D.W. Smith. With Kristine Kathryn Rusch, he is the coauthor of The Tenth Planet trilogy and The 10th Kingdom. He writes under many pen names and has also ghosted for a number of top bestselling writers.Dean has also written books and comics for all three major comic book companies, Marvel, DC, and Dark Horse, and has done scripts for Hollywood. One movie was actually made.Over his career he has also been an editor and publisher,...

The Cutting Edge of Modern Short FictionA three-time Hugo Award nominated magazine, this issue of Pulphouse Fiction Magazine offers up nineteen fantastic stories by some of the best writers working in modern short fiction. No genre limitations, no topic limitations, just great stories. Attitude, feel, and high-quality fiction equals Pulphouse."This is definitely a strong start. All the stories have a lot of life to them, and are worthwhile reading." —Tangent Online on Pulphouse Fiction Magazine, Issue #1Includes:"The Constipated Author, the Sphincter, and the Holy Shit" by David H. Hendrickson"For All Your Head Needs" by Rob Vagle"Jingle, Waddle, Hop...Penguin Style" by Louisa Swann"Just a Old Lady" by O'Neil De Noux"A Fool and His Money" by Jerry Oltion"An Uncommon Tern of Events" by Johanna Rothman"Over The River" by Ray Vukcevich"To the Grave" by Brigid Collins"Quiet Voices" by...

Like a strand of mutating DNA, a deadly conspiracy winds its way through the entire Alpha Quadrant, just as it stretches across several years of Starfleethistory -- even to the Cardassian space station that will someday be known as Deep Space Nine™.A virulent plague has stricken Terok Nor, striking down both the enslaved Bajorans and Cardassian oppressors, who blame each other for the growing epidemic. Dr. Katherine Pulaski, late of the Starship Enterprise™, must work with the tyrannical Gul Dukat, as well as a rebel spy named Kira Nerys, to discover the true source of an infection that threatens them all!

The tales featured in Strange New Worlds rocket readers across the length and breadth of Federation time and space, from Captain Jonathan Archer's first exploration of the galaxy on board the very first Starship Enterprise through to Captain Picard's tenure on the USS Enterprise 1701-D -- and beyond. Here you can read a fresh and original take on Captain Benjamin Sisko's role on Deep Space Nine, Captain Kathryn Janeway's homeward journey with the crew of the Starship Voyager, Captain Archer's encounters with the Xindi -- and many more ports of call along the way. Strange New Worlds 9 includes stories from all five Star Trek incarnations: Star Trek: The Original SeriesStar Trek: The Next GenerationStar Trek: Deep Space NineStar Trek: Voyagerand Star Trek: Enterprise.

The presence of tons of Quasar olivium on Belle Terre's third moon becomes a major source of worry for Captain James T. Kirk and the Vulcan, Spock. Belle Terre could have become the richest colony in existence if it wasn't for the pressure building up inside its moon due to the unstable olivium. At any moment, it could explode, casting Belle Terre's sixty thousand colonists in unimaginable peril. And, then the countdown begins­8 days and 7 hours for all hell to break loose.

The Klingon Empire remains the Federation's most fearsome and uneasy ally, but can any human fully understand the heart and soul of a true Klingon warrior? During crucial negotiations on Deep Space NineTM, Gowron, leader of the Klingon High Council, tests human understanding of the Klingon way by sharing the powerful story of one warrior's quest for honor…. Pok is a young Klingon caught up in the dangerous complexities of clan politics. When his father is murdered in his own home on the day of Pok's Rite of Ascension, Pok must find the assassin and close the circle of vengeance. But as he searches for the truth amidst strange aliens and treacherous friends, Pok discovers that every day can be a good day to die and that only his own warrior's training stands between him and the business end of a d'k tahg knife!

The Furies have returned in mighty warships, more powerful than before. To defeat them, and save the Federation, Picard must first conquer the darkest terrors of their unconscious minds.

1991. The famous Las Vegas hotel The Landmark scheduled for destruction. A girl's body found in one of the old rooms. Impossible to even tell her identity or what happened to her. Seventeen years later Cold Poker Gang members Pickett and Sarge take up the girl's long-cold case. And layer by layer they uncover one of the most twisted crimes in the history of the famous sin city. A crime that still needs to be covered up with even more death. Ace High wins the award for the most twisted crime novel yet in the series of Cold Poker Gang novels. If you love great mystery books, grab this one. "...Dean Wesley Smith draws a royal straight flush by making the hand he deals readers seem possible with this exhilarating political poker thriller..." —Midwest Book Review on Dead Money

In their first few weeks in space, Captain Jonathan Archer and the crew of the Enterprise™ have already discovered several new species and explored strange new worlds. But each planet brings new discoveries...and new dangers. BY THE BOOK The Fazi, whose ultraregulated culture ranges from strict conversation protocols to unvarying building designs, inhabit half of a planet discovered by the Enterprise. But after a disasterous first contact with the ruler of the Fazi, Archer must depend on Vulcan science officer T'Pol and communication specialist Hoshi Sato to help him mend relations with the people of this planet, and unravel the mystery of the other creatures living on the world.

Fantastic detectives come in many forms, from dogs to elves to eggs. (Yes, eggs.) And fantastic detective stories come in all mystery subgenres, from cozy to hard-boiled. (Remember. Eggs.) All of these forms and subgenres combine to create one of the most delightful additions to the Fiction River anthology series. With stories featuring New York Times bestseller Kevin J. Anderson’s popular zombie detective Dan Shamble and USA Today bestseller Dean Wesley Smith’s most beloved character, Poker Boy, Fantastic Detectives provides Fiction River’s most creative volume yet! “Fiction River: Fantastic Detectives is a great choice for anyone who loves it when genres are swirled together. It’s nominally more heavily influenced by mystery conventions and tropes, but the science fiction and fantasy elements in it are almost as strong.” —Long and Short Reviews on Fiction River: Fantastic Detectives “Fiction River: Fantastic Detectives is a great read if you like to blend mystery with your fantasy. Check it out.” —Keith West, Amazing Stories Fiction River is an original anthology series. Initially, based on the anthology series of old—Universe, Orbit, Pulphouse—Fiction River rapidly evolved into its own entity. Fiction River publishes stories in many genres from all kinds of writers, with New York Times bestselling authors published alongside some of the best new voices in fiction. Fiction River also goes where no anthology series has gone before, with regular audio editions, produced in-house, and ebook and trade paperback volumes that never go out of print. And Fiction River is available in English worldwide.**

In the fourth year of its ongoing mission, the Strange New Worlds writing competition has once again sought out exciting new voices and imaginations among Star Trek's vast galaxy of fans. After scanning countless submissions for signs of style and originality, the judges are proud to report that the universe of amazing Star Trek writers just keeps expanding. Strange New Worlds IV features more than a dozen never-before-published stories spanning the twenty-third and twenty-fourth centuries, from the early days of James T. Kirk and his crew to the later generations of Captains Picard, Sisko, and Janeway. These memorable new tales explore and examine the past and future of Star Trek from many different perspectives. Join Strange New Worlds in its thrilling quest to uncover the most compelling Star Trek Þction this side of the Galactic Barrier!

In the sixth year of its ongoing mission, the Strange New Worlds writing competition has once again sought out exciting new voices and imaginations among Star Trek's vast galaxy of fans. After scanning countless submissions for signs of style and originality, the judges are proud to report that the universe of amazing Star Trek writers just keeps expanding. Strange New Worlds VI features twenty-three never-before-published stories spanning the twenty-second to the twenty-fourth centuries, from the early days of Captain Jonathan Archer to James T. Kirk and his crew to the later generations of Captains Picard, Sisko, and Janeway. These memorable new tales explore and examine the past and future of Star Trek from many different perspectives. This year's contributors include such diverse life-forms as Julie Hyzy, Shane Zeranski, Penny A. Proctor, TG Theodore, Mark Allen, Charity Zegers, Juanita Nolte, G. Wood, Pat Detmer, Robert J. Mendenhall, Geoffrey...