Category: Grimspace/noir sf

Interplanetaries: The Complete Interplanetary Tales of Clark Ashton Smith

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Interplanetaries: The Complete Interplanetary Tales of Clark Ashton Smith
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Clark Ashton Smith (1893–1961) is best known for creating exotic worlds of fantasy, such as the lost continent Zothique, set in the far future, the arctic realm of Hyperborea, and the medieval domain of Averoigne. It is less widely known that Smith was a pioneer in science fiction, as his tales appeared extensively in such pulp magazines as Wonder Stories and Amazing Stories and had a marked influence on the science fiction of his day.

Mars was a favored locale for several significant tales, including the cosmic horror masterpiece “The Vaults of Yoh-Vombis.” “Seedling of Mars” is one of several tales in this volume that broaches the distinctive subgenre of “green horror”—horror that results from deadly animated plants. This motif first found expression in Smith’s early prose poem “The Flower-Devil,” and he utilized it in such tales as “Vulthoom,” “The Demon of the Flower,” and others.

The remote planet Xiccarph is the setting for two tales, “The Maze of the Enchanter” and “The Flower-Women.” One of Smith’s most expansive tales, “The Monster of the Prophecy,” is set on Antares, while the late story “Phoenix” is grimly apocalyptic in its setting in the far future, with most of the Earth’s inhabitants killed off.

Clark Ashton Smith’s mastery of a prose-poetic idiom lends a distinctive flavor to his interplanetary tales. Far from being naively optimistic adventures into the depths of space, they exhibit a rueful doubt as to the place of human beings in an immense and hostile universe.

This volume, edited by leading Clark Ashton Smith scholar Ronald S. Hilger, contains an illuminating preface by Nathan Ballingrud.

The Skinner (Spatterjay trilogy – polity universe)

The Skinner (Spatterjay trilogy - polity universe)
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NecroTek (The Necrotek Series)

NecroTek (The Necrotek Series)
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From New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Maberry, NecroTek is a gripping sci fi thriller full of ghosts, Gods, and a battle for the soul of humanity.

Neither cosmic philosopher Lars Soren, hotshot pilot Bianca Petrescu, nor the high priestess Jessica McHugh—Lady Death herself—can say quite where in the galaxy they are. But after an experiment gone horribly wrong, one thing is clear: Asphodel Station isn’t in orbit around Jupiter any longer. Worse, the monsters that live out here—ancient eldritch beings thought only to exist in stories and nightmares—have now been alerted to Earth’s existence.

Their army of Shoggoths is coming for us next.

Humanity’s only hope for survival lies on the surface of the alien world of Shadderal, where a ghost named Lost, the last of an ancient race, still haunts the vast plains of the Field of Dead Birds. But hope has a cost. Lost tells Soren about ancient derelict spacecraft awaiting on Shadderal, shapeshifting machines that blend ultra-advanced technology with the dark powers of necromancy. These ships might just be nimble enough to defend mankind against the coming invasion.

But there’s a catch: they can only be piloted by the dead.

As human starfighters fall in battle, their spirits can be called back from death to pilot these ghost ships of a fallen race. But will this new necromantic technology—NecroTek—allow humanity to stand against the vast armies of the Shoggoths? And even if it can, is the war to save the human race worth the cost of its pilots’ immortal souls?

The Void

The Void
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In the deepest reaches of space, on a ship that no longer exists, six travelers stare into the abyss . . . and the abyss stares back.

Man has finally mastered the art of space travel and in a few hours passengers can travel light years across the galaxy. But, there’s a catch—the traveler must be asleep for the journey, and with sleep come the dreams. Only the sleeper can know what his dream entails, for each is tailored to his own mind, built from his fears, his secrets, his past . . . and sometimes his future.

That the dreams occasionally drive men mad is but the price of technological advance. But when a transport on a routine mission comes upon an abandoned ship, missing for more than a decade, six travelers—each with something to hide—discover that perhaps the dreams are more than just figments of their imagination. Indeed, they may be a window to a reality beyond their own where shadow has substance and the darkness is a thing unto itself, truly worthy of fear.

Sing No Suns, Sing The Night: Stories

Sing No Suns, Sing The Night: Stories
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When the light that guides us fails, we must face the darkness within…or perish.

A warlord’s bitter crusade. A starship’s crew caught between a mindless monster and a race against starvation. Conflicted aliens unable to stop their conquest. The unhappy life of a sentient gun.

Sing No Suns, Sing The Night is an SFF short story collection and an ode to Grimdark. Hope and despair. Love and hate. Sweet beginnings and sour ends. These stories cover themes that challenge our beliefs about self, society, and the nature of living.

If you’re ready to be dragged to the lip of the abyss and dangled over the edge, read on.

Sisters of Battle: the Adepta Sororitas Omnibus

Sisters of Battle: the Adepta Sororitas Omnibus
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The Adepta Soroitas, or Sisters of Battle, are the military arm of the Ecclesiarchy, and their remit is to prosecute the enemies of mankind with extreme prejudice. Uniquely among the fighting forces of the Imperium, all the warriors of this organisation are female.

Clad in ceramite power armour and armed with and awesome array of wargear, thy fight with fanatical fervour for the glory of the Emperor, scourging both xenos and heretic alike with bolter and flamer.

This omnibus collects together James Swallow’s two classic Sisters of Battle novels, Fire & Faith and Hammer & Anvil, along with the prose version of the audio drama Red & Black and a new short story ‘Heart & Soul’, both available in print for the first time.

 

The Deathwatch, the Grey Knight and the Adepta Sororitas are the three Chamber Militant : the military arm of the major branches of the Imperial Inquisition (the secret police of the Imperium) :   the Ordo Xenos (Alien Hunters), Ordo Malleus (Daemonhunters) and the Ordo Hereticus (Witchhunters)

Read it because
The Sisters of Battle are a perennially popular part of the Warhammer 40,000 universe, and these classic stories – plus a brand new addition – showcase them doing what they do best – hunting heretics and safeguarding the spiritual welfare of the Imperium.

Deathwatch: The Omnibus (Warhammer 40,000)

Deathwatch: The Omnibus (Warhammer 40,000)
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The Deathwatch are the elite. Recruited from numerous Space Marine Chapters, their mission is simple: exterminate any xenos threat to the Imperium.

Assembled into kill-teams, the Deathwatch are expert alien hunters, equipped to undertake any mission in any environment. None are as dedicated or as skilled in the brutal art of alien annihilation.

This action-packed omnibus contains three full novels written by Steve Parker, Ian St Martin and Justin D Hill, along with a dozen of the best short stories ever written about the Imperium’s premier xenos hunters.

 

The Deathwatch, the Grey Knight and the Adepta Sororitas are the three Chamber Militant : the military arm of the major branches of the Imperial Inquisition (the secret police of the Imperium) :   the Ordo Xenos (Alien Hunters), Ordo Malleus (Daemonhunters) and the Ordo Hereticus (Witchhunters)

 

Fabius Bile: The Omnibus (Warhammer 40,000)

Fabius Bile: The Omnibus (Warhammer 40,000)
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A Fabius Bile Omnibus

Originally chief Apothecary of the Emperor’s Children, Fabius Bile now believes himself to be a near-divine creator, an artist whose tapestry is the very flesh and blood of his brothers.

READ IT BECAUSE

This omnibus contains three novels and three short stories that tell the twisted tale of Fabius Bile and his endless pursuit of perfection.

THE STORY

Fabius Bile is known by many names: Primogenitor, Clonelord, Manflayer. Once a loyal son of the Emperor’s Children, now he loathes and is loathed by his brothers. Feared by man and monster, Fabius possesses a knowledge of genetic manipulation second to none, and the will to use it to twist flesh and sculpt nightmares.

Now a traitor amongst traitors, Fabius pursues his dark craft across the galaxy, from the Eye of Terror to the tomb world of Solemnace to the Dark City of Commorragh itself, leaving a trail of monstrous abominations in his wake.

Path of the Dark Eldar

Path of the Dark Eldar
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For millennia, Asdrubael Vect has ruled the dark city of Commorragh, crushing any who dare to cross him. His reach is long and his position unassailable… or so he thinks. A kabal of rebellious archons, allied with other, darker, forces, seek to unseat the tyrant and rule the city in his stead

. But as their actions bring about a cataclysm and draw the attention of the mysterious Harlequins, they are cast into grave danger… and Vect is watching.

Read it because
In this novel trilogy, the backstabbing politics and twisted nature of the dark eldar is explored in grisly detail. So too is the twilight realm of Commorragh, making this a must-read for any fan of the Dark Eldar.

The Grey Knights Omnibus (Warhammer 40,000)

The Grey Knights Omnibus (Warhammer 40,000)
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The Grey Knights are servants of the Ordo Malleus, imperious, incorruptible warriors, whose very purpose is to seek out and destroy the most dangerous foes that humanity will ever face; daemons. Armed and armoured with the trappings of a daemonhunter, these stalwart Adeptus Astartes bring death and destruction to the immortal denizens of the warp. Girded by faith, wielders of the nemesis force halberd, the Grey Knights step where others will not tread.

Theirs is the hardest task, risking their immortal souls in pursuit of the hungry entities of Chaos, the Imperium’s arch foes. Without the Grey Knights, humanity would be but a feast on the sacrificial altar of darkness…

 

The Deathwatch, the Grey Knight and the Adepta Sororitas are the three Chamber Militant : the military arm of the major branches of the Imperial Inquisition (the secret police of the Imperium) :   the Ordo Xenos (Alien Hunters), Ordo Malleus (Daemonhunters) and the Ordo Hereticus (Witchhunters)

Read it because
It’s a trio of linked tales that tell the story of Justicar Alaric, a Grey Knight who is tested in the worst ways and faces terrible enemies in service to the Emperor.