All aboard for this photographic journey through the unique railroad history of Niles Canyon, near the city of Fremont. The melodic wail of the steam whistle first echoed off these canyon walls in 1866 when the Western Pacific Railroad laid track into Niles as part of a planned route from San Jose to Sacramento. That was three years before the transcontinental route from Sacramento to Omaha was completed in May 1869. Four months after the driving of the Golden Spike that joined the eastern and western United States by rail, the connecting route from Sacramento to Oakland through Niles Canyon was finished--the very last leg of a rail route that truly joined the Atlantic to the Pacific waters for the first time.

A modern historical fiction ranging between the 60's and the 80's in Britain and Europe. The core of the action deals with how the Paris Spring and Summer of Love of 1968 metamorphosed into the Baader Meinhof revolution and the death of a kind of innocence in Stammheim Prison in 1977/78. The narrative tracks a young man who took a wrong turn at the beginning of that time and found himself on a road without an exit until it reached its brutal end. Returning after 20 years of exile he looks up an old friend only to find a corpse. He contacts her church and finds a murderous cult. He falls in love but brings danger to his lover's door. His enemies have not forgotten him. There is no escape from the dark side but he is determined to cross over. To do so he must first confront the terrible events of his past.

Welcome to the 10th Science Fiction MEGAPACKTM! This time we present 30 stories (including several full-length novels) by some of the biggest and best in the science fiction field, plus 2 poems and the first (of 3) installments in our first novel serial. From David Gerrold's "The Martian Child" (winner of the Hugo Award, Nebula Award, Locus Award, and HOMer Award) to brand new works published here for the first time by David Gerrold and Lawrence Watt-Evans to modern masterpieces by Pamela Sargent and Jay Lake to classics by E.E. "Doc Smith" and Alan E. Nourse -- we have everything a science fiction fan could want. Almost 1,500 pages of great reading! Fiction: TORQUING VACUUM, by Jay Lake COLLECTORS, by Pamela Sargent VICTORY, by Lester del Rey THE TREE OF LIFE, by C. L. Moore YE OLDE RESIGNATION, by Rhys Hughes FACE TO FACE, by Adrian Cole BEYOND THE THUNDER, by H. B. Hickey CAPTIVES OF THE THIEVE-STAR, by James H. Schmitz THE DEEPS, by Keith Roberts MADMEN MUSTERED, by Connor Freff Cochran EXILE FROM SPACE, by Judith Merril THROUGH TIME AND SPACE WITH FERDINAND FEGHOOT: THE CHAIRMAN DANCES, by David Gerrold THE FROZEN PLANET, by Keith Laumer THE TAIL-TIED KINGS, by Avram Davidson THE GRAIN KINGS, by Keith Roberts HIS MASTER'S VOICE, by Randall Garrett BACK TO JULIE, by Richard Wilson BRIGHTSIDE CROSSING, by Alan E. Nourse THE SECRET OF THE SCARAB, by Ron Goulart REINVENTING CARL HOBBS, by James Glass THE OLD SHILL GAME, by H.B. Fyfe NOTES TOWARD A NEW TRAIT AS REVEALED BY CORRELATION AMONG ITEMS OF THE MMMPI, by M. Purrzillo, U. R. A. Ferball, and C. Kitirun THE SLEEPER IS A REBEL, by Bryce Walton THE TEACHER FROM MARS, by Eando Binder NIF'S WORLD, by Lawrence Watt-Evans A MAN OBSESSED, by Alan E. Nourse FIRST LENSMAN, by E.E. “Doc” Smith REINCARNATE, by Lester del Rey THE MAN WHO LIVED FOREVER, by R. DeWitt Miller and Anna Hunger THE MARTIAN CHILD, by David Gerrold Poetry: I’VE NEVER SEEN, by Hannes Bok (poem) THOUGHT AND SPACE, by Ray Bradbury Novel Serial: FIREBIRD, by Tony Rothman (part 1 of 3) If you enjoy this MEGAPACKTM, don't forget to search your favorite ebook store for "Wildside Press Megapack" to see the 240+ other entries in this series, including science fiction, fantasy, mysteries, adventure, horror, westerns -- and much, much more!

Currently, science fiction in all its forms is enjoying enormous popular interest. There can be no doubt that science fiction books and films have great influence on the public view of science and scientists. Close Encounters? examines the historical development of science fiction as a genre in books and films, tracing its roots, examining its most common ideas, exploring its relationship to "real" science, and attempting to assess its cultural impact. Discussion focuses on major themes such as time travel, politics, religion, ecology, and disasters. The authors consider the science in science fiction, the images of scientists that science fiction conveys, and some of the political, religious, and social motifs prominent in science fiction. They also discuss pseudo-science and its growing influence on the public perception of science. This fascinating, thought-provoking study should be read by all those interested in how the nature of science and its role in our society is portrayed in science fiction.

The Golden Age of Science Fiction MEGAPACKTM series showcases great science fiction authors whose work might otherwise be forgotten. This time we focus on Alan E. Nourse, medical doctor and science fiction author, who paid his way through med school with his writing. He may be most famous as the author whose title was "borrowed" for the movie Bladerunner...though the movie was based on Philip K. Dick's "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" Nourse published just a handful of novels in addition to his magazine stories, but he was well regarded at the time, and his work has stood up well. We are delighted to include no less than 22 of his classic tales in this volume. Here are: MARLEY'S CHAIN CONSIGNMENT DERELICT INFINITE INTRUDER LETTER OF THE LAW BRIGHTSIDE CROSSING PRoblem BEAR TRAP THE COFFIN CURE MARTYR THE NATIVE SOIL CONTAMINATION CREW GOLD IN THE SKY STAR SURGEON AN OUNCE OF CURE CIRCUS THE DARK DOOR IMAGE OF THE GODS MEETING OF THE BOARD MY FRIEND BOBBY SECOND SIGHT THE LINK If you enjoy this book, search your favorite ebook store for "Wildside Press Megapack" to see the 200+ other entries in the series, covering mysteries, science fiction, modern authors, westerns, classics, adventure stories, and much, much more!

Presents articles on the science fiction genre of literature, including authors, themes, significant works, and awards.