THE TALES OF HENGHIS HAPTHORN Henghis Hapthorn is the foremost penetrator of mysteries and uncoverer of secrets in a decadent, far-future Old Earth, one age before Jack Vance's Dying Earth. A superb rationalist, he has long disdained the notion that the universe has an alternative organizing principle: magic. But now a new age is dawning, overturning the very foundations of Hapthorn's existence, and he must struggle to survive in a world where all the rules are changing. In MAJESTRUM, Hapthorn is on the trail of an unknown killer who collects body parts from his victims. The search leads him off-planet, into the Ten Thousand Worlds of The Spray, then turns in an unexpected direction as the freelance discriminator learns that an ancient and evil power is plotting to reassert its dominion over Old Earth.

Here are nine tales of Henghis Hapthorn, foremost freelance discriminator of Old Earth in the planet's penultimate age. Included are the six stories that ran in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (and were previously collected in The Gist Hunter and Other Stories), leading up to the events that began the first Hapthorn novel, Majestrum, plus three more.

It was bad enough when Henghis Hapthorn, Old Earth's foremost discriminator and die-hard empiricist, had to accept that the cosmos was shortly to rewrite its basic operating system, replacing rational cause-and-effect with detestable magic. Now he finds himself cast forward several centuries, stranded in a primitive world of contending wizards and hungry dragons, and without his magic-savvy alter ego. Worse, some entity with a will powerful enough to bend space and time is searching for him through the Nine Planes, bellowing "Bring me Apthorn!" in a voice loud enough to frighten demons.

It was bad enough when Henghis Hapthorn, Old Earth's foremost discriminator and die-hard empiricist, had to accept that the cosmos was shortly to rewrite its basic operating system, replacing rational cause-and-effect with detestable magic. Now he finds himself cast forward several centuries, stranded in a primitive world of contending wizards and hungry dragons, and without his magic-savvy alter ego. Worse, some entity with a will powerful enough to bend space and time is searching for him through the Nine Planes, bellowing "Bring me Apthorn!" in a voice loud enough to frighten demons. Praise for Matthew Hughes: "Matthew Hughes does Jack Vance better than anyone except Jack himself" - George R.R. Martin "Heir apparent to Jack Vance" - Booklist "Hughes's boldness is admirable"- New York Review of Science Fiction "Hughes effortlessly renders fantastic worlds and beings believable"- Publishers Weekly "A towering talent"- Robert J. Sawyer "A treasure" - David Gerrold

From the award-winning author of Gil's All Fright Diner comes a fantastic sci-fi mystery read The Automatic Detective Even in Empire City, a town where weird science is the hope for tomorrow, it's hard for a robot to make his way. It's even harder for a robot named Mack Megaton, a hulking machine designed to bring mankind to its knees. But Mack's not interested in world domination. He's just a bot trying to get by, trying to demonstrate that he isn't just an automated smashing machine, and to earn his citizenship in the process. It should be as easy as crushing a tank for Mack, but some bots just can't catch a break. When Mack's neighbors are kidnapped, Mack sets off on a journey through the dark alleys and gleaming skyscrapers of Empire City. Along the way, he runs afoul of a talking gorilla, a brainy dame, a mutant lowlife, a little green mob boss, and the secret conspiracy at the heart of Empire's founders---not to mention more trouble than he bargained for. What started out as one missing family becomes a battle for the future of Empire and every citizen that calls her home. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

The best stories of the year: here is a collection of the fantasy prose written in 2005, by some of the genre's greatest authors, and selected by Rich Horton, a contributing reviewer to many of the field's most respected magazines. In this volume you'll find stories Peter Beagle, Paul Di Filippo, Neil Gaiman, Theodora Goss, Kelly Link, Gene Wolfe and more.

Discover the foundations of software engineering with this easy and intuitive guide In the newly updated second edition of Beginning Software Engineering, expert programmer and tech educator Rod Stephens delivers an instructive and intuitive introduction to the fundamentals of software engineering. In the book, you’ll learn to create well-constructed software applications that meet the needs of users while developing the practical, hands-on skills needed to build robust, efficient, and reliable software. The author skips the unnecessary jargon and sticks to simple and straightforward English to help you understand the concepts and ideas discussed within. He also offers you real-world tested methods you can apply to any programming language. You’ll also get: Practical tips for preparing for programming job interviews, which often include questions about software engineering practices A no-nonsense guide to requirements gathering, system modeling, design, implementation, testing, and debugging Brand-new coverage of user interface design, algorithms, and programming language choices Beginning Software Engineering doesn’t assume any experience with programming, development, or management. It’s plentiful figures and graphics help to explain the foundational concepts and every chapter offers several case examples, Try It Out, and How It Works explanatory sections. For anyone interested in a new career in software development, or simply curious about the software engineering process, Beginning Software Engineering, Second Edition is the handbook you’ve been waiting for.