Tales from a world that should have been... Fifteen stories spanning the ages from ancient Greece and a far-flung dying future: A COURTLY DIVERSION by Gary Cuba THE DOG-FACED CANNIBAL by Christine Purcell ALL THE KING’S MONSTERS by Megan Arkenberg THE THING WITH FEATHERS by Cora Pop MEMPHIS BBQ by Cat Rambo A HORRIFIED MIND by Ferrel D. Moore IN CHAINS LIGHTER THAN AIR by Nghi Vo THE UNICYCLIST’S FATE by Michael J Deluca IRON & BRASS, BLOOD & BONE by Alma Alexander THE TROUBLE WITH BOMBS by Jay Caselberg TAKING FLIGHT by E.G. Gaddess AN URCHIN, AN ADVENTREMAN by Eric Del Carlo FLIGHT OF THE PEGASUS by Darin Kennedy GRINDSTONE by Jay Lake RAISING THE DEAD by James Dorr

An aerial robot is a system capable of sustained flight with no direct human control and able to perform a specific task. A lighter than air robot is an aerial robot that relies on the static lift to balance its own weight. It can also be defined as a lighter than air unmanned aerial vehicle or an unmanned airship with sufficient autonomy. Lighter than air systems are particularly appealing since the energy to keep them airborne is small. They are increasingly considered for various tasks such as monitoring, surveillance, advertising, freight carrier, transportation. This book familiarizes readers with a hierarchical decoupled planning and control strategy that has been proven efficient through research. It is made up of a hierarchy of modules with well defined functions operating at a variety of rates, linked together from top to bottom. The outer loop, closed periodically, consists of a discrete search that produces a set of waypoints leading to the goal while avoiding obstacles and weighed regions. The second level smoothes this set so that the generated paths are feasible given the vehicle's velocity and accelerations limits. The third level generates flyable, timed trajectories and the last one is the tracking controller that attempts to minimize the error between the robot measured trajectory and the reference trajectory. This hierarchy is reflected in the structure and content of the book. Topics treated are: Modelling, Flight Planning, Trajectory Design and Control. Finally, some actual projects are described in the appendix. This volume will prove useful for researchers and practitioners working in Robotics and Automation, Aerospace Technology, Control and Artificial Intelligence.

Dave Dashaway is an adventurous young aviator in the earliest days of flying.

While business was stabilizing at Tockerbrot Bakery, its owner, Lud Langart, received a surprising invitation. A party was to be held on a large airship for the purpose of building a friendship between Wiltia and Pelfe. Sven persuaded the reluctant Lud to accept the invitation to bake for the party in order to increase his bakery’s popularity. However, political speculation and conspiracy mean danger is swirling behind the scenes. Originally released as a Bookwalker exclusive!

"Witty and whimsical." --Booklist Napoleon’s invasion of steampunk England is hidden in the clouds… It is 1819, and Cornwall is agog at the daring of the two young lady aeronauts who, earlier in the summer, flew nearly to France and back in their homemade air ship. Much more is riding on Loveday Penhale and Celeste Blanchard’s new and improved vessel—they plan to win the Tinkering Prince’s prize, offered to anyone who can help England win the war against Napoleon. To their dismay, they must take two local gentlemen aloft to report on the ship’s capabilities. While Captain Trevelyan and Emory Thorndyke are welcome in drawing room and ballroom, their presence on the air ship proves disastrous. Wildly off course, Loveday barely manages to bring the vessel down safely—in France! Now it is up to the gentlemen to keep the newly designed ship hidden while Loveday and Celeste secure supplies for its repair from Celeste’s former home, l’Ecole des Aéronautes in far-off Paris. But much has changed since Celeste left the capital, and enemies lurk in its very walls. With her famous aeronaut mother dead in suspicious circumstances, and the flight school closed, there is only one thing to do—make up a story about her absence and approach Napoleon himself. He promptly makes Celeste his Chief Air Minister, and commands her to plan the invasion of England by air. Can she and Loveday stay alive in this nest of vipers long enough to help their stranded friends? Before they are unmasked as spies—and before their beautiful air ship is captured and used to attack England? The Prince’s Pilot is the second novel in the Regent’s Devices trilogy set in the Magnificent Devices steampunk world. It promises no strong language, the possibility of a very proper kiss, and a guaranteed happy ending of the trilogy. If you like books by C.M. Gleason, Emma Jane Holloway, or Lindsay Buroker, you’re in the right place. Enjoy!