This eBook has been formatted to the highest digital standards and adjusted for readability on all devices. One of Bennett's most famous novel, Claimed, narrates the tale of a supernatural artifact which summons an ancient and powerful god to early 20th century New Jersey. Augustus T. Swift called the novel, "One of the strangest and most compelling science fantasy novels you will ever read").Excerpt:"From where we stood the illusion of ruins was nearly perfect, and indeed — who knows? — we may to-day have looked upon the last surviving trace of some ancient city, flung up from the abyss that engulfed it ages before the brief history we have of the race of man began. I would have liked to investigate the "ruins" more closely, but thought best not to attempt it. From many fissures hot, ill-smelling, and probably poisonous vapor is still pouring up, and though the rock is sufficiently cool so that it is possible to walk on it, I deemed it safer to confine exploration to a comparatively small space near our landing-place."

My alien overlord is huge, all-powerful, and determined to claim me. Every human girl growing up on New Terrhan knows one thing ... that she will be taken by one or several Xalthurian males when she turns twenty-one. The Xalthurians are rough, domineering, and huge all over, but this is the deal our leaders struck so that they would provide our human colony with desperately needed supplies. If the baby born from our taking is a girl, we will be allowed to keep it. If the baby is a boy, it will be taken away, never to be seen again. That is the way it has always been on our small planet and that is the way it will always be. I should accept my fate, but I can't. When they come for my sister's baby boy, I dare to defy the alien, they call "Tel." As it turns out, "Tel" means prince. But rather than killing me for my insolence, the future overlord vows to return to the planet. When I am twenty-one. He's huge, all-powerful, and determined to claim me. Can I stop him? And how will I answer when the question becomes, do I want to?

One of Bennett's most famous novel, Claimed, narrates the tale of a supernatural artifact which summons an ancient and powerful god to early 20th century New Jersey. Augustus T. Swift called the novel, "One of the strangest and most compelling science fantasy novels you will ever read"). Excerpt: "From where we stood the illusion of ruins was nearly perfect, and indeed — who knows? — we may to-day have looked upon the last surviving trace of some ancient city, flung up from the abyss that engulfed it ages before the brief history we have of the race of man began. I would have liked to investigate the "ruins" more closely, but thought best not to attempt it. From many fissures hot, ill-smelling, and probably poisonous vapor is still pouring up, and though the rock is sufficiently cool so that it is possible to walk on it, I deemed it safer to confine exploration to a comparatively small space near our landing-place."

Claimed opens with the recovery of a mysterious artifact, a strange box bearing an undecipherable inscription, from an uncharted island following an undersea volcanic explosion that nearly dooms the ship that discovers it. Brought back to civilization, the box is purchased by a crotchety old millionaire who quickly comes to regret it. Horrible apparitions of the sea appear at night and frightening dreams plague the old man, his niece and the young doctor who's serving him. While the doctor does what he can to learn of the box's origin and the meaning of the strange writing, the nonstop macabre visions, and occasional deaths, that have appeared in the box's wake eventually lead to the abduction of the old man and his niece by persons unknown. In pursuit of his employer across the high seas, the doctor learns of the box's evil origins from the mad sailor who originally found it. ""One of the strangest and most compelling science fantasy novels you will ever read""

Brian Aldiss William Gibson R.A. Lafferty Ursula K. Le Guin Lucius Shepard Bruce Sterling Theodore Sturgeon Howard Waldrop Connie Willis Gene Wolfe Roger Zelazny "The best stories are timeless. Long years from now the stories here may still touch someone, cause that person to blink, and put the book down for a second, and stare off through the hallow air, and shirver in wonder."

This eBook has been formatted to the highest digital standards and adjusted for readability on all devices. The Citadel of Fear is a lost world story and focuses on a forgotten Aztec city, which is "rediscovered" during World War I.Excerpt:"The sun, he thought, had grown monstrous and swallowed all the sky. No blue was anywhere. Brass above, soft, white-hot iron beneath, and all tinged to redness by the film of blood over sand-tormented eyes. Beyond a radius of thirty yards his vision blurred and ceased, but into that radius something flapped down and came tilting awkwardly across the sand, long wings half-spread, yellow head lowered, bold with an avid and loathsome curiosity. "You!" whispered the man hoarsely, and shook one great, red fist at the thing. "You'll not get your dinner off me nor him while my one foot can follow the other!"

H. G. Wells' 'Greatest Science Fiction Classics of H. G. Wells' is a compelling collection of groundbreaking science fiction works. From the thrilling adventures in 'The War of the Worlds' to the prophetic vision of a dystopian future in 'The Time Machine,' Wells' literary style combines vivid imagination with social commentary. Set in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, these works reflect the author's fascination with scientific advancements and their potential consequences on society. In this collection, readers will explore themes of alien invasion, time travel, and social evolution, all presented with Wells' signature blend of suspense and intellect. This anthology serves as a testament to Wells' enduring impact on the science fiction genre and his ability to provoke thought and inspire awe through his storytelling. It is a must-read for those interested in the origins of speculative fiction and the enduring legacy of one of its pioneers.