Space opera at its best—wild and fast and furious, as only Robert Silverberg could write it As a young man, Robert Silverberg was a science fiction prodigy, turning out top-flight stories in the blink of an eye. Though written quickly, Silverberg’s early prose already showed evidence of the literary and imaginative qualities that would make him a giant in the field. In “Slaves of the Star Giants,” electrician Lloyd Harkins finds himself transported from 1956 into a desolate far-future Earth ruled by monstrous aliens. And in the gripping title story, a spacer named Barsac risks his life and sanity to free a friend from the clutches of an evil cult—by joining the cult himself. Filled with slam-bang action and dazzling speculation, these seven novellas pay eloquent homage to the Golden Age of science fiction and anticipate the groundbreaking work that has become Silverberg’s legacy.

More than 700 alphabetically organized entries by an international team of contributors provide a fascinating survey of French culture post 1945. Entries include: * advertising * Beur cinema * Coco Chanel * decolonization * écriture feminine * football * francophone press * gay activism * Seuil * youth culture Entries range from short factual/biographical pieces to longer overview articles. All are extensively cross-referenced and longer entries are 'facts-fronted' so important information is clear at a glance. It includes a thematic contents list, extensive index and suggestions for further reading. The Encyclopedia will provide hours of enjoyable browsing for all francophiles, and essential cultural context for students of French, Modern History, Comparative European Studies and Cultural Studies.

When aliens invade, a generations-long struggle begins against an impenetrable enemy in this sci-fi epic from the Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author. The Entities have arrived on Earth, fifteen feet tall with impenetrable defenses and inscrutable motives. As conquerors, they have no demands, no explanations, simply harsh consequences should they be challenged. Releasing a plague and plunging the world into a new Dark Age, the Entities seem unbeatable. But, one family at least—the Carmichael clan led by Colonel Anson Carmichael—will never give up the resistance. THE ALIEN YEARS is an epic story told over multiple generations by master of thoughtful science fiction Robert Silverberg. Can ideas of freedom survive in the face of an overwhelmingly powerful enemy? “A remarkable study of human endurance and patience that belongs in most SF collections.” —The Library Journal “Sobering and frightening…. Silverberg’s rich characters, his dead-on-target vision of modern society, his mastery at building tension—all are in evidence in this notable outing from one of the very best.” —Publishers Weekly

A team of space archaeologists makes an astonishing discovery about an ancient alien race in this science fiction tale from “a master of his craft” (Los Angeles Times). Graduate student Tom Rice is thrilled to embark on his first deep-space archeological expedition. He is part of a team from Earth, venturing out in search of artifacts from a civilization that ruled the universe many millennia ago. Called the High Ones, the members of this long-gone society left tantalizing clues about their history and culture scattered throughout space. One such clue, a “message cube” containing footage of the ancient ones, is more interesting than all of the others combined. It seems to indicate that the High Ones aren’t extinct after all—and just like that, Tom Rice’s archeological mission has become an intergalactic manhunt, one filled with ever-increasing danger that will send the explorers hurtling headlong into the greatest adventure—and peril—of their lives. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Robert Silverberg including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s personal collection.

The Hugo Award–winning author returns to the mythical world of Gilgamesh the King in this adventurous sequel: “An enthralling quest.” —The Times (London) The warrior-king Gilgamesh—part man, part god—is not only larger than life; he is larger than death. Trapped in the Afterworld, a bizarre reality in which everyone who has ever died lives again . . . only to die again and again in endless succession, Gilgamesh sets out to find his lost friend Enkidu and fight his way back to the land of the living. Along the way, he encounters a rogue’s gallery of figures from history, literature, and myth—including H. P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard—and travels from the ancient city of Uruk to modern-day Manhattan. But the Afterworld is not so easily escaped.

This trio of early short novels by Grand Master Robert Silverberg is straight-up pulp science fiction at its finest As a young man, Robert Silverberg was a science fiction prodigy, turning out top-flight stories in the blink of an eye. Though written quickly, Silverberg’s early prose already showed evidence of the literary and imaginative qualities that would make him a giant in the field. Here are three of his best early works. In The Planet Killers, after Earth’s supercomputer calculates that the inhabitants of the planet Lurion will destroy Earth in sixty-seven years, Roy Gardner is sent to stop them—by any means necessary. In The Plot Against Earth, Special Investigator Lloyd Catton’s efforts to crack a ring of “hypnojewel” traffickers uncovers a galaxy-wide conspiracy. And in One of Our Asteroids Is Missing, when miner John Storm stakes claim to an asteroid with a king’s ransom of rare minerals, he’s set for life—or would be, if his discovery didn’t also mark him for death.

A remarkable collection, Robots through the Ages includes stories from some of the best writers of science fiction, both old and new. This anthology, with an introduction by Robert Silverberg, offers a sweeping survey of robots as depicted throughout literature. Since The Iliad—in which we are shown golden statues built by Hephaestus “with minds and wisdoms”—humans have been fascinated by the idea of artificial life. From the Argonautica to the medieval Jewish legend of the Golem and Ambrose Bierce’s tale of a chess-playing robot, the idea of what robots are—and who creates them—can be drastically different. This book collects a broad selection of short stories from celebrated authors such as Philip K. Dick, Seanan McGuire, Roger Zelazny, Connie Willis, and many more. Robots through the Ages not only celebrates the history of robots and the genre of science fiction, but the dauntless nature of human ingenuity.