A “thoroughly enjoyable” collection of stories imagining the Red Planet during the golden age of science fiction, from an award-winning anthologist (Kirkus Reviews). An antique-shop owner gets a glimpse of the Red Planet through an intriguing artifact. A Martian’s wife contemplates the possibility of life on Earth. A resident of Venus describes his travels across the two alien planets. From an arid desert to an advanced society far superior to Earth’s, portrayals of Mars have differed radically in their attempts to uncover the truth about our neighboring planet. Since the 1880s, after an astronomer described “channels” on its surface, writers have speculated endlessly on what life on Mars might look like and what might happen should we make contact with its inhabitants. This collection offers ten wildly imaginative stories by famed authors like H.G. Wells, Ray Bradbury, and J.G. Ballard as well as hard-to-find selections by unjustly forgotten writers of the genre. Introduced by acclaimed anthologist Mike Ashley, they vividly evoke a time when notions of life on other planets—from vegetation and water to space invaders and utopian societies—were new and startling. As we continue to imagine landing people on Mars, these stories represent gripping and vivid dispatches from futurists past. “[A] superlative set of stories. . . . Vibrant and powerful.” —Locus “These stories are of the highest quality and illustrate how our evolving understanding of the Red Planet changed the way we wrote about it and how Mars came to occupy a prominent position in our hopes, dreams, and fears as the modern age dawned and grew.” —Booklist

Our solar system seems relatively peaceful from our perch here on Earth, however, that is far from reality. The star at the center of our existence has witnessed battles over planets and moons since the early stirrings of life on most of the planets in the system, countless millions of years in the past.

Mercury Shell, Venus Shell, Earth, Mars, Asteroid, Jupiter, Saturn. Each shell concentric, studded with artificial planets, each planet embedded in its shell, spinning like a ball-bearing. The whole Zeus-created in the service of Man but now beyond his control. Now mathematics and space physics, converging, suggested another shell, its existence hidden from Man. A shell of utter darkness, cold and silence where only extreme mutants could survive. To find that shell, the three were journeying again: Maq Ancor, Master Assassin, Magician Cherry and Sine Anura, Mistress of the Erotic. Together, daring the all-seeing, all-sensing hostility of Zeus.

The 'Sci-Fi Ultimate Collection: 170+ Space Adventures, Dystopian Novels & Lost World Classics' stands as a testament to the vast and varied universe of science fiction, encapsulating the ingenuity and diversity of thought from the 19th to the early 20th centuries. This anthology spans a range of literary styles from the exploratory whims of Jules Verne to the dark, introspective narratives of H.P. Lovecraft, and the socio-political commentaries of H.G. Wells and George Orwell offering a broad view of the thematic concerns and stylistic evolutions within the genre. Notably, it includes landmark pieces that have defined and expanded the boundaries of speculative fiction, exploring themes of dystopia, utopia, cosmic horror, and science as both salvation and doom, thereby providing a comprehensive overview of the genre's development and its reflection of societal anxieties and aspirations. The contributing authors and editors, each distinguished by their own unique contributions to literature and thought, bring a rich tapestry of background, perspective, and cultural context to the anthology. From the pioneering speculative visions of Mary Shelley, whose 'Frankenstein' laid the groundwork for scientific fiction as a critical mirror to society, to the sophisticated social critiques embedded in the works of Aldous Huxley and Sinclair Lewis, the collection is a convergence of voices that have not only defined but also challenged their contemporary sociopolitical paradigms. By aligning with various historical, cultural, and literary movements, these authors collectively amplify the anthology's exploration of human nature, progress, and the infinitely expanding boundaries of the unknown. 'Readers seeking not just entertainment but also a deep cultural and philosophical engagement with science fiction as a genre will find the 'Sci-Fi Ultimate Collection' an invaluable resource. This anthology affords a unique opportunity to experience the breadth and depth of speculative fiction through the eyes of its most iconic figures. It invites readers to traverse time and space, to challenge their preconceptions, and to engage in a dialogue with the past, understanding how past generations envisioned the future. For anyone interested in the evolution of science fiction and its role in critiquing, reflecting, and shaping societal views, this collection is an indispensable compendium, illuminating the myriad ways in which the genre has captivated the human imagination.

DigiCat presents to you this unique SF collection, designed and formatted to the highest digital standards and adjusted for readability on all devices. H. G. Wells: The Time Machine The War of the Worlds The Island of Doctor Moreau The Invisible Man... Edgar Wallace: Planetoid 127 The Green Rust... Otis Adelbert Kline: The Venus Trilogy The Mars Series Malcolm Jameson: Captain Bullard Series Garrett P. Serviss: Edison's Conquest of Mars A Columbus of Space The Sky Pirate... Arthur Conan Doyle: The Professor Challenger Series Jules Verne: 20.000 Leagues under the Sea The Mysterious Island... Mary Shelley: Frankenstein The Last Man Edwin A. Abbott: Flatland Jack London: Iron Heel The Scarlet Plague The Star Rover... Robert Louis Stevenson: Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde George MacDonald: Lilith H. Rider Haggard: King Solomon's Mines She William H. Hodgson: The House on the Borderland The Night Land... Edgar Allan Poe: Some Words with a Mummy Mellonta Tauta... H. P. Lovecraft: Beyond the Wall of Sleep The Cats of Ulthar Celephaïs Edward Bellamy: Looking Backward: 2000–1887 Equality... Mark Twain: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court Owen Gregory: Meccania the Super-State Margaret Cavendish: The Blazing World Jonathan Swift: Gulliver's Travels William Morris: News from Nowhere Samuel Butler: Erewhon Edward Bulwer-Lytton: The Coming Race James Fenimore Cooper: The Monikins Hugh Benson: Lord of the World Fred M. White: The Doom of London Ignatius Donnelly: Caesar's Column Ernest Bramah: The Secret of the League Arthur D. Vinton: Looking Further Backward Robert Cromie: The Crack of Doom Cleveland Moffett: The Conquest of America Richard Jefferies: After London Francis Stevens: The Heads of Cerberus Percy Greg: Across the Zodiac David Lindsay: A Voyage to Arcturus Stanley G. Weinbaum: Stories from the Solar System Edward Everett Hale: The Brick Moon Abraham Merritt: The Moon Pool

An asteroid transformed Mars from a lush planet with rivers and oceans into a bleak and icy hell. Is Earth condemned to the same fate, or can we protect ourselves and our planet from extinction? In his most riveting and revealing book yet, Graham Hancock examines the evidence that the barren Red Planet was once home to a lush environment of flowing rivers, lakes, and oceans. Could Mars have sustained life and civilization? Megaliths found on the parched shores of Cydonia, a former Martian ocean, mirror the geometrical conventions of the pyramids at Egypt's Giza necropolis. Especially startling is a Sphinx-like structure depicting a face with distinguishable diadem, teeth, mouth and an Egyptian-style headdress. Might there be a connection between the structures of Egypt and those of Mars? Why does NASA continue to dismiss these remarkable anomalies as "a trick of light"? Hancock points to the intriguing possibility that ancient Martian civilization is communicating with us through the remarkable structures it left behind. In exploring the possible traces left by the Martian civilization and the cosmic cataclysm that may have ended it, The Mars Mystery is both an illumination of our ancient past and a warning--that we still have time to heed--about our ultimate fate.

Musaicum Books presents to you this unique SF collection, designed and formatted to the highest digital standards and adjusted for readability on all devices. E. M. Forster: The Machine Stops Richard Jefferies: After London Richard Stockham: Perchance to Dream Irving E. Cox: The Guardians Philip F. Nowlan: Armageddon–2419 A.D… George Griffith: The Angel of the Revolution… Percy Greg: Across the Zodiac David Lindsay: A Voyage to Arcturus Edward E. Hale: The Brick Moon Stanley G. Weinbaum: A Martian Odyssey… Abraham Merritt The Moon Pool… Edgar Wallace: The Green Rust… H. Beam Piper: Terro-Human Future History… Garrett P. Serviss: The Sky Pirate… Philip K. Dick: Second Variety… Jules Verne: Journey to the Center of the Earth H. G. Wells: The Time Machine Edgar Allan Poe: A Descent into the Maelstrom… Mary Shelley: Frankenstein… Edwin A. Abbott: Flatland Jack London: Iron Heel… R. L. Stevenson: Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde George MacDonald: Lilith H. Rider Haggard: King Solomon's Mines She William H. Hodgson: The Night Land… Edward Bellamy: Looking Backward… Mark Twain: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court Arthur Conan Doyle: The Lost World… Edgar Rice Burroughs Pellucidar Series Caspak Series Francis Bacon: New Atlantis C. J. Cutcliffe Hyne: The Lost Continent Margaret Cavendish: The Blazing World Jonathan Swift: Gulliver's Travels William Morris: News from Nowhere Samuel Butler: Erewhon Edward Bulwer-Lytton: The Coming Race James F. Cooper: The Monikins Charlotte P. Gilman: Herland Ayn Rand: Anthem Owen Gregory: Meccania the Su...