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Thirty original stories - each inspired by a Janis Ian song - from some of the biggest names in science fiction and fantasy, including: Tad Williams, Harry Turtledove, Orson Scott Card, Joe Haldeman, John Varley, Mercedes Lackey, Judith Tarr, Janis Ian, and others.

In stories like "A Night in the Cemetery," "Night of Horror," and "Murder," not only will Chekhov's dark humor and twisted crimes satisfy even the most hardboiled of mystery fans, but readers will again appreciate the penetrating, absurdist insight into the human condition that only Chekhov can bring. Whether it is the death of a young amateur playwright at the hands of an editor who hates bad writing, or a drunken civil servant who ends up trapped in a graveyard, these stories overflow with the unforgettable characters and unique sensibility that will forever make Chekhov one of the most fascinating figures in literature.

Some of the smartest erotic stories in the world just happen to be written by lesbians, women who changed the face of erotic lit. Susie Bright presents a collection of lesbian sex lives that speak fearlessly, through every taboo, without any apologies. Writers like Dorothy Allison, Lisa Montanarelli, Greta Christina, and Peggy Munson name names, get as close to any woman as they dare, and relish every deep stroke of their erotic pens….

Millions of people each year take trips. But how many are able to make each trip a journey of personal growth? The Way of the Traveler is the book to help people make the most of every trip. It's about learning to make the time before, during, and after travel an enriching experience; drawing on personal virtues to help you through potentially stressful encounters; and setting goals to ensure that even the most mundane two-day business trip brings new insights.

From Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, here are the best stories of 2002, written by four of the most respected writers of our day: Robert Silverberg, James Patrick Kelly, Ian Watson, and Gregory Benford.

This is the ideal collection for all lovers of first-rate erotic literature. Edited by Susie Bright, whom the Utne Reader calls "one of the leading thinkers and visionaries of our time", this fourth annual edition of a best-selling series brings together the most outstanding erotic writing of the year, including peculiarly dark and dangerous takes, as well as cutting-edge forays into the world of cybersex.

In 1978, daredevil film director Kathryn Whitney comes to Iran to shoot a package of TV commercials at the ruins of Persepolis. She leaves Hollywood behind and arrives in a country exploding with revolution. While visiting the Bank of Tehran, Kathryn is drawn to a display case housing The Persian Glories - a private jewelry collection of priceless canary diamonds with a powerful legacy owned by Sir Anthony Evans. Kathryn has no idea how these legendary jewels will endanger her life.

Shipwrecked on the far side of the “crack in the world,” Eric’s companions find themselves trapped on the roots of Yggdrasil, the Great Norse Tree of Life. Lost and bereft of supplies, the companions wander blindly and soon find themselves in the worst land of Norse Mythology: Niflhiem, the realm of the unfortunate dead. Facing starvation, the companions have no choice; they must seek and beg for assistance from Loki’s daughter, Hel, the Norse Goddess of Death.

A thriving scientific community lived in orbit around the Earth, tending the Reticulary, a solar power harvesting structure. When the Jagged Edge took over the planet, they wiped them out, trusting in AI to manage the system. They missed a few. The rebels on the surface were failing until they discovered allies in space and the tide began to turn. If they knew they were there—the Order of Peace would have no trouble crushing Pitch and her fellow Specs.

Cheated of his glorious afterlife, Eric faces a terrible doom. If his companions can’t save him then he’ll be forever barred from Valhalla and rot in icy, hopeless Niflhiem. Outlawed and hunted, with prices upon their heads, Eric’s companions must secretly flee from England, but a terrible curse delays them time and again. Allied with a snobbish Druid Seer, who alone can help them rescue Eric, they strike a terrible bargain: to seek “the crack in the world,” a mystical doorway to the forbidden realms of the Norse Gods.

As King Svenson Two-Sword is about to embark upon his summer viking, Eric steals the king’s most-prized heirloom and sails to England … leaving behind a message of where he’s going. Arriving at Castle Bristlen, Eric offers the king’s golden heirloom as a gift, and they allow Eric inside. Seven hours later, the angry king sails up with his fleet, seven thousand Viking warriors, to recapture his property.

Sierra Kane—who has bounced from one foster family to another—faces an uncertain future when she receives an unapplied-for scholarship to Barnard College specifically designed for orphans whose academic records are merely above average. A second unexpected boon comes her way when another recipient of that somewhat mysterious scholarship offers her a part-time courier job. Soon, Sierra is caught up in a whirl of espionage and murder, with a new boyfriend who may or may not be part of a plot, a college mentor with a possible agenda of her own, and an FBI agent who rebuffs Sierra’s plea for help.

A new era is dawning for the Court of Light and the Court of Dark. Queen Aurora will soon be married to King Jarvok, and for the first time in history, Dark and Light Fae will be united. Except Aurora is also concealing a secret from everyone—she is with child. Not everyone is pleased with the upcoming nuptials. Queen Aurora’s closest advisors have long held that Virtues and Power Angels are sacrosanct, and her bishops view her upcoming marriage as an abomination.

Once, peace between the Court of Dark and Light seemed possible. A treaty was signed, a new balance was agreed upon. But now it all may go up in flames. Queen Aurora and King Jarvok are refusing to end their battle. And with neither willing to surrender, their kingdoms are on the edge of destruction. Until a ghost from the past intervenes.

The war between the Court of Dark and Light waged for far too long. But at long last, each side has set their elemental magick and weapons down, and the Treaty of Bodhicitta is signed. The rules are clear. Never again will the Fae spill their own blood, and human worship must be equal to both courts. But while Queen Aurora and King Jarvok were playing their war games, the outside world has moved on from polytheism to monotheism. Now, the humans understand worship, equals power and wealth.

There are those who once believed that the Courts of Light and Dark could finally be united. But now a new Queen has taken the throne, and the Court of Light has descended into darkness and turmoil. Broken-hearted and devastated, King Jarvok can no longer ignore his centuries-old suspicions. While he looks towards the shadows, his second-in-command Asa is determined to focus on the light. In doing so, they both realize there are secrets among them that some will die to keep.

In this darkly comic parable of sin and sainthood, a fifteenth-century peasant girl, Joan of Domrémy, must secure an audience with the derelict Dauphin of France, that he might unite his armies under her leadership against ongoing English invasion. But with her angelically inspired project seeming doomed to failure and ridicule, and with no royal meeting in sight, the girl strikes a dangerous bargain with an old acquaintance—a spirit of uncertain motives—leading to an existential showdown between piety and personal pride which may cost Joan not only her soul but the future of her nation.

Caught in a redundant housewife existence, Ann never leaves her beige suburban home, her schlubby do-nothing son Brian is directionless after graduating high-school, and it looks like nothing will ever change. But when Brian is swallowed by a whale and Ann receives a garbled phone call from him, she is determined to find that monstrous beast and rescue her son. Experts, her ex, the press—everyone thinks she’s crazy—but she’s committed to her worthy quest.

Vivian Borne—true-crime author, antiques dealer, and ex-sheriff of Serenity, Iowa—is looking forward to meeting her new editor in London. Flying first class, rooms at the Savoy…her long-suffering co-author, daughter Brandy, worries the trip will bankrupt them both, but the alternative—Mother travelling alone—is unthinkable. Brandy’s almost tempted to make her fiancé, Tony—Serenity’s Chief of Police—call Scotland Yard and warn them Vivian’s coming.

A realm at war. The star dragons struggle under the oppression of an unseen foe—a creature of terrible power, who seeks to shape all of space-time into a web of subjugation and death. The Dream Mountain, source of knowledge and life to the dragons, is held by the enemy; and yet, hope burns in the dragons’ hearts.