All the Rage This Year: The Phobos Science Fiction Anthology vol. 3

Phobos Books slides down the razor’s edge of science fiction with ALL THE RAGE THIS YEAR, the third in our Phobos Award series of disturbing, mind-bending, reality-twisting stories by the stars of science fiction’s next generation.  Chosen by a jury led by best-selling author Orson Scott Card, these 12 stories blast to universal heights, then plunge into the darkest, most secret places of the human psyche. Open this door into the future of science fiction, and you’ll see…   ¤  a society where enhanced humans treat natural man as art…   ¤  how a terrorist gets a timely second chance to sow destruction…   ¤  A new spin on identity crisis when youths shares consciousness…   ¤  androids who dream in iambic pentameter...   ¤  Golems reborn, thanks to an inhuman bioengineering imperative… In the tradition of convention-shattering anthologies like Harlan Ellison’s Dangerous Visions, ALL THE RAGE THIS YEAR is a door into the future of science fiction itself. To find out more on ALL THE RAGE THIS YEAR

Counterfeit Kings by Adam Connell

New from PHOBOS BOOKS, author Adam Connell’s novel Counterfeit Kings announces the arrival of an exciting new talent in the field of science fiction. In the tradition of science fiction pioneers Alfred Bester and Dan Simmons, Counterfeit Kings is a bold novel that examines the human fear of change and the desperate struggle to hold onto one’s identity in the face of catastrophe. The protagonist in Counterfeit Kings is Horrocks, a former bodyguard who is now married and expecting a child. He has disavowed his violent past and owns a colonial gas mines. The mines hover in the corrosive clouds over Io, Jupiter’s volcanic moon. When the colony's leader, known to everyone as "the king", is almost assassinated and goes into hiding, a cadre called the Ringers—new bodyguards surgically altered to resemble the king—throw the colony into chaos. Horrocks’ pursuit of the king and the Ringers forces him to revive his suppressed ferocity, and leads him to question the unjust way of life that he is fighting to preserve.

Absolutely Brilliant in Chrome: The Phobos Galaxy 1

First in the Phobos Galaxy series, Absolutely Brilliant in Chrome features 10 new short stories and novellas from previous winners of the 1st and 2nd Annual Phobos Fiction Contests.  If you marveled at the new worlds introduced in the anthologies Hitting the Skids in Pixeltown and Empire of Dreams and Miracles, wait until you see what amazing tales these magnificent seven authors spin. Check out sex and skintech trade in the title story by James Maxey, or deep space's nihilistic power that underlies Maxey's "Promise." Carl Frederick's pens a magic vs. reason adventure amidst Egyptian ruins entitled "The Ants of Imhotep" and a poignant father/"son" time travel tale entitled "Deep Flows the River of Time." In "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?", Daniel Conover gives new meaning to alienating U.S. politics; he also exposes the secrets of a genetically enhanced married couple in "Perfect for Each Other." Rebecca Carmi's "Letters to a Sister" explores past sibling rivalries and Earth's bleak future in a letter to be opened from a distant star centuries hence.  Gordon Gross asks the burning legal question: "Can one sue their virtual self to regain their own identity?" in "A Meeting of Minds." Matt Rotundo subjects a man to a cold, but illuminating, journey up an alien mountain in "The Ascent." And finally, Justin Stanchfield mixes profit and betrayal with a little dose of space and silicon in "A Debt Unpaid." After reading these stories, you’ll understand why all these authors were originally singled out as important new voices by such SF giants as Orson Scott Card, Larry Niven, Catherine Asaro, Doug Chiang, Jim Shooter, Vincent Di Fate, and Dave McDonnell.   The cover art is by JayJay Jackson

Hitting The Skids In Pixeltown: The Phobos Science Fiction Anthology Vol. 2

Hitting the Skids in Pixeltown is the dazzling follow-up to PHOBOS BOOKS' popular first title, Empire of Dreams and Miracles. Second in the imprint's series of Science Fiction anthologies, Hitting the Skids in Pixeltown is again presented and edited by best-selling SF author Orson Scott Card (Ender's Game), who wrote the introduction and a preface to each story. The stories were selected from the 2nd Annual Phobos Fiction Contest by Card and a jury of other SF luminaries. They include legendary SF author Larry Niven (Ringworld); Nebula Award-winner Catherine Asaro (The Quantum Rose), renowned SF artist & author Vincent Di Fate (Infinite Worlds); Starlog Magazine Editor Dave McDonnell, and movie producer John Roche (Fire Dancer). From a gritty cyber-noir tale of dangerous technology to a parable for peace in the distant future, the stories in this collection continue the Phobos mission of bringing devoted SF readers the best brave-new fiction by emerging authors. The book includes a delightful bonus -- Larry Niven's first published short story, "The Coldest Place". Hitting the Skids in Pixeltown was co-edited by PHOBOS BOOKS Editor Keith Olexa and Creative Director Christian O'Toole.

 

Nobody Gets The Girl   by James Maxey

PHOBOS BOOKS is proud to publish Nobody Gets the Girl, the first novel by Phobos Award winner James Maxey. Introduced by legendary comic book editor and author Jim Shooter, Nobody Gets the Girl is a fast-paced science fiction novel that skillfully combines quantum physics with the energetic action of classic comics. Richard Rogers wakes one morning to find himself transformed into an invisible man. Suddenly thrust into a new life as a superhero called Nobody, he fights alongside two stunningly sexy superheroines -- Rail Blade and the Thrill -- in an effort to thwart the evil schemes of global terrorist Rex Monday. Sparks fly, adrenaline pulses, whole cities fall, but in the end, Nobody gets the girl! James Maxey won the 2001 Phobos Fiction Contest with his short story "Empire of Dreams and Miracles," which became the title story of the first Phobos Science Fiction Anthology. Jim Shooter served as editor-in-chief of MARVEL, VALIANT and DEFIANT Comics, and is the author of several YA books.

 

Empire Of Dreams and Miracles: The Phobos Science Fiction Anthology

PHOBOS BOOKS launched its publishing program with the provocative first title Empire of Dreams and Miracles: The Phobos Science Fiction Anthology. The book is a collection of 12 short stories, edited by best-selling author Orson Scott Card (Ender's Game), and PHOBOS BOOKS editor Keith Olexa, former managing editor of Starlog, the preeminent Science Fiction news magazine. The short stories collected in Empire of Dreams and Miracles were selected by a jury of SF luminaries including author Card; internationally renowned physicist and The Physics of Star Trek author Lawrence Krauss; Star Wars: Episode I-II design director Doug Chiang; The Matrix Executive Producer Andrew Mason, Sci Fi Channel Senior VP Thomas Vitale; and former Marvel Comics Editor Jim Shooter. Card and Krauss contributed the Introduction and Foreword to the book, and Chiang created a stunning original painting for the book's cover. Empire of Dreams and Miracles will take readers into a brave new world of unearthly wonders.