Permutations: A Well World Anthology revives Jack L. Chalker’s legendary series, bringing together exceptional talent to extend its universe. This collection, authorized by Chalker’s estate, gathers renowned authors like Neal Asher, Catherine Asaro, and S.P. Somtow, each adding their unique flair to the Well World legacy. These stories pay homage to a series that has influenced countless science fiction writers, selling millions of copies worldwide. Fans and newcomers alike will be captivated by the rich, imaginative tales that continue the journey in the Well World, a testament to Chalker’s enduring impact on the genre. This anthology isn’t just a collection; it’s a gateway to rediscovering a world that has shaped science fiction, inviting readers to explore its depths once more.
Catherine’s story is Pacifist War.
Born in Mexico but living in East LA much of her young life, Tina Santis Pulivok has always felt different from her friends and family. Her mind picks up the moods of others, but she’s never understood why—until a bizarre meeting gives her a one-of-a-kind connection to a soldier from the future. Their connection will transcend both time and space—and the future of both their worlds depends on it…
Earthborn
Tina knows the strange man on the street must be lost, but she can’t imagine just how far he is from home. Althor, an Imperial Space Command pilot, left his planet in 2328 to attend a reception in Washington DC—and somehow ended up in 1987 Los Angeles. When the military captures his starfighter, he and Tina race to recover the ship before it detonates—and takes a large swath of California with i…
Starborn
Following her heart, Tina leaves Earth behind when she travels to a future universe with starfighter pilot Althor. But the more she learns about his powerful, telepathic family, the more she realizes how much danger they’re in, as a merciless enemy targets the newlywed couple in a treasonous plan to conquer human civilization.
The seductive thrill of uncharted worlds, of distant galaxies… and the unknown threats that lurk in the vastness of the cosmos. From Foundation to Lensman, Star Wars to Guardians of the Galaxy, space opera continues to exert its magnetic pull on us all. INFINITE STARS This is the definitive collection of original short stories by many of today’s finest authors, writing brand new adventures set in their most famous series. Herein lie canonical tales of the Honorverse, the Ruby Dynasty, the Lost Fleet, Dune, Vatta’s War, Ender Wiggin, the Legion of the Damned, the Imperium, and more. Also included are past masterpieces by authors whose works defined the genre, including a Miles Vorkosigan adventure, a story from the author of the Dragonriders of Pern, and a rare tale co-authored by the screenwriter for The Empire Strikes Back. Nebula and Hugo Award winners, New York Times bestsellers, and Science Fiction Grand Masters—these authors take us to the farthest regions of space.
Includes the Ruby Dynasty novelette “The Wages of Honor,” by Catherine Asaro, the first time the story ever appeared in print.
What will the future be like?
We think of ourselves as intelligent, but the ability to make war evolved with us from the dawn of civilization. Is violence an innate part of being human? This provocative collection explores how wars and their aftermath might progress with us into the future. From terrorism to armored death machines, from small and bitter skirmishes to vast conflicts that sweep across the stars, from the brutal to the subtle—venture with our authors into the electrifying reaches of the Mammoth Book of SF Wars.
“The Pyre of a New Day”—Catherine Asaro
“The Rhine’s World Incident”—Neal Asher
“Caught in the Crossfire”—David Drake
“Politics”—Elizabeth Moon
“The Traitor”—David Weber
And many more!
A collection that includes the Nebula Award–winning titular novella and “Light and Shadow,” the story that begins the Saga of the Skolian Empire series.
In “The Spacetime Pool,” recent MIT grad Janelle Aulair is hiking through the Great Smoky Mountains when a man appears out of nowhere to request her help. Shaken by his impossible appearance, she steps away—and falls through a portal onto a beach in another universe.
That’s when Dominick, the man who waylaid Janelle, reveals she is part of a prophecy. It foretells a bizarre future: if Dominick marries Janelle, he’ll depose his twin brother and become Emperor of the land. If Dominick doesn’t marry her, his brother—a brutal tyrant who will do anything to keep his throne—will murder him. Janelle finds herself caught in a conflict that could destroy the realm. If that’s not mind-blowing enough, she discovers books that prove this civilization achieved interstellar travel five centuries ago. Yet now they’re living in a culture that doesn’t have electricity, riding two-horned creatures that definitely aren’t horses, and sword-fighting. To find her way home, Janelle must figure out what happened between then and now . . .
The Spacetime Pool also includes Catherine Asaro’s first-ever published story, “Light and Shadow,” featuring Kelric, a popular character from the Saga of the Skolian Empire series, and an illustrated essay on the math in her fiction titled “A Poetry of Angles and Dreams.”
Three classic novellas of timeless love and tantalizing fantasy…
Counting Crows by New York Times bestseller Mercedes Lackey
In Lady Gwynnhwyfar’s dark, lonely court, her only ally was noble Sir Atremus, a warrior willing to fight for her honor. But would her powerful spell capture his heart—or tumble the kingdom into chaos?
Moonglow by Nebula Award–winning author Catherine Asaro
In a world where kings married for magic, Iris Larkspur was required to wed the prince—despite the spell that kept him deaf, mute and blind. Healing her bridegroom would take a power greater than any she’d ever known—one only two bonded hearts could provide!
Drusilla’s Dream by USA TODAY bestseller Rachel Lee
Every night Drusilla Morgan dreamed of courageous and handsome Miles Kennedy. Their quest: to battle evil and find true love. Yet when the sun rose, would Drusilla’s fantasy man become a reality?
This limited edition anthology offers a selection of Catherine’s shorter fiction, stories set in the Saga of the Skolian Empire, also known as the Tales of the Ruby Dynasty. In 2011, when Catherine appeared as a Guest of Honor at the literary convention Windycon in Chicago, they released a limited edition collection of her work. Originally published by ISFic Press, the anthology gathers some of her shorter fiction into one volume. Titled Aurora in Four Voices after the Hugo and Nebula nominated novella of the same name, it has the following table of contents:
- Introduction, by Kate Dolan
- Aurora in Four Voices (Analog, 1998). Hugo nominated novella
- Ave de Paso, short story in Redshift: Extreme Visions of Speculative Fiction and Fantasy: the Best of 2001.
- The Spacetime Pool (Analog 2008), Nebula winning novella.
- Light and Shadow (Analog 1994), short story, first published tale in the Skolian saga.
- The City of Cries, novella in Down These Dark Spaceways (2005). Introduces Major Bhaajan mystery series.
- A Poetry of Angles and Dreams, essay written by Catherine about math concepts in her fiction.
- Afterword, by Aly Parsons
- Bibliography for Catherine’s work up through 2011
Irresistible Forces came out of Catherine’s efforts to gather authors from multiple genres to write romantic stories in speculative fiction. This ground-breaking book brings together New York Times bestselling authors Mary Jo Putney, Jo Beverley, and Lois McMaster Bujold with award-winning authors Jennifer Roberson, Deb Stover, and of course Catherine Asaro. These original novellas prove that love can conquer all—even the boundaries of time and space. From sixteenth-century Britain to the farthest reaches of outer space, from medieval adventures to star-spanning love stories, here is a compilation that explores the wonderfully kinetic forces lovers share—forces too great to resist…
Table of contents:
- Winterfair Gifts, Lois McMaster Bujold.
- The Alchemical Marriage, Mary Jo Putney.
- Stained Glass Heart, Catherine Asaro.
- Skin Deep, Deb Stover.
- The Trouble With Heroes, Jo Beverley.
- Shadows in the Woods, Jennifer Roberson.
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Catherine’s novella tells the love story of Havyrl Valdoria, the Ruby Prince, and Lily, his childhood sweetheart. Their charming tale begins events that someday will change the course of history for the Ruby Dynasty and the Skolian Imperialate.
A young girl from Earth falls in love with a handsome stranger, and becomes a pawn in an interstellar war.
In the distant future, the Skolian Empire rules one third of the human galaxy, and is the most powerful of all. For the ruling family has the power of telepathy, and through it, the ability to communicate faster than light, across interstellar space. But their most determined enemy, the traders, who thrive on human pain, need to interbreed with a Skolian to gain their powers. And now they have her.
Catherine later rewrote this book as the the duology Lightning Strike: Earthborn and Lightning Strike: Starborn.
