{"product_id":"theyre-here-9781982192747","title":"They're Here!","description":"THE ALIENS ARE AMONG US! \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Where is everybody?\" Nobel Prize-winning physicist Enrico Fermi once asked after a discussion about the possibility of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. To sum up the Fermi Paradox, if the billions of stars in our galaxy have planets with intelligent life on them, why hasn't anyone visited us? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e But maybe they have, and we just haven't noticed--and that's the way they want it. And if they are here in secret, why are they here? Are they tourists? Anthropologists, perhaps? Or journalists sending stories back about the quaint habits of the primitives? Or maybe the extraterrestrial equivalent of hunters or fishermen? (Any odd disappearances in your neighborhood lately?) An enemy already within the gates? Or a refugee seeking sanctuary? Gourmets looking for exotic foreign food? Alien criminals hiding out? Alien cops looking for those alien criminals? No missionaries--at least not yet--and there doesn't seem to be a Galactic Peace Corps. They might happen to look close enough to human to pass, or they might be masters of disguise. Or they might be so incomprehensibly different that we don't even notice that they're here. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e The secret visitors are revealed by such luminaries as Larry Niven, Poul Anderson, Spider Robinson, Neil Gaiman, and more. And if any alien visitors want to check out the local natives' speculations herein, feel free. Please pay with local currency, of course. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cb\u003ePraise for previous anthologies edited by Hank Davis: \u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cb\u003eAbout \u003ci\u003eTime Troopers: \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"The editors' mastery of the military SF and time travel subgenres is evident in their thoughtful selections. Fans of literate speculative fiction will hope for more from these experts.\"--\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eCosmic Corsairs\u003c\/i\u003e: \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Who doesn't like space pirates? (Well, their victims I guess, but that's beside the point.) . . . Hank Davis has a fine sense for choosing a wide mix of stories, and this book is no exception. No story is like another, yet they manage to form a whole greater than the parts. From sapient ships to piratical sibling rivalry, pirate detectives to ingenious captives seeking freedom, from alien biology to orbital mechanics, the stories share some of the same elements--pragmatic thinking, moral complexity, loyalty, and betrayal. Definitely a fun one.\"--\u003ci\u003eAnalog\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eI\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003en Space No One Can Hear You Scream: \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"[T]he 13 tales in this collection blend sf with horror to demonstrate the resiliency of both genres . . . offers strong tales by the genre's best storytellers.\" --\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"[F]irst-rate science fiction, demonstrating how short stories can still entertain.\" --\u003ci\u003eThe G\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003ealveston County Daily News\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Cosmic Christmas 2 You: \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"This creative and sprightly Christmas science fiction anthology spins in some surprising directions. . . . A satisfying read for cold winter evenings . . . a great stocking stuffer for SF fans.\" --\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eA\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003es Time Goes By: \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"\u003ci\u003eAs Time Goes By\u003c\/i\u003e . . . does an excellent job of exploring not only romance through time travel--relationships enabled or imperiled by voyaging through time--but the intrinsic romance of time travel itself. . . . The range of styles and approaches is as wide as the authors' sensibilities and periods might suggest . . . full of entertaining and poignant stories . . . \" --Alvaro Zinos-Amaro, \u003ci\u003eIntergalacticMedicineShow.com\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003ePraise for previous anthologies edited by Sean CW Korsgaard:  \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout \u003ci\u003eWorlds Long Lost\u003c\/i\u003e: \u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Editors Christopher Ruocchio and Sean CW Korsgaard have given fans of this venerable genre something special... \u003ci\u003eWorlds Long Lost\u003c\/i\u003e definitely has something for everyone who loves a touch of the crawling chaos.\" --\u003ci\u003eThe Wall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Ruocchio (the Sun Eater series) and Korsgaard bring together 14 mind-bending and often disturbing tales of ancient extraterrestrial civilizations throughout the universe...Full of creepy flights of imagination and thought-provoking science, this will be a hit with fans of first contact sci-fi.\"--\u003ci\u003ePublisher's Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Ruocchio and Korsgaard have shown themselves to have the taste and the discernment of master vintners, going through the grapevine of the science fiction genre to find the sweetest berries. Worlds Long Lost is no mere vinegar, but the finest vintage you can find today. If science fiction were wine, this anthology sparkles, both like champagne, and like the stars in the heavens.\" --\u003ci\u003eWarped Factor\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Readers are treated to tales of wonder and horror of ancient alien civilizations, from mischievous youngsters to curses of long-lost gods... For readers looking to escape to another galaxy, prepare to be rocketed to Worlds Long Lost.\" --\u003ci\u003ePortland Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Fourteen new stories involving the discovery of ancient alien artifacts, on Earth or elsewhere in the universe, appear in this anthology. The pieces range from intellectual puzzles to tales of adventure, with a fair amount of horror thrown into the mix.\" --\u003ci\u003eTangent Online\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eWorlds Long Lost\u003c\/i\u003e delivers on its promise to take you out of this world.\" --\u003ci\u003eUpstream Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eHank Davis\u003c\/b\u003e is Senior Editor at Baen Books. He served in the Army in Vietnam and has had stories in \u003ci\u003eAnalog Science Fiction, \u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eTh\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003ee Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction\u003c\/i\u003e, and anthologies \u003ci\u003eIf \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eOrbit\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003e.\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eSean CW Korsgaard\u003c\/b\u003e is a US Army veteran, award-winning photojournalist and freelance reporter, and an assistant editor and media relations manager at Baen Books. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e As a reporter, he's had over fifteen hundred articles published across dozens of newspapers in Virginia over the past seven years, including the \u003ci\u003eRichmond Times-Dispatch\u003c\/i\u003e and the \u003ci\u003eDaily Press\u003c\/i\u003e, and nationally, in outlets ranging from \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e to \u003ci\u003eio9\u003c\/i\u003e to \u003ci\u003eVFW Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e, and most recently, as a columnist for \u003ci\u003eAnalog Science Fiction \u0026amp; Fact\u003c\/i\u003e. His work has seen him interview two U.S. Presidents, walk the grounds of Auschwitz beside Holocaust survivors, party with Swedish metal bands, get caught in the thick of riots, and even be attacked by a shark. He was a finalist for the Baen Fantasy Adventure Award and Writers of the Future, and recently saw the publication of his first anthology, \u003ci\u003eWorlds Long Lost\u003c\/i\u003e, and his first published short story, \"Black Box.\" \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, Sean lives in Richmond, Virginia, with his wife and son, and is always looking for his next great adventure and his next big byline. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003ePoul Anderson\u003c\/b\u003e (1926-2001) was one of the most prolific and popular writers in science fiction. He won the Hugo Award seven times and the Nebula Award three times, as well as many other awards, notably including the Grand Master Award of the Science Fiction Writers of America for a lifetime of distinguished achievement. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWith a degree in physics and a wide knowledge of other fields of science, as well as a passion for history and mythology, he was noted for building stories on a solid foundation of real science, as well as for being one of the most skilled creators of fast-paced adventure stories. He was author of more than one hundred science fiction and fantasy novels and story collections, and several hundred short stories, as well as historical novels, mysteries, and nonfiction books. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHe wrote several series, notably the Technic Civilization novels and stories, the Psychotechnic League series, the Harvest of Stars novels, and his Time Patrol series, along with novels such as \u003ci\u003eThe High Crusade\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThree Hearts and Three Lions\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Broken Sword\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eAnthony Boucher\u003c\/b\u003e (1911-1968) began publishing stories in 1941. His first published story was \"Snulbug,\" which was published in \u003ci\u003eUnknown Worlds\u003c\/i\u003e, and he was a regular contributor to that magazine and to \u003ci\u003eAstounding Science Fiction\u003c\/i\u003e for the next two decades. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAs a writer and reviewer Anthony Boucher had a considerable effect on science fiction, but it was as cofounder (with J. Francis McComas) and longtime editor of \u003ci\u003eThe Magazine of Fantasy \u0026amp; Science Fiction\u003c\/i\u003e, which he edited until his retirement in 1958, that he really became a seminal influence on the field. Founded in 1949, \u003ci\u003eF\u0026amp;SF\u003c\/i\u003e soon became a showcase for the most literate and sophisticated work being done in the field, and Boucher earned himself a secure place in the pantheon of science fiction's greatest editors. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBoucher wrote one science fiction novel--\u003ci\u003eRocket to the Morgue\u003c\/i\u003e, under the pseudonym of H.H. Holmes--but as a writer he is best remembered for wry and ironic stories such as \"The Quest for St. Aquin,\" \"Barrier,\" \"Snul-bug,\" and \"The Compleat Werewolf.\" \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHe also had a separate and very successful career as a writer and critic in the mystery genre, and was a recipient of the prestigious Edgar Allen Poe Award of the Mystery Writers of America, and became the namesake for the Boucher Award. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eSteve Diamond\u003c\/b\u003e is a horror, fantasy, and science fiction author for Baen Books, Wordfire Press, Gallant Knight Games, and numerous small publications. He is the author of \u003ci\u003eResidue\u003c\/i\u003e, a YA supernatural thriller, a collection of short fiction, \u003ci\u003eWhat Hellhounds Dream\u003c\/i\u003e, and his most recent work is a dark fantasy\/horror novel cowritten with Larry Correia, \u003ci\u003eServants of War\u003c\/i\u003e. He is also the cohost of the writing advice podcast, \u003ci\u003eThe WriterDojo\u003c\/i\u003e. Steve lives in Utah with his wife and two kids. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eNeil Gaiman\u003c\/b\u003e is the #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of books, short stories, films and graphic novels for adults and children. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSome of his most notable titles include the novels \u003ci\u003eThe Graveyard Book\u003c\/i\u003e (the first book to ever win both the Newbery and Carnegie medals), the Vertigo comic book series \u003ci\u003eSandman\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eAmerican Gods\u003c\/i\u003e, and the UK's National Book Award 2013 Book of the Year, \u003ci\u003eThe Ocean at the End of the Lane\u003c\/i\u003e. His latest collection of short stories, \u003ci\u003eTrigger Warning\u003c\/i\u003e, was an immediate \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestseller and was named a NYT Editors' Choice. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAmong his numerous literary awards are the Newbery and Carnegie medals, and the Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, and Will Eisner awards. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eZenna Henderson\u003c\/b\u003e (1917-1983) published her first science fiction story, \"Come On, Wagon!,\" in the \u003ci\u003eMagazine of Fantasy \u0026amp; Science Fiction\u003c\/i\u003e in December 1951 and was quickly singled out for praise by Sam Merwyn in an essay celebrating what was then seen as a new boom of women science fiction writers. In 1959, her long story \"Captivity\" received a Hugo nomination. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eShe is most widely remembered for \"The People,\" a series of stories first published between 1952 and 1980 about a group of humanoid aliens stranded on Earth who represent our better selves. Along with \u003ci\u003ePilgrimage: The Book of the People\u003c\/i\u003e (1961) and \u003ci\u003eThe People: No Different Flesh\u003c\/i\u003e (1966), Henderson's short fiction is collected in \u003ci\u003eThe Anything Box\u003c\/i\u003e (1965) and \u003ci\u003eHolding Wonder\u003c\/i\u003e (1971). \u003ci\u003eThe People\u003c\/i\u003e, a made-for-TV movie based on her series of the same name and starring Kim Darby and William Shatner, was released in 1972. \u003ci\u003eIngathering: The Complete People Stories \u003c\/i\u003e(1995), including previously uncollected material, was published after Henderson's death in Tucson at the age of sixty-five. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eNina Kiriki Hoffman\u003c\/b\u003e has sold novels, juvenile and media tie-in books, short story collections, and more than two hundred short stories over the past forty years. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHer first solo novel, \u003ci\u003eThe Thread That Binds the Bones\u003c\/i\u003e, won the Bram Stoker Award for first novel; her second novel, \u003ci\u003eThe Silent Strength of Stones\u003c\/i\u003e, was a finalist for the Nebula and World Fantasy Awards. \u003ci\u003eA Red Heart of Memories\u003c\/i\u003e (part of her Matt Black series), nominated for a World Fantasy Award, was followed by sequel \u003ci\u003ePast the Size of Dreaming\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMuch of her work to date is short fiction, including \"Matt Black\" novella \"Unmasking,\" nominated for a World Fantasy Award, and \"Matt Black\" novelette \"Home for Christmas,\" which was nominated for the Nebula, World Fantasy, and Sturgeon awards. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn addition to writing, Hoffman has taught, worked part-time at a B. Dalton bookstore, and done production work on \u003ci\u003eThe Magazine of Fantasy \u0026amp; Science Fiction\u003c\/i\u003e. An accomplished fiddle player, she has played regularly at various granges near her home in Eugene, Oregon. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eRichard Matheson\u003c\/b\u003e (1926-2013) served with the U.S. Army in Europe during World War II, graduated from the Missouri School of Journalism at the University of Missouri, and was the author of many classic novels and short stories. He wrote in a variety of genres including terror, fantasy, horror, paranormal, suspense, science fiction and western. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHis short stories appeared in magazines as diverse as \u003ci\u003ePlayboy\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Magazine of Fantasy \u0026amp; Science Fiction\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eGalaxy\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eDetective Story\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eWeird Tales\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eWestern Stories\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eStag\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eFor Men Only\u003c\/i\u003e. His novels, meanwhile, often blended science fiction and fantasy, be it the post-apocalyptic vampires of \u003ci\u003eI Am Legend\u003c\/i\u003e or the exploration of the afterlife in \u003ci\u003eWhat Dreams May Come\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn addition to books, he wrote prolifically for television (including \u003ci\u003eThe Twilight Zone\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNight Gallery\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eStar Trek\u003c\/i\u003e) and numerous feature films. Many of Matheson's novels and stories have been made into movies including \u003ci\u003eI Am Legend\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eSomewhere in Time\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Shrinking Man\u003c\/i\u003e, and he worked with filmmakers ranging from Roger Corman to Steven Spielberg. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHis many awards include the World Fantasy and Bram Stoker Awards for Lifetime Achievement, the Hugo Award, Edgar Award, Spur Award for Best Western Novel, and Writer's Guild awards. Matheson received the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement in 1984, the Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Horror Writers Association in 1991, and the Science Fiction Hall of Fame inducted him in 2010. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eLarry Niven\u003c\/b\u003e is known as an author for his hard science fiction, using big, but authentic scientific concepts and theoretical physics. His Known Space series is one of the most popular \"future history\" sagas in SF and includes the epic novel \u003ci\u003eRingworld\u003c\/i\u003e, one of the few novels to have won both the Hugo and Nebula awards, as well as the Locus and Ditmar awards, and which is recognized as a milestone in modern science fiction. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eNiven also often includes elements of detective fiction and adventure stories. His fantasy includes his The Magic Goes Away series, which utilizes an exhaustible resource, called mana, to make magic a non-renewable resource. Niven created an alien species, the Kzin, which were featured in a series of collections, the Man-Kzin Wars. He co-authored a number of novels with Jerry Pournelle. In fact, much of his writing since the 1970s has been in collaboration, particularly with Pournelle, Steven Barnes, Brenda Cooper, or Edward M. Lerner. His \u003ci\u003eBeowulf's Children\u003c\/i\u003e, co-authored with Jerry Pournelle and Steven Barnes, was a \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestseller. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHe has also written for the DC Comics character Green Lantern, including in his stories hard science fiction concepts such as universal entropy and the redshift effect, which are unusual in comic books, as is his \"Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex,\" a memorable if not-quite-serious essay on Superman and the problems of his having a sex life. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHe has received the Nebula Award, five Hugos, four Locus Awards, two Ditmars, the Prometheus, and the Robert A. Heinlein Award, among other honors. Most recently, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America have presented him with the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award, given for Lifetime Achievement in the field. He lives in Chatsworth, California. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eLester del Rey \u003c\/b\u003e(1915-1993) was a man of multiple talents, a writer not just of SF and fantasy but of many other forms of more mundane fiction, as well as many nonfiction books. He was editor of many SF magazines, from the early 1950s to the late 1960s, an authors' agent, a book reviewer, and probably most influentially, an editor, with his wife, Judy-Lynn del Rey, at Del Rey books for over two decades. (Incidentally, Del Rey Books, one of the strongest SF lines in the late twentieth century, was named for the lady, not Lester.) \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn person, he was a superb, if controversial, speaker, an energetic debater, and if he didn't have the entire history of SF and fantasy stored in his head, anything left out was probably unimportant. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eLester del Rey was diminutive in physical stature, but a titan in his influence on SF and fantasy or, to put it another way, a master of the genre--and the Science Fiction Writers of America made it official, awarding him the Grand Master Award for a lifetime of distinguished service to the field, an obvious and inevitable honor. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eSpider Robinson\u003c\/b\u003e began writing professionally in 1972, and since then, he has won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, three Hugo Awards, a Nebula Award, and countless other international and regional awards. Most of his thirty-six books are still in print, in ten languages. His short work has appeared in magazines around the planet, from \u003ci\u003eOmni\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eAnalog\u003c\/i\u003e to \u003ci\u003eXhurnal Izobretatel i Rationalizator\u003c\/i\u003e (Moscow), and in numerous anthologies. The Usenet newsgroup alt.callahans and its many internet offshoots, inspired by his Callahan's Place series, for many years constituted one of the largest non-porn networks in cyberspace. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn 2006 he became the only writer ever to collaborate on a novel with First Grandmaster of Science Fiction Robert A. Heinlein, posthumously completing \u003ci\u003eVariable Star\u003c\/i\u003e. That same year the Library of Congress invited him to Washington D.C. to be a guest of the First Lady at the White House for the National Book Festival. In 2008 he won the Robert A. Heinlein Award for Lifetime Excellence in Literature. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSpider was regular book reviewer for \u003ci\u003eGalaxy\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eAnalog\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eNew Destinies\u003c\/i\u003e magazines for nearly a decade, and contributes occasional book reviews to \u003ci\u003eThe Globe and Mail\u003c\/i\u003e, Canada's national newspaper, for which he wrote a regular Op-Ed column from 1996-2004. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eJames H. Schmitz\u003c\/b\u003e (1911-1981) was born in Hamburg, Germany, to American parents. Aside from several trips to the USA, he lived in Germany until 1938, when the outbreak of WWII prompted his family to move to America. He sold his first story, \"Greenface,\" to the now-legendary magazine \u003ci\u003eUnknown Worlds\u003c\/i\u003e shortly before Pearl Harbor. By the time it was published, he was flying with the Army Air Corps in the South Pacific. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn 1949, he began publishing his Agents of Vega series in \u003ci\u003eAstounding\u003c\/i\u003e (later \u003ci\u003eAnalog\u003c\/i\u003e), and was one of that magazine's most popular contributors over the next three decades, introducing Telzey Amberdon and Trigger Argee, the heroines of his Federation of the Hub series. He was a master of space opera adventure, notably represented in his classic novel, \u003ci\u003eThe Witches of Karres\u003c\/i\u003e, but also demonstrated in many other novels and shorter works. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eMichael Shaara\u003c\/b\u003e (1928-1988) was an American writer of science fiction, sports fiction, and historical fiction. He was born to Italian immigrant parents (the family name was originally spelled Sciarra, which in Italian is pronounced the same way) in Jersey City, New Jersey, graduated from Rutgers University in 1951, and served as a sergeant in the 82nd Airborne division prior to the Korean War. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBefore Shaara began selling science fiction stories to fiction magazines in the 1950s, he was an amateur boxer and police officer. Shaara was an early pioneer of military science fiction, with his most iconic short story, \"Soldier Boy,\" serving as an early work of the subgenre, and lending its name to a later collection of his short genre fiction. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHe later taught literature at Florida State University while continuing to write fiction. The stress of this and his smoking caused him to have a heart attack at the early age of thirty-six; from which he fully recovered. His novel about the Battle of Gettysburg, \u003ci\u003eThe Killer Angels\u003c\/i\u003e, won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1975. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlex Shvartsman\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of \u003ci\u003eKakistocracy\u003c\/i\u003e (2023), \u003ci\u003eThe Middling Affliction\u003c\/i\u003e (2022), and \u003ci\u003eEridani's Crown\u003c\/i\u003e (2019) fantasy novels. Over 120 of his short stories have appeared in \u003ci\u003eAnalog\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNature\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eStrange Horizons\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eFireside\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eWeird Tales, Galaxy's Edge\u003c\/i\u003e, and many other venues. He won the WSFA Small Press Award for Short Fiction in 2014 and was a three-time finalist for the Canopus Award for Excellence in Interstellar Fiction. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAlex's translations from Russian have appeared in \u003ci\u003eThe Magazine of Fantasy \u0026amp; Science Fiction\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eClarkesworld\u003c\/i\u003e, Tor.com, \u003ci\u003eAsimov's\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eApex\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eStrange Horizons\u003c\/i\u003e, and elsewhere. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHe's the editor of the Unidentified Funny Objects series of humorous SF\/F, as well as a variety of other anthologies, including \u003ci\u003eThe Cackle of Cthulhu\u003c\/i\u003e (Baen), \u003ci\u003eHumanity 2.0\u003c\/i\u003e (Arc Manor), and \u003ci\u003eFunny Science Fiction\u003c\/i\u003e (UFO). For five years he edited \u003ci\u003eFuture Science Fiction Digest\u003c\/i\u003e, a magazine that focused on international fiction. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHis website is www.alexshvartsman.com and his Twitter handle is @AShvartsman. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eRobert Silverberg\u003c\/b\u003e sold his first SF story, \"Gorgon Planet,\" before he was out of his teens, to the British magazine \u003ci\u003eNebula\u003c\/i\u003e. Two years later, his first SF novel, a juvenile, \u003ci\u003eRevolt on Alpha C\u003c\/i\u003e, followed. Decades later, his total SF titles, according to his semi-official website, stands at 82 SF novels and 457 short stories. Early on, he won a Hugo Award for most promising new writer--rarely have the Hugo voters been so perceptive. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eToward the end of the 1960s and continuing into the 1970s, he wrote a string of novels much darker in tone and deeper in characterization than his work of the 1950s, such as the novels \u003ci\u003eNightwings\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eDying Inside\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Book of Skulls\u003c\/i\u003e, and many others. He took occasional sabbaticals from writing to later return with new works, such as the Majipoor series. His most recent novels include \u003ci\u003eThe Alien Years\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Longest Way Home\u003c\/i\u003e, and a new trilogy of Majipoor novels, and he has edited three big collections: \u003ci\u003eLegends\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eLegends II\u003c\/i\u003e (fantasy) and \u003ci\u003eFar Horizons\u003c\/i\u003e (SF). \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame inducted him in 1999. In 2004, the Science Fiction Writers of America presented him with the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award. For more information see his \"quasi-official\" website at www.majipoor.com, heroically maintained by Jon Davis (no relation). \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eAllen Steele\u003c\/b\u003e is a science fiction writer with twenty-three novels and eight collections of short fiction to his credit. His works have been translated worldwide and have received the Hugo, Locus, and Seiun awards, and have been nominated for the Nebula, Sturgeon, and Sidewise Awards. He is also a recipient of the Robert A. Heinlein Award. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHis first published story, \"Live from the Mars Hotel,\" was published in 1988, and his first novel, \u003ci\u003eOrbital Decay\u003c\/i\u003e, was published in 1989. His best-known work is the Coyote series--\u003ci\u003eCoyote\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eCoyote Rising\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eCoyote Frontier\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eCoyote Horizon\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eCoyote Destiny\u003c\/i\u003e--and the associative novels set in the same universe: \u003ci\u003eSpindrift\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eGalaxy Blues\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eHex\u003c\/i\u003e. His novella \"The Death Of Captain Future\" received the Hugo Award, as did his novella \" ' . . . Where Angels Fear to Tread, ' \" and his novelette, \"The Emperor of Mars.\" \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA graduate of New England College and the University of Missouri, he is a former journalist, and once spent a brief tenure as a Washington correspondent. He was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, and lives in western Massachusetts with his wife Linda and their dogs. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eTheodore Sturgeon\u003c\/b\u003e (1918-1985) was considered one of the most influential writers of the so-called \"Golden Age\" of science fiction, though he wrote well into the 1970s. He was particularly appreciated for his prose style, his attention to character, and his treatment of important social issues such as sex, war, and difference. Sturgeon's stories such as \"It,\" \"Microcosmic God,\" \"Killdozer,\" \"Bianca's Hands,\" \"Maturity,\" \"The Other Man,\" and the brilliant \"Baby Is Three\"--which was eventually expanded into Sturgeon's most famous novel, \u003ci\u003eMore Than Human\u003c\/i\u003e--helped to expand the boundaries of the SF story, and push it in the direction of artistic maturity. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBest known as a science fiction writer, he also wrote horror, fantasy, comedy, westerns, and historical fiction, as well as two popular \u003ci\u003eStar Trek\u003c\/i\u003e scripts, \"Amok Time\" and \"Shore Leave.\" His influence extended beyond even genre fiction, seen everywhere from the Grateful Dead to Stan Lee, and his work presaged the invention of Velcro, the discovery of the double helix in DNA, and Sturgeon's Law (\"ninety percent of everything is crap\"). He was an extensive reviewer and teacher of science fiction. For his lifetime of work, he was awarded a World Fantasy Achievement Award, and was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2000.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Baen Publishing Enterprises","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50562786427154,"sku":"9781982192747","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_8b5a9dfe-c391-4ec5-b602-b5c8193ebe04.jpg?v=1731863531","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/theyre-here-9781982192747","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}