This book is an anthology of original stories inspired by science and scientists. The authors—some of the best and most decorated in the field—each visited Microsoft Research and met with top researchers in areas such as machine learning, computer vision, speech recognition, programming languages, and operating systems. They were given a unique opportunity to see new technologies under development and understand how researchers think and work.The stories that came out of this process are the kind of science fiction that excited me as boy. They draw upon, highlight, and extrapolate current science. A number of them put scientists and engineers front and center in the narrative.

The editors of the New York Times bestselling Death's Excellent Vacation bring home a new collection...with a never-before-published Sookie Stackhouse story!  There's nothing like home renovation for finding skeletons in the closet or otherwordly portals in the attic. Now, for any homeowner who's ever wondered, "What's that creaking sound?" or fans of "how to" television who'd like a little unreality mixed in with their reality shows, editors Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner return with an all-new collection of the paranormal perils of Do-It-Yourself.  Sookie Stackhouse resides in these pages, in a never-before-published story by #1 New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris. And New York Times bestselling authors Patricia Briggs, James Grady, Heather Graham, Melissa Marr, and nine other outstanding writers have constructed more frightening and funny fixer-upper tales guaranteed to shake foundations and rattle readers' pipes.

Danger. Evil. Death. Heroes can face it all, but they cannot do it alone. Throughout history, creatures both big and small have stood alongside heroes and helped them through trying times, whether on the battlefield or in their laps. In these brand-new stories, seventeen bestselling authors regale us with adventures of animal companions and how they often are the ones rescuing the rescuer. New stories by / in the world of * Jim Butcher — from The Dresden Files * Faith Hunter — from Jane Yellowrock * Patricia Briggs — from Mercy Thompson * Seanan McGuire — standalone * L. E. Modesitt — from Archform: Beauty and Flash * Kelley Armstrong — from Cainsville * L. J. Hachmeister — from the Triorion Universe/Laws of Attraction * Sam Knight — from The Abandoned Lands * Eliza Eveland — from Talons and Tethers * Hailey Edwards — from The Beginner’s Guide to Necromancy * D. J. Butler — from Abbott in Darkness * Lucienne Diver — from The Latter-Day Olympians * A. J. Hartley — from The Bowescroft Series * Alex Erickson — from Furever Pets * John Hartness — from Quincy Harker, Demon Hunter * R.R. Virdi — from Tales of Tremaine * Jennifer Blackstream — from Blood Trails. Purchasing this book saves a puppy’s life! Book sale profits are donated to: Lifeline Puppy Rescue.

Politics have never been October "Toby" Daye's strong suit. When she traveled to the Kingdom of Silences to prevent them from going to war with her home, the Kingdom of the Mists, she wasn't expecting to return with a cure for elf-shot and a whole new set of political headaches. Now the events she unwittingly set in motion could change the balance of modern Faerie forever, and she has been ordered to appear before a historic convocation of monarchs, hosted by Queen Windermere in the Mists and overseen by the High King and Queen themselves. Naturally, things have barely gotten underway when the first dead body shows up. As the only changeling in attendance, Toby is already the target of suspicion and hostility. Now she needs to find a killer before they can strike again - and with the doors locked to keep the guilty from escaping, no one is safe. As danger draws ever closer to her allies and the people she loves best, Toby will have to race against time to prevent the total political destabilization of the West Coast and to get the convocation back on track...and if she fails, the cure for elf-shot may be buried forever, along with the victims she was too slow to save. Because there are worse fates than sleeping for 100 years.

What if you could not only travel any location in the world, but to any possible world?We can all imagine such “other worlds”—be they worlds just slightly different than our own or worlds full of magic and wonder—but it is only in fiction that we can travel to them. From The Wizard of Oz to The Dark Tower, from Philip Pullman’s The Golden Compass to C. S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia, there is a rich tradition of this kind of fiction, but never before have the best parallel world stories and portal fantasies been collected in a single volume—until now.Review“Anthologist Adams presents readers with a wide variety of alternate Earths, some only slightly askew and others completely unfamiliar. […] Adams’s selections are mirrors reflecting one other with the best images of alternate realities. Readers will greatly enjoy this exploration of our world's foremost and ascendant speculative authors.”—Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)“Reminds longtime readers of fantasy and sci-fi what we love about the genre, while also and aptly demonstrating to newcomers that these stories are about so much more than dragons and multitentacled monsters. It comes highly recommended to both and all.”—Bookgasm

IT’S THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT…For decades, the apocalypse and its aftermath have yielded some of the most exciting short stories of all time. From David Brin’s seminal “The Postman” to Hugh Howey’s “Deep Blood Kettle” and Tananarive Due’s prescient “Patient Zero,” the end of the world continues to thrill.This companion volume to the critically acclaimed WASTELANDS offers thirty of the finest examples of post-apocalyptic short fiction, with works by:Ann AguirreMegan ArkenbergPaolo BacigalupiChristopher BarzakLauren BeukesDavid BrinOrson Scott CardJunot DíazCory DoctorowTananarive DueToiya Kristen FinleyMilo James FowlerMaria Dahvana HeadleyHugh HoweyKeffy R. M. KehrliJake KerrNancy KressJoe R. LansdaleGeorge R. R. MartinJack McDevittSeanan McGuireMaureen F. McHughD. Thomas MintonRudy Rucker & Bruce SterlingRamsey ShehadehRobert SilverbergRachel SwirskyGenevieve ValentineJames Van PeltChristie YantAward-winning editor John Joseph Adams has once again assembled a who’s who of short fiction, and the result is nothing short of mind-blowing.