Showing results by narrator "Scott Aiello" in All Categories

These fourteen science fiction stories reveal Lem’s fascination with artificial intelligence and demonstrate just how surprisingly human sentient machines can be.

If the new Matthews Corporation Jump Gate fails to span 2.5 million light years to the Andromeda galaxy, the heavily invested star-faring civilization of the Milky Way will face economic ruin and brutal war. The Star Lawyers must run a gauntlet to the Rim, dodging pirates, politicians, prelates, and predatory star nations intent on seizing the new Gate to Andromeda.

Outside any city still standing, the Mechanical Circus Tresaulti sets up its tents. Crowds pack the benches to gawk at the brass-and-copper troupe and their impossible feats: Ayar the Strong Man, the acrobatic Grimaldi Brothers, fearless Elena and her aerialists who perform on living trapezes. War is everywhere, but while the Circus is performing, the world is magic. That magic is no accident: Boss builds her circus from the bones out, molding a mechanical company that will survive the unforgiving landscape.

Max Edwards has always felt like something was wrong with the world. Like something was...off. Like his entire life was a lie being told by the people around him. Then, it begins. From his friend’s acreage outside Oklahoma City, he witnesses a giant saucer descend from the sky to hover over the city. Countries all around the world report the same thing - mysterious vessels that refuse all attempts to communicate. As the world comes apart at the seams, Max realizes everything that’s ever happened to him was leading up to this.

Before he was “Babe” or “The Sultan of Swat” or “The Great Bambino”, George Herman Ruth was just another teenage misfit at St. Mary’s School for Boys. But Ruth has something the other boys don’t, and when Baltimore Orioles manager Jack Dunn watches him throw a baseball over a building, Ruth gets the chance to punch his ticket out of the orphanage. All he has to do now is make the team.

The Hive is gone, but the queen’s effect on the world lingers. As the people of Tranquility rebuild, those touched by the alien creature struggle to come to grips with what was done to them and the pain they’d caused to their friends and family. Joel Lander is no stranger to their hardships, but with a new threat looming, they have precious little time to lose. The fight for Tranquility is not over.

Colonel Sean Quinn is stranded in another universe, along with 2,000 people under his command. They've been hiding from the enemy long enough, now it’s time to return home. Outnumbered against a superior foe, Sean must risk everything in a daring operation, but the mysterious enemy has a few surprises of their own. Meanwhile, a division threatens to tear the colony apart and Connor Gates is caught in the middle.

This time it's with his friends, but something is amiss. Not everything is at it seems, and no one has found Gin Sonny...yet. Gin must test himself against any and all who beat him. He needs a new device to track down and help destroy one of the victims who got away. Will anyone realize that Gin hasn't left Earth? Will Kaiden understand what is different about this test he is undergoing?

Ezra Barker is a traitor. When the Merg invaded Earth, he didn’t fight or even hide. He cooperated, helping them as they seized control of the planet and began their pillaging of its resources. While others toil away in mines and quarries, Ezra works an office job, helping his boss, The Senator, rule over the swath of territory given to her by the Merg. Sergeant Hayes is a brutal enforcer of the Merg’s rules. As an officer in the Health and Safety Department, he follows Merg orders, arresting, interrogating, and executing at their command.

From the New York Times best-selling author of The Accidental President comes the thrilling story of the 1948 presidential election, one of the greatest election stories of all time, as Truman mounted a history-making comeback and staked a claim for a new course for America.

Ten years ago, the Ark II departed on a long journey through interstellar space, but shortly after they reached their destination, all communications ceased. All attempts to re-establish contact have failed. Utilizing prototypical FTL technology that he invented, one brave man will lead a small expedition into the unknown to discover the colony’s fate.

Despite being all alone - the only one of his kind - Bast Banbeck has generously helped humanity time and again against the death machines, saving us from extinction. Years ago, Jon Hawkins promised Bast that he would hunt for and save the Sacerdotes in return. But the homesick Bast is losing hope, drowning his sorrows in extended drinking bouts. Now, Intelligence learns there are Sacerdote prisoners 162 light-years away. Jon leads the rescue operation, using the void to slip undetected into enemy territory.

Six months ago, Connor learned what the alien race that populated New Earth feared - a mysterious enemy who nearly brought about the collapse of an entire civilization. To help the colony prepare for this new threat, Connor rejoins the Colonial Defense Force. Using alien technology, Connor opens a gateway to another universe hoping to learn more about the threat. Instead, he receives a colonial distress beacon. Six months ago, they’d left people behind on a mission, all presumed dead. The beacon might be them, or it might be a trap, but Connor will not ignore the call for help.

It is time for Kaiden to grow up a little and play with a larger team to accomplish a three-peat. The only problem? The test has been engineered to kill the players. What's a little blood between friends? Who is Kaiden going to be teamed with? Which faculty will be betting on that team? Will it be Sasha, or will someone yank his best opportunity away from him? Exactly what will Sasha do to acquire the team to beat? Finally, can Kaiden accomplish something only hinted about the history of the Nexus Academy? You don't become the best of the best by staying alive.

Professor Viktor Pendrake is a legend in his own time and is the foremost expert in extraordinary zoology. His research demands he place himself in peril to directly observe and interact with his subjects, a peril his assistants must endure as well. Bookish Lynus Wesselbaum is the picture of a scholar-in-training whose days are often spent sifting through the vast stacks of tomes within Corvis University. Yet Lynus has earned his place as Professor Pendrake’s senior assistant professor, having accompanied his mentor in the field and survived countless encounters with the most dangerous flora and fauna of western Immoren.

The third-year students are about to take on those who know them best. Each other. Using a variation of the classic game of Capture the Flag, Kaiden and his friends must join teams and battle each other. It is time for Kaiden to learn what it means to lead. Then, when they are out on the town, an opportunity is handed to the students on a silver platter. Kaiden has a job offer to help protect a business in San Diego, but he needs more members. Will the students join him?

Earth is in turmoil. The enemy is bearing down on us with every warship they have, and our only allies are in chaos. Our one hope for survival is Andy Clanton - a hack science fiction writer trying to convince some aliens that humans are worth saving. It’s an uphill battle, because to the aliens, we are the monsters. We look just like their sworn enemies, the Tevynians, who’ve sworn to wipe out both our civilizations. When everything falls apart and the fate of the galaxy is on the line, can Andy Clanton pull our fat out of the fire?

Hiram Taine is a handyman who can fix anything. When he isn't fiddling with his tools, he is roaming through the woods with his dog, Towser, as he has done for as long as he can remember. He likes things that he can understand. But when a new ceiling appears in his basement - a ceiling that appears to have the ability to repair television sets so they're better than before - he knows he has come up against a mystery that no man can solve.

Chiyo's father's company is being targeted, and she considers her options. Should she help him? The only problem? There is a dark enemy on the other side who wants her dad's company and wouldn't mind taking a bite out of Kaiden, either. Chief is more integrated than he was before and far more fragile due to his neural link with Kaiden. Kaiden and Chiyo been provided a job opportunity, but they will need extra support. Will they be able to call on their friends, or will they need to hire contractors?

On a cold February day in the small town of Clayfield, Kentucky, an unsuspecting and unprepared museum director finds himself in the middle of hell on earth. A pandemic is spreading around the globe, and it’s turning most of the residents of Clayfield into murderous zombies. Having no safe haven to which he can flee, the director decides to stick it out near his hometown and wait for the government to send help. But the disease and those infected are not his only concerns....