Core

Core

Paul Preuss

Paul Preuss

“I have long admired Paul Preuss’s work and for this reason was pleased when he expanded six of my short stories into the Arthur C. Clarke’s Venus Prime series, which has been extremely successful. I wish him every success with his new novel.” —Arthur C. Clarke “Paul Preuss is one of the rather few science fiction writers who really understand and appreciate science. He’s also a fine writer by any other standard. In Core he gives us a story both exciting and thought provoking, filled with people we come to know about and care about.” —Poul Anderson “What is the deepest hole which may be dug into the earth?” was first asked about 1947, not 1941, by Enrico Fermi. It can be found in University of Chicago Graduate Problems in Physics, with Solutions, from the University of Chicago Press. The catch is, it appears in the section of experimental problems, for which no solutions are given. To address it, one ought to know something about drilling techniques, materials, and the earth. When Byron Preiss challenged me with the question (he phrased it differently) around the time of the 125th anniversary of Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth, I knew next to nothing about any of these subjects. Besides spinning a yarn, nothing is more fun than research. The earth’s magnetic field begins to collapse, leaving the planet unprotected against deadly cosmic rays and solar flares. Hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children suffer radiation burns and deaths, severe power disruptions, and communications blackouts. If the collapse continues, the ozone layer will be totally destroyed, setting loose plagues of cancer, sterility, mutations, birth defects, and worse. Scientists, srambling to understand these savage new phenomena, ultimately realize that unless an answer is found quickly, all life on earth will be destroyed in a rapidly approaching apocalypse. Against this freighteningly real near-future backdrop, Cyrus and Leiden Hudder—father and son, two of the world's great scientific minds, separated by an undying hatred and resentment—are brought together through the work of fiercely independent physicist Marta McDougal. Marta has developed one of the greatest technological breakthroughs of the age, a machine to bore through the earth’s solid crust to reach its very center...but this invention is a two-edged sword. The ultimate weapon, it could be mankind’s salvation—or its destruction! Packed with explsive action in a world poised on the brink of collapse, this hight-tech masterpiece is Paul Preuss’s finest achievement. Paul Preuss began his successful writing career after years of producing documentary and television films and writing screenplays. He is the author of twelve novels, including Venus Prime, Volumes 1, 2, and 3, and the near-future thrillers Core, Human Error, and Starfire. His non-fiction has appeared in The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, New York Newsday, and the San Francisco Chronicle. Besides writing, he has been a science consultant for several film companies. He lives in San Francisco, California.
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The Man Who Invented Florida

The Man Who Invented Florida

Randy Wayne White

Randy Wayne White

When solitary marine biologist Doc Ford focused his telescope on the woman in the white boat, he didn't know his life was about to be capsized: that his conniving uncle Tucker Gatrell would discover the Fountain of Youth, that The National Enquirer would write about it, and that the law would beat down his door in search of three missing men.But Doc Ford is about to find these things out-- the hard way. Because in the shadowy world of Southwest Florida, where gators yawn, cattle craze, and Indian bones are buried, mysteries great and small have found the man to solve them...From Publishers WeeklyIn the third Doc Ford adventure, White again seamlessly splices an offbeat west coast of Florida locale with even more offbeat inhabitants. Principal among them is Doc Ford, who operates a small biological-supply business from a lab in his stilt-supported house. Lately, Doc has tried to control his telescope viewing of a tanned, red-haired woman who skinny-dips off an offshore sailboat and to limit his beer intake to four a day. While trying to be patient with his hippie pal Thomlinson, who drops by to expound on many topics, Doc reluctantly gets involved with his Uncle Tucker, who lives up the coast in Mango. Tuck has discovered a well of healing water on his land that he claims is responsible for his old gelded horse's newly grown testicles. Smuggled into a local rest home, the water has dramatically revived the moribund sex life of his Native American buddy Joseph Egret. Tuck's trouble is his somewhat uncertain ownership of the land. While he importunes Doc for help, the local news focuses on the disappearance into the mangrove swamps of two government investigators and a much loathed TV fisherman. Like fellow Floridian Carl Hiaasen, White ( The Heat Islands ) is adept at weaving ecological concerns into an oddball narrative with no loss of steam. The fate of the three missing men, even by bizarre Florida crime fiction standards, is inspired. Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library JournalSeries veterans Marion "Doc" Ford and hippie friend Tomlinson ( Sanibel Flats , St. Martin's, 1990) become tangentially involved in the case of three men who go missing near Dinkin's Bay. The "victims" seem to have nothing in common except bad luck; their portion of a broader story melds with a mostly amusing plot dealing with the proposed government expansion of the Everglades National Park. White offers an eclectic vision of Florida with his laid-back prose but pays close attention to various "characters," especially Marion's braggart uncle. Upbeat, literate, fascinating, and clever: manna for deeper readers.Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Assemblers of Infinity

Assemblers of Infinity

Kevin J. Anderson

Science Fiction & Fantasy / Paranormal / Humor and Comedy

Nebula Award Nominee. The crew of Moonbase Columbus make an amazing discovery on the far side of the Moon-a massive alien structure is erecting itself, built up atom by atom by living machines, microscopically small, intelligent, and unstoppable, consuming everything they touch. The mysterious structure begins to expand and take shape, and its creators begin to multiply.
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Vurt

Vurt

Jeff Noon

Literature & Fiction / Science Fiction & Fantasy

A brilliantly innovative and highly entertaining novel from a literary pioneer. Take a trip in a stranger’s head. Travel rain-shot streets with a gang of hip malcontents, hooked on the most powerful drug you can imagine. Yet Vurt feathers are not for the weak. As the mysterious Game Cat says, ‘Be careful, be very careful’. But Scribble isn’t listening. He has to find his lost love. His journey is a mission to find Curious Yellow, the ultimate, perhaps even mythical Vurt feather. As the most powerful narcotic of all, Scribble must be prepared to leave his current reality behind. This edition also includes three additional short stories by Noon.
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Burning

Burning

R. L. Stine

Horror / Children's Books / Mystery & Thrillers

Daniel and Nora, two young lovers from feuding families, must use their forbidden love to stop the awesome evil that stalks Nora and her family. About the AuthorR.L. Stine, author of the multimillion-selling Goosebumps and Fear Street series, lives in New York City with his wife, Jane, an editor and publisher, and their dog, Minnie. Visit RLStine.com.
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The Case of the Hesitant Hostess

The Case of the Hesitant Hostess

Erle Stanley Gardner

Erle Stanley Gardner

The Case of the Hesitant Hostess (1953) – A hostess at a nightclub seems determined to convince a jury that Mason's client committed armed robbery, so he goes over her story in painstaking detail on the stand.Perry Mason has no hesitation about defending penniless ex-salesman Albert Brogan against a charge of armed robbery. That's because nightclub hostess Inez Kaylor's testimony will guarantee that the accusations against the alleged hold-up mon won't hold up in court. But when the hostess has the bad manners to stand Mason up instead of taking the stand, Perry's defense may not have a leg to stand on.Failure to find the AWOL witness in forty-eight hours could cost an innocent mon his liberty and his life, when the prosecution serves up a shocking new charge of murder! But the high-tailing hostess has a host of her own secrets, and a cast of shady characters -- from Los Angeles to Las Vegas -- is determined to keep them (and her) hidden. It all adds up to a whirlwind working weekend for Mason: if he cant get the goods -- and the girl -- by Monday morning when the gavel falls, so will the ax...From the Inside FlapPerry Mason has no hesitation about defending penniless ex-salesman Albert Brogan against a charge of armed robbery. That's because nightclub hostess Inez Kaylor's testimony will guarantee that the accusations against the alleged hold-up mon won't hold up in court. But when the hostess has the bad manners to stand Mason up instead of taking the stand, Perry's defense may not have a leg to stand on.Failure to find the AWOL witness in forty-eight hours could cost an innocent mon his liberty and his life, when the prosecution serves up a shocking new charge of murder! But the high-tailing hostess has a host of her own secrets, and a cast of shady characters -- from Los Angeles to Las Vegas -- is determined to keep them (and her) hidden. It all adds up to a whirlwind working weekend for Mason: if he cant get the goods -- and the girl -- by Monday morning when the gavel falls, so will the ax...
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The Lioness of Leiden

The Lioness of Leiden

Robert Loewen

Robert Loewen

How do you fight the Nazis right under their noses? With cunning and courage.When the Germans invade the Netherlands, Leiden University student Hetty's boyfriend goes missing. But she has little time to grieve when she volunteers as a courier for the Dutch resistance, joined by her roommate, the beautiful Mimi, and seventeen-year-old Maria, the daughter of a slain resistance fighter. At great personal risk, the three women carry documents, secret messages, and cash to protect Jews, downed pilots, and others hiding from the Nazis.During five years of war, Hetty is challenged by a gauntlet of spies and betrayal. She heroically fights back as she and her friends accept increasingly dangerous assignments. All the while, Hetty worries about her family. She tries to forbid her younger brother from volunteering for combat in the resistance and argues with her father about becoming too cozy with the Nazis.As the Gestapo closes in, can Hetty and her family and...
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Darkness Creeping: Twenty Twisted Tales

Darkness Creeping: Twenty Twisted Tales

Neal Shusterman

Young Adult / Science Fiction / Dystopia

Imagine being trapped forever in someone else’s nightmare, with no means of escape. Or caught on one of the most terrifying roller coasters of all time, when suddenly the tracks ahead just disappear. Enter the world of Darkness Creeping, where hollow-eyed skulls arrive in the mail and nothing is as it seems. Boston Globe–Horn Book Award winner and beloved author Neal Shusterman walks on the dark side with this classic collection of masterfully creepy stories so horrifying, you may have to read them twice to remind yourself they’re not real.
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Hexwood

Hexwood

Diana Wynne Jones

Science Fiction & Fantasy / Young Adult / Children's Books

When Controller Borasus receives a strange letter from Earth he is both curious and alarmed. Someone has activated an ancient machine and is using it for most trivial purposes. Surely no one would dare to tamper with Reigner seals in this way? Yet the effects of such interference resonate throughout the universe, so he decides to go to Hexwood Farm to investigate… On Hexwood Estate, Ann watches the mysterious comings and goings with interest. She knows something deadly is going on – or is Hexwood simply altering her too?
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The Green Knight

The Green Knight

Iris Murdoch

Fiction / Philosophy

Full of suspense, humor, and symbolism, this magnificently crafted and magical novel replays biblical and medieval themes in contemporary London. An attempt by the sharp, feral, and uncommonly intelligent Lucas Graffe to murder his sensual and charismatic half-brother Clement is interrupted by a stranger—whom Lucas strikes and leaves for dead. When the stranger mysteriously reappears, with specific demands for reparation, the Graffes’ circle of idiosyncratic family and friends is disrupted—for the demands are bizarre, intrusive, and ultimately fatal.
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