A military attack drone turned shepherd. A train on the London Underground evolving into something new and wondrous. A troupe of robotic actors struggling to find meaning when the audience has disappeared. Explore the myriad ideas of what happens when out-of-date and abandoned technologies are given a second life—one that takes them in a new direction, far outside their intended programming and beyond their original purpose.MY BATTERY IS LOW AND IT IS GETTING DARK features fourteen...

Prepare for an extraordinary literary journey with "Short Science Fiction Collection 057 (Unabridged)." This captivating anthology showcases a diverse array of tales that explore the boundless realms of science fiction. From thought-provoking explorations of the future to thrilling adventures in uncharted territories, this collection offers a tantalizing glimpse into the imaginative minds of renowned authors. Immerse yourself in worlds where technology transforms society, where humanity co...

The title of this book plays upon the central place a theology of the cross holds in Lutheran theologies, especially lucid in Luther's Heidelberg Disputation (1518). The 500th anniversary of this document coincided with the 70th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations wherein the preamble points to a global aspiration of a common good shaped by freedom, justice and peace. This book is located at the intersection of these two themes, asserting that the cross has...

Here Comes the Sun!Rising temperatures, melting glaciers, violent storms, and excessive heat. The future seems bleak…but there are signs of hope.In SOLAR FLARE, we ask you to step into a world where we have managed to mitigate or even reverse the disastrous effects of climate change and our own destruction of our world. Race down the depleted waterway of the Mississippi in a solar-, wind-, and water-powered boat. Sail through the skies in a floating hydroponic dirigible. Sk...

What might we run into as we expand beyond Earth and into the stars? As we explore our own solar system and beyond, it seems inevitable that we’ll run into aliens … and what they’ve left behind. Alien artifacts: what might they reveal about us as we try to unlock their secrets? What might they reveal about the universe?In this anthology, nineteen of today’s leading science fiction and fantasy authors explore how discovering long lost relics of alien civilizations might change human...

This Book is a collection of Quizzes on a wide range of topics. There are Quizzes on Sport (including Cricket, Golf, Horse Racing and Football), Literature, Nature, Geography, the Human Body, Current Affairs, Shakespeare, Mythology, Music, America, World Wars One and Two,Beers of the World, and Academy Awards, amongst others.There are fifty Quizzes, each with fifteen questions, set to a challenging but (if you know a little about each topic, fair) standard.It is intended th...

Tyrant or national hero? An interdisciplinary exploration of China's First EmperorYing Zheng, founder of the Qin empire, is recognized as a pivotal figure in world history, alongside other notable conquerors such as Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, and Julius Caesar. His accomplishments include conquest of the warring states of ancient China, creation of an imperial system that endured for two millennia, and unification of Chinese culture through the promotion of...

The first comparative study of these two early empiresAlthough they existed more than a millennium apart, the great civilizations of New Kingdom Egypt (ca. 1548–1086 BCE) and Han dynasty China (206 BCE–220 CE) shared intriguing similarities. Both were centered around major, flood-prone rivers—the Nile and the Yellow River—and established complex hydraulic systems to manage their power. Both spread their territories across vast empires that were controlled through w...

An award-winning study of the ancient world, now back in printEarly China is best known for the dazzling material artifacts it has left behind. These terracotta figures, gilt-bronze lamps, and other material remnants of the Chinese past unearthed by archaeological excavations are often viewed without regard to the social context of their creation, yet they were made by individuals who contributed greatly to the foundations of early Chinese culture. With Artisan...

A ship lost with all hands on icy Titan. A dying woman’s soul linked with the fate of an interstellar vessel. A wrecked ferry possessed by the ruin-demon who grounded her. A haunted space cruiser of legend again terrorizing those who travel among the stars. A pirate-ravaged frigate concealing magical secrets that can doom the wicked, or redeem the worthy. An inexplicably empty cruiser arriving at a space station amid the panic of a system-wide pandemic.There is an allure to the gho...

Everyone has their eyes set on the black depths of space … but what about the deep abysses of the ocean? What dark monsters swim unseen beneath the waves? What ancient wonders lie hidden, waiting to be discovered? What sirens call, either here on Earth or in the icy waters of a far off planet … or even at the bottom of a wine glass? So much remains to be explored below the surface, where light fades and the pressure kills.Here are seventeen stories from today’s leading science fict...

Werewolves rule the night in urban fantasy, but everyone knows there are other were-creatures out there just as dangerous and deadly, if not as common, each with their own issues as they struggle to fit into—or prey upon—society. What about the were-goats? The were-crows and were-wasps?Here are seventeen stories of urban fantasy by today’s leading science fiction and fantasy authors that introduce you to some of those other were-creatures, the ones hiding in the dark background sha...