Libro gratis : Humanity 2.0

El libro que nos ofrece Phoenix Books este mes en la modalidad de paga-lo-que-quieras o incluso 0 euros es Humanity 2.0,  una recopilación de Alex Shvartsman que ya leí en su momento y que recomiendo.

Aquí los blurbs y la portada:

“Robert Silverberg’s story stands out as unforgettable and of great importance in showing the potential danger of meeting extraterrestrial intelligent beings.”—Forest Shultz, New Science Fiction an Fantasy Reviews

“All in all, anyone interested in this anthology’s theme will likely enjoy it.”—Tangent

What will it mean to be human in the future? How will we evolve in order to reach the stars?

Fifteen short stories collected in this book examine how interstellar flight might change humanity itself. Will we choose to upload our minds into a singularity? Enhance ourselves with alien DNA? Will our bodies remain the same, but our culture and societal norms adapt to accommodate for effects of time dilation, or become subsumed by advanced alien cultures?

Hugo and Nebula award winning authors, bestsellers, and some of the hottest new writers in the field of hard science fiction imagine an array of possible futures—from bright to dystopian—and different permutations of what’s in store for us as a species.

 

Libro gratis : Visions, Ventures, Escape Velocities: A Collection of Space Futures

Gracias al chivatazo de Marcheto, he podido saber de la existencia de esta recopilación. Visions, Ventures, Escape Velocities: A Collection of Space Futures consta de una serie de ensayos y relatos que imaginan la expansión de la humanidad por el espacio y está disponible para su descarga gratuita.

La colección ha sido editada por Ed Finn y Joey Eschrich, que han contado como editora invitada con Juliet Ulman.

El plantel de autores es más que recomendable:

Madeline Ashby, Steven Barnes, Eileen Gunn, Ramez Naam, Carter Scholz, Karl Schroeder, Vandana Singh

Los ensayos vienen de las plumas de:

 Jim Bell, Lawrence Dritsas, Linda T. Elkins-Tanton, Emma Frow, Roland Lehoucq, Andrew D. Maynard, Clark A. Miller, Deji Bryce Olukotun, Steve Ruff, William K. Storey, Sara Imari Walker, G. Pascal Zachary

También incluye una entrevista a Kim Stanley Robinson.

Libros gratis : Double Star y Soulmates

Ya está aquí la Navidad como quien dice y con ella se duplica la oferta Phoenix Book. En esta ocasión son dos libros los que ofertan en la modalidad paga-lo-que-quieras:

Double Star

Many of Heinlein’s fans consider the novels he wrote in the fifties amongst the author’s strongest work; when he was at the peak of his talents. Double Star is considered by many to be the finest of his titles. Brian Aldiss called it his “most enjoyable novel.”

Whether it is the simplicity of a lively tale, the complexity of the situation, or the depth of characterization, the book has developed a loyal following. It also won Heinlein his first Hugo.

The story revolves around Lawrence Smith—also known as “Lorenzo the Great”—a down-and-out actor wasting the remainder of his life in bars.

When he encounters a space-pilot who offers him a drink, before he knows what is going on, he is on Mars involved in a deep conspiracy with global consequences. He is given a mission where failure would not only mean his own death, it would almost certainly mean an all-out planetary war.

“Heinlein’s novels of the 1940s and 50s shaped every single science fiction writer of my generation and everyone currently writing science fiction. Or making science fiction movies … and Double Star is an excellent example of all the reasons why.”—Connie Willis

Soulmates

“This book will be remembered as one of the major collections of the decade.”Robert J. Sawyer

“…a satisfying sampler of solid stories from a team that rarely disappoints.”Publishers Weekly

Multiple award-winning authors, Mike Resnick and Lezli Robyn, get to the heart of the matter in Soulmates, which showcases all the words they have penned together over their years as collaborators (with a bonus solo piece by each). Whether a robot, alien, some kind of supernatural being or human, rising above our prejudices and ignorance allows us to make emotional connections that can have a profound effect on our lives.

Each of these stories examine a facet of the simple, yet incredibly complex, concept of companionship. They will make you laugh; will make you cry…but most importantly they will make you look at the very basic notion of soul-mates in a different light.

“Standouts include…Mike Resnick and Lezli Robyn’s beautifully sad “Benchwarmer,” which takes us into the world of imaginary friends, and introduces us to one friend who simply can’t let go of the boy who created him.”io9

“That’s [Soulmates] the second story that will be considered by me for next year’s Hugos; this one in the Novelette category.”SFRevu

“In a classic example of cognitive estrangement, we learn the absurdity of our own cultural norms as seen by those on the outside…effectively played to humorous effect.” (on :”Report from the Field”)SFSignal

Libro gratis : Siege of Tilpur

Gracias al chivatazo de @mertonio, me entero de que está disponible para su descarga gratuita “Siege of Tilpur”, una historia corta de Brian McClellan publicada anteriormente en la antología Unbound.

Aprovecha esta oportunidad para iniciarte con el mundo Powder Mage de McClellan si no lo conocías ya. En el número ocho de la revista Supersonic podrás leer un extenso artículo sobre su obra, por si necesitas más razones para decidirte.

Libro gratis : Radix

En este enlace está disponible en la modalidad paga-lo-que-quieras el libro Radix de A.A. Attanasio.

A young man’s odyssey of self discovery in a world eerily alien, yet hauntingly familiar.

Set thirteen centuries in the future, A. A. Attanasio meticulously creates a brilliantly realized Earth, rich in detail and filled with beings brought to life with intense energy.

In this strange and beautiful world, Sumner Kagan will change from an adolescent outcast to a warrior with god-like powers and in the process take us on an epic and transcendent journey.

 

Libro gratis : Seven Views of Olduvai Gorge

El libro Phoenix Pick de este mes, disponible para su descarga en la modalidad paga-lo-que-quieras, es Seven Views of Olduvai Gorge de Mike Resnick.

Os pongo la sinopsis y la portada:

In the far future, eons after the demise of Humanity and its far-flung galactic empire, a group of alien archeologists visits Earth to uncover the secret of the dead race’s initial overwhelming success and its ultimate death.

Digging through layers of archeological strata at Olduvai Gorge, they discover seven unique artifacts, each related to a different era of humanity’s history and each telling a unique story about humankind’s strengths and weaknesses. But are they prepared for their final discovery, which will change their worlds forever?

Seven Views of Olduvai Gorge is one of the most celebrated novellas ever written. It not only won both the Hugo and Nebula, but also the HOMer award and the SF Chronicle Poll and was a nominee for the Locus Award and the Sturgeon Award. It was also nominated for a number of international awards, winning the Ignotus and the Universitat Polytechnica Awards in Spain, the Prix Ozone Award in France and the Futura Award in Croatia.

Libro gratis : Starborne

El libro que nos ofrece este mes Phoenix en la modalidad paga-lo-que-quieras es Starborne de Robert Silverberg.

La sinopsis:

It promises to be the greatest voyage of exploration in human history.

From the stagnant, placid society of twenty-third-century Earth comes an idea so powerful that it seizes the imagination of all humankind. A starship will be sent deep into the unknown galaxy in search of habitable worlds, with the hope that the challenge of colonization will somehow rekindle the dying human spirit.

Fifty men and women are chosen to crew the Wotan, each nursing his or her own secret dreams and fears. Their leader is the stoic year-captain, drawn to the dangerous mission by his lifelong quest for meaning.

The single most important member of the crew is the blind Noelle, whose telepathic link with her blind twin sister on Earth provides the Wotan’s only contact with Earth as it speeds through the pearl-gray twilight of unfathomable nospace.

The worlds that the Wotan encounters are both strange and inhospitable, and with each disappointment its mission seems more and more hopeless. Then Noelle’s mind-link with Earth is inexplicably broken, and the crew begin to despair, fearing they’ve been condemned to wander alone through the vastness of space forever, cut off from any contact with humankind.

But when Noelle unexpectedly senses a massive alien presence in the vast vacuum of deepest space, the crew suddenly realize that their every assumption about life and the universe may prove dead wrong.

Starborne is a thoughtful, introspective look by one of the Grand Masters of science fiction at what it means to be human and to live a life of meaning.