Fire. The most chaotic of the primal elements. When wielded properly by the Knight of Flame, it burns like the sun. But when left unchecked, it slowly consumes the Knight, burning away his control, driving him towards dark deeds.
Defending humanity against the forces of Shadow, the Knights Elementalis remain vigilant, guarding against the emergence of the last Gray Lord. Stationed in Tampa, Florida, Develor Quinteele, fourteenth Knight of Flame, simmers in anticipation, longing for the coming conflict. Hampered by a centuries-old tragedy, Dev knows of only one way to invoke his elemental power—rage. It broils just below his surface, waiting for the slightest provocation to set it alight.
Anticipating Dev’s transition from asset to liability, his commander assigns a young guardian, Wren, to report on Dev’s actions. Torn between duty and love, Wren struggles to calm her Knight; but, after a brutal attack by the Gray Lord’s minions for which Dev is held responsible, he’s stripped of his freedom until he regains control.
Forced to confront a centuries-old tragedy, the Knight of Flame must discover the balance to his fire-stoked rage and the driving source of his power to prevent his Order’s ancient enemy from destroying all life in Tampa.
Before permanent lunar encampments such as Clarke’s Clavius Base (in 2001: A Space Odyssey) or Heinlein’s Luna City (in The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress) could be built, there would have to be the first settlers—the first people to set up shop and try to eke out an existence on the Moon. Walking on the Sea of Clouds is the story of such lunar pioneers: two couples, Stormie and Frank Pastorelli and Van and Barbara Richards, determined to survive and succeed in this near-future technological drama about the risks people will take, the emergencies they’ll face, and the sacrifices they’ll make as members of the first commercial lunar colony. In the end, one will decide to leave, one will decide to stay, one will put off deciding … and one will decide to die so another can live.
Tycho City Detective Frank Parker is having a bad day: his partner is dead, his wife is suing him for divorce, and his vigilante antics are about to cost him his job. When his circumstances demand he take a private investigation job for a man of dubious motives, he is forced to walk a delicate line between serving the interests of his new employer and staying true to his complex, but immutable policeman values. Can he protect his family from the relentless pursuit of the notorious Lunatic street gang? If he can’t, how will he ever live with himself?
The Full-Throttle Space Tales series collected action-packed, high octane, science fiction stories exploring such diverse topics as piracy, strong women, horror, vagabonds, the military, and warfare by authors like Mike Resnick, Irene Radford, C.J. Henderson, Jean Johnson, David Boop, and Alan L. Lickiss. Series editors David Lee Summers, Carol Hightshoe, Dayton Ward, Jennifer Brozek, and Bryan Thomas Schmidt have teamed up to pick the very best of the original Full-Throttle Space Tales. This collection includes the three best stories from each of the original anthologies—eighteen thrill-packed science fiction stories in all! Buckle your seatbelts, because we’re going to accelerate to Maximum Velocity!
