In Space No One Can Hear You Scream

THE UNIVERSE MAY NOT BE A NICE NEIGHBORHOOD . . .

“The oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown,” the grand master of horror, H.P. Lovecraft, once wrote. And the greatest unknown is the vast universe, shrouded in eternal cosmic night. What things might be on other planets—or in the dark gulfs between the stars?

Giving very unsettling answers to that question are such writers as Arthur C. Clarke, George R. R. Martin, Theodore Sturgeon, Tony Daniel, Robert Sheckley, James. H. Schmitz, Clark Ashton Smith, Neal Asher, Sarah A. Hoyt, and more, all equally masters of science fiction and of terror.

One might hope that in the void beyond the earth will be found friendly aliens, benevolent and possibly wiser than humanity, but don’t be surprised if other worlds have unpleasant surprises in store for future visitors. And in vacuum, no one will be able to hear your screams—as if it would do any good if they could . . .

Cover Art by Bob Eggleton

Paperback

This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental.

First printing, October 2013

Distributed by Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020

Printed in the United States of America

ISBN-13: 978-1-4516-3941-4
eISBN: 978-1-62579-196-2

Copyright 2013 by Hank Davis

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form.

A Baen Books Original
Baen Publishing Enterprises
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Electronic version by Baen Books
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Introduction: “It’s Dark Between the Stars” © 2013 by Hank Davis

“A Walk in the Dark” by Arthur C. Clarke first appeared in Thrilling Wonder Stories, August 1950 © 1950 by Standard Magazines, Inc. Reprinted by permission of Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary Agency, Inc. for the author’s estate.

“Frog Water” by Tony Daniel appears here for the first time. © 2013 by Tony Daniel. Published by permission of the author.

”Lost Memory” by Peter Phillips first appeared in Galaxy, May, 1952. © 1952 by Galaxy Publishing Corp. Reprinted by permission of Andrew Dibbon, executor of the author’s estate.

“Dragons” by Sarah A. Hoyt appears here for the first time. © 2013 by Sarah A. Hoyt. Published by permission of the author.

“The Last Weapon” by Robert Sheckley originally appeared in Star Science Fiction Stories, © 1953 by Ballantine Books, Inc. Reprinted by permission of Donald Maass Literary Agency for the author’s estate.

“Mongoose” by Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette first appeared in Lovecraft Unbound, Dark Horse Comics, 2009. © 2009by Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette. Reprinted by permission of the authors.

“Medusa” by Theodore Sturgeon originally appeared in Astounding Science Fiction, February 1942. © 1996 by the Theodore Sturgeon Literary Trust. Reprinted by permission of the Theodore Sturgeon Literary Trust.

“The Searcher” by James H. Schmitz originally appeared in Analog, February 1966. © The Conde Nast Publications, Inc. Reprinted by permission of Barry Malzberg for the author’s estate.

“The Rhine’s World Incident” by Neal Asher originally appeared in Subterfuge, NewCon Press, 2008. © 2008 by Neal Asher. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Nothing Happens on the Moon” by Paul Ernst first appeared in Astounding Science-Fiction, February 1939, © 1939 by Street and Smith Publications, Inc. All attempts to locate the holder of rights to this story have been unsuccessful. If a holder will get in touch with Baen Books, payment will be made.

“Visiting Shadow” by Hank Davis appears here for the first time. © 2013 by Hank Davis. Published by permission of the author.

“The God of the Asteroid” by Clark Ashton Smith first appeared in an abridged version as “Master of the Asteroid” in Wonder Stories, October 1932. Reprinted by permission of William Dorman, executor of the author’s estate.

“Sandkings” by George R. R. Martin originally appeared in Omni, August 1979. © 1979 by Omni International, Ltd. Reprinted by permission of the author.