AN ASCERBIC, ENTERTAINING CAPER OF EVOLUTION, GANGSTERS, DARWIN’S BRAIN, AND THE GOLDEN AGE OF HOLLYWOOD.

When Sonya Orlova, a successful 1930s horror film actress, crosses paths with a gorilla whose brain has been swapped for the frozen cerebrum of the late Charles Darwin, the two are inspired to write and produce evolution-themed monster movies—with Sonya in her greatest role, Korgora the Ape Woman!

As this offbeat and controversial Hollywood series finds a devoted cult audience, Sonia’s relationship with her strange simian collaborator acquires an intensity neither could have imagined.

Then disaster strikes, as zealous opponents to Darwin’s ideas contrive to put the Ape Woman out of business.

By turns satiric and romantic, madcap and thoughtful, Behold the Ape is at once an outré love story, a tribute to classic monster movies, and a science-fictional celebration of that beleaguered institution we call public education.

SOMETHING DEADLY HAS AWAKENED ON ALETHA III

Something deadly has awakened on the remote planet Aletha Three, a nightmare creature that shouldn’t exist, and no one except teenage cowboy Travis McClure believes it is real. Bored with his life on the terraforming project, herding cattle and doing homework, Travis longs for adventure but gets more than he bargains for when he is attacked by the creature.

Now it’s kill or be killed as Travis is forced to defend himself and the other terraformers against a threat they don’t believe in. Armed only with his dad’s old rifle, he heads into the wilderness to track down the beast before it kills again. It’s a deadly game and survival is the only prize.

“Feels like Alien for kids in the way it builds tension, creates heroes and never pauses for breath.” —PUBLISHING NEWS

THEY WANT TO RESCUE DAMSELS IN DISTRESS. THEY HAVE TO PAY THE BILLS.

The continuing adventures of Indrajit and Fix.

WELCOME TO KISH

Indrajit and Fix are the founding partners of the Protagonists, a jobber company in Kish. Since the seven great families of Kish farm out all tasks they and the city need doing, a jobber might one day unblock a well; the next, man a tollgate for the fair; and on the third, hunt down a murderer on the loose, all in a corrupt old city that isn’t so much governed as kept barely in bounds.

Indrajit is a poet of a dying race, looking for his successor. Fix is a failed monk, pining for his lost love. They’re swordsmen and thinkers, heroes in their hearts and in their deeds. They also recover stolen documents, unravel financial fraud, escort shipwrecked diplomats, and hunt in the ruins beneath the city for missing academics. Meanwhile, the criminals they investigate, rival jobbers, sorcerers, spies, assassins, and other mysterious parties get more and more reason to want the Protagonists dead.

Welcome to Kish.

WAR RAGES AS THE GREAT EXTERMINATION SPREADS IN THE LATEST INSTALLMENT OF LARRY CORREIA'S BESTSELLING SON OF THE BLACK SWORD EPIC FANTASY SERIES.

The assassination of the Chief Judge has pushed the Capitol to the edge. The Great Extermination has spread to all the land. The casteless must be annihilated.

Their only hope is the fallen Protector Ashok Vadal. But Vadal is being held prisoner on the island of Fortress. In order to save those who need him most, he must escape and find his way across the demon-infested sea and return to Thera, the prophet of an illegal and forgotten god. It is she who has sent the Sons of the Black Sword to war against the warrior caste, hoping to buy time until Vadal’s return.

But as the chaos swirls, Grand Inquisitor Omand Vokkan launches a coup to install Lord Protector Devedas as his puppet king. Devedas has no intention of being anyone’s puppet, but it may not matter. For Vokkan has struck a secret bargain with a demon. Vokkan will destroy the casteless for this ancient being; in exchange, he will be granted the power of the ancient gods.

Ashok Vadal, Thera, and the Sons of the Black Sword face foes both human and supernatural, Byzantine political intrigue and bloody hand-to-hand combat, gods and demons alike. But Vadal is a warrior with a warrior’s heart, and woe to those who would stand in his way—man, god, demon, or otherwise!

EPIC FANTASY BY A RISING STAR OF FANTASY

Since he was a boy, Rae Kelthannis has dreamed of being a stormbinder like his father, with an air elemental stitched into the fabric of his soul and the winds of heaven at his command. Those dreams died when his father, through no fault of his own, fell into disgrace and was banned by the justicars of the Iron Council. The family fled to the edge of the Ordered World, to live in fear in the shadow of encroaching Chaos.

When Rae defies his father’s orders and attempts to stitch an air elemental to his soul, he instead binds himself to a mysterious wraith. That’s when things get complicated and the world starts to fall apart around him. Literally.

A RACE AGAINST TIME AND A GATEWAY TO THE UNKNOWN AWAITS

Thrilling space adventure from a Marine vet

Five years ago, astronaut Jack Templeton took the spacecraft Magellan to the farthest reaches of our solar system, never to be heard from again.

Until now.

When the Magellan suddenly reappears where an undiscovered planet was suspected to be, it poses more questions than answers. How did Jack survive all this time? Can he be rescued before his life support runs out? And what is the object long thought to be the elusive “Planet Nine?”

In a race against time, Jack’s former crewmate Traci Keene spearheads a desperate effort to outfit a rescue mission. But she has competition. Agencies of both American and foreign governments have their own agendas, and rescuing rogue astronauts isn’t among them.

And at the edge of all that is known, a gateway to the unknown awaits. . . .

Though The Ice is receding, much of Earth remains frozen, and the Ice Sea has its pirates, among them the notorious and notable Captain Noor. Through grievous error, Noor shoots down Una with its crew of twin brothers Thist and Thusk. Eventually, they all sail by ice boat and then water-boat back to Motherland, where palace intrigues and unexpected romance await them. Unexpected disasters strike—rebellions, betrayals, corruption, wars, death—until all the main players on Earth and Moon are separated, each going their own way, changed by their common experiences.

From their primitive, mist-bound homeland at the foot of receding glaciers, to warmer and more civilized lands downriver and below, twin diminutive “bird-rider” warriors venture southward, taking with them the seeds of revelation and revolution. On the Moon, human colonies have likewise evolved. Those two worlds after the next Ice Age are very different places from today, but human emotions, personalities, and reactions remain unchanged.

The Thaw Trilogy is a tale of future conflicts—the clash of ancient institutions and ancient technologies on an unfamiliar Earth, and remnant human colonies on Earth’s Moon.

The Thaw Trilogy, incorporates three stories that first appeared in Analog—“Thaw” (July/August 2013), “Flow” (November 2014 - Hugo nominated), and “Fall” (July/August 2016).

7 Ebooks, $51.93

More Than Honor

by David Weber, David Drake and S. M. Stirling

Worlds of Honor

by David Weber

Changer of Worlds

by David Weber

The Service of the Sword

by David Weber

In Fire Forged: Worlds of Honor V

by David Weber

Beginnings: Worlds of Honor 6

by David Weber

What Price Victory?

edited by David Weber

THE ALIENS ARE AMONG US!

“Where is everybody?” Nobel Prize-winning physicist Enrico Fermi once asked after a discussion about the possibility of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. To sum up the Fermi Paradox, if the billions of stars in our galaxy have planets with intelligent life on them, why hasn’t anyone visited us?

But maybe they have, and we just haven’t noticed—and that’s the way they want it. And if they are here in secret, why are they here? Are they tourists? Anthropologists, perhaps? Or journalists sending stories back about the quaint habits of the primitives? Or maybe the extraterrestrial equivalent of hunters or fishermen? (Any odd disappearances in your neighborhood lately?) An enemy already within the gates? Or a refugee seeking sanctuary? Gourmets looking for exotic foreign food? Alien criminals hiding out? Alien cops looking for those alien criminals? No missionaries—at least not yet—and there doesn’t seem to be a Galactic Peace Corps. They might happen to look close enough to human to pass, or they might be masters of disguise. Or they might be so incomprehensibly different that we don’t even notice that they’re here.

The secret visitors are revealed by such luminaries as Larry Niven, Poul Anderson, Spider Robinson, Neil Gaiman, and more. And if any alien visitors want to check out the local natives’ speculations herein, feel free. Please pay with local currency, of course.

A NEW NOVEL IN THE NATIONALLY BEST-SELLING LIADEN UNIVERSE® SERIES

A door never closes, but a window opens . . .

With origins in the Old Universe, the malevolent, acquisitive intelligence of Tinsori Light sought to infect others with itself and send those agents out into the wide new universe to infect even more.

For centuries, two heroes stood between Tinsori Light and the vulnerable universe—Light Keepers Jen Sin yos'Phelium and Lorith of the Sanderat.

Just when it seemed that they—merely human—must fail, Tinsori Light, enfeebled by aged systems, succumbed to the stress of a unique spatial event—and died, leaving the station a shell.

Luckily, the light keepers have backup. A mismatched team of arcane specialists are on-station, working nonstop to preserve the Light, build trustworthy systems, and open the refurbished station for business.

In fact, ships are already incoming, and it becomes a matter of urgency to sort friend from foe. In particular, the Lyre Institute wishes to acquire Tinsori Light, and will do anything, spend anyone, to achieve that goal.

Two iconic archetypes in fantasy and fairy tales are wizards and wolves . . .

And both are known for their ability to transform. Wizards can work magic to change the rules of the world to fit their wants and needs. Wolves can transform from man to beast under the light of a full moon. Both can represent power and danger as well as inspire loyalty or fear.

This collection of eighteen short stories celebrates a wide variety of both wizards and wolves—often in the same story—and peels back the layers of what it means to be transformed. There are stories of people turning into wolves—or wolves turning into people—but there are also stories of a wizard passing on his legacy before he dies, and a hockey game played to reclaim part of a stolen soul. There is a twist on the familiar story of a young girl in a red cape, and a tale of a pinball machine that is more than it appears to be.

From fantasy to horror to science fiction to humor, these stories offer a little something for everyone. After all, while a good story can entertain us, a great story can transform us.

Of Wizards and Wolves is the eighth anthology edited by Lisa Mangum and published by WordFire Press. Profits support the Don Hodge Memorial Scholarship fund for the Superstars Writing Seminar.

COME FOR THE GAMES. STAY FOR THE MURDER.

A mystery in the Gordian Division universe.

The Weltall Tournament’s professional VR games were supposed to be a symbol of cooperation between SysGov and its militaristic neighbor, the Admin. But that was before star Admin player Elly Sako received a death threat, written in blood next to a copy of her own severed head. The Admin’s Department of Temporal Investigation swiftly seizes control of the crime scene, and the tournament transforms into a flashpoint of charged politics and conflicting jurisdictions.

SysPol Detective Isaac Cho and DTI Special Agent Susan Cantrell—partners in the officer exchange program—are sent in to take charge of the investigation and bring the situation under control. But solving this mystery won’t be easy, and the pair struggles to determine who is telling the truth. A jilted relationship between players soon explodes into signs of a far-reaching conspiracy, and the two detectives find themselves racing against time before the tournament ends.

Because the killer will be the only one who wins, should they fail.

Now with a new authors’ note by authors Sharon Lee and Steve Miller!

A CLASSIC OF THE LIADEN UNIVERSE®

All of her life, Aelliana Caylon has lived by the rules of her overbearing brother, the head of the Caylon family. Though she is a brilliant mathematician, he has convinced her that she has no worth beyond what value she might have in an arranged marriage.

Then, on a dare, she plays a game of chance—and wins a starship. It is her way to escape her home, her planet, her drab life—if she can qualify as a pilot.

Enter the accomplished Scout and Master Pilot known only as Daav. Aelliana hires him as her instructor. She finds him a gifted teacher. He finds her a quick study.

And they also find an unexpected attraction, one that could have dangerous repercussions for them both . . .

Thomas the Rhymer, legendary 12th century figure of traditional Scottish balladry, as you've never seen him before.

Rhymer brings to life Thomas the Rhymer, legendary 12th century figure of traditional Scottish balladry, as a champion who must battle the diabolical Yvag—an alien race thought to be elves and faeries—hellbent on conquering our world. This saga pits Thomas against the near-immortal elves, first with only his wits, then with powers of his own that enable him to take on these evil creatures throughout the centuries. He’s known by many names over time—Tam Lin, Robin Hood, and numerous other incarnations reaching into the present—but at his heart he is still True Thomas, one man doing all he can to save us all from a powerful foe.

When his brother is snatched right before his eyes, Thomas hunts for justice and discovers that not only do these “elves” steal people, but they also are skinwalkers who occupy humans in positions of power. Their goal: to obliterate humanity and take over our world. When Thomas is dragged into their alien realm, he’s imprisoned and barely escapes alive, but in the process he gains near-immortality and the ability to transform himself. Will it be enough to protect his loved ones and defeat this powerful foe?

HUMANITY’S HOPE FOR A BETTER FUTURE AT A NEW STAR

A bold journey into a future where humanity and its children travel to a new star where they must overcome the unexpected challenges on the exoplanets that await them—or die trying.

Traveling to the stars will be difficult, but not, perhaps, the most difficult part. What about when we get to another star? What then? Will the planets be immediately habitable? Not likely. Will those who undertook the journey be able to easily turn around and come home if they don’t find “Earth 2.0”? Almost certainly not. Therein lies the challenge: Finding worlds that are potentially habitable and then taking the time, perhaps centuries, to make them compatible with Earth life. They will encounter mysteries and unexpected challenges, but the human spirit will endure. Join this diverse group of science fiction writers and scientists as they take up the challenge of The Ross 248 Project.

Contributors:

USAF (Ret) General Steven Kwast
Patrick Chiles
Stephanie Osborn
Brent Ziarnick
Laura Montgomery
Daniel M. Hoyt & E. Marshall Hoyt
Matthew Williams
D. J. Butler
Robert E. Hampson
Monalisa Foster
J. L. Curtis
K. S. Daniels
Les Johnson & Ken Roy

All males born in The Tharn’s Lands are twins. One adventurous twin, Rist, travels with sold ice to see how it is used by Warmlanders. After trouble with the Solar Priests, he has to travel farther downriver, where he encounters a two-thousand-foot waterfall and a vast lowland below. Making good his escape, he finds himself in the Sisterdom of ShadowFall, a domain within Motherland, a yet more advanced matriarchal civilization. Through demonstrated skills and persistence, he overcomes prejudice and barriers, distinguishing himself as a heroic warrior.

Rist’s twin, Rusk, is present back home when others uncover a large green cylinder from The Ice. This eventually is discovered to be an ancient flying craft operated by a Developing Intelligence Rusk will call Una. Rusk goes downriver to search and find Rist. Adventures ensue, resulting in a return to The Tharn’s Lands and a revolution there.

From their primitive, mist-bound homeland at the foot of receding glaciers, to warmer and more civilized lands downriver and below, twin diminutive “bird-rider” warriors venture southward, taking with them the seeds of revelation and revolution. On the Moon, human colonies have likewise evolved. Those two worlds after the next Ice Age are very different places from today, but human emotions, personalities, and reactions remain unchanged.

The Thaw Trilogy is a tale of future conflicts—the clash of ancient institutions and ancient technologies on an unfamiliar Earth, and remnant human colonies on Earth’s Moon.

The Thaw Trilogy, incorporates three stories that first appeared in Analog—“Thaw” (July/August 2013), “Flow” (November 2014 - Hugo nominated), and “Fall” (July/August 2016).

SECRETS REVEALED. HORRORS UNCOVERED. BODIES GO MISSING.

BOOK TWO IN THE ISHMAEL JONES SERIES FROM BEST-SELLING AUTHOR SIMON R. GREEN

Ishmael Jones is called in to solve the mystery of a rogue secret agent who came in from the cold to spill all he knew, only to end up murdered in detention. Then his body goes missing. Then other people start dying. Has the murdered agent risen from the dead to get his revenge? How can all this be happening in one of the most secure interrogation centers? As Ishmael and his partner Penny dig deeper into what’s really going on, secrets are revealed and horrors are uncovered, but so many people are dying they have to wonder if anyone will be left to reveal the answer to.

It’s always high noon on Proxima Centauri b. Original stories about the final frontier.

YOU TELL ’EM THE SPACE COWPOKES A’COMIN’ AND HELL IS COMIN’ WITH ’EM!

Adventure! Danger! Revenge! And a mail-order robot gunslinger in a wedding dress? Only in the wildest parts of space could this happen. It’s time again to get in your ramshackle rocket ship and journey to the universe’s western territories with this follow-up to Gunfight on Europa Station.

Meet the employees of a space bordello as they’re drawn together to pull a con on a con. Or the crew filming a Western on a colony ship only to fight gravity and each other. Or a soldier on a backwater planet hiding from her past when it—and the military—finally tracks her down. Each voyage invokes the type of Western yarns you’ve loved before, but with a science fiction upgrade you’ll get to enjoy anew.

Taking you on this ride is another set of astounding space opera authors such as Walter Jon Williams (Hardwired), Susan R. Matthews (Under Jurisdiction), Dayton Ward and Kevin Dilmore (Star Trek), Brenda Cooper (Project Earth), Milton Davis (Changa’s Safari), John E. Stith (Naught for Hire), and Peter J. Wacks (Caller of Lightning).

Ten tales of the West . . . not as it was, but as it might be!

THE HOTTEST MILITARY SCIENCE FICTION SERIES OF ALL TIME CONTINUES WITH A COLLECTION OF TALES SET IN DAVID WEBER’S NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLING HONORVERSE

The hottest military science fiction series of all time continues. The mission: to boldly explore David Weber’s Honorverse; to deliver all the action, courage, derring-do, and pulse-pounding excitement of space naval adventure with tales set in a world touched by the greatness of one epic heroine—Honor Harrington.

New Honorverse tales by Timothy Zahn & Thomas Pope, Jane Lindskold, Jan Kotouč, and Joelle Presby. Plus “First Victory,” an all-new novella by David Weber!

In January of 2011 we started posting free short stories we thought might be of interest to Baen readers. The first stories were "Space Hero" by Patrick Lundrigan, the winner of the 2010 Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Contest, and "Tanya, Princess of Elves," by Larry Correia, author of Monster Hunter International and set in that universe. As new stories are made available, they will be posted on the main page, then added to this book (to save the Baen Barflies the trouble of doing it themselves). This is our compilation of short stories for 2022.

As is usual with such copyrighted material from Baen, the contents may be copied and shared but NOT sold. All commercial rights are reserved to Baen Books.

Flops by Michael Mersault
The Barcadian Wild by Tim Akers
Monsters in Our Midst by Wen Spencer
Window on Samovar by D.J. Butler
See the Fairville Oddity! by David Afsharirad
Man on the Moon by Elaine Midcoh
Trouble Is My Business by Mike Kupari
Dark Angel by David Carrico
On Cultivating a Chosen One by Christopher Baxter
The Bloody Dentist by Jacob Holo
Fire-breathing Dragon by Dan Koboldt
Xmas at ESL1 by Wil McCarthy