Maxima Library

Editor: Harry Turtledove

Napoleon is in New Orleans in William Sanders's «Empire»; the German Empire thrives in 1929 in Harry Turtledove's "Uncle Alf"; Pancho Villa's about to become the vice-president in S.M. Stirling and Richard Foss's «Compadres»; and General Patton gets a new diary in Roland J. Green's "George Patton Slept Here." In Alternate Generals II, a collection of 13 wild speculations for those who enjoy specifically military alternative histories, Harry Turtledove (Colonization: Aftershocks) also gathers stories from the likes of Chris Bunch, Michael F. Flynn and Susan Shwartz.

What makes a Dark Age?

En 1348, cuando la Peste Negra asola Europa, una nave extraterrestre realiza un aterrizaje forzoso en un pequeño pueblo de la Selva Negra alemana. El padre Deitrich, el cura del pueblo, establece contacto con los extraños e intenta ayudarles a encontrar y elaborar el hilo de cobre que resulta imprescindible para reparar su nave espacial. También convierte a algunos de esos extraterrestres al cristianismo…

Mientras, en la actualidad, un investigador analiza la sorprendente desaparición de ese pueblo medieval, pese a que la zona reunía todas las condiciones para que si una población resultaba destruida, se reconstruyera en ese mismo lugar. Pero el recuerdo de antiguos «contactos con el diablo» y sus terribles consecuencias parecen ser más fuertes y actuar como un efectivo tabú que impide la reconstrucción de esa población medieval…

In the fourteenth century, the Black Death ravaged Europe. Most towns decimated by it were eventually resettled, except for Eifelheim, despite its ideal location. Mathematical historian Tom discovers this anomaly and an unexpected connection to his domestic partner Sharon’s research in theoretical physics, which seems to be leading to a method of interdimensional travel. In fact, as Eifelheim’s priest back then, Father Dietrich, relates, before the plague’s arrival, an interstellar ship crashed nearby. The encounters between its passengers and the people of Oberhochwald, as Eifelheim was first called, reflect the panoply of attitudes of the time, from fear of the foreign to love and charity for one’s neighbors to the ideas of nascent natural philosophy (science), and the aliens’ reactions are equally fascinating. Flynn credibly maintains the voice of a man whose worldview is based on concepts almost entirely foreign to the modern mind, and he makes a tense and thrilling story of historical research out of the contemporary portions of the tale.

Nominated for Hugo Award for Best Novel in 2007.

Au Moyen Age, une petite ville de la Forêt-Noire, Eifelheim, a été rayée de la carte et jamais reconstruite. Pour Tom, historien, cette disparition contredit les lois de l’histoire statistique. Faisant partager par Sharon, sa compagne, une physicienne, cet intérêt qui vire à l’obsession, il exploite toutes les données disponibles afin de comprendre les raisons de ce mystère.

1348, juste avant que la peste Noire ne ravage l’Europe. Un astronef s’écrase près d’Eifelheim. Le père Dietrich, curé du village, est un homme cultivé qui a étudié les sciences et la philosophie, notamment à Paris. Les hasards de la vie et sa participation à des révoltes l’ont amené à se réfugier dans cet endroit perdu. Rien ne l’a préparé à devenir le premier intermédiaire entre l’humanité et une espèce intelligente étrangère qu’il approche à travers ses catégories mentales.

Et le lecteur découvre peu à peu tout ce qui nous rapproche et tout ce qui nous sépare de ces formes anciennes de pensée et de celles des étrangers. On pense à Umberto Eco. C’est une expérience fascinante de relativité culturelle.

Un grand roman, inattendu, original, qui a manqué de peu le prix Hugo en 2007.

Having been shot down over the North Dakota glacier, two Space Habs astronauts find themselves paralyzed by the Earth's gravity and at the center of a ruthless manhunt by the United States government..

The forces that drive people into space may be quite down to Earth…

Michael F. Flynn’s stories have appeared in Analog, F&SF, and elsewhere. He has been a three-time Hugo award finalist—most recently for his novella, “Melodies of the Heart” (Analog, January 1994). His most recent works include a novel of the near future, Firestar (Tor, 1996), and a collection of short tales, The Forest of Time and Other Stories (Tor, April 1997). The sequel to the former book, Rogue Star, will be out from Tor next spring. “House of Dreams” is the author’s first tale for Asimov’s.

“Might makes right” is a tempting slogan. But does multiplying one side of the equation automatically multiply the other?

Editor: Harry Turtledove

For seven decades, L. Sprague de Camp was a giant in both science fiction and fantasy, renowned for his fast-moving action-adventure tales with a strong humorous element. Now, Hugo-winner and best-selling author Harry Turtledove has gathered together top writers in SF and fantasy to write stories in the same humorous adventure vein which de Camp practically invented. On board are Poul Anderson, Frederik Pohl, David Drake, Judith Tarr, Esther M. Friesner, S.M. Stirling, Michael F. Flynn, Turtledove himself and more.

The multiple Locus Award-winning annual collection of the year’s best science fiction stories.

In the new millennium, what secrets lay beyond the far reaches of the universe? What mysteries belie the truths we once held to be self-evident? The world of science fiction has long been a porthole into the realities of tomorrow, blurring the line between life and art. Now, in The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Thirty-Fifth Annual Collection, the very best SF authors explore ideas of a new world. This venerable collection brings together award-winning authors and masters of the field. With an extensive recommended reading guide and a summation of the year in science fiction, this annual compilation has become the definitive must-read anthology for all science fiction fans and readers interested in breaking into the genre.