The Sleeper Awakes is a dystopian novel about a man who sleeps for two hundred years, waking up in a completely transformed London, where, because of compound interest, he has become the richest man in the world. He has been the famous Sleeper for centuries. A fanatic socialist, the main character awakes to see his nightmares realized, and the future revealed to him in all its horrors and malformities. The people adore him, and their masters - the supervisors of his legacy who rule in his name - do not want him breathing. (Summary by Stephan and Wikipedia)...

Science fiction, Adventure, Teen/Young adult

A sparkling 18th century satire by Voltaire

Fantasy

It might seem a little careless to lose track of something as big as a battleship ... but interstellar space is on a different scale of magnitude. But a misplaced battleship—in the wrong hands!—can be most dangerous. The world class con man and thief known as the Stainless Steel Rat (diGriz) has another very big problem to solve and this science fiction novella by the great Harry Harrison will see if he can solve it and perhaps four or five more like it before this fascinating and funny tale is finished. 'Use a thief to catch a thief' sounds great but it sometimes has unexpected results. (Summary from the book and Phil Chenevert)...

Science fiction, Short stories

Lee Anthony finds himself and two of his friends kidnapped and taken on a strange voyage. (Summary by Richard Kilmer )

Adventure, Fantasy, Fiction, Science fiction

When the blue plague appeared on the planet of Dara, fear struck nearby worlds. The fear led to a hate that threatened the lives of millions and endangered the Galactic peace. (Summary by Gutenberg text)...

Science fiction, Fiction

Im 1835 erschienenen Buch Systematische Zusammenstellung aller bis jetzt bekannten und anwendbaren Düngerarten von Franz Damance (ordentlichem Mitgliede des landwithschaftlichen Vereins vom Baden) finden sich alle bis dahin gebräuchlichen Düngeraten nebst Angabe ihrer Gewinnung, Zubereitung und Anwendung. Einige dieser Düngerarten sind heute befremdlich und verboten. So wird zum Beispiel das Düngen mit flüssigem Blut die meisten Hörer wohl eher an einen Horrorfilm erinnern. Andere Düngerarten, wie die vielen aufgeführten Gründünger, sind aber sicherlich auch heute noch für den ökologischen Gärtner von Interesse. So bietet das Buch aus heutiger Sicht nicht nur altes Fachwissen, sondern sicherlich auch einen gewissen Unterhaltungswert, wenn es darum geht zu erfahren, was anno dazumal alles auf den Acker aufgebracht wurde. (Einführung von Dirk Weber)...

Science

Die Nachtstücke sind eine Sammlung von unheimlichen Geschichten, die der Romantik zuzuordnen sind. Die einzelnen Titel dieser Sammlung sind: Der Sandmann, Ignaz Denner, Die Jesuitenkirche in G., Das Sanctus, Das öde Haus, Das Majorat, Das Gelübde und Das steinerne Herz. (Summary by Rainer)...

Fantasy, Horror/Ghost stories, Mystery

Five citizens of Terra were being held on other worlds -- and the ultra-secret Department 99 existed only to set them, and others like them, free. (Summary from text)...

Science fiction

Lilith, written by the father of fantasy literature, George MacDonald, was first published in 1895. Its importance was recognized in its later revival in paperback by Ballantine Books as the fifth volume of the celebrated Ballantine Adult Fantasy series in September, 1969. Lilith is considered among the darkest of MacDonald's works, and among the most profound. It is a story concerning the nature of life, death and salvation. Many believe MacDonald is arguing for Christian universalism, or the idea that all will eventually be saved. (Summary from Wikipedia)...

Fiction, Fantasy

Did you know that our little earth is not limited to the single time line on which we happen to live? There are actually thousands, no millions of parallel times, each existing alongside all the rest. Some extremely primitive, some very advanced, bot all unaware of the others. Of course this does not affect us at all, unless ... unless one of these time lines discovers the existence of the others and then a way to move easily back and forth from one to the other. Then a few problems might happen. Well, it has happened and the ParaPolice are kept busy sorting out things like what happened here ......

Science fiction

The novel is a humorous oriental romance and allegory written in the style of the Arabian Nights. Like its model, it includes a number of stories within the story, along with poetic asides. (Summary by Wikipedia.) “The variety of scenes and images, the untiring evolution of plot, the kaleidoscopic shifting of harmonious colours, all these seem of the very essence of Arabia, and to coil directly from some bottle of a genie. Ah! what a bottle!” -Edmund Gosse in /gossip-in-a-library-by-edmund-gosse/ Gossip in a Library...

Fantasy, Fiction, Adventure

A classic locked room mystery, in a not-so-classic setting. (Intro by Karen Savage)

Science fiction

Gene Stratton-Porter (August 17, 1863 - December 6, 1924) was an American author, amateur naturalist, wildlife photographer, specializing in the birds and moths in one of the last of the vanishing wetlands of the lower Great Lakes Basin. The Limberlost and Wildflower Woods of northeastern Indiana were the laboratory and inspiration for her stories, novels, essays, photography, and movies. She was an accomplished author, artist and photographer and is generally considered to be one of the first female authors to promulgate public positions; conserving the Limberlost Swamp in her case. Although Stratton-Porter wanted to focus on nature books, it was her romantic novels that made her famous and generated the finances that allowed her to pursue her nature studies. In Moths of the Limberlost , she shares her lifelong love of the moths she describes through a series of charming anecdotes and wonderfully descriptive passages, providing vivid detail of each stage of their life cycles. (Summary adapted from wikipedia and expanded by J. M. Smallheer)...

Nature, Science

Terry Carr never really shone as a writer, though he did write some remarkably thoughtful stories. However, his talents as an editor and anthologist were important and undeniable, and he brought many good writers and authors into sf and fantasy. His first couple of novels, of which Warlord of Kor was one, did not have their copyright renewed by Mr. Carr on purpose, one understands. So enjoy the blood and thunder, but don't think it's representative of his work! (Summary by suburbanbanshee)...

Science fiction

Der dreiteilige Aufsatz über Die Helden des Dampfes wurde mit hoher Wahrscheinlichkeit von Karl May verfaßt und veröffentlicht in Schacht und Hütte. Blätter zur Unterhaltung und Belehrung für Berg- Hütten- und Maschinenarbeiter. (Dresden 1875). Eine Zeitschrift, die 1875/76 etwa ein Jahr lang von Karl May als Redakteur konzipiert und betreut wurde und im Verlag H. G. Münchmeyer erschien. Der Aufsatz erschien im 1. Jahrgang aufgeteilt auf die Nummern 2, 4 und 7. Bereits in der Nummer 1 erschien zudem ein Aufsatz mit dem Titel Mit Dampf um den Erdball, welcher hier als Anhang mit aufgenommen wurde. (Zusammenfassung von Karl-May-Wiki und Wassermann)...

Science

Radioactive decay is a major theme in the novel The World Set Free, published in 1914. Wells explores what might happen if the rate of decay could be sped up. The book may have encouraged scientists to explore theories of nuclear chain reaction. It also served as a vehicle for Wells to develop his ideas on survival of the human race. (Summary by Bill Boerst)...

Fantasy, Fiction, Science fiction

In der Nacht des 30. April, der Walpurgisnacht, stört ein schlafwandelnder Schauspieler die Abendgesellschaft im Hause des Barons Elsenwanger auf dem Hradschin in Prag. Für die nächsten 4 Wochen steht das Leben der dort versammelten Personen unter dem Zeichen der Walpurgisnacht. Meyrinks Werke habe einen starken Zug ins Fantastische und Esoterische. Walpurgisnacht erinnert in seiner Dichte und Tiefgründigkeit an die Erzählungen aus Des deutschen Spießers Wunderhorn. (Zusammenfassung von Hokuspokus)...

Fantasy, Literature

Being a collection of some of the OLD TALES told in those Western Parts of Britain served by the GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY, now retold by LYONESSE

Fantasy, Myths/Legends

They were a traveling group of Shakespearean players; perfectly harmless, right? wrong. For one thing, why did they have spacemen costumes in their wardrobes,next to caveman ones? Why was the girl in charge of backstage suffering from amnesia and agoraphobia? No Great Magic is needed to perform the plays they put on, but sometimes great science. No matter where, or when. (Summary by Phil Chenevert)...

Fiction, Science fiction

Travelling at speeds close to that of light, spacemen lived at an accelerated pace. When one of the twin boys left the starship, he grew older while his twin in space barely aged. So the starship twin left the ship to find what happened to his brother who was aging away on earth....

Science fiction