Cassiopia Cassell's IQ had tested at the genius level on more than one occasion. When tragedy strikes, her genius is suddenly driven by love, making her seem almost like a super hero. But in the strange and dangerous dimension called Dreamland, even super powers may not be enough.Stories to Captivate the Imagination: Welcome to the worlds of Saladin AhmedA medieval physician asked to do the impossible. A gun slinging Muslim wizard in the old West. A disgruntled super villain pining for prison reform. A cybernetic soldier who might or might not be receiving messages from God. Prepare yourself to be transported to new and fantastical worlds.The short stories in this collection have been nominated for the Nebula and Campbell awards. They’ve been reprinted in The Year’s Best Fantasy and other anthologies, recorded for numerous podcasts, and translated into several foreign languages. Now they are collected in one place for the first time. Experience for yourself the original voice of one of fantasy’s rising stars!PRAISE FOR SALADIN AHMED“Ahmed’s characters…are a terrific blend of the realistic and the awesomely magical.” — io9“[Ahmed is] revitalizing the fantasy genre with fresh perspectives and original stories.” — Library Journal“Ahmed’s debut masterfully paints a world both bright and terrible.“ — Publishers Weekly“An arresting, sumptuous and thoroughly satisfying debut.” — Kirkus ReviewsOTHER WORKS BY SALADIN AHMEDThrone of the Crescent Moon (DAW, 2012)

“I have never believed in going strictly by the book. It’s the main reason I’ve never been offered a higher position on a big-draft. But, when things really go to hell, I’m always the first one to get the call. They trust me with their lives, but not their jobs.”--Adrian Tarn, Chief Security Officer, Starship Electra“I have never believed in going strictly by the book. My six-foot-two frame has an assortment of scars and marks that readily attest to that. It’s the main reason I’ve never been offered a higher position on a big-draft. But, when things really go to hell, I’m always the first one to get the call. They trust me with their lives, but not their jobs.”--Adrian Tarn, Chief Security Officer, Starship Electra

(Sequel to ‘The Empty Door’) People have found a new way inside the computer. Some never return. Because of their special abilities, Cassiopia Cassell, the TEL 100D robot, and Scott Markman are drawn into the shadowy and dangerous world of the Dragon Masters, a mysterious order that will do anything to preserve its secrecy, and achieve its unearthly goals.Like most seventeen year olds, Ridley Heller thought she had her future all planned out. What she wanted most in life was to get out of small town Harker. Her only goal was to keep her mouth shut and her grades high so she could win a cheerleading scholarship to Stanford. But that was before she met Bo. In Ridley’s wildest dreams, she could never have planned for someone like Bo, for a love so intense it left her breathless. No human girl could.A haunting stranger that watched her from afar, Bo stole Ridley’s heart from the moment she laid eyes on him. But he has secrets. Bo’s a vampire. Both his past and his present are a danger to Ridley, but the biggest threat is not her blood; it’s her heart. He’s feeding a thirst for revenge that will cost him his life, and it may already be too late. The more darkness Ridley uncovers, the more she realizes that her life will never be the same—with or without Bo. Can she sacrifice her future and her heart for someone who has a death wish?

Cassiopia Cassell’s high IQ had always been too much for the men she’d dated. But now her beloved father was missing, and the only way to rescue him required she retain the services of a man with special abilities, a man she did not care for, and one she would have to convince to accompany her through an unexplained portal that led to dangers beyond imagination.Sixfold.org is an all-writer-voted journal. All writers who upload their manuscripts vote to select the highest-voted $1000 prize-winning manuscripts and all the short stories and poetry published in each issue. In Sixfold Fiction Winter 2013: Tristen Chang Bellasylva; John Shortino Final Notice; Chris Belden The Woodpecker Problem; Naima Lynch And I Will Bring You Oranges; Daniel C. Bryant Balzac; Susannah Carlson Killing Methuselah; Afia Atakora Phoenix; Mackenzie E. Smith Mines; Sabra Waldfogel Yemaya; Lainey Bolen Burdge Paper Thin; Erin Rodoni Crossing the Street in Hanoi; Tim Weed The Afternoon Client; Rick Kast Of Wolves and Men; Andy Jameson Tail; Thea Johnson Baby Doll; Charles Alden Holy Orders; Julie Zuckerman Birthday Bash; Kathryn Shaver The Fourth Monkey; Chip Houser The Goatherd of Naxos

No one on Earth could ever convince Adrian Tarn to take an untested prototype spacecraft deeper into unexplored space than anyone had ever been, to retrieve a mysterious artifact never before seen by humans. No one on Earth could ever convince him, but someone did…“A high-tech launch site, a missing nuke, and Arab terrorists with nothing to lose . . .”In the sun-dappled waters of the Aegean, ex-agent Michael Vance pilots the Odyssey II, a handmade replica of the sailcraft of the ancient hero Ulysses. Out of nowhere, a Russian Hind gunship with Arab terrorists at the helm fires upon the tiny ship below. The terrorists’ destination is a tiny Aegean island where a U.S. aerospace corporation carefully guards the Cyclops 20-megawatt laser launch facility. But the company security force is no match for the firepower of the Arab invasion and the launch site is quickly overrun. With helpless horror, the executives can only watch as renegade technicians convert the launch vehicle into a ballistic missile that can deliver their stolen thermonuclear warhead to any city in the U.S. Left for dead amid the smoking ruins of Odyssey II, Michael Vance washes up on the occupied island – and becomes America’s only hope.Tags: Arab Terrorists, Laser, Aegean, Odyssey, Aerospace, Ballistic Missile, Thermonuclear Warhead, Ulysses, U.S. Navy, Israeli Terrorist, Hind, Spacecraft, satellite, Pakistan nuclear bomb, mercenaries

Alien creatures are set to invade and overrun Earth. The secret to stopping them may be hidden within a mysterious computer that can only be accessed through the use of a strange, sometimes deadly sensesuit. Join Cassiopia Cassell and Scott Markman as they are drawn into a dangerous world filled with mystery, intrigue, and well-kept secrets that could save Earth from a bizarre annihilation.Navy Seabee Brad Burgess landed on the island of Okinawa with no regrets and few expectations. He knew a chapter of his life had closed and a new and different life was beginning. Brad easily made friends with all he met and worked with the Okinawans as well as the American civilians who worked for the Army. He discovered the bar girls were not only friendly, but were caring women who through no fault of their own didn't quite fit into Okinawan society.After two short affairs with bar girls, Brad met Tomako Tomanaga an older Okinawan lady who managed a coffee house which was off limits to the GIs. Tomi's parents died during the invasion and she had several bad experiences growing up on war-torn Okinawa. When they first met, Brad and Tomi became close friends but not lovers though Brad stayed overnight in her apartment several times. With Vietnam looming on the horizon, concerned about Brad leaving the island and her, Tomi was forced to admit to herself, and finally to Brad, that they were very much in love and their destinies were connected to each other. Brad had honchoed several construction projects for the Navy and became involved with the US Army's 'People to People' construction projects which gave him a reputation in construction and leadership. With an increase in rank and a successful Seabee career ahead, he reenlisted going stateside then to Vietnam leaving Tomi on Okinawa. Tomi was pregnant but before she could write to Brad with the good news, disaster struck in Vietnam.An Okinawan Affair is a multi-cultural/historical novel of about 88,000 words telling of the plights of the Okinawan people and how their lives were under the rule of the US military following WWII.

How far would you travel to save a friend? Adrian Tarn would go 700 trillion miles to the Mu Arae system, a place where no real laws exist and even the laws of physics can't be trusted. Join the crew of the starship Griffin on a journey through unexplored space to solve the mystery of the skull, and the fate of lost friends. (Sequel to Deep Crossing)