The Violet Flash

There’s a rip in the blue umbrella, and time—and Chelsea—are slipping through! One moment she was there, the next moment she was not, and Ches Cholmondeley was watching when it happened. And he learns of other mysterious goings-on: for three days in a row the world’s atomic clocks have lost a second, resulting in bizarre accidents ranging from dropped casseroles to plane crashes. Are these events related? What’s a brother to do? Figure out a way to get his sister back, of course. In search of answers, Ches befriends the local clockmaker, Myron Stinchcombe, who knows a lot about time, and seeks out Sky Porter, who knows a lot about, well, everything. But time is running out. And Ches is torn, knowing that the very deed that can save the world might also keep his sister from ever returning to it.

July 24, 1915. Chicagos deadliest day, far worse than the Great Fire. The SS Eastland - a poorly-designed, overcrowded lake steamer - capsized without warning in the heart of downtown Chicago, killing 844 people preparing for a company picnic. The victims - mostly young immigrants who toiled long hours in Western Electrics Hawthorne Works - and the disaster itself were largely forgotten to the mists of time. But on the 100th anniversary of the tragedy, a quake strikes below Chicago, a purple flash emanates from a mystery hole in the Chicago River and an inexplicable hazmat event strikes a Chinatown diner. Thus begins Chicagos shocking reintroduction to the horror of July 24, 1915, and a commemoration of the victims. The Eastland Water Spirits is a parable about memories and stories which refuse to disappear. It explores our ancestors impact on each of us, like it or not. It celebrates our connectedness over time and space, using water and spirits to tell the tale.

Nearly twenty years ago Robert Silverberg began writing a monthly column of opinion and commentary, for Galileo Magazine, Amazing Stories, and then for Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine. Now he has chosen the liveliest and most relevant of his hundreds of magazine columns for the present collection. They constitute a vivid chronicle of events both in science fiction and the world in general over the past two decades. Robert Silverberg is one of the great veterans of fantasy and science fiction. During the course of a career that has now stretched across more than forty years, he has written dozens of novels and hundreds of short stories, many of them considered classics of the genre. He has won more major award nominations than any other writer in his field, and no less than nine Hugo and Nebula awards, the key s-f/fantasy trophies. His books have been translated into some eighteen languages and his short stories have appeared in every science-fiction and fantasy magazine in the world, as well as in Omni, Playboy, and Penthouse.

How Kemlo won his spurs in the first and last great Battle of Space. For, yes, even to Space, that final goal of all Man's earthly dreams, enmity and war eventually came. But in Space, as always in the end on Earth, good was to triumph over evil - though not until a hideous and terrifying danger had been averted.

This volume contains a selection of the pioneering papers by Nobel Laureate George Porter. It outlines his work on fast reactions, occurring in times from milliseconds to femtoseconds, in photochemistry, photosynthesis and solar energy, and includes the papers which led to the award of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1967 for his work on flash photolysis. Lord Porter, President of the Royal Society from 1985 to 1990, is Chairman of the Centre for Photomolecular Sciences, Imperial College, and Emeritus Professor of Chemistry of the Royal Institution of Great Britain. This book is divided into 11 chapters, each covering an area of Lord Porter's work. Each chapter will contain an introduction by Lord Porter, a selection of his most important papers in that field and a list of his other relevant papers. Contents:Flash PhotolysisAdiabatic Flash Photolysis. Combustion and Carbon FormationAtom RecombinationThe Triplet StateAromatic Free RadicalsTrapped RadicalsMolecular Dynamics in SolutionPhotochemistry of Quinones and KetonesModels for In-Vitro PhotosynthesisPhotosynthesis In VivoFemtosecond Kinetic Studies of Photosystem 2 Readership: Scientists, in particular physical chemists and biologists.

About the Book Zeniths is a novel about a man who deals with some serious problems in his personal life. When a threat comes from beyond the darkness of space, he and others must struggle to survive. As they fight to live, they discover things that were meant to be kept in the dark. They eventually find out that the universe and all that it entails are far more than they ever were told by the government. About the Author Josh D. Schroeder was born in Wichita, Kansas, where he also currently resides. He enjoyed creating stories to entertain others when he was a child. He struggled with bullying and depression for years until he was able to find new hope as an adult. As others saw his talents, Josh was able to regain the confidence he needed to reignite his passion for creating stories.

We have another great issue this week, with original mysteries from N.M. Cedeño (courtesy of Acquiring Editor Michael Bracken) and Brian Rieselman, plus a terrific tale by David Dean (courtesy of Acquiring Editor Barb Goffman). Our classic mystery novel is The Winning Clue, by James Hay, Jr. (A note to the sensitive: it has some dialog in racial dialect, which was common in novels of the era.) And, of course, we have a solve-it-yourself puzzler from Hal Charles. On the science fiction and fantasy side, we start with an original tale by Jack Ritchie, best known for his crime stories. It was unpublished at the time of his death, and his estate has allowed us to publish it. We also have classics from Henry Slesar, Harlan Ellison, and a fantasy by E. Hoffmann Price. Our SF novel is The Prince of Space, by Jack Williamson. Here’s the complete lineup— Mysteries / Suspense / Adventure: “Wedding Vibes,” N.M. Cedeño [Michael Bracken Presents short story] “Random Numbers,” Hal Charles [Solve-It-Yourself Mystery] “Sofee,” by David Dean [Barb Goffman Presents short story] “The Crystal Goblet,” by Brian Rieselman [short story] The Winning Clue, by James Hay, Jr. [novel] Science Fiction & Fantasy: “Wedding Vibes,” N.M. Cedeño [Michael Bracken Presents short story] “The Return,” by Jack Ritchie [short story] “Space Brat,” by Henry Slesar [short story] “Cosmic Striptease,” by Harlan Ellison [short story] “A Jest And A Vengeance,” by E. Hoffmann Price [short story] The Prince of Space, by Jack Williamson [novel]