Ten stories of freedom and liberty by award winning authors, such as James P. Hogan, Robert J. Swayer, Michael A. Stackpole, Jack Williamson, Michael Resnick, and much more. If you are a fan of any of this authors, are a libertarian at heart, or enjoyed any of the other collections, such as 'Free Space' or 'Give Me Libery' then this IS the book for you. Or if you just enjoy good science fiction this is STILL the book for you.

A engram crew of a survey ship runs into an alien race that likes to leave gifts. This gifts take many forms, mostly in the form of information or high-tech wonders. But the aliens don't stick around, but just dump the gifts and leave.
Can they be trusted? Or are they just paranoid? Do they have REASON to be paranoid?
The gifts, from a faster-than-light ship to a library full of information about the galaxy, all seem too perfect. Was the survey ship just at the right place at the right time, or is there something more happening?
This is a hard science fiction adventure, a first contact novel and a dangerous mystery all in one. Can Peter Alander figure out what to do? Can he help humanity, made up of people who look at him as nothing more then a flawed program, or will he end up failing it?
I enjoyed the novel very much and really found the idea that most of the characters are not even living beings, if defined by our standards, to be a nice touch.

After the attack on her apartment Robin is taken to headquarters, where everybody figures she will be safe. They're wrong. Robin is no longer the Witch Hunter, but a witch that now must be hunted. Or, at least, that's how it looks like to her. As she learns to live on her own, the rest of the STNJ, minus Amon who is now missing, are finding it harder and harder to do their job. Everybody in these episodes seem to be questioning the very facts behind witch hunting and the STNJ team seems to be splitting apart. Trust, is after all, at an all time low. Is Robin on the wrong side and who does Amon really work for? How many sides are there? Are her powers out of her control or are they just becoming stronger?
I love the fight at the end of "In My Pocket". Robin kicks butt and the music for the scene really fits the mood. Everything is dark and dirty, the underside of the city, as Robin tries to survive. She doesn't look good as a messenger (but somehow she's still dressed in black).
These episodes are some of the best and they are all linked together (no stand alones in this DVD). The extras include the normal notes, trailers and two voice actor interviews.

This is a pretty funny book, full of great characters. First is the super smart ten year old, Chiyo-Chan. Then there is Osaka a slightly weird girl from Osaka. Then there is Tomo-Chan, the very loud girl who wants to beat Chiyo at, well, anything, and Sakaki, the cool, well developed, girl who happens to like animals. There's also Yomi, the smart girl with glasses, and Kaorin, who has dreams about Chiyo's ponytails and seems to have a crush on Sakaki. Then there are the teachers, none of which are normal. With over 160 pages you get A LOT of stuff. There are two four-panel scenes on EACH page and, whether they are part of a story or a stand alone scene, they are funny without getting heavy or too emotional. They're cute. The cats seem to have issues, but most of the book is VERY cute.
The book's cover says it's for 13 and up, which is true. At one point the girls are talking about their bodies, so it is really for young adults. The cover also says it is an "Action/Comedy" manga but as there is very little in the way of car chases and gun battles I would ignore the "Action" and just take it as a "Comedy".

I have a dozen books on science fiction and how to write it. But many of those books assume you know the basic rules to writing fiction. So I decided to buy this book and see if I was missing anything by reading only about how to write science fiction. I'm very happy that I did.
The book NOT only deals with characters, plots and dialogue, but also how to add passion to your stories, how to deal with procrastination and keeping your story on course. Not only does the book point out the mistakes, but all the ways to get around them. Jack M. Bickham doesn't tell you, "This is the wrong way," without also saying, "But this is how to fix it".
He is also honest - he won't tell you that it's easy or simple to do. It's HARD work and, whether you put pen to paper for fun or profit, it takes up a LOT of time to do it right.

Deunan Knute and Briareos find themselves in a war between the many political factions of Olympus. The artwork, like the plot, can become very confusing, as battle after battle is fought in the streets. Just how MANY sides are fighting each other is hard to tell, as we have humans, bioroids and even machines. Who will win the city becomes a side-issue, as all the factions end up just trying to survive and keep the city in one piece.
And this is only volume number two!

First off the story, about the young and helpful Tohru Honda becoming the house keeper of the Soma family, a family who are cursed to turn into an animal of the Chinese zodiac if hugged by the opposite sex, is both funny and touching. The characters are all well developed and the background is very detailed. The interaction can be a tad wild at times, but what's anime without some combat and silly faces?
We learn a lot about all the characters in the six episodes on this DVD. SIX episodes, over two hours, 123 minutes! Now include the extras, like character profiles, textless songs, a behind the scenes featurette, and you have a wonderful story at a wonderful value. The songs are also something to listen to, perfect for this series.

The Lady, also known to us as Cordelia Naismith, was now on Barrayar where she was trying to understand how the culture and politics worked (and failing). But that didn't seem much of a problem. She would be a good wife and mother, go to a few parties, make a few appearances. What else did she need to do?
Life is not so simple. With the Emperor's death her husband is named Regent and his honor, and sense of duty, is the only thing standing between peace and the horrors of a civil war among first-rate soliders, ruthless Vor lords and advanced technology.
She's still trying to figure things out when her yet unborn son is kidnapped.
And the Vor lords thought THEY were ruthless!

The Confederation of Worlds enjoyed peace, mostly because it couldn't fight a war even on a bet. People were trained from birth, educated to think only in a certain way, to stay within the box. But many within the Confederation understand that this could be a weakness. So they decide to apply their knowledge of personnel selection technology and their planet-wide database of psysh profiles to pick the greatest warriors from their own populace. They also hire the best mercenaries in the galaxy to train them. The coal-black veterans of Tyss will help to create the first White Regiment.
And just in time. For the Karghanik Empire has just entered Confederation space.

Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, Zombie Queen, Necromancer, really didn't love Jean-Claude. At least, that's what she kept telling herself. But soon Jean-Claude is not the only vampire trying to make her his servant. There seems to be a bunch of Master Vampires and they ALL want to become Master of the City. To do that they have to find and kill Jean-Claude. Which means they need Anita to tell them where he is, whether she wants to or not!
The undead battle is about to begin, with vampires, werewolves and even an immortal tossed in for the fun of it. Add Edward (and his lovely flamethrower) and you have the fight of the century. Winner take all. The only problem Anita has with all this is she seems to be First Prize.
Lets get ready to rumble!