Grunt Life (40 page)
In 1944, as waves of German ninjas parachute into Kent, Britain’s best hopes for victory lie with a Spitfire pilot codenamed ‘Ack-Ack Macaque.’ The trouble is, Ack-Ack Macaque is a cynical, one-eyed, cigar-chomping monkey, and he’s starting to doubt everything, including his own existence.
A century later, in a world where France and Great Britain merged in the late 1950s and nuclear-powered Zeppelins circle the globe, ex-journalist Victoria Valois finds herself drawn into a deadly game of cat and mouse with the man who butchered her husband and stole her electronic soul. In Paris, after taking part in an illegal break-in at a research laboratory, the heir to the British throne goes on the run. And all the while, the doomsday clock ticks towards Armageddon...
‘Gareth Powell is going to be a major voice in SF.’
Paul Cornell
‘If you read only one space opera this year, it’s got to be
The Recollection
.’
The Guardian
on
The Recollection
‘A bid to join the big leagues, with big themes and a big setting.’
Locus
on
The Recollection
FEATURING GREG EGAN • YOON HA LEE • NEIL GAIMAN • E LILY YU • K J PARKER • GEOFF RYMAN • M BENNARDO • RAMEZ NAAM • TED CHIANG • PRIYA SHARMA • RICHARD PARKS • LAVIE TIDHAR • THOMAS OLDE HEUVELT • BENJANUN SRIDUANGKAEW • ELEANOR ARNASON • IAN R MACLEOD • SOFIA SAMATAR • AN OWOMOYELA • KARIN TIDBECK • MADELINE ASHBY • CAITLÍN R KIERNAN • ROBERT REED • IAN MCDONALD • VAL NOLAN
From the inner realms of humanity to the far reaches of space, these are the science fiction and fantasy tales that are shaping the genre and the way we think about the future. Multi-award winning editor Jonathan Strahan continues to shine a light on the very best writing, featuring both established authors and exciting new talents.
Within you will find twenty-eight incredible tales, showing the ever growing depth and diversity that science fiction and fantasy continues to enjoy. These are the brightest stars in our firmament, lighting the way to a future filled with astonishing stories about the way we are, and the way we could be.