Description:

• Aftermaths • [Cordelia Vorkosigan] • (1986) • shortstory by Lois McMaster Bujold
• Carthago Delenda Est • (2009) • shortstory by Genevieve Valentine
• Different Day • shortstory by K. Tempest Bradford
• Eskhara • shortstory by Trent Hergenrader
• Golubash, or Wine-Blood-War-Elegy • (2009) • shortstory by Catherynne M. Valente
• Introduction (Federations) • essay by John Joseph Adams
• Life-Suspension • shortstory by L. E. Modesitt, Jr.
• Like They Always Been Free • shortstory by Georgina Li
• Mazer in Prison • [Ender's Universe] • (2005) • novelette by Orson Scott Card
• My She • shortstory by Mary Rosenblum
• Pardon Our Conquest • shortstory by Alan Dean Foster
• Prisons • (1992) • shortstory by Kevin J. Anderson and Doug Beason
• Someone Is Stealing the Great Throne Rooms of the Galaxy • (2006) • shortstory by Harry Turtledove
• Spirey and the Queen • (1996) • novelette by Alastair Reynolds
• Swanwatch • shortstory by Yoon Ha Lee
• Symbiont • (1985) • novelette by Robert Silverberg
• Terra-Exulta • shortstory by S. L. Gilbow
• The Culture Archivist • shortstory by Jeremiah Tolbert
• The One with the Interstellar Group Consciousnesses • shortstory by James Alan Gardner
• The Other Side of Jordan • [Coyote Universe] • shortstory by Allen Steele
• The Ship Who Returned • [The Ship Who ...] • (1999) • novelette by Anne McCaffrey (variant of The Ship That Returned)
• The Shoulders of Giants • (2000) • shortstory by Robert J. Sawyer
• Twilight of the Gods • novelette by John C. Wright
• Warship • (1979) • shortstory by George R. R. Martin and George Guthridge

Edited by John Joseph Adams, editor of Wastelands and The Living Dead. From Star Trek to Star Wars, from Dune to Foundation, science fiction has a rich history of exploring the idea of vast intergalactic societies, and the challenges facing those living in or trying to manage such societies. The stories in Federations will continue that tradition, and herein you will find a mix of all-new, original fiction, alongside selected reprints from authors whose work exemplifies what interstellar SF is capable of, including Lois McMaster Bujold, Orson Scott Card, Anne McCaffrey, George R.R. Martin, L.E. Modesitt, Jr., Alastair Reynolds, Robert J. Sawyer, Robert Silverberg and Harry Turtledove.

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Accomplished editor Adams (The Living Dead) explores a host of galaxy-spanning empires in this breathtakingly rich anthology. Lois McMaster Bujold's elegant, elegiacal masterpiece Aftermaths brings grace and sorrow into the silence between stars. Clever and subtle, Alan Dean Foster's Pardon Our Conquest examines how diplomacy is perceived by the losing side. Even Harry Turtledove's Someone Is Stealing the Great Throne Rooms of the Galaxy far surpasses what one might expect from the pun-filled adventures of a space hamster named Rufus Q. Shupilluliumash. Newer writers also contribute standouts: Trent Hergenrader's Eskhara is poignant, masterful and terrifyingly relevant to modern life, Georgina Li's Like They Always Been Free is a harsh, bright vision of futuristic love and Catherynne M. Valente's Golubush, or Wine-Blood-War-Elegy smoothly transforms mundane copywriting into a linked series of flash fictions. Superior writing, fantastic storytelling and creative adherence to the theme will keep readers enthralled. (July)
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