Books published by Newcon Press

Best-selling author Neal Asher was far from idle during the isolation of lockdown; he kept himself occupied in the best way possible: he wrote. And his imagination was clearly in overdrive. Five brand new novellas and novelettes and one novella reworked and expanded from a story first published in 2019. Together, they form Lockdown Tales, exploring the latter days of the Polity universe and beyond. What lies in wait for humanity after the Polity has gone?Six stories, 150,000 words of fiction that crackle with energy, invention and excitement. Within their pages you will encounter prador, hoopers, sassy A.I.s, resurrected Golem, a mutated giant whelk that can ravage an island, hooders, megalomaniacs, war drones, Penny Royal, an intriguing sfnal take on High Planes Drifter and another with echoes of Robinson Crusoe... In fact, everything you might expect from concentrated Neal Asher and more. Lockdown Tales: An introductionThe Relict Monitor Logan Bad Boy Plenty Dr. Whip Raising Moloch

Long ago, a good man transgressed and was brutally punished, his physical form killed and his soul split asunder. Now, one half of his ancient soul seeks to reunite with its lost twin, a search that leaves murder in its wake...In the streets of modern day Sydney a killer stalks the night, slaughtering innocents, leaving bodies mutilated. The victims seem unconnected, yet Investigating Officer Ivory Tembo is convinced the killings are anything but random. The case soon leads Ivory into places she never imagined. In order to stop the killings and save the life of the man she loves, she must reach deep into her past, uncover secrets of her heritage, break a demon's curse, and somehow unify two worlds.Ivory's Story deftly combines the contemporary thriller with darker, older traditions, and marks the arrival of an exciting new voice on the genre fiction scene."A new star is born in the emerald skies of Fantasy, and its name is Eugen Bacon." - Nuzo Onoh, author of The Reluctant Dead "A murder mystery, an adventure story and a spiritual journey all rolled up into one, which not only entertains but also leaves us pondering the deeper questions." - Denise O'Hagan, author of The Beating Heart"Ivory's Story speaks of places and moments that bind us. The myths and mysteries that draw us in. A powerful blend of African and Australian speculative fiction." - Dominique Hecq, award-winning poet, novelist, short story writer

Andrew Hook sees the world through a different lens. He takes often mundane things and coaxes the reader to find strangeness, beauty, and horror in their form; he colours the world in surreal shades and leads the reader down discomforting paths where nothing is quite as it should be.Frequencies of Existence features twenty-four of the author's finest stories, including four that are original to this collection."Andrew Hook is an undisputed superstar of strange fiction" - Neil Williamson, author of The Moon King"A rich slab of Andrew Hook's trademark understated darkness: measured, careful, but ruthless in its own quiet way." - Chris Beckett, Arthur C. Clarke and Edge Hill Prize-winning author."His stories range from the darkly apocalyptic to the hopefully visionary, some brilliant and none less than satisfactory." - The Harrow"Refreshingly original, uncompromisingly provocative, and daringly intelligent" - The Future FireContents:Your Golden Hands The Universe At Gun Point Kodokushi A Knot of Toads The Abduction of Europe The Aniseed Gumball KidEskimo The Last Mohican BulletA Life In Plastic Burning DaylightMaking Friends With Fold-Out FlapsThe Frequency of ExistenceThe Stench of WinterA Pageant of CloudsAlways Forever TodayThe Caged SeaInterferenceSoftwoodMy Naked ManTokyo In RainThe Day My Heart Stood StillDrowning In AirWhite MatterAbout the Author

Multiple award-winning author Cat Sparks writes science fiction with a distinctly Australian flavour - stories steeped in the desperate anarchy of Mad Max futures, redolent with scorching sun and the harshness of desert sands, but her narratives reach deeper than that. In her tales of ordinary people adapting to post-apocalyptic futures, she casts a light on what it means to be human; the good and the bad, the noble and the shameful.Dark Harvest gathers together Cat's best short fiction of recent years, as selected by the author herself: fourteen stories, two of them novelettes, including one brand new tale and two Ditmar Award winners. Contents:Hot Rods Cassini Falling Hacking Santorini Dragon Girl You Will Remember Who You Were Fata Morgana Before Dominica The Seventh Relic And the Ship Sails On Jericho Blush No Fat Chicks Veterans Day Dark Harvest Prayers to Broken StoneAbout the Author

Siobhan Ross has several reasons for taking a holiday job on the Isle of Skye - her keen interest in marine biology for one - but she's also determined to escape Glasgow and put distance between herself and a failed relationship with fellow student Kieran. The last thing Siobhan's looking for is romance, let alone with a Selkie, but… In Selkie Summer, Ken MacLeod delivers a rich contemporary fantasy that is steeped in Celtic lore, nuclear submarines and secrets, as Siobhan finds herself the focus of attention she never sought, unwittingly embroiled in political intrigue and the shifting landscape of international alliances. At its heart, Selkie Summer is a love story: as passionate and unconventional as you could wish for. At its heart, Selkie Summer is a love story: as passionate and unconventional as you could wish for.

Twenty-six stories, selected by editor Donna Scott from disparate places, that represent some of the best SF published anywhere in 2018; dreamlike glimpses of pristine worlds that will destroy us before we destroy them; stories of work-based friendships, mistrust and isolation; of alienation and othering; stories of slavery given an acceptable face through beautiful voice and the ever-present need to keep fighting injustice; stories of bodily choice being made a crime; stories of rebellions we thought we'd already had but need to have again. We have another end to childhood. And we have the murder of story itself, involving an AI...Full contents:Introduction by Donna ScottProvidence - Alastair ReynoldsTalking to Ghosts at the Edge of the World - Lavie TidharThe Miracle Lambs of Minane - Finbarr O'ReillyTerritory Blank - Aliya WhiteleyThrow Caution - Tim MajorGolgotha - Dave HutchinsonSalvation - Dave BradleyWaterbirds - G.V. AndersonBuddy System - Mike MorganDo No Harm - Anna IbbotsonA Change of Heart - Hannah TougherBirnam Platoon - Natalia TheodoridouGood - Sunyi DeanHard Times in Nuovo Genova - Chris BarnhamThe Escape Hatch - Matthew de AbaituaP.Q. - James WarnerThe Purpose of the Dodo is to be Extinct - Malcolm DevlinCat and Mouse - David TallermanBefore They Left - Colin GreenlandHarry's Shiver - Esme CarpenterThe Whisperer - J.K. FultonDeath of the Grapevine - Teika Marija SmitsRainsticks - Matt ThompsonThe Veilonaut's Dream - Henry SzabranskiDoomed Youth - Fiona MooreF Sharp 4 - Tim Pieraccini

Sinister tales, ghost stories, thrillers and vignettes that reach back as far as the Victorian era, all steeped in the essence of London's urban community, its industrial heritage, the docks, Victoriana, the Blitz and the War. Nine original stories and seven classic reprints that explore the capital's dark underbelly but also celebrate its character and charm.Sixteen stories, one city. Welcome to London as you've never seen her before.Contents:1. Introduction by Ian Whates2. Hunger - Bryony Pearce3. A Street - Arthur Morrison4. A Maze for the Minotaur - Reggie Oliver5. The Phantom Model (A Wapping Romance) - Hume Nisbet6. The Ghost of Cock Lane - Rose Biggin7. The Hand That Rocks The Cradle - Juliet E. McKenna8. Watercress Girl - Henry Mayhew9. Queen Rat - David Rix10. Christopherson - George Gissing11. From The Casebook of Master Wiggins, Esq. - Paul Di Filippo12. Albert And The Engine Of Albion - Terry Grimwood13. In the Tube - E.F. Benson14. A Romance of the Piccadilly Tube - T.G. Jackson15. Blood and Bone - Susan Boulton16. Behind the Shade - Arthur Morrison17. Southall Tantra - Paul StJohn Mackintosh About the Authors

Have you ever wondered what the fairy tales of alien cultures are like? For hundreds of years scholars and writers have collected and retold folk and fairy stories from around our world. They are not alone. On distant planets alien chroniclers have done the same; for just as our world is steeped in legends and half-remembered truths of the mystic and the magical, so are theirs. Now, for the first time, we can share some of these tales with you… 1. Introduction - David Gullen2. The Little People - Una McCormack3. Lost in the Rewilding - Paul Di Filippo4. Goblin Autumn - Adrian Tchaikovksy5. Myths of Sisyphus - Allen Ashley6. The Land of Grunts and Squeaks - Chris Beckett7. The Blood Rose - Susan Oke8. Starfish - Liz Williams9. The Raveller's Tale - Neil Williamson10. The Tiny Traveller - Aliya Whiteley11. The Tale of Suyenye the Wise, the Ay, and the People of the Shining Land - Gaie Sebold12. Wanderlust - Kim Lakin-Smith13. Pale Sister - Jaine Fenn14. Alpha42 and the Space Hermits - Stephen Oram15. The Teller and the Starborn - Peter Sutton16. The Winternet - Ian Whates17. The Awakening - Bryony Pearce18. About the AuthorsLong ago, in a galaxy far far away...

There are four sons of Lot at court and Sir Gaheris knows himself to be the least of them. Yet the charismatic and headstrong young knight Sir Lamorak looks up to him, despite more obvious choices, and when Lamorak catches his mother's eye, Gaheris knows there's trouble brewing. Soon he finds himself at the centre of family tensions, deceit and tragedy. Can he prevent the bloodshed that seems inevitable?Kari, Sperring, a medieval historian and the award-winning author of fantasy novels Living With Ghosts and The Grass King's Concubine, delivers a powerful tale of passion and intrigue featuring some of the lesser known members of King Arthur's court.Novella Set 6, Blood and Blade: four books, each containing an outstanding tale of epic fantasy squeezed within the covers of a novella. Four independent stories by four gifted authors, linked only by their cover art.

The very best fantasy stories by British and British-based authors. More than twenty stories of the strange and fantastic, written by an exciting blend of established names and newer voices, ranging from traditional sword and sorcery to contemporary fantasy. A book packed with mermaids, impossible quizzes, magic swords, towering monsters, ghostly lovers, tricksters, numerous apocalypses, a particularly irritating local councillor... and bees.

A new collection of short stories from Gwyneth Jones, the author of Bold As Love (Arthur C. Clarke Award, 2002), Life (Philip K. Dick Award, 2005), White Queen (Tiptree Award, 1991), Seven Tales and a Fable (World Fantasy Award 1996), "The Grass Princess" (World Fantasy Award, 1996), "La Cenerentola" (BSFA Award, 1998) and many other acclaimed works.Big Cat and Other Stories gathers together the author's finest work from the past decade and features a brand new story, "Stella and the Adventurous Roots", which inspired the cover image. It includes tales that revisit the world of Bold as Love and also the Aleutian Universe (White Queen etc), as well as venturing into brand new possible tomorrows.Full of passion, vivid imagination, and portent, this collection showcases a master storyteller at her best.Contents:Big CatStella And The Adventurous RootsThe Flame Is RosesA Planet Called DesireThe Old SchoolhouseThe Kianna The Vicar Of MarsBricks, Sticks, StrawEmergenceThe Seventh GamerCheatsAbout the Author

"Take from the rich and shop for the poor"A Bonnie and Clyde for the Trump era, Josie and Novik embark on the ultimate roadtrip. In a near-future re-sculpted politically and geographically by climate change, they blaze a trail across the shopping malls of America in a printed intelligent car (stolen by accident), with a hundred and ninety million LSD-contaminated dollars in the trunk. Pursued by vengeful drug cartels on one side and the agents of corrupt authority on the other, they determine to bring down the system, buying shoes and cameras to change the world.Meanwhile, President Guinevere Snarlow is bent on making America great again and cementing her place in history. She embarks on an ambitious but perilous campaign, invading Mexico on a pretext and plotting to assassinate the richest man the world has ever known…"Packed with bold ideas and genre-shattering extrapolations. And the characters get so deep inside your head you're still arguing with them days later. Seriously, you need this book." - Mike Carey, BAFTA nominated author of The Girl with All the Gifts"A clever, dark and often very funny satire on rapacious capitalism." - Chris Beckett, winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award"One of the most original books I've read in many years. It's mad and bad and you need to read it." - Jaine Fenn, author of the Hidden Empire novels"Shopocalypse is like no road novel ever written before… impressive and well worth the read." - Albedo "It kept me up until 2.30am on a work night to see where it ended." - reviewer

"You have to admire his effortless mastery. A series of flawless miniatures." - Tony BallantyneA major new collection from one of British Science Fiction's most accomplished short story writers, whose stories feature regularly in Asimov's, Analog, and elsewhere. From the chilling implications of cloning to the potential of alternative realities, from alien life encountered in unexpected ways to the pitfalls of relying too heavily on technology, these stories explore what may lie ahead for all of us. Sometimes delivered with wry humour, sometimes with dark portent, but always in entertaining and unexpected fashion.Contents:Introduction After the Atrocity The EqualisersNo Strangers Any More The Language of Flowers An Exercise in Motivation My Time on Earth "I Was Nearly Your Mother" Shooting Grouse Memories of the Knacker's Yard The Dunschemin Retirement Home for Repentant SupervillainsThe Shapes of Wrath And Then They Were Gone Pincushion Pete Erosion About the Author"The Language of Flowers is a simple yet powerful story that combines real world elements with a dash of science fiction in a positively delightful way." - Tangent Online"A nice little gem from Mr. Creasey." - SFRevu of Erosion "Super fun story! The narrator is mischievous and creative and altogether endearing." - Tangent Online of My Time On Earth

A contemporary tale of four fey sisters.Bee: the practical one, the lynchpin; still living in the family home of Mooncote in Somerset, where she has met an unconventional boyfriend that not even her sisters are aware of.Stella: a DJ among other things. Currently hanging around the Med after completing a series of gigs in Ibiza, she has vowed never to return to Mooncote following a row with Bee, but that was then...Serena: a single mother and fashion designer living in Notting Hill, increasingly uncertain of her relationship with long-term boyfriend Ben, a Camden-based rock singer and the son of a family friend.Luna: the youngest, head-strong and free-spirited, a wanderer living out of a horse-drawn van while she follows the Gypsy Switch: the route of horse fairs that spans the length of the country.The Fallow sisters, scattered like the four winds but now drawn back together, with the comet due, united in their desire to find their mother, Alys - a former Vogue cover model who disappeared a year ago without warning or explanation. They have help, of course, from the star spirits and the no-longer-living, but such advice tends to be cryptic and is hardly the most dependable of guides. How is the comet connected to all this, and what of the huge cloaked intruder, stinking of blood and earth, who surprises Stella one night while she's home alone? The sisters soon come to realise that their mother's disappearance may be part of something far bigger and much darker than they had ever suspected…

"Tolerance is an act of humanity, which we must nurture and enact each in our own lives every day, to rejoice in the diversity that makes us strong and the values that bring us together." - UNESCO Director-General Audrey AzoulayDenounced by her own father and charged with crimes against the state, Kali Titian - pilot, soldier, and engineer - is sentenced to Erbärmlich prison camp, where she must somehow survive among her fellow inmates the Vary, a race she has been raised to consider sub-human; a race who until recently she was murdering to order. In Erbärmlich she encounters Mohab, the Speaker's son, and stumbles upon two ancient energy sources which may just bring redemption to an oppressed people. A story told from the heart, a book released to coincide with the United Nation's International Day of Tolerance (November 16th); Rise is a potent tale of courage against the odds and the power of hope in the face of racial intolerance, from the author of the critically acclaimed Cyber Circus."A searing portrayal of redemption and compassion in the face of prejudice and brutality. Kim Lakin-Smith is one hell of a damn fine writer." - Gareth L. Powell, author of Embers of War

The Boughs Withered is the debut collection from accomplished Irish author Maura McHugh. It includes twenty tales - four of them original to the volume - which represent the best strange visions from an award-winning writer of fiction, non-fiction, comic books and plays. Among the featured stories is "Bone Mother", which was adapted into the award-winning stop-motion animated short film by See Creature in Canada.In her horror and dark fantasy stories, Maura McHugh explores her love of the uncanny, delves into the eerie past, and evokes weird landscapes that might just co-exist with our own."These stories [are] made to last, reaching deep into myth-pools for eternal, primal treasures." - Kim Newman"Maura McHugh's gloriously twisted, tale-spinning imagination entwines and embraces the reader like dark ivy." - Ian R. MacLeod"Hauntings, dark pacts and ancient gods are brought into the here and now by Maura McHugh's peculiar magic." - Priya Sharma"Maura McHugh's stories are hugely enjoyable. Her insight and compassion, combined with a fresh, engaging voice, make her monsters, marvels and myths stand out in a crowded field." - Lisa TuttleContents:1. Introduction by Kim Newman2. Vic3. Who Hears Our Cries in Forgotten Tongues?4. The Boughs Withered When I Told Them My Dreams5. The Light at the Centre6. A Rebellious House7. Beautiful Calamity8. Home9. Moments on the Cliff10. The Gift of the Sea11. Suspension12. The Tamga13. Spooky Girl14. The Hanging Tree15. The Diet16. Involuntary Muscle17. Family18. Wake the Dead19. Y20. Bone Mother21. Water22. Author's Afterword

David Gemmell passed away in 2006, leaving behind a legacy of memorable characters, epic settings, and thrilling tales. In the Legends anthologies, today's finest fantasy authors pay homage to one of fantasy fiction's greatest ever writers. Full of swordplay, treachery, deeds both dark and noble, with cunning thieves and wily tricksters, blood-thirsty gods and flawed heroes - welcome to Legends. Contents:1. Introduction by Stan Nicholls2. Blood Debt - Gail Z. Martin3. A God's Mercy - Richard Webb4. Berserker Captain - Neal Asher5. The Price of Passage - Keris McDonald6. Summoner - Danie Ware7. Pelicos the Brave and the Princess of Kalakhadze - Steven Poore8. The Timekeeper's Tarot - Den Patrick9. Her Grail - Ben North10. Piercing the Mist - Shona Kinsella11. Chosen of the Slain - K.T. Davies12. The Dying Land - Nick Watkinson13. A Hero of Her People - Anna Smith Spark14. All Deaths Well Intention'd - RJ Barker15. By Any Other Name - Justina Robson About the Authors