Cover My Ass

When quaint, cozy towns are forbidden from shunning the out-of-towners they despise, some citizens pool their retirement funds to strap rocket-engines under their picturesque retreats and launch themselves into space. When Blake Whitecock decides to retire from Her Majesty's Space Service he finds a blast-off crater where his home town of Throbshire once stood, and climbs into the cockpit one more time in search of home...

— "And Then The Town Took Off" by Richard Wilson

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A retired adventurer, renowned the world over, prepares to pass the torch to his long-suffering apprentice, who calmly plays a mental game of "Fuck, Marry, Kill" to decide what to do with her idiot mentor after the Transference is complete, while the adventurer reminisces about the lifetime of violent adventures they've had together, still staggeringly, bewilderingly oblivious to the torch she's long held for him herself.

— "The Dark Hand of Magic" by Barbara Hambly

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When well-meaning time-travelers divert the dinosaur-killing asteroid and crash on Cretaceous Earth, the once-peaceful Dinosaur civilizations are spared from extinction and go on instead — to become responsible shepherds of the future themselves, or to make the same mistakes over and over? Only time will tell...

— "Boundary" by Ryk E. Spoor & Eric Flint

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She's a hot-shot, rising-star detective who plays it fast and loose but gets results, he's a gigantic horse-person who thinks every crime needs to be solved with magic — together, they're the worst liability to the fragile interdimensional peace guarded by the Salem City Police Department, and the only ones who can stop a mysterious new crime spree...

— "Centaur of the Crime" by Michael Angel

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After a confused alien becomes stranded on planet Den, the being is discovered and befriended by a trio of young catfolk. Bringing the extraterrestrial into their suburban lives, they introduces P.T., as the alien is dubbed, to their friends, and the youngsters decide to keep its existence a secret. Soon, however, P.T. falls "ill", resulting in government intervention and a dire situation for both the kittens and the alien.

— "The Trouble with Aliens" by Christopher Anvil, Eric Flint

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What appeared to be a blimp on the radar was not a huge manatee coasting the idyllic currents of Venus, but a new alien life-form! One far more advanced than their Earthbound guests, but also naive to the ways of crony capitalism. As exploration turns to conservation, can Earth’s finest scientists protect another world from falling to exploitation?

— "Venus Prime" by Paul Preuss & Arthur C. Clarke

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When a tech billionaire who sets company policy through late-night tweets accidentally types the wrong planet when announcing their new space program, one young employee sees an opportunity to fulfill a lifelong scientific ambition — but can her team keep the Great Leader focused long enough to get results?

— "Venus, INC" by Frederik Pohl & C.M. Kornbluth

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After her family moves into a new house, Lizzie keeps hearing strange sounds coming from the walls, and when the finally discovers a doorway leading to the secret basement she finds something which the previous owners left there — and the realtor failed to disclose to her parents...

— "The Devil Downstairs" by P. F. Costello

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Convicted for a crime he didn't commit, Commander Eugene Parsec is sentenced to the penal colony of Panopticon IV, he has to find a way to escape, prove his innocence, and save earth from the threat to its very existence."

— "Stay Out Of Space" BY Dwight V. Swain

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Thanks to Chris for recommending this week's book!

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The staunchly overconfident Kzinti only find honour in battles they can't possibly win, and have plunged into another crusade against a culture so advanced that, after a decade of bloodshed, they still don't know the Kzinti are at war with them. Earth, their staunchest (and only) ally, has committed to join their Kzinti brethren and sealed their pact through a political marriage between two reticent young princes, whose reluctant adventures lead to an unexpected friendship and teach both peoples a valuable lesson.

— "Man Kzin wars XI" byLarry Niven

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