Frank Carlson Library

Mankind encounters conflicts among the inhabitants of the universe, as brave individuals prepare to journey into the boiling inferno of the sun.

In this classic hard science fiction-thriller by the New York Times–bestselling author of Startide Rising, a man-made black hole threatens the future of Earth. Scientist Alex Lustig has created a tiny, yet very destructive, problem-a microscopic black hole that he accidentally dropped into Earth's core. Now, racing to keep it from consuming the planet, he begins to suspect something even stranger is going on. Something linked to civilization's...

Strange visitors throw a planet of refugees into chaos in this science fiction adventure by the author of New York Times bestseller The Uplift War. Book One in the Uplift Storm Trilogy Centuries ago, the Buyur race abandoned Jijo. Now off-limits to settlers, it's warded by guardian machines who will protect the planet until the Institutes of the Five Galaxies declare Jijo ready-in another million years-for new civilization. But mere laws and guardians...

What may we become? How will we endure? The future is a daunting realm, filled with real and imagined perils. So enter it prepared! Here are vivid tales about possible tomorrows, from the keen eye and colorful pen of David Brin, a modern master of speculative fiction. Visit a chillingly plausible tomorrow, when prisoners may be sent to asteroidal gulags. Or might prisons vanish and felons roam, seeing only what society allows? Suppose, amid lavish...

A woman faces danger on the high seas of another planet-and a mystery that will change her world-in this adventure by the bestselling author of Startide Rising. On Planet Stratos, clans of genetically identical females dominate society. Natural conceptions are permitted, but only in summertime. Girls born this way-known for their despised uniqueness as 'vars'-must leave their clan homes to pursue their own distinct and hazardous fortunes in this...

In a future world dominated by a neural-link web where people can tune into live events and revolutions can be instantly sparked, an active alien communication device is discovered in orbit around the Earth, triggering an international upheaval of fear, hope and violence.