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The Expanding Universe, Volume 5
With a foreword by Kevin J. Anderson, this collection has something for every science fiction fan.
Aliens of the mind, blasters in space, an enigma, and so much more. A massive collection of brand-new, never-before published stories from past and future masters of sci-fi. Dive in and disappear.
When you discover we’re not alone in the universe, will you be prepared?
stories:
Lightwave: Jericho Colony Rescue by A.M. Scott
The Bull Rock Blues by Felix R. Savage
Going Rogue by James Palmer
Crossing the Line by Lawrence M. Schoen
Marauder by Jeremy Fabiano
Stockade by John Hindmarsh
The Bounty Hunter’s Partner by Terry Mixon
Extinction by Michael Penmore
Golems of War by Rachel Aukes
False Positive by Michael Campling
Welcome Earthling by J.S. Morin
If Thou Forget Us, Oh Earth by Stephanie Mylchreest
The Bridge by Johnathan P. Brazee
Bounce and Fall by Patty Jansen
The Trophany by Julia Huni
Lucky Elephants by Galen Surlak-Ramsey
The Zabolov Gambit by Charley Marsh
Hacker’s Pursuit by J.L. Stowers & Wilhelmina Kirk (aka T.M. Catron)
A Little Bit of Kali by Yudhanjaya Wijeratne & R.R. Virdi
An Unwilling Champion by T.R. Cameron
Plan B by Brian Thorne (credited as Bryan Thorne)
Memo-Real by Daniel Arenson
The Green Door of Fate by Craig Martelle
Aliens of the mind, blasters in space, an enigma, and so much more. A massive collection of brand-new, never-before published stories from past and future masters of sci-fi. Dive in and disappear.
When you discover we’re not alone in the universe, will you be prepared?
stories:
Lightwave: Jericho Colony Rescue by A.M. Scott
The Bull Rock Blues by Felix R. Savage
Going Rogue by James Palmer
Crossing the Line by Lawrence M. Schoen
Marauder by Jeremy Fabiano
Stockade by John Hindmarsh
The Bounty Hunter’s Partner by Terry Mixon
Extinction by Michael Penmore
Golems of War by Rachel Aukes
False Positive by Michael Campling
Welcome Earthling by J.S. Morin
If Thou Forget Us, Oh Earth by Stephanie Mylchreest
The Bridge by Johnathan P. Brazee
Bounce and Fall by Patty Jansen
The Trophany by Julia Huni
Lucky Elephants by Galen Surlak-Ramsey
The Zabolov Gambit by Charley Marsh
Hacker’s Pursuit by J.L. Stowers & Wilhelmina Kirk (aka T.M. Catron)
A Little Bit of Kali by Yudhanjaya Wijeratne & R.R. Virdi
An Unwilling Champion by T.R. Cameron
Plan B by Brian Thorne (credited as Bryan Thorne)
Memo-Real by Daniel Arenson
The Green Door of Fate by Craig Martelle
- GenresScience Fiction Fantasy
698 pages, Paperback
First published September 16, 2019
61 people are currently reading
55 people want to read
About the author
Craig Martelle
324 books7,876 followersVisit Craig's web page, craigmartelle.com for the latest posts and updates or find him on Facebook, Author Craig Martelle. Send an email to craig@craigmartelle.com to join his mailing list for the latest on new releases, information on old releases, and anything related to his books.
I see my other lives, a career in the Marines, those damn hand-written tests in law school, a business consultant, as if they're stories from a book. I see my books as if I lived there, as if I were friends with the characters. All things we remember are behind us, only those we imagine lie before.
I'm not sure which place I prefer, but I don't have to choose. They live together in my mind. My books have some award nominations, they have bestseller tags across multiple countries. I write about justice, honor, and loyalty because that's what I care about. My stories are mostly set within worlds that haven't been, but could be. We have to be ready for when those times come.
No matter where I went, I always had a book with me. Thanks to 21st Century technology, I now have hundreds of books loaded on my phone and always with me. This breakthrough allows me to binge read my favorites. How many books would I have read on deployments had I not had to have a physical book with me? I paced myself so I wouldn't finish too quickly.
We aren't encumbered like that now. I love the works of Robert Heinlein, Anne McCaffrey, JRR Tolkien, Robert E. Howard, and so many more. I have been compared to Andre Norton and that is humbling - she was an incredible author with a huge list of novels to her credit. With every new book, I aspire to live up to those that you, the readers, have compared me to.
Through a bizarre series of events, I ended up in Fairbanks, Alaska. I never expected to retire to a place where golf courses are only open for four months out of the year. But that's the way it is. It is off the beaten path. My wife and I get to watch the northern lights from our driveway. Our dog has lots of room to run. And temperatures reach fifty below zero. We have from three and a half hours of daylight in the winter to twenty-four hours in the summer.
It's all part of the give and take of life. If we didn't have those extremes, then everyone would live in the sub-arctic.
I see my other lives, a career in the Marines, those damn hand-written tests in law school, a business consultant, as if they're stories from a book. I see my books as if I lived there, as if I were friends with the characters. All things we remember are behind us, only those we imagine lie before.
I'm not sure which place I prefer, but I don't have to choose. They live together in my mind. My books have some award nominations, they have bestseller tags across multiple countries. I write about justice, honor, and loyalty because that's what I care about. My stories are mostly set within worlds that haven't been, but could be. We have to be ready for when those times come.
No matter where I went, I always had a book with me. Thanks to 21st Century technology, I now have hundreds of books loaded on my phone and always with me. This breakthrough allows me to binge read my favorites. How many books would I have read on deployments had I not had to have a physical book with me? I paced myself so I wouldn't finish too quickly.
We aren't encumbered like that now. I love the works of Robert Heinlein, Anne McCaffrey, JRR Tolkien, Robert E. Howard, and so many more. I have been compared to Andre Norton and that is humbling - she was an incredible author with a huge list of novels to her credit. With every new book, I aspire to live up to those that you, the readers, have compared me to.
Through a bizarre series of events, I ended up in Fairbanks, Alaska. I never expected to retire to a place where golf courses are only open for four months out of the year. But that's the way it is. It is off the beaten path. My wife and I get to watch the northern lights from our driveway. Our dog has lots of room to run. And temperatures reach fifty below zero. We have from three and a half hours of daylight in the winter to twenty-four hours in the summer.
It's all part of the give and take of life. If we didn't have those extremes, then everyone would live in the sub-arctic.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 16, 2019
“In our obscurity–in all this vastness–there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. It is up to us.” Carl Sagan.
I love short stories, and these are some of the best I’ve ever read! Knowing most of the authors, I was sure they were going to be excellent reads. And the pleasure of getting to know new writers is fantastic and always gratifying. AIs, robots, aliens, speculative SciFi, each of them held their own unique personality. A rewarding experience and highly recommended!
I love short stories, and these are some of the best I’ve ever read! Knowing most of the authors, I was sure they were going to be excellent reads. And the pleasure of getting to know new writers is fantastic and always gratifying. AIs, robots, aliens, speculative SciFi, each of them held their own unique personality. A rewarding experience and highly recommended!
September 19, 2019
Brilliantly diverse set of stories that thrill the imagination.
I normally pick up anthologies for the reason that there are a lot of overlooked, but wonderfully bright, voices and stories hidden within them. This is no exception. I wasn't aware of this particular series of anthologies until earlier this year when I caught sight of the Nebula award ballot and saw the previous volume listed a few times. Particularly, the online conversation around two authors (R.R. Virdi and Yudhanjaya), drew my attention. I checked out their story and loved it: plausible reasons for the invasion of South East Asia, the believable response in kind, the form of the response revolving around gods from a deeply religious society made sense as well. The two of them covered the depth of PTSD, a fractured mind, and great action as well.
That hooked me onto these anthologies and made me wanted to dig into all else it offered. And it doesn't disappoint.
Notable stories to me:
-The Green Door of Fate by Craig Martelle
-Memo-Real by Daniel Arenson
-Crossing the Line by Lawrence M. Schoen
-A Little Bit of Kali by Yudhanjaya Wijeratne and R.R. Virdi
I'll talk about the last to keep my review truncated as possible: A Little Bit of Kali is well worth the price of admission here. It adds on to the world first introd to us by both authors in Messenger. It shows more of what is to change in a life where mechs and aliens are forced into our existence. Economies change, old places are repurposed for better or worse, and there are many different tolls for living in this world. We see a pilot who could never quite make the cut to be an exalted Shikari, forced to be something lesser, all while the narrative tells us about the idea what he had to live up to, a perfect sibling who made the grade and achieved loads out of reach of our hero here.
Instead, we're seeing him at his lowest in a fighting ring saved for mechs built out of old scraps and refitted together in something that feels like a nod to parts of Real Steel. We see the gambling around them in the ruins of an old British Fort in Chennai, now turned into a makeshift arena of sorts. We get a deep dive into the protagonist's mind and turmoil reconciling all the twists of fate and where he is now, not to mention all he's watching at the moment. I won't ruin the plot twist as it's a great piece of writing, but the story builds up to a worthy climax. And the personal character undertones through it all make this a piece to remember.
Five stars for this whole anthology.
I've since becoming aware of these two have gone through and read Virdi's entire catalog and Wijeratne's. They're two brilliant writers and I expect to see more good stuff from them.
I normally pick up anthologies for the reason that there are a lot of overlooked, but wonderfully bright, voices and stories hidden within them. This is no exception. I wasn't aware of this particular series of anthologies until earlier this year when I caught sight of the Nebula award ballot and saw the previous volume listed a few times. Particularly, the online conversation around two authors (R.R. Virdi and Yudhanjaya), drew my attention. I checked out their story and loved it: plausible reasons for the invasion of South East Asia, the believable response in kind, the form of the response revolving around gods from a deeply religious society made sense as well. The two of them covered the depth of PTSD, a fractured mind, and great action as well.
That hooked me onto these anthologies and made me wanted to dig into all else it offered. And it doesn't disappoint.
Notable stories to me:
-The Green Door of Fate by Craig Martelle
-Memo-Real by Daniel Arenson
-Crossing the Line by Lawrence M. Schoen
-A Little Bit of Kali by Yudhanjaya Wijeratne and R.R. Virdi
I'll talk about the last to keep my review truncated as possible: A Little Bit of Kali is well worth the price of admission here. It adds on to the world first introd to us by both authors in Messenger. It shows more of what is to change in a life where mechs and aliens are forced into our existence. Economies change, old places are repurposed for better or worse, and there are many different tolls for living in this world. We see a pilot who could never quite make the cut to be an exalted Shikari, forced to be something lesser, all while the narrative tells us about the idea what he had to live up to, a perfect sibling who made the grade and achieved loads out of reach of our hero here.
Instead, we're seeing him at his lowest in a fighting ring saved for mechs built out of old scraps and refitted together in something that feels like a nod to parts of Real Steel. We see the gambling around them in the ruins of an old British Fort in Chennai, now turned into a makeshift arena of sorts. We get a deep dive into the protagonist's mind and turmoil reconciling all the twists of fate and where he is now, not to mention all he's watching at the moment. I won't ruin the plot twist as it's a great piece of writing, but the story builds up to a worthy climax. And the personal character undertones through it all make this a piece to remember.
Five stars for this whole anthology.
I've since becoming aware of these two have gone through and read Virdi's entire catalog and Wijeratne's. They're two brilliant writers and I expect to see more good stuff from them.
September 19, 2019
All the stories in this book are great. There is humor, action, sadness and a bit of horror thrown in. My favorites were Extinction by Michael Penmore, Lucky Elephants by Galen Surlak-Ramsy, and The Green Door of Fate by Craig Martelle; but all the stories are well worth your time to read. Take a chance and expand your universe!
I received this book as an ARC and wished to leave a review.
I received this book as an ARC and wished to leave a review.
March 6, 2025
The Expanding Universe 5: A Science Fiction Exploration - a review by Rosemary Kenny
This outstanding volume, no 5 in The Expanding Universe series, brings a plethora of great authors together in a major collection of 23 very different sci-fi stories. Edited by Craig Martelle, who also contributes The Green Door of Fate, it's a Science fiction Exploration that does just what it says on the cover - introduces the ardent sci-fi fan to old favourites and maybe new ones too.
Subjects explored include military adventures, space opera, fantasy what if...? stories and of course lots of aliens. The volume's contents will blow your mind, long before you reach the end of The Expanding Universe 5: A Science Fiction Exploration - guaranteed.
Don't hesitate - fly down to your local bookstore and grab a copy, before the end of civilisation arrives - then buckle up for an out-of-this-world experience!
This outstanding volume, no 5 in The Expanding Universe series, brings a plethora of great authors together in a major collection of 23 very different sci-fi stories. Edited by Craig Martelle, who also contributes The Green Door of Fate, it's a Science fiction Exploration that does just what it says on the cover - introduces the ardent sci-fi fan to old favourites and maybe new ones too.
Subjects explored include military adventures, space opera, fantasy what if...? stories and of course lots of aliens. The volume's contents will blow your mind, long before you reach the end of The Expanding Universe 5: A Science Fiction Exploration - guaranteed.
Don't hesitate - fly down to your local bookstore and grab a copy, before the end of civilisation arrives - then buckle up for an out-of-this-world experience!
October 9, 2019
Meet some new voices
Collections of stories like this have been favorites of mine for years. Thanks to the editors and their legwork, I get to peruse a bouquet stories I would not likely have encountered on my own. Volumes like this have introduced me to some of my favorite authors and the possibility of finding a new voice that resonates with me is a pleasure much anticipated. Thanks for the "introduction" to some new writers that I will be looking for as I wander about in KU and elsewhere.
Collections of stories like this have been favorites of mine for years. Thanks to the editors and their legwork, I get to peruse a bouquet stories I would not likely have encountered on my own. Volumes like this have introduced me to some of my favorite authors and the possibility of finding a new voice that resonates with me is a pleasure much anticipated. Thanks for the "introduction" to some new writers that I will be looking for as I wander about in KU and elsewhere.
March 5, 2020
Some nice little stories that I would like to see expanded to a novella and others that just left me cold.
Typical of all collections I suppose.
Typical of all collections I suppose.
March 14, 2020
Very foul language
No warning in the other reviews. The first story was ok however, thereafter the language was in the gutter including taking the Lord's name in vain.
No warning in the other reviews. The first story was ok however, thereafter the language was in the gutter including taking the Lord's name in vain.
December 26, 2022
Except for Memo-Real and The Green Door of Fate, these stories are not very satisfying. The rest, for the most part, are space shoot’em ups.
December 12, 2024
What a joy
This is well worth the time to read. There are some delightful characters here, some interesting thoughts, and more than a few authors worthy of following.
This is well worth the time to read. There are some delightful characters here, some interesting thoughts, and more than a few authors worthy of following.
December 30, 2020
Great selection
A really good compilation of stories from some really great authors. There is a range of stories that appeal to all lovers of sci fi.
A really good compilation of stories from some really great authors. There is a range of stories that appeal to all lovers of sci fi.
April 28, 2020
Another winning collection from these talented and versatile authors!
February 12, 2020
Like the book
There were some great stories in the collection. There's one by Fabiano who named a space ship after Anderle (so I gave that a pass- Anderle wouldn't be my choice of a model writer unless he's gotten a lot better). Brazee writes a gem of a story about combat engineers (a specialty that like artillery is almost completely ignored in military science fiction).
The rest are fun or different or interesting.
There were some great stories in the collection. There's one by Fabiano who named a space ship after Anderle (so I gave that a pass- Anderle wouldn't be my choice of a model writer unless he's gotten a lot better). Brazee writes a gem of a story about combat engineers (a specialty that like artillery is almost completely ignored in military science fiction).
The rest are fun or different or interesting.
December 9, 2019
Fair amount of work, modest reward
Some, perhaps a few too many, of the stories were amateurish and just plain bad. Did enjoy the novella and just enough of the others for the 3rd star rating.
Some, perhaps a few too many, of the stories were amateurish and just plain bad. Did enjoy the novella and just enough of the others for the 3rd star rating.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews