Explore the worlds of Mad Science with Tales of the Talisman. The Large Hadron Collider provides scientists an opportunity to test predictions made by particle and high-energy physics. Lee Clark Zumpe shows us what could happen if an elder god chose to use it as a gateway. Charles Chapman and David Van Houten imagine scientists building an artificial heart in the nineteenth century to pulse-pounding and maddening effect. In the future, the wealthy might have the ability to reenact the space flights of the 60s. Mike Wilson shows us that such games are not without peril. Erin K. Wagner asks...

Her name is Sugar. Sugar Sweet. But never EVER call her "Sweetie." When Sugar's Uncle Max falls ill and his collaborators disappear, she investigates the old Victorian mansion where he conducted his research. She soon finds the collaborators -- or what's left of them -- along with an angry Neanderthal. She also finds her uncle's research project, a working time machine. Sugar must act quickly to unlock the secret of time travel so she can set things right and protect her uncle's research. Sugar Time collects Joy V. Smith's Sugar Sweet stories into one volume.

1915. Teddy Roosevelt is building an empire. Only Pancho Villa stands in his way. The American Expeditionary Force under the command of General "Black Jack" Pershing has invaded Northern Mexico. Pancho Villa leads his revolutionary army in a desperate raid against the American force only to be outflanked. Just as Pershing's airships prepare to deliver the death blow, Pancho Villa is transported to a parallel Earth where he finds an unexpected ally and the technology that might just turn defeat into victory. Revolution of Air and Rust is a stand-alone novella set in the Empires of Steam and...