Amazing Stories: Best of 2023


Book Description

Embark on a journey through the cosmos with this stellar collection of science fiction tales curated from the depths of Amazing Stories. From the minds of esteemed authors such as Paul Saka, Heather N. Santo, Adrian Tchaikovsky, and Norman Spinrad, among others, immerse yourself in worlds where the boundaries of reality blur and the possibilities of the universe are endless. Join a team of intergalactic explorers as they navigate the treacherous depths of space in search of a new home. Encounter sentient AI grappling with existential questions of identity and purpose. Witness the struggle for survival on distant planets, where humanity's resilience is put to the ultimate test against formidable alien adversaries. From pulse-pounding action to thought-provoking speculative fiction, this anthology showcases the diverse talents of today's most imaginative writers. Prepare to be transported to distant galaxies, alternate realities, and future civilizations as you delve into these gripping tales of adventure, intrigue, and wonder. Featuring contributions from a roster of visionary storytellers, including David Ian, Lisa Fox, Andrew Hiller, and more, this collection promises thrills, chills, and unforgettable journeys through the vast expanse of the cosmos. So buckle up and get ready to explore the unknown—because in the universe of Amazing Stories, anything is possible.




The One Year Book of Amazing Stories


Book Description

ECPA 2020 Christian Book Award Finalist! You wouldn’t believe it, but . . . James Earl Jones, the voice of Darth Vader, grew up mute. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. Albert Einstein was bullied mercilessly in school. Beethoven’s mom almost aborted him. Life takes the strangest sharp turns—and sometimes, U-turns. Robert Petterson—popular speaker, storyteller, and author—has been a student for his entire life of what God is teaching us through those real-life U-turns. In this book, he compiles 365 amazing stories that teach lessons you won’t easily forget. Each entry is written in the rest-of-the-story style popularized by Paul Harvey. With The One Year Book of Amazing Stories, you’ll marvel at how God has used the lives of these ordinary people to change the course of human history.




The Book of Amazing Stories


Book Description

You may have thought you knew the lives of famous people—such as Martin Luther King Jr., Howard Hughes, Mother Teresa, Muhammad Ali, Ronald Reagan, Susana Wesley, and many more. But, in The Book of Amazing Stories, you’ll know so much more about Ronnie’s faithful church-going single mom and William’s early days as a humble shoemaker’s apprentice. You’ll marvel at how God used the lives of these ordinary people to change the course of human history. Life makes the strangest sharp turns and, sometimes, U-turns. Robert Petterson—popular speaker, storyteller, and author—has been a student for his entire life of what God is teaching us through those real-life U-turns. In this book, he compiles 90 amazing stories that teach lessons you won’t easily forget. Each devotional ends with a compelling thought about life and God. Be amazed. Be encouraged. Learn the lessons God is teaching through people’s lives.




101 Amazing Stories of Hope and Faith


Book Description

"Life takes the strangest sharp turns--and sometimes, U-turns. Robert Petterson--popular speaker, storyteller, and author--has been a student for his entire life of what God is teaching us through those real-life U-turns. In this short book, he compiles amazing stories that teach lessons you won't easily forget. Each entry is written in the rest-of-the-story style popularized by Paul Harvey"--Amazon.com




COOLEST AMERICAN STORIES 2022


Book Description

America's most talented storytellers share their most courageous, compelling, unputdownable work in a collection made for story lovers. Praised early on by Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk author Ben Fountain and The Weight of Blood author Laura McHugh, COOLEST AMERICAN STORIES is a new annual short story anthology whose guiding philosophy is that a collection of interesting "full meal" short stories could, as one @JustCoolStories Twitter follower put it, "make America cool again." Toward this end, COOLEST AMERICAN STORIES 2022 features a previously unpublished story by the multi-major-book-award-winning author of Blacktop Wasteland S. A. Cosby; the timeless, previously unpublished short story that led Tina Brown to sign Frances Park's When My Sister Was Cleopatra Moon; and Pulitzer Prize finalist Lee Martin's heartfelt rendering of married life that apparently was too startling for the editors of several university-affiliated literary magazines. And since interesting storytelling―rather than a list of publishing credits―matters most to story-hungry readers, COOLEST AMERICAN STORIES 2022 also includes a page-turner about dating in Hollywood written by MFA student Megan Ritchie; Brooklyn native D.Z. Stone's very first published fiction, a hilarious love story that celebrates the power of women; a heartbreaking account of adult siblinghood authored by David Ebenbach―among others in this treasure trove of unputdownable, sharply written, sometimes comic, sometimes frightening, always suspenseful stories loaded with twists and turns. "Coolest American Stories 2022 is a helluva lot of fun. These stories bump and brim with rambunctious energy and show that the American short story is alive and well. Many thanks to Mark Wish and Elizabeth Coffey for this breath―or let's call it a gale―of fresh literary air." --Ben Fountain, winner of the PEN/Hemingway Award and the National Book Critics’ Circle Award, author of Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk "Extraordinarily rich storytelling from fresh, vibrant voices―Coolest American Stories promises to be an annual force." --Laura McHugh, internationally bestselling author of The Weight of Blood and What’s Done in Darkness "Love short stories? This collection is for you. Not yet sure how to feel about short stories? This collection is definitely for you. Whoever you are, wherever you are: read these stories!" --Lori Ostlund, Flannery O’Connor Award winner and author of After the Parade and The Bigness of the World




Ground Zero


Book Description

The instant #1 New York Times bestseller. In time for the twentieth anniversary of 9/11, master storyteller Alan Gratz (Refugee) delivers a pulse-pounding and unforgettable take on history and hope, revenge and fear -- and the stunning links between the past and present. September 11, 2001, New York City: Brandon is visiting his dad at work, on the 107th floor of the World Trade Center. Out of nowhere, an airplane slams into the tower, creating a fiery nightmare of terror and confusion. And Brandon is in the middle of it all. Can he survive -- and escape? September 11, 2019, Afghanistan: Reshmina has grown up in the shadow of war, but she dreams of peace and progress. When a battle erupts in her village, Reshmina stumbles upon a wounded American soldier named Taz. Should she help Taz -- and put herself and her family in mortal danger? Two kids. One devastating day. Nothing will ever be the same.




Miracles in American History


Book Description

Discover desperate circumstances in America's past and how men and women rose up with faith and courage and situations unexplainably turned around. Read of captivating, little-known stories during the French & Indian War, Revolution, Barbary Pirate War, War of 1812, Civil War, WWI & II, and up through Apollo 13. Learn "the rest of the story" of how leaders prayed, challenged and inspired the nation and disaster was averted! YOU will be inspired as you uncover "Miracles in American History - 32 Amazing Stories of Answered Prayer." ARE you aware of these past crises when America's fate hung in the balance? In 1746, 70 ships with 13,000 troops sailed from France to lay waste to the American colonies. Massachusetts Governor William Shirley proclaimed a Day of Fasting. What happened next was unexplainable! After the Battle of Monongahela, George Washington wrote from Fort Cumberland to his younger brother, John Augustine Washington, July 18, 1755: But by the All-Powerful Dispensations of Providence, I have been protected beyond all human probability or expectation; for I had four bullets through my coat, and two horses shot under me, yet escaped unhurt, although death was leveling my companions on every side of me! How did Thomas Jefferson's resolution for a Day of Fasting on June 1, 1774, lead to the forming of the Continental Congress, and eventually Independence? Read how in 1781 the providential rising of three rivers in 10 days allowed Americans to escape British General Cornwallis? Or how the uncanny way Benedict Arnold's planned betrayal of West Point was discovered? George Washington exclaimed: "The Hand of Providence has been so conspicuous in all this (the course of the war) that he must be worse than an infidel that lacks faith." Ben Franklin declared: "In the beginning of the Contest with Great Britain...we had daily prayer in this room for Divine protection...All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a Superintending Providence in our favor." In 1865, President Lincoln proclaimed a Day of Fasting for April 30. What freak accident happened two days later which changed the course of the Civil War? What did Woodrow Wilson declared as the U.S. entered WWI. Or Herbert Hoover during the Great Depression? Or FDR, Eisenhower, MacArthur and Patton during WWII? Or Truman during the Korean War? When Apollo 13 was lost in space, what happened after President Nixon called all of America to pray? Are you aware of these American Miracles? Find out as you read "Miracles in American History - 32 Amazing Stories of Answered Prayer."




The Barren Grounds


Book Description

Narnia meets traditional Indigenous stories of the sky and constellations in an epic middle grade fantasy series from award-winning author David Robertson. Morgan and Eli, two Indigenous children forced away from their families and communities, are brought together in a foster home in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They each feel disconnected, from their culture and each other, and struggle to fit in at school and at their new home -- until they find a secret place, walled off in an unfinished attic bedroom. A portal opens to another reality, Askí, bringing them onto frozen, barren grounds, where they meet Ochek (Fisher). The only hunter supporting his starving community, Misewa, Ochek welcomes the human children, teaching them traditional ways to survive. But as the need for food becomes desperate, they embark on a dangerous mission. Accompanied by Arik, a sassy Squirrel they catch stealing from the trapline, they try to save Misewa before the icy grip of winter freezes everything -- including them.




The Scandal of Forgiveness


Book Description

Discover the true depth of what forgiveness is, what it demands of you, and how it sets you free. Forgiveness offers an alternative to an endless cycle of resentment and revenge that we often see in this world, but it can be difficult to understand its true power without first understanding God’s scandalous grace and forgiveness of us. In The Scandal of Forgiveness—an adaptation of the bestselling book What’s So Amazing About Grace?—author Philip Yancey will take you on an exploration of forgiveness and its clear connection to the gospel. You’ll learn how: Forgiveness is more powerful than getting even. The idea of forgiveness shatters the “eye for an eye” logic of the world. To see and shed the illusions surrounding grace and forgiveness. To accept the full impact of grace and what it means to be a grace-full Christian. The Scandal of Forgiveness reveals how you can adopt the forgiveness the world is searching for. You’ll learn how to authentically forgive and grow closer in your relationship with God




How to Tell a Story


Book Description

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The definitive guide to telling an unforgettable story in any setting, drawing on twenty-five years of experience from the storytelling experts at The Moth “From toasts to eulogies, from job interviews to social events, this book will help you with ideas, structure, delivery and more.”—CNN LONGLISTED FOR THE PORCHLIGHT BUSINESS BOOK AWARD Over the past twenty-five years, the directors of The Moth have worked with people from all walks of life—including astronauts, hairdressers, rock stars, a retired pickpocket, high school students, and Nobel Prize winners—to develop true personal stories that have moved and delighted live audiences and listeners of The Moth’s Peabody Award–winning radio hour and podcast. A leader in the modern storytelling movement, The Moth inspires thousands of people around the globe to share their stories each year. Now, with How to Tell a Story, The Moth will help you learn how to uncover and craft your own unique stories, like Moth storytellers Mike Birbiglia, Rosanne Cash, Neil Gaiman, Elizabeth Gilbert, Padma Lakshmi, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, Tig Notaro, Boots Riley, Betty Reid Soskin, John Turturro, and more. Whether your goal is to make it to the Moth stage, deliver the perfect wedding toast, wow clients at a business dinner, give a moving eulogy, ace a job interview, be a hit at parties, change the world, or simply connect more deeply to those around you, stories are essential. Sharing secrets of The Moth’s time-honed process and using examples from beloved storytellers, a team of Moth directors will show you how to • mine your memories for your best stories • explore structures that will boost the impact of your story • deliver your stories with confidence • tailor your stories for any occasion Filled with empowering, easy-to-follow tips for crafting stories that forge lasting bonds with friends, family, and colleagues alike, this book will help you connect authentically with the world around you and unleash the power of story in your life.