All Hail Our Robot Conquerors! Read online

  Born in Yorkshire, Oxford graduate PHILIP BRIAN HALL is a former diplomat and teacher. He has stood for parliament, sung solos in amateur operettas, rowed at Henley Royal Regatta, completed a 40 mile cross-country walk in under 12 hours and ridden in over one hundred horse-races over fences. He lives on a very small farm in Scotland. He has published more than a dozen short stories and his novel, ‘The Prophets of Baal’ is available as an e-book and in paperback. Philip blogs at The View From Sliabh Mannan (sliabhmannan.blogspot.co.uk/).

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  TANYA HUFF lives in rural Ontario with her wife, Fiona Patton, nine cats, and two dogs. Her 30 novels and 75 short stories include horror, heroic fantasy, urban fantasy, comedy, and space opera. Her Blood series was turned into the 22 episode BLOOD TIES and allowed her to finally use her degree in Radio & Television Arts from Ryerson Polytechnic – a degree she holds in common with Robert Sawyer. Her latest novel is A PEACE DIVIDED (DAW, June 2017), the second Torin Kerr Peacekeeper book. She can be found @TanyaHuff on twitter or at Tanya Huff on facebook.

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  GINI KOCH writes the fast, fresh and funny Alien/Katherine “Kitty” Katt series for DAW Books, the Necropolis Enforcement Files, and the Martian Alliance Chronicles. She also has a humor collection, Random Musings from the Funny Girl. As G.J. Koch she writes the Alexander Outland series and she’s made the most of multiple personality disorder by writing under a variety of other pen names as well, including Anita Ensal, Jemma Chase, A.E. Stanton, and J.C. Koch. She has stories featured in a variety of excellent anthologies, available now and upcoming, writing as Gini Koch, Anita Ensal, Jemma Chase, and J.C. Koch. www.ginikoch.com

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  SF convention favorites SHARON LEE & STEVE MILLER have been writing SF and Fantasy together since the 1980s, with dozens of stories and several dozen novels to their joint credit. Steve was Founding Curator of Science Fiction at the University of Maryland’s SF Research Collection while Sharon is the only person to consecutively hold office as the Executive Director, Vice President, and President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Their newest Liaden Universe® novel, The Gathering Edge, is their twenty-sixth collaborative novel. Their awards include the Skylark, the Prism, & the Hal Clement Award.

  See http://www.korval.com

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  SEANAN MCGUIRE lives and works in the Pacific Northwest, where she attempts to keep her massive blue cats from eating people. She writes a lot of things, because otherwise she stops sleeping. Sleep is good. She is the author of quite a lot of books, and takes quite a lot of naps. Keep up with her on Twitter at @seananmcguire or at www.seananmcguire.com

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  L.E. MODESITT, JR., is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 70 science fiction and fantasy novels, as well as a number of short stories and technical articles. He has been a U.S. Navy pilot; a market research analyst; a real estate agent; director of research for a political campaign; legislative director and staff director for U.S. Congressmen; Director of Legislation and Congressional Relations for the U.S. EPA; and a consultant on environmental, regulatory, and communications issues. His website is www.lemodesittjr.com

  , and his most recent book is Assassin’s Price.

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  RICK OVERWATER is a Calgary-based writer and musician who spends his days trying to keep up to his talented wife and children. His fiction spans different genres including weird-western, fantasy, crime-noir and sci-fi. As well, he co-publishes the independent weirdo space comic, Futility. He likes guitars. And short sentences. You can find him online and through social media at:

  www.overwater.ca

  amazon.com/author/roverwater

  Tumblr: roverwater.tumblr.com

  Facebook: Rick Overwater (Calgary)

  Twitter: @rjoverwater

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  JASON PALMATIER, a certificated helicopter pilot and stay-at-home-dad, holds a B.S. in Computer Science from Penn State University. He is co-creator/co-writer of the epic comic fantasy series Plague published by AAM-Markosia and a contributor to the indie comic Lords of the Cosmos by Ugli Studios. His short story “Heart of the Empire” appeared in the anthology Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs Aliens published by Zombies Needs Brains LLC. He just completed his first novel, War Mind, a near future military thriller that will be shopped around as soon as the beta readers are done with it.

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  JEZ PATTERSON is a teacher and writer who divides his time between the UK and Spain. Links to other things with his name at the end can be found at:

  jezpatterson.wordpress.com

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  BRIAN TRENT’s speculative fiction appears regularly in ANALOG, Fantasy & Science Fiction, Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show, Great Jones Street, Daily Science Fiction, Apex (winning the Story of the Year Reader’s Poll), Escape Pod, COSMOS, Galaxy’s Edge, Nature, Pseudopod, and numerous year’s best anthologies. The author of the historical fantasy series RAHOTEP, he is also a 2015 Baen Fantasy Adventure Award finalist and Writers of the Future winner. Trent lives in New England, where he works as a novelist, screenwriter, and poet. His website and blog are located at www.briantrent.com

  About the Editors

  PATRICIA BRAY is the author of a dozen novels, including Devlin’s Luck, which won the Compton Crook Award for the best first novel in the field of science fiction or fantasy. A multi-genre author whose career spans both epic fantasy and Regency romance, her books have been translated into Russian, German, Portuguese and Hebrew. She’s also crossed over to the dark side as the co-editor of After Hours: Tales from the Ur-Bar (DAW, March 2011) and The Modern Fae’s Guide to Surviving Humanity (DAW, March 2012), Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs. Aliens (ZNB, June 2014), Temporally Out of Order (ZNB, August 2015), Alien Artifacts (ZNB, August 2016) and Were- (ZNB, August 2016).Patricia lives in a New England college town, where she combines her writing with a full-time career as a systems analyst. To offset the hours spent at a keyboard, she bikes, hikes, cross-country skis, snowshoes, and has recently taken up the noble sport of curling. To find out more, visit her website at www.patriciabray.com

  JOSHUA PALMATIER is a fantasy author with a PhD in mathematics. He currently teaches at SUNY Oneonta in upstate New York, while writing in his “spare” time, editing anthologies, and founding the anthology-producing small press Zombies Need Brains LLC. His most recent fantasy novel Reaping the Aurora (August 2017) continues a new fantasy series begun in Shattering the Ley and Threading the Needle, although you can also find his “Throne of Amenkor” series and the “Well of Sorrows” series on the shelves. He is currently hard at work writing his next novel and designing the kickstarter for the next Zombies Need Brains anthology project. You can find out more at www.joshuapalmatier.comor at the small press site www.zombiesneedbrains.com. Or follow him on Twitter as @bentateauthor or @ZNBLLC.

  Acknowledgments

  This anthology would not have been possible without the tremendous support of those who pledged during the Kickstarter. Everyone who contributed not only helped create this anthology, they also helped solidify the foundation of the small press Zombies Need Brains LLC, which I hope will be bringing SF&F themed anthologies to the reading public for years to come…as well as perhaps some select novels by leading authors, eventually. I want to thank each and every one of them for helping to bring this small dream into reality. Thank you, my zombie horde.

  The Zombie Horde: Asha Bardon, Simon Dick, Andrew Wilson, Sarah Cornell, J.R. Murdock, Kimberly Lloyd, Bruno Girin, Sharon Wood, Kari Maaren, Heidi Cykana, Nancy Lambert, Vicki Greer, Ash Marten, Diana Castillo, Brian Quirt, David A. Holden, Gabriel Sinclair, Jason M Hough, David Rippere, Kerry Ebanks, Stephanie Cranford, Stephen Goodrow, Kimba Wilson, Jakub Narębski, Gia B., Tina Black, Christina Roberts, Erin Kenny, Ryan Poindexter, Pierre Gauthier, Phil Olynyk, Scott Drummond, Patrick & Sarah Pilgrim, Alexander Gideon, Carolyn Petersen, Elizabeth Belden Handler, April Steenburgh, Aurora N., Marissa Lingen, Veronica, Millie Calistri-Yeh, Jean Marie Ward,
Stephanie Cheshire, Christine Swendseid, Fred Herman, Sidney Whitaker, Teresa Carrigan, Jen Edwards, Fred and Mimi Bailey, Cyn Wise, Brenda Moon, Kristin Evenson Hirst, Juli, Jeffery Lawler, Andrew Kinstetter, Petter Wäss, Duncan and Andrea Rittschof, Nick W., Anders M. Ytterdahl, Michael Fedrowitz, Andy M., Susan Carlson, Cate Crowley, Kelly Crowell, Kerry aka Trouble, John Idlor, Claire Sims, Tibs, Steven desJardins, Sheryl R. Hayes, Anna Rudholm, Jake Woodworth, Chuck Hickson, Jill Chinchar, Andrija Popovic, David Bruns, Elyse M Grasso, RKBookman, Tamara Michelle Slaten, Miranda Floyd, Becky Allyn Johnson, dbschlosser, Samuel Kohner, Carol J. Guess, shadow cat, Patti Short, Don Larson, Zoe, Jenny Barber, Michele Hall, Jim and Darla Nault-Tait, Peter Donald, Mandy Stein, Shawna Jacques, M. E. Gibbs, Scott Raun, Chad Bowden, Mr. And Mrs. Smooth, Rachel Stuart, Sarah Brand, Michele Fry, Lauowolf, Eleanor Russell, Elise Power, Susan Oke, Michele Dainiak, Elizabeth Inglee-Richards, Cathy Green, Debra Stewart, Douglas Park, Kerri Regan, ANDREW AHN, David Hill, Stephen Ballentine, William Hughes, Atthis Arts LLC, Dina S Willner, Ashley R. Morton, James Conason, Jennifer McGaffey, E. Smith, Katherine Malloy, Lace, Leslie Gawne, Sidsel N. Pedersen, pophyn, Elaine (Lainey) Rothman, Lark Cunningham, Helen Cameron, Sachin Suchak, Niall Gordon, Robby Thrasher, Lennhoff Family, Chris Matosky, Jules Jones, Laura Sheana Taylor, Patrick Thomas, Fen Eatough, Jennifer Berk, Jaq Greenspon, Sontaran Empire, Kevin Winter, Marty Poling Tool, Peter Hansen, Cindy Cripps-Prawak, Alan and Morva, Kyrielle, Diana Ramos, SusanB, Matthew Markland, David Quist, Stephanie Lucas, Erin M. Evans, Tony Anjo, Keith Jones, Colleen R. Cahill, Pulp Literature Press, Steven Saus, Cheri Kannarr, Catherine Sharp, Gary Phillips, Tindra Tieren, Gina & Jon Freed, Adora Hoose, Caryn Cameron, Todd V. Ehrenfels, Debbie Matsuura, Rachel Blackman, Jörg Tremmel, Pat Knuth, Simon Niklasson, Yoshio Kobayashi, Yankton Robins, Ferd Burfle, Carol Mammano, Karen Laage, Michael Bernardi, Mark Carter, Andrew Hatchell, Annie Mosity, Chris ‘Warcabbit’ Hare, Morgan S. Brilliant, Chrissie & Jake Palmatier, Vespry family, Harvey Brinda, Brendan Lonehawk, Sheryl Ehrlich, Tom P. Powers, E.G. Languzzi, Robert Killheffer, Andreas Gustafsson, Thea Maia, Kai Herbertz, A.K. Skelding, Mervi Mustonen, Ed Ellis, Alisha Henri, Merav Hoffman, Gavran, Chris Gerrib, Keith Bissett, Brenda Rezk, Dave Hermann, Richard P Bissmire, Jessica Reid, Jerel D Heritage, Yes, Robin Yang, Pat Hayes, Keith Setzer, Elizabeth Ann Scarborough, Deborah Fishburn, Colette Reap, Revek, Eagle Archambeault, Tory Shade, Katrina Allis, David Rowe, Ivan Donati, KixieKat, Sharon E. 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Meade, Leah Webber, Chris Barili, Tina Connell, Janka Hobbs, Ian Chung, Rissa Lyn, Jonathan S Chance, Gretchen, Cheryl Losinger, Brenda Cooper, Corey T., Anonymous Reader, ARNSProprietor, Thomas Santilli, Heather Kelly, Nancy Barber, Selwyn, filkferengi, Ron Currens, Lily Connors, Melissa Shumake, Charlie Russel, Jason Palmatier, David Zurek, Connor Bliss, Tomas Burgos-Caez, Natasha A., John Senn, Nancy M. 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