Worlds Long Lost

ALL-NEW STORIES OF ANCIENT ALIEN ARTIFACTS FROM TOP NAMES IN SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY

The universe is older and more alien than we can ever understand.

We were not alone. The farther we push into the universe, the more obvious it becomes. The signs are everywhere: canals and pyramids on Mars, old roads on the moons of Jupiter, ruined cities on worlds about the nearer stars. The galaxy once teemed with life, or so it seems. Which begs the question: What happened to it all?

These stories explore the ruins of lost civilizations, solve ancient mysteries . . .and awaken horrors from beyond the dawn of time.

Featuring stories by Orson Scott Card, Griffin Barber, Adam Oyebanji, Jessica Maguire, Patrick Chiles, and an all-new entry in the Sun Eater universe from editor Christopher Ruocchio. Join us for your next adventure to Worlds Long Lost!

Cover Art by Bob Eggleton

Paperback

This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental.

First printing, December 2022

Distributed by Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020

Printed in the United States of America

ISBN-13: 978-1-9821-9230-3
eISBN: 978-1-62579-886-2

Copyright © 2022 by Christopher Ruocchio and Sean CW Korsgaard

Introduction by Christopher Ruocchio appears here for the first time. © 2022 by Christopher Ruocchio. Published by permission of the author.

“The Wrong Shape to Fly” by Adam Oyebanji appears here for the first time. © 2022 by Adam Oyebanji. Published by permission of the author.

“Mother of Monsters” by Christopher Ruocchio appears here for the first time. © 2022 by Christopher Ruocchio. Published by permission of the author.

“Rise of the Administrator” by M.A. Rothman and D.J. Butler appears here for the first time. © 2022 by M.A. Rothman and D.J. Butler. Published by permission of the authors.

“Mere Passers By” by Les Johnson appears here for the first time. © 2022 by Les Johnson. Published by permission of the author.

“Never Ending, Ever-Growing” by Erica Ciko appears here for the first time. © 2022 by Erica Ciko. Published by permission of the author.

“They Only Dig at Night” by Sean Patrick Hazlett appears here for the first time. © 2022 by Sean Patrick Hazlett. Published by permission of the author.

“Howlers in the Void” by Brian Trent appears here for the first time. © 2022 by Brian Trent. Published by permission of the author.

“The Building Will Continue” by Gray Rinehart appears here for the first time. © 2022 by Gray Rinehart. Published by permission of the author.

“re: something strange” by Jessica Cain appears here for the first time. © 2022 by Jessica Cain. Published by permission of the author.

“The Sleepers of Tartarus” by David J. West appears here for the first time. © 2022 by David J. West. Published by permission of the author.

“Dark Eternity” by Jonathan Edelstein appears here for the first time. © 2022 by Jonathan Edelstein. Published by permission of the author.

“Rocking the Cradle” by Patrick Chiles appears here for the first time. © 2022 by Patrick Chiles. Published by permission of the author.

“Giving Up on the Piano” by Orson Scott Card appears here for the first time. © 2022 by Orson Scott Card. Published by permission of the author.

“Retrospective” by Griffin Barber appears here for the first time. © 2022 by Griffin Barber. Published by permission of the author.

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form.

A Baen Books Original
Baen Publishing Enterprises
P.O. Box 1403
Riverdale, NY 10471
http://www.baen.com

Electronic version by Baen Books
http://www.baen.com