With an introduction by best-selling military science fiction author DavidDrake and selected by editor David Afsharirad from the top short story marketsin the field, here are the most thrilling, pulse-pounding, and thought-provokingstories of the past year. Stories of future military men and women, space operaon a grand scale, and edge-of-your-seat adventure tales in the pulp tradition,from giants of the genre to brilliant up-and-comers.