Book excerpt: When was the last time you looked to the night sky and wondered what might be looming in the far reaches of the universe? These are the tales of the planets, aliens, and creatures—of what we call sentient life—among the stars. Some are not for the faint of heart while others are full of passion. Some linger on the horror of the unknown while others offer hope life as we know it has just begun. Discover and experience first-hand as these tales answer the question: is there anyone or anything out there? What do they look like, feel like? How do they smell and taste? These twelve short stories offer fully immersive science fiction that bring us into space and push us beyond a pale definition of sentient life, both organic and artificial! Stories by: K. P. Kyle, Logan Mroczkowski, Fidel E. Arévalo León, McKay Wadsworth, Rick Cooley, Jay Mendell, S.L. Field, Mohammad Khan, Zachary Sherman, Edward Swing, Judy Backhouse, Jim Kent.