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—You’re a liar, he said. There is no atmosphere in interplanetary space.

Then he could see the bare tree, the scaffold, the platform with its neat square trapdoor. Sir Thomas gathered Jeff into his arms, and covered his face, hooding his eyes with his great hands.

—We’re all liars, Franklin, he said. We lie, and then we wait and hope for time and hard work and the will of God to make us honest men.

They bumped up through the hatch of the Tir-Na-Nog, into the dark innards of her gondola. Strong arms hauled them from the basket. They were set on their feet in a bright room, trimmed in brass, paneled all around with windows and the glass faces of gauges.

Sir Thomas Mordden took a yachtsman’s cap and settled it onto his head.

—London, sah? said the helmsman.

The captain of the Tir-Na-Nog nodded, his smile wistful and aimed curiously at his nephews. He might have been picturing them alighting, one day, on the dark red sand of Mars.

—At present, he said. Yes, London will do for now.

LOOK FOR THE SECOND INSTALLMENT OF THE MARTIAN AGENT, “THE INDISTINGUISHABLE OPERATIONS OF EMPIRE AND FATE,” IN MCSWEENEY’S SECOND MAMMOTH TREASURY OF THRILLING TALES.

SHERMAN ALEXIE lives in Seattle with his wife and two sons. He writes poetry, short stories, novels, and movies.

AIMEE BENDER lives in L.A. and is the author of two books: The Girl in the Flammable Skirt and An Invisible Sign of My Own. She read her first Agatha Christie mystery in eighth grade and practically dropped the book on the floor when the twist got revealed, it was so amazing.

MICHAEL CHABON is the author of two story collections and four novels, most recently Summerland, a novel for children.

DAN CHAON’s story collection Among the Missing was a finalist for the National Book Award. He lives in Cleveland, with his wife and children, and waits.

MICHAEL CRICHTON was born in Chicago in 1942. He lives in Los Angeles.

DAVE EGGERS has written two books and four songs.

HARLAN ELLISON has written and edited more than seventy-five books and approximately 1,700 short stories, scripts, essays, and reviews. He is the winner of eight World Science Fiction Hugo Awards, three Nebula Awards, and five Bram Stoker Awards.

CAROL EMSHWILLER has two books just out from Small Bear Press: The Mount and Report to the Men’s Club and Other Stories. She lives in New York and California, and teaches an adult education fiction class at NYU.

KAREN JOY FOWLER is the author of three novels and two short story collections. Her most recent novel, Sister Noon, was a finalist for the Pen/Faulkner award. She lives in Davis, California.

NEIL GAIMAN has written approximately twenty graphic novels, three nonfiction books, four adult prose-only books, and two children’s books. He has won the Hugo Award, the Bram Stoker Award, the Locus Award, the World Fantasy Award, the Mythopoeic Award, and several Eisners.

GLEN DAVID GOLD is the author of the novel Carter Beats the Devil. A strapping man with a square jaw and windswept teeth, he stands in splendid proportion: five foot nine inches in height, some of it churning with muscle.

NICK HORNBY is the author of five books. The most recent, Songbook, was published by McSweeney’s in December.

LAURIE R. KING has lived a life of crime since the publication of A Grave Talent in 1993, having come from a life of academic theology. Her thirteenth novel, Keeping Watch, is out in March.

STEPHEN KING’s most recent book is From a Buick 8. He divides his time between Maine and Florida.

ELMORE LEONARD is the author of many books, including Rum Punch and Cuba Libre. He lives outside Detroit.

KELLY LINK’s short stories have won the World Fantasy Award, the Tiptree, and a Nebula. Her collection, Stranger Things Happen (Small Beer Press), was a Salon Book of the Year and a Village Voice Favorite. She currently lives in Brooklyn with her husband, Gavin J. Grant, coedits the zine Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet, and is working on Trampoline, a forthcoming anthology of fantastic fiction. She once won a trip around the world.

RICK MOODY is the author, most