Following the enormous success of the critically-acclaimed Solaris Rising, Solaris are proud to announce they've commissioned a follow-up, Solaris Rising 2, due out in Spring 2013.

But you can't wait that long, and we honestly can't blame you! To that end, we present Solaris Rising 1.5, a short anthology of nine short stories from some of the most exciting names in science fiction today. From both sides of the pond - and further afield - these nine great writers offer you everything from a mystery about the nature of the universe to an inexplicable transmission to everyone on Earth, and from engineered giant spiders to Venetian palaces in space.

So settle in, and enjoy yet more proof of the extraordinary breadth and depth of contemporary SF.