The Best of Kevin J. Anderson, From Historical Fiction to Interstellar Warfare

Anderson's debut novel announced him in a major way as a storyteller to watch. Nominated for a Bram Stoker Award, the plot follows the titular Resurrection, Inc., which has found a way to effectively wield artificial intelligence. In a prescient thought exercise, Anderson predicts the inevitable backlash of people losing their jobs and rebelling against the tech giants of the day. 

Only one man can save the world. Too bad he's already dead…

This steampunk novel offers a fictional account of the life of Jules Verne and his “real” boyhood friend, Andre Nemo. Nemo is everything that Verne wants to be, especially because he's won the heart of Caroline Arronax. 

In a fun literary trick, Anderson uses a pastiche to imitate Verne's prose while detailing a rollicking plot to make the French icon proud.

Hidden Empire kicks off The Saga of Seven Suns, an epic, seven-title series of the distant future. Humans may have unlocked interstellar travel, but we're behind the alien races who've been doing it for far longer. Three races are all competing for galactic supremacy, but what happens when they accidentally awaken the wrath of something far more dangerous?

In the sequel series to The Saga of Seven Suns, Anderson delves into a new trilogy detailing the fallout of the Hydrogue War. The Hugo-nominated novel investigates a dark and expanding nebula that threatens all life in the universe.

Dan Shamble, zombie P.I., is one of Anderson's longest-running characters. In the first of these laughter-filled urban fantasies, Shamble is a member of the walking dead. Uniquely qualified for the oddest sorts of cases, he must work out who is scalping werewolves and put an end to the terror.

In this disaster thriller, 100,000 tons of nuclear waste are being contained within Hydra Mountain. But the mountain is an imperfect container, and if anything goes awry, there's a chance that all of Albuquerque will be destroyed by spreading radioactivity. A small plane crash sets off lockdown protocol, trapping one unlucky Department of Energy employee is trapped in a mountain of hazardous material.

Much of Anderson's career has been defined by his partnerships, from his work on the Dune novels with Brian Herbert to his co-authorship with his wife Rebecca Moesta. In Clockwork Angels, however, Anderson teams up with the rock band Rush to create a lavish steampunk story of alchemy, lost cities, and pirates.

Simon Helsing has devoted his life to eradicating vampires. But are vampires even real?

Lexi Tarada wants to believe, while Detective Todd Carrow is skeptical. All he knows is that a man has been pounding stakes through people's hearts.

Who's in the right? 

Booklist calls Stake “a freshly told tale that effectively incorporates elements of mystery and horror.”