If We Had Known (Book 1, Beyond the Cradle)

Beyond the Cradle of mankind, the universe is vast, unknown, dangerous to the unwary...or those caught in the path of intrepid explorers proceeding without forethought.

Thirteen authors explore what it is to pioneer the future in tales fraught with danger and remorse, tempered with hope, luck, and serendipity. We face the monsters. We face the truth. We face ourselves.

Whether the frontier is that of science or space, there is no doubt that at some point one must ask ...If we had known, would we have followed this course?

Edited by Mike McPhail, with stories by Ian Randal Strock, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Jody Lynn Nye, Peter Prellwitz, Jeff Young, Patrick Thomas, James Chambers, Robert E. Waters, John L. French, Christopher M. Hiles, Judi Fleming, Nancy Jane Moore, and Robert Greenberger.

Jody Lynn Nye lists her main career activity as 'spoiling cats.' When not engaged upon this worthy occupation, she writes fantasy and science fiction books and short stories. Since 1987 she has published over 45 books and more than 150 short stories. Among the novels Jody has written are her epic fantasy series, The Dreamland, beginning with Waking In Dreamland, five contemporary humorous fantasies, Mythology 101, Mythology Abroad, Higher Mythology (the three collected by Meisha Merlin Publishing as Applied Mythology), Advanced Mythology, The Magic Touch, and three medical science fiction novels, Taylor's Ark, Medicine Show and The Lady and the Tiger. Strong Arm Tactics, a humorous military science fiction novel, the first of The Wolfe Pack series. Jody also wrote The Dragonlover's Guide to Pern, a non-fiction-style guide to the world of internationally best-selling author Anne McCaffrey's popular world. She also collaborated with Anne McCaffrey on four science fiction novels, The Death of Sleep, Crisis On Doona (New York Times and USA Today bestseller), Treaty At Doona and The Ship Who Won, and wrote a solo sequel to The Ship Who Won entitled The Ship Errant. Jody co-authored the Visual Guide to Xanth with best-selling fantasy author Piers Anthony. She has edited two anthologies, humorous stories about mothers in science fiction, fantasy, myth and legend, entitled Don't Forget Your Spacesuit, Dear!, and Launch Pad, an anthology of science fiction stories co-edited with Mike Brotherton. She wrote eight books with the late Robert Lynn Asprin, License Invoked, a contemporary fantasy set in New Orleans, and seven set in Asprin's Myth Adventures universe: Myth-Told Tales (anthology), Myth Alliances, Myth-Taken Identity, Class Dis-Mythed, Myth-Gotten Gains, Myth Chief, and Myth-Fortunes. Since Asprin's passing, she has published Myth-Quoted, Dragons Deal and Dragons Run (Ace Books), third and fourth in Asprin's Dragons series. Her newest series is the Lord Thomas Kinago books, beginning with View From the Imperium (Baen Books), a humorous military SF novel. Her newest books are Rhythm of the Imperium, third in the Lord Thomas Kinago series; an e-collection of cat stories, Cats Triumphant! (Event Horizon), Wishing on a Star, part of the Stellar Guild series, with Angelina Adams, (Arc Manor Press) and a collection of holiday stories, A Circle of Celebrations (WordFire Press), and her novella in the second in the Clan of the Claw series, Tooth and Claw. Jody lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, with her husband Bill Fawcett, a writer, game designer, military historian and book packager, and a black cat, Jeremy. Check out her websites at www.jodynye.com and mythadventures.net. She is on Facebook as Jody Lynn Nye and Twitter @JodyLynnNye.

Robert Greenberger is a writer and editor. He has worked for Starlog Press, where he created Comics Scene, the first nationally distributed magazine to focus on comic books, comic strips, and animation, DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Weekly World News, Famous Monsters of Filmland, ComicMix.com, and is a founding member of Crazy 8 Press. His dozens of books, short stories, and essays include Hellboy II: The Golden Army, for which he won the IAMTW's Scribe Award, and The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Murder at Sorrow's Crown, co-written with Steven Savile. He is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America and the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers, and holds a Master of Science in Education from the University of Bridgeport and a Master of Arts in Creative Writing & Literature for Educators from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Author and graphic artist Mike McPhail is member of the Military Writers Society of America; he is dedicated to helping his fellow service members (and those deserving civilians) in their efforts to become authors/editors/artist, as well as supporting related organization in their efforts to help those who have given their all for us. www.milscifi.com His love of science, technology, and developing an understanding of the human condition play an important role in his writing, art, and game design, all of which are built upon his training as an aeronautical engineer and dreams of becoming a NASA mission specialist, balanced by his enlistment in the service. www.mikemcphail.com In the late 80s he was involved in game design, namely the Martial Role-Playing Game (All'Arc MRPG), a manual-based, hardcore military science fiction adventure, set in his Alliance Archives universe; sections of which are being reissued under the title of From The Archives (FT'Arc) by AGM Publications, a division of eSpec Books, LLC. He is best known as the editor and illustrator of the award-winning Defending The Future series of military science fiction anthologies, which just celebrated its tenth anniversary with its Best Of... collection, and the continuation of the series. www.defendingthefuture.com In 2014 he added the title of publisher, as the co-founder of eSpec Books LLC, Electronic Speculative Fiction Publishing. www.especbooks.com