Short stories

Book SynopsisIn this ribald, titillating, exciting book, Marco Vassi exposes the human animal in all its absurdity. He spares no one and nothing in his ironic X-ray of our exalted obsessions. Capturing the sizzling vitality of our current erotic upheaval while grasping its peculiar pretensions, Vassi creates a gallery of unforgettable characters who are only ourselves in a form larger than life. In these nineteen stories, Vassi turns erotic literature inside out, unraveling the seams of our most secret fantasies. The Erotic Comedies offers a mere taste of what awaits readers in his full-length novels.

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Book SynopsisFrom the Nebula Award–winning author of Way Station: Ten stories—including one never before published—of mystery and imagination in a world that cannot be. People work; folk play. That is how it has been in this country for as long as Sam can remember. He is happy, and he understands that this is the way it should be. People are bigger than folk. They are stronger. They do not need food or water. They do not need the warmth of a fire. All they need are jobs to do and a blacksmith to fix them when they break. The people work so the folk can drink their moonshine, fish a little, and throw horseshoes. But once Sam starts to wonder why the world is like this, his life will never be the same. Along with the other stories in this collection, “I Am Crying All Inside” is a compact marvel—a picture of an impossible reality that is not so different from our own. Also included in this volume is the newly published “I Had No Head and My Eyes Were Floating Way Up in the Air,” originally written for Harlan Ellison’s The Last Dangerous Visions.™Each story includes an introduction by David W. Wixon, literary executor of the Clifford D. Simak estate and editor of this book.Trade Review“To read science fiction is to read Simak. A reader who does not like Simak stories does not like science fiction at all.” —Robert A. Heinlein “Like Olaf Stapledon and SF’s later mystics, Simak could dream on a grand scale. . . . Thoreau or Wordsworth would feel at home in his isolated houses rooted in natural landscapes.” —Locus “Simak is the most underrated great science fiction writer alive, and has never written a bad book.” —Theodore Sturgeon “I read [Simak’s] stories with particular attention, and I couldn’t help but notice the simplicity and directness of the writing—the utter clarity of it. I made up my mind to imitate it, and I labored over the years to make my writing simpler, clearer, more uncluttered, to present my scenes on a bare stage.” —Isaac Asimov “Without Simak, science fiction would have been without its most humane element, its most humane spokesman for the wisdom of the ordinary person and the value of life lived close to the land.” —James Gunn

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Book SynopsisThe New York Times Book Review hails this collection of thirteen dazzling stories and a rare screenplay by Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author Greg Bear as a “solid introduction to the oeuvre of a classic writer.” Greg Bear—author of Queen of Angels, Eon, and Hull Zero Three, among many other hugely popular novels—has an ability to transform challenging scientific concepts into gripping fiction that has won him numerous awards and an avid following. He has written novels about interstellar war, human evolution, intelligent bacteria, international terrorism, and the exploration of deep space—but he doesn’t stop there. This brilliant collection of Bear’s stories, each newly revised by the author, proves he is a master of the short form as well. Just Over the Horizon offers thirteen mind-bending explorations of the near future . . . or just beyond the border of conventional reality. The volume includes: · “Blood Music,” a Hugo and Nebula award–winning classic and the basis for the novel of the same name—and the first science-fictional exploration of nanotechnology; · “Sisters,” in which high school students find maturity and family by confronting a tragic genetic destiny; · “Tangents,” winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards, about a persecuted scientist who seeks refuge in a better world; · “Dead Run,” a tale of union truck drivers ferrying souls through Death Valley into Hell, adapted for an episode of the television series The Twilight Zone; · “Sleepside Story,” which Bear calls one of his favorite pieces, an urban fantasy tale that takes a music student by Night Metro to the Sleepside mansion of a magical woman of the night, inverting “Beauty and the Beast” in a very modern mirror; · “Genius,” the screenplay written for the television series Outer Limits, but never produced. Just Over the Horizon combines Bear’s intense concern with the human condition with a deep understanding of science, resulting in a collection long to be remembered. Trade Review“Bear’s deftness of phrase and metaphor is simply lovely. . . . A solid introduction to the oeuvre of a classic writer.” —The New York Times Book Review “This collection of 13 tales, the first of three volumes by the multiple Nebula and Hugo Award–winning author, displays his versatility and talent. . . . The three together showcase the short fiction oeuvre of an SF genius.” —Library JournalPraise for Greg Bear “Bear takes a profound and unusual approach to hard SF.” —Los Angeles Times “Bear is one of our very best.” —New York Daily News “[Bear] is a great writer.” —Doris Lessing Table of Contents Contents Sisters A Martian Ricorso Schrödinger’s Plague Blood Music Silicon Times E-Book Review Warm Sea Tangents Through Road No Whither Dead Run The White Horse Child Webster The Visitation Richie by the Sea Sleepside Story Genius About the Author

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Book Synopsis6 dazzling stories, freshly revised for this volume, plus new introductions, commentary, and reminiscences from the Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author of War Dogs, Eternity, and The Forge of God Greg Bear is the author of more than 30 books, from thrillers (Darwin’s Radio, Vitals) to science fiction (Blood Music, Eon, Hull Zero Three) to pure fantasy (The Infinity Concerto, The Serpent Mage). He has won 5 Nebula and 2 Hugo Awards, his works have been translated into more than 20 languages, and his titles have sold millions of copies worldwide. But his skills are not confined to writing at full-length novels: He is also the author of dozens of brilliant short stories, novellas, and novelettes. Far Thoughts and Pale Gods contains 6 highly acclaimed stories, each newly revised by the author, that illustrate Bear’s abundant breadth of talent. The volume includes: · “Heads,” which marks the first time the concept of quantum computing appears in science fiction—though it is a vision of 400 frozen heads that will remain in the reader’s memory; · “The Wind from a Burning Woman,” the first story set in the universe that spawned the novels Eon and Eternity; · “Plague of Conscience,” which explores what it means to be alien—and whether that can be comprehended without understanding what it means to be human; · “Scattershot,” beginning “The teddy bear spoke excellent Mandarin,” a gripping deep-space adventure that is also a tribute to legendary female science fiction writer James Tiptree Jr. These and the remaining entries—“Mandala” and “Petra”—form a remarkable collection showcasing the talents of a major American writer. Each story is accompanied by an introduction and an afterword written especially for this volume. Trade ReviewPraise for Greg Bear “Bear takes a profound and unusual approach to hard SF.” —Los Angeles Times “Bear is one of our very best.” —New York Daily NewsTable of Contents Contents Heads The Wind from a Burning Woman Plague of Conscience Scattershot Petra Mandala About the Author

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Book Synopsis7 remarkable stories, newly revised for this collection, showcase the award-winning talents of one of the 21st century’s finest writers of speculative fiction Whether penning science fiction (Moving Mars, Queen of Angels, War Dogs), alternate history (the Mongoliad series with Neal Stephenson), or fantasy (Sleepside, The Infinity Concerto), Greg Bear tells stories that engage the reader’s intellect while gripping the imagination. His short fiction is no exception. Beyond the Farthest Suns takes readers to the far end of the universe and the borders of scientific understanding. The volume includes: · “The Way of All Ghosts,” set in the bestselling universe of Eon and Eternity; · “The Venging,” which takes a group of desperate fugitives fleeing alien dominance down into the awesome gateway of a black hole; · “The Fall of the House of Escher,” in which a world-famous illusionist is brought back from the dead for a terrifying command performance; · “Hardfought,” the critically acclaimed Nebula Award–winning story showcasing a far future in which a legendary female pilot and her alien captor are forced into a tapestry of echoing lives where they struggle to communicate and find the deepest secrets of their history. These works, along with 3 additional entries, stunningly illustrate how Bear interweaves the rationality of science with remarkable characters whose thoughts and emotions reflect our own. Trade ReviewPraise for Greg Bear “Bear is a writer of passionate vision.” —Locus “Bear is one of our very best.” —New York Daily News “If anyone is the complete master of the grand scale SF novel, it’s Bear.” —BooklistTable of Contents Contents The Venging Perihesperon The Fall of the House of Escher The Way of All Ghosts MDIO Ecosystems Increase Knowledge of DNA Languages (2215 C.E.) Hardfought Judgment Engine Appendix: Earlier Prefaces About the Author

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Book SynopsisTales of the unknown in which a fix-it man crosses into another dimension—and more Hiram Taine is a handyman who can fix anything. When he isn’t fiddling with his tools, he is roaming through the woods with his dog, Towser, as he has done for as long as he can remember. He likes things that he can understand. But when a new ceiling appears in his basement—a ceiling that appears to have the ability to repair television sets so they’re better than before—he knows he has come up against a mystery that no man can solve. Winner of the Hugo Award for Best Novelette, “The Big Front Yard” is a powerful story about what happens when an ordinary man finds reality coming apart around him. Along with the other stories in this collection, it is some of the most lyrical science fiction ever published. Each story includes an introduction by David W. Wixon, literary executor of the Clifford D. Simak estate and editor of this book.Trade Review“To read science fiction is to read Simak. A reader who does not like Simak stories does not like science fiction at all.” —Robert A. Heinlein “Like Olaf Stapledon and SF’s later mystics, Simak could dream on a grand scale. . . . Thoreau or Wordsworth would feel at home in his isolated houses rooted in natural landscapes.” —Locus “Simak is the most underrated great science fiction writer alive, and has never written a bad book.” —Theodore Sturgeon “I read [Simak’s] stories with particular attention, and I couldn’t help but notice the simplicity and directness of the writing—the utter clarity of it. I made up my mind to imitate it, and I labored over the years to make my writing simpler, clearer, more uncluttered, to present my scenes on a bare stage.” —Isaac Asimov “Without Simak, science fiction would have been without its most humane element, its most humane spokesman for the wisdom of the ordinary person and the value of life lived close to the land.” —James Gunn

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Book SynopsisTales of nostalgia and loss in a world overrun by technology Hank is walking home from the bar when the Model T pulls alongside him. It’s been decades since he saw a car this old, and the sound of it takes him right back to his twenties. The door is open, and when he climbs in, the car takes off—without a driver. Before he knows what’s happened, Hank is right back at Big Spring Pavilion, where he spent his youth drinking bootleg whiskey and chasing pretty girls. He will find the past is not quite as he remembered it, but still a lovely place to go for a drive. This collection includes some of the finest short fiction Clifford Simak ever wrote, including “City,” the story that became the basis for his beloved novel of the same name. In the history of science fiction, no author has ever better understood that the Great Plains and the cosmos are closer together than we think. Each story includes an introduction by David W. Wixon, literary executor of the Clifford D. Simak estate and editor of this book.Trade Review“To read science fiction is to read Simak. A reader who does not like Simak stories does not like science fiction at all.” —Robert A. Heinlein “Like Olaf Stapledon and SF’s later mystics, Simak could dream on a grand scale. . . . Thoreau or Wordsworth would feel at home in his isolated houses rooted in natural landscapes.” —Locus “Simak is the most underrated great science fiction writer alive, and has never written a bad book.” —Theodore Sturgeon “I read [Simak’s] stories with particular attention, and I couldn’t help but notice the simplicity and directness of the writing—the utter clarity of it. I made up my mind to imitate it, and I labored over the years to make my writing simpler, clearer, more uncluttered, to present my scenes on a bare stage.” —Isaac Asimov “Without Simak, science fiction would have been without its most humane element, its most humane spokesman for the wisdom of the ordinary person and the value of life lived close to the land.” —James Gunn

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Book SynopsisTales of science fiction and adventure from the Hugo Award–winning author of Way Station and City. The long and prolific career of Clifford D. Simak cemented him as one of the formative voices of the science fiction and fantasy genre. The third writer to be named a Grand Master by the Science Fiction Writers of America, his literary legacy stands alongside those of Robert A. Heinlein and Ray Bradbury. This striking collection of nine tales showcases Simak’s ability to take the everyday and turn it into something truly compelling, taking readers on a long journey in a very short time. In “Dusty Zebra,” Joe discovers a portal that allows him to exchange everyday objects with an entity he can neither see nor hear, and soon learns that one man’s treasure may be another dimension’s trash. In “Retrograde Evolution,” an interplanetary trading vessel tries to figure out how to deal with a remote society that has suddenly decided to become far less civilized. And in “Project Mastodon,” an unusual ambassador from an unheard-of country offers amazing opportunities in a place the modern world can never compete with: the past. Simak’s mastery of the short form is on display in these and six other stories. Each story includes an introduction by David W. Wixon, literary executor of the Clifford D. Simak estate and editor of this book. Trade ReviewPraise for Clifford D. Simak “To read science fiction is to read Simak. A reader who does not like Simak stories does not like science fiction at all.” —Robert A. Heinlein “Like Olaf Stapledon and SF’s later mystics, Simak could dream on a grand scale. . . . Thoreau or Wordsworth would feel at home in his isolated houses rooted in natural landscapes.” —Locus “Simak is the most underrated great science fiction writer alive, and has never written a bad book.” —Theodore Sturgeon “I read [Simak’s] stories with particular attention, and I couldn’t help but notice the simplicity and directness of the writing—the utter clarity of it. I made up my mind to imitate it, and I labored over the years to make my writing simpler, clearer, more uncluttered, to present my scenes on a bare stage.” —Isaac Asimov “Without Simak, science fiction would have been without its most humane element, its most humane spokesman for the wisdom of the ordinary person and the value of life lived close to the land.” —James Gunn

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