The art of dragon killing: Dragons have been eating humans for centuries. Now heroes throughout history stalk their legendary foe. Learn how to hunt, kill, and eat the wild dragon. Never before has revenge tasted so good. A literary feast for the bloody-minded.
Harlan Ellison is probably best known as a script writer for sci-fi and fantasy movies and TV series such as the original Outer Limits, The Hunger, Logan's Run, and Babylon Five. But his range is much broader than that, encompassing stories, novels, essays, reviews, reminiscences, plays, even fake autobiographies. The Essential Ellison, a special limited edition personally signed and numbered by Ellison, contains 74 unabridged works, including such classics as "A Boy and His Dog," "Xenogenesis," and "Mefisto in Onyx."
The most honored anthology of fantastic fiction ever published, featuring the works of such luminaries as Isaac Asimov, Robert Silverberg, Philip Jose Farmer, Robert Bloch, Philip K. Dick, Larry Niven, Fritz Leiber, Poul Anderson, Damon Knight, J.G. Ballard, John Brunner, Frederik Pohl, Roger Zelazny and Samuel Delany.
Contents xi • Foreword: Year 2002 (Dangerous Visions 35th Anniversary Edition) • (2002) • essay by Michael Moorcock xiii • Introduction: Year 2002 (Dangerous Visions 35th Anniversary Edition • (2002) • essay by Harlan Ellison xxiii • Foreword 1-The Second Revolution • (1967) • essay by Isaac Asimov xxxiii • Introduction: Thirty-Two Soothsayers • (1967) • essay by Harlan Ellison (variant of Thirty-Two Soothsayers) xxxix • Foreword 2-Harlan and I • (1967) • essay by Isaac Asimov 1 • Evensong • (1967) • shortstory by Lester del Rey 9 • Flies • (1967) • shortstory by Robert Silverberg 21 • The Day After the Day the Martians Came • (1967) • shortstory by Frederik Pohl (variant of The Day the Martians Came) 30 • Riders of the Purple Wage • (1967) • novella by Philip José Farmer 105 • The Malley System • (1967) • shortstory by Miriam Allen deFord 115 • A Toy for Juliette • (1967) • shortstory by Robert Bloch 128 • The Prowler in the City at the Edge of the World • (1967) • novelette by Harlan Ellison 154 • The Night That All Time Broke Out • (1967) • shortstory by Brian W. Aldiss 169 • The Man Who Went to the Moon - Twice • (1967) • shortstory by Howard Rodman 181 • Faith of Our Fathers • (1967) • novelette by Philip K. Dick 216 • The Jigsaw Man • [Known Space] • (1967) • shortstory by Larry Niven 231 • Gonna Roll the Bones • (1967) • novelette by Fritz Leiber 256 • Lord Randy, My Son • (1967) • shortstory by Joe L. Hensley 272 • Eutopia • (1967) • novelette by Poul Anderson 295 • Incident in Moderan • [Moderan] • (1967) • shortstory by David R. Bunch 299 • The Escaping • (1967) • shortstory by David R. Bunch 305 • The Doll-House • (1967) • shortstory by James Cross 326 • Sex and/or Mr. Morrison • (1967) • shortstory by Carol Emshwiller 338 • Shall the Dust Praise Thee? • (1967) • shortstory by Damon Knight 344 • If All Men Were Brothers, Would You Let One Marry Your Sister? • (1967) • novella by Theodore Sturgeon 390 • What Happened to Auguste Clarot? • (1967) • shortstory by Larry Eisenberg 396 • Ersatz • (1967) • shortstory by Henry Slesar 404 • Go, Go, Go, Said the Bird • (1967) • shortstory by Sonya Dorman 412 • The Happy Breed • (1967) • shortstory by John Sladek [as by John T. Sladek ] 433 • Encounter with a Hick • (1967) • shortstory by Jonathan Brand 439 • From the Government Printing Office • (1967) • shortstory by Kris Neville 447 • Land of the Great Horses • (1967) • shortstory by R. A. Lafferty 458 • The Recognition • (1967) • shortstory by J. G. Ballard 472 • Judas • (1967) • shortstory by John Brunner 483 • Test to Destruction • (1967) • novelette by Keith Laumer 510 • Carcinoma Angels • (1967) • shortstory by Norman Spinrad 523 • Auto-da-Fé • (1967) • shortstory by Roger Zelazny 532 • Aye, and Gomorrah . . . • (1967) • shortstory by Samuel R. Delany
Maps in a Mirror brings together nearly all of Orson Scott Card's short fiction written between 1977 and 1990. For those readers who have followed this remarkable talent since the beginning, here are all those amazing stories gathered together in one place, with some extra surprises as well. For the many who are newly come to Card, here is chance to experience the wonder of a writer so versatile that he can handle everything from traditional narrative poetry to modern experimental fiction with equal ease and grace. The brilliant story-telling of the Alvin Maker books is no accident; the breathless excitement evoked by the Ender books is not a once-in-a-lifetime experience. In this enormous volume are forty-six stories, plus ten long, intensely personal essays, unique to this volume. In them the author reveals some of his reasons and motivations for writing, with a good deal of autobiography into the bargain. Contents: Introduction (Book 1: The Hanged Man, Tales of Dread) • essay by Orson Scott Card Eumenides in the Fourth Floor Lavatory (1979) / novelette by Orson Scott Card Quietus (1979) / short story by Orson Scott Card Deep Breathing Exercises (1979) / short story by Orson Scott Card Fat Farm (1980) / short story by Orson Scott Card Closing the Timelid (1979) / short story by Orson Scott Card Freeway Games (1979) / short story by Orson Scott Card A Sepulchre of Songs (1981) / novelette by Orson Scott Card Prior Restraint (1986) / short story by Orson Scott Card The Changed Man and the King of Words (1982) / novelette by Orson Scott Card Memories of My Head (1990) / short story by Orson Scott Card Lost Boys (1989) / short story by Orson Scott Card Afterword (Book 1: The Hanged Man, Tales of Dread) • essay by Orson Scott Card Introduction (Book 2: Flux, Tales of Human Futures) • essay by Orson Scott Card A Thousand Deaths [Tales of Capitol] (1978) / novelette by Orson Scott Card Clap Hands and Sing (1982) / short story by Orson Scott Card Dogwalker (1989) / novelette by Orson Scott Card But We Try Not to Act Like It (1979) / short story by Orson Scott Card I Put My Blue Genes On (1978) / short story by Orson Scott Card In the Doghouse (1978) / short story by Orson Scott Card and Jay A. Parry The Originist [Foundation] (1989) / novella by Orson Scott Card Afterword (Book 2: Flux, Tales of Human Futures) • essay by Orson Scott Card Introduction (Book 3: Maps in a Mirror, Fables and Fantasies) • essay by Orson Scott Card Unaccompanied Sonata (1979) / short story by Orson Scott Card A Cross-Country Trip to Kill Richard Nixon (1980) / novelette by Orson Scott Card The Porcelain Salamander (1981) • short story by Orson Scott Card Middle Woman (1981) / short story by Orson Scott Card The Bully and the Beast (1979) / novella by Orson Scott Card The Princess and the Bear (1980) / novelette by Orson Scott Card Sandmagic [Mither Mages] (1979) / novelette by Orson Scott Card The Best Day (1984) / short story by Orson Scott Card A Plague of Butterflies (1981) / short story by Orson Scott Card The Monkeys Thought 'Twas All in Fun (1979) / novelette by Orson Scott Card Afterword (Book 3: Maps in a Mirror, Fables and Fantasies) • essay by Orson Scott Card Introduction (Book 4: Cruel Miracles, Tales of Death, Hope, and Holiness) • essay by Orson Scott Card Mortal Gods (1979) / short story by Orson Scott Card Saving Grace (1987) / short story by Orson Scott Card Eye for Eye (1987) / novella by Orson Scott Card St. Amy's Tale (1980) / novelette by Orson Scott Card Kingsmeat (1978) / short story by Orson Scott Card Holy (1980) / novelette by Orson Scott Card Afterword (Book 4: Cruel Miracles, Tales of Death, Hope, and Holiness) • essay by Orson Scott Card Introduction (Book 5: Lost Songs, The Hidden Stories) • essay by Orson Scott Card Ender's Game [Ender Wiggin] (1977) / novelette by Orson Scott Card Mikal's Songbird (1978) / novelette by Orson Scott Card Prentice Alvin and the No-Good Plow [The Alvin Maker Saga] (1989) • poem by Orson Scott Card Malpractice (1977) / short story by Orson Scott Card Follower (1978) / short story by Orson Scott Card Hitching (1978) / short story by Orson Scott Card Damn Fine Novel (1989) / short story by Orson Scott Card Billy's Box (1978) / short story by Orson Scott Card The Best Family Home Evening Ever (1978) / short story by Orson Scott Card Bicicleta (1977) / short story by Orson Scott Card I Think Mom and Dad Are Going Crazy, Jerry (1979) / short story by Orson Scott Card Gert Fram (1977) / short story by Orson Scott Card Afterword (Book 5: Lost Songs, The Hidden Stories) • essay by Orson Scott Card
1- It is the companion volume to the most influential book of speculative fiction in the past twenty-five years, the award-winning "Dangerous Visions". Of course, you've heard of "Dangerous Visions". 2- It contains original stories, written especially for this anthology, by forty-two very special writers, none of whom were in "Dangerous Visions". Of course, you remember the writers who won all those awards for "Dangerous Visions". 3- It contains forty-six stories ranging in length from shorties of 1,000 words to short novels of 40,000 words; each story was written without thought to taboos or publishing restrictions that usually hamper sci-fi writers. Of course, you remember what a mind-blower, in this respect, was "Dangerous Visions". 4- Each story has its own Afterword by the author, as well as its own individual Introduction by the editor. Of course, you remember the wealth of addenda that made such a milestone of "Dangerous Visions". 5, 6, & 7- It took over three years to compile this book. It has been edited by Harlan Ellison who put together "Dangerous Visions", which you will surely recall. And... this is a more startling book than "Dangerous Visions". This book takes off where "Dangerous Visions" stopped and it is a BETTER book than "Dangerous Visions".
From the moment John Varley burst onto the scene in 1974, his short fiction was like nothing anyone else was writing. His stories won every award the science fiction field had to offer, many times over. His first collection, The Persistence of Vision, published in 1978, was the most important collection of the decade, and changed what fans would come to expect from science fiction.
Now, The John Varley Reader gathers his best stories, many out of print for years. This is the volume no Varley fan - or science fiction reader - can do without. 1 • Picnic on Nearside • [Eight Worlds] • (1974) • novelette by John Varley 24 • Overdrawn at the Memory Bank • [Eight Worlds] • (1976) • novelette by John Varley 53 • In the Hall of the Martian Kings • (1976) • novella by John Varley 91 • Gotta Sing, Gotta Dance • [Eight Worlds] • (1976) • novelette by John Varley 119 • The Barbie Murders • [Anna-Louise Bach] • (1978) • novelette by John Varley 146 • The Phantom of Kansas • [Eight Worlds] • (1976) • novelette by John Varley 180 • Beatnik Bayou • [Eight Worlds] • (1980) • novelette by John Varley 212 • Air Raid • (1977) • shortstory by John Varley 228 • The Persistence of Vision • (1978) • novella by John Varley 271 • Press Enter [] • (1984) • novella by John Varley 327 • The Pusher • (1981) • shortstory by John Varley 343 • Tango Charlie and Foxtrot Romeo • [Eight Worlds] • (1986) • novella by John Varley 409 • Options • [Eight Worlds] • (1979) • novelette by John Varley 437 • Just Another Perfect Day • (1989) • shortstory by John Varley 449 • In Fading Suns and Dying Moons • (2003) • novelette by John Varley 467 • The Flying Dutchman • (1998) • shortstory by John Varley 486 • Good Intentions • (1992) • shortstory by John Varley 502 • The Bellman • [Anna-Louise Bach] • (2003) • novelette by John Varley
When Simon Kress returned to his home planet of Baldur from an offworld business trip, he was amused to find that his tank of Earth piranhas had cannibalized themselves into extinction, and of the two exotic animals that roamed his estate, only one remained. Now, in search of some new pets to satisfy his cruel pursuit of amusement, Simon finds a new shop in the city where he is intrigued by a new lifeform he has never heard of before... a collection of multi-colored sandkings. The curator explains that the insect-like animals, no larger than Simon's fingernails, are not insects, but animals with a highly-evolved hive intelligence capable of staging wars between the different colors, and even religion - in the form of worship of their owner. The curator's warning to Simon about the regularity of their feeding, unfortunately, was not taken seriously...
Contents: - The Way of Cross and Dragon (1979) - Bitterblooms (1977) - In the House of the Worm (1976) - Fast-Friend (1976) - The Stone City (1977) - Starlady (1976) - Sandkings (1979)
Harlan Ellison is undoubtedly one of the most audacious, infuriating, brazen characters on the planet. Which may help explain why he is also one of the most brilliant, innovative, and eloquent writers on earth. Slippage simply presents recent, typical Ellison. In a word, masterful. The 21 stories in this 1997 collection, which is encased in black boxes, show Ellison at the height of his powers, with several of the stories (no surprise here) major award-winners. Highlights include a black mind reader who pays a visit to a white serial killer, a husband who falls prey to a vampiric personal computer, and a love affair between a young man and a woman who may be more undead than alive. Perhaps even more fascinating are the painfully candid snapshots of autobiography running throughout the volume. Even if Ellison's unsettling fictions are not enough to dazzle you, his often bizarre life experiences as an author will still keep you compulsively turning the page like a polite voyeur. --Stanley Wiater
Contents: The Man Who Rowed Christopher Columbus Ashore (1992) Anywhere but Here, with Anybody but You (1996) Crazy as a Soup Sandwich (1989) Darkness upon the Face of the Deep (1991) The Pale Silver Dollar of the Moon Pays Its Way and Makes Change: Version 1 (1997) The Pale Silver Dollar of the Moon Pays Its Way and Makes Change: Version 2 (1994) The Lingering Scent of Woodsmoke (1996) The Museum on Cyclops Avenue (1995) Go toward the Light (1996) Mefisto in Onyx (1993) Where I Shall Dwell in the Next World (1992) Chatting with Anubis (1995) The Few, the Proud (1989) The Deadly "Nackles" Affair (1987) essay Nackles (1964) Nackles (1987) Sensible City (1994) The Dragon on the Bookshelf (1995) with Robert Silverberg Keyboard (1995) Jane Doe #112 (1990) The Dreams a Nightmare Dreams (1997) Pulling Hard Time (1995) Scartaris, June 28th (1990) She's a Young Thing and Cannot Leave Her Mother (1988) Midnight in the Sunken Cathedral (1995)
A mysterious circus terrifies an audience for one extraordinary performance before disappearing into the night, taking one of the spectators along with it . . . In a novella set two years after the events of American Gods, Shadow pays a visit to an ancient Scottish mansion, and finds himself trapped in a game of murder and monsters . . . In a Hugo Award-winning short story set in a strangely altered Victorian England, the great detective Sherlock Holmes must solve a most unsettling royal murder . . . Two teenage boys crash a party and meet the girls of their dreams—and nightmares . . . In a Locus Award-winning tale, the members of an exclusive epicurean club lament that they've eaten everything that can be eaten, with the exception of a legendary, rare, and exceedingly dangerous Egyptian bird . . .
Such marvelous creations and more—including a short story set in the world of The Matrix, and others set in the worlds of gothic fiction and children's fiction—can be found in this extraordinary collection, which showcases Gaiman's storytelling brilliance as well as his terrifyingly entertaining dark sense of humor. By turns delightful, disturbing, and diverting, Fragile Things is a gift of literary enchantment from one of the most unique writers of our time.
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