In this series of perfectly rendered vignettes, written just as he was starting to find his comic voice, Kurt Vonnegut paints a warm, wise, and funny portrait of life in post—World War II America–a world where squabbling couples, high school geniuses, misfit office workers, and small-town lotharios struggle to adapt to changing technology, moral ambiguity, and unprecedented affluence. Here are tales both cautionary and hopeful, each brimming with Vonnegut's trademark humor and profound humanism. A family learns the downside of confiding their deepest secrets into a magical invention. A man finds himself in a Kafkaesque world of trouble after he runs afoul of the shady underworld boss who calls the shots in an upstate New York town. A quack psychiatrist turned "murder counselor" concocts a novel new outlet for his paranoid patients. While these stories reflect the anxieties of the postwar era that Vonnegut was so adept at capturing– and provide insight into the development of his early style–collectively, they have a timeless quality that makes them just as relevant today as when they were written. It's impossible to imagine any of these pieces flowing from the pen of another writer; each in its own way is unmistakably, quintessentially Vonnegut.Featuring a Foreword by author and longtime Vonnegut confidant Sidney Offit and illustrated with Vonnegut's characteristically insouciant line drawings, Look at the Birdie is an unexpected gift for readers who thought his unique voice had been stilled forever–and serves as a terrific introduction to his short fiction for anyone who has yet to experience his genius. Contents: Letter from Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., to Walter J. Miller, 1951. Confido F U B A R Shout About It from the Housetops Ed Luby's Key Club A Song for Selma Hall of Mirrors The Nice Little People Hello, Red Little Drops of Water The Petrified Ants The Honor of a Newsboy Look at the Birdie King and Queen of the Universe The Good Explainer

    Accursed wizards and mysterious villains. Deadly battles and otherworldly spectacle. The untold adventures of the beloved Companions. Here are collected the best short stories of the original Dragonlance Tales 1 series, unfolding a world of heroism, magic, and fantasy. It is a treasure for loyal fans of the saga, and for new readers it is an enthralling introduction to the world of Krynn. This volume includes a new Dragonlance short story written by Margaret Weis in collabortion with Aron Eisenberg, Nog on television's Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.Riverwind and the crystal staff / Michael Williams --Stone's throw away / Roger E. Moore --Love and ale --Dagger-flight / Nich O'Donohoe --Harvests --Hide and go seek / Nancy VArian Berberick --Finding the faith / Mary Kirchoff --Into the heart of the story / Michael Williams --Exiles / Paul B. Thompson and Tonya R. Carter --Heart of Goldmoon / Laura Hickman and Kate Novak --Wayward children --Definitions of honor / Richard A. Knaak --Test of the twins / Margaret Weis --From the yearning for war and the war's ending / Michael Williams --Traveling players of Gilean / Margaret Weis and Aron Eisenberg.

    It was going to be one heck of a photo shoot.

     Fresh from Duck Soup (1933), Julius, Leonard, Arthur and Herbert Marx - or as the world knows them, Groucho, Chico, Harpo and Zeppo - are transported by a freak electrical storm to Nacogdoches, Texas in the year 1826. Landing in the midst of the Fredonian Rebellion (the first attempt by settlers in Texas to secede from Mexico) and into the company of the only other Jewish person in town, they are in deep dreck. Falling in with Stephen F. Austin and inadvertently filling his head with knowledge of what is to come, our heroes risk tampering with the future of Texas, and perhaps the entire U.S.A., in their quest to return to their own time. Will they find their way back? Or will they be doomed to live out their lives without indoor plumbing?

    Introduction by Robert Silverberg. Afterwords by Norman Spinrad, Vonda N McIntyre, Robert Sheckley, Philip Jose Farmer, Thomas M Disch, and Edward Bryant.

    

    This short story is taken from one of Steinbeck's early works, "The Pastures of Heaven."

    Will the “School Gyrls” collaboration with the Archies be a chart-topping hit or a resounding dud?

    Unfortunately, she’s going to find out that’s not quite enough…

    When Zoey ducks out for a little fresh air, she finds a boy with a big problem -- a problem only a mythical creature can have and only Zoey can solve. 6,500 words Hidden Holidays is a short story in the same world as the Monster Haven novels from Carina Press. This story can be enjoyed without having read the novels, but it takes place between book two, Pooka in My Pantry, and book three, Fairies in My Fireplace.

    Comments and anecdotes by the artist and the editors, along with testimonials from graphic-art luminaries Dave Stevens, Bruce Timm, and Bernie Wrightson, flesh out this portrait of the artist.

    and Man has become an endangered species under the ruthless rule of an alien race.

    Living together in the state of chaotic disarray that is the bachelor's birthright, they little suspect the fate that others are preparing for them.

    That was just fine with him, except for one little exception: Amanda Jacobs. He had fallen in love with her unruly blonde curls and sparkling sapphire eyes, but she had been a teenager then, - too young for him to act on his attraction. When Justin receives a phone call that his former mentor has passed away, he knows he has to return to Hope Falls. Justin just has one question - will the girl that once adored him have grown into a woman that can't stand him? Or will she still be the only thing in the world that feels like home? Book #2: Sweet Harmonies When Karina Black hit it big in music, she didn’t think it would mean giving up her name, her friends, her family, and the music that she loved. It was time for change and that’s just what the sexy, sassy Native American was looking for when she decided to move back home to Hope Falls. What she wasn’t looking for was love… When Ryan Perkins moved to Hope Falls, he knew that it would mean helping his granny run her café and maybe allowing himself the time to indulge in his love for music. Beyond that, the rugged, sculpted charmer didn’t expect anything more than the simplicity that the quiet community offered. What he didn’t know was that Hope Falls offered much more than simplicity… Will Karina really be able to give up her pop star life and fight for the music she wants while also opening her heart to the sweet melody of love? Will Ryan be able to live in Karina’s not so simple world? Or will they both stop the noise around them and make Sweet Harmonies of their own together? Book #3: Sweet Victory Samantha Holt has spent her entire life focused on her career as an Olympic snowboarder - to the point that she's never even had a boyfriend. Now the auburn-haired beauty has taken an early retirement to focus on her personal life, which is about to get a lot more interesting when a sexy man from her past comes to town. Can she trust him enough to be her first? Luke Reynolds has moved back to the Sierra Nevadas to be closer to his family. A big bonus is the chance to finally be close to Samantha Holt, the girl he's been interested in for the entire ten years he's known her. Their snowboarding careers have put them in close proximity before, but Sam seems to have walls up when it comes to him. The bright blue eyes and sexy scruffiness that melt other womens' hearts seem to have no effect on her. Will Luke be able to show her that it's safe to let her guard down? Book #4: Home Sweet Home Lauren Harrison didn’t have time for games. Everything in its place. Everything in its order. Everything in its time. But the gorgeous, high-powered real estate agent was about to find out that when it comes to love, there were some things she couldn’t control. Nothing in life comes easy. Ben Stevens knew this to be true from an early age. The handsome host of a successful real estate reality show knew all too well that he had what he had because he worked hard for it. His charming demeanor radiated from the screen, but behind the camera, he kept his real life out of the spotlight. After becoming co-hosts for a new real estate reality show, Lauren and Ben will both find out that sometimes there is more to someone than meets eye. Will Lauren be able to see the side of Ben that lives behind the camera? Will Ben get to see what’s underneath Lauren’s polished shell? Only time will tell if they can both find a home of their own within each other’s hearts. Book #4.5: One Sweet Day - Novella The honor of your presence is requested at the wedding of Amanda Jacobs and Justin Barnes.

    Offutt.Contents:7 · Foreword · Andrew J. Offutt · fw 12 · Nekht Semerkeht · Robert E. Howard & Andrew J. Offutt · nv * 49 · The Tale of Hauk · Poul Anderson · nv * 80 · The Smile of Oisia · George W. Proctor · nv * 118 · Pride of the Fleet · Bruce Jones · ss * 135 · Straggler from Atlantis · Manly Wade Wellman · nv * 170 · The Ring of Set [Simon of Gitta] · Richard L. Tierney · nv * 206 · Largarut’s Bane · Raul Garcia Capella · ss * 220 · Dragons’ Teeth [Dama (& Vettius)] · David Drake · nv Midnight Sun #2 ’75 250 · The Sustenance of Hoak [Ryre] · Ramsey Campbell · nv *