This collection includes a selection of his science fiction and fantasy stories from the last five years — sixteen of his best — plus a new novelette.In addition to these seventeen selections, The Hidden Girl and Other Stories also features an excerpt from the forthcoming book three in the Dandelion Dynasty series, "The Veiled Throne".Contents:- Ghost Days (2013)- Maxwell's Demon (2012)- The Reborn (2014)- Thoughts and Prayers (2019)- Byzantine Empathy (2018)- The Gods Will Not Be Chained (2014)- Staying Behind (2011)- Real Artists (2011)- The Gods Will Not Be Slain (2014)- Altogether Elsewhere, Vast Herds of Reindeer (2011)- The Gods Have Not Died in Vain (2015)- Memories of My Mother (2012)- Dispatches from the Cradle: The Hermit - Forty-Eight Hours in the Sea of Massachusetts (2016)- Grey Rabbit, Crimson Mare, Coal Leopard (2020)- A Chase Beyond the Storms: An excerpt from "The Veiled Throne", Book 3 of the Dandelion Dynasty- The Hidden Girl (2017)- Seven Birthdays (2016)- The Message (2012)- Cutting (2012)

    AldissAn invasion of invisible monsters strikes terror on an English farm.HE WHO SHAPES, by Roger ZelaznyThe science of tomorrow makes possible a new kind of psychiatrist--one who can enter another human mind and reshape it...if he dares!THE DOORS OF HIS FACE, THE LAMPS OF HIS MOUTH, by Roger ZelaznyA man measures his courage against a Venusian sea monster the size of a thirty-story building."REPENT, HARLEQUIN!" SAID THE TICKTOCKMAN, by Harlan EllisonA John Birch world of the future where tardiness takes time off your life, and a joker who's never on time throws jelly-beans into the clockworks.Four Distinguised Runners-up:THE DROWNED GIANT, by J.G. BallardCOMPUTERS DON'T ARGUE, by Gordon R. DicksonBECALMED IN HELL, by Larry NivenBALANCED ECOLOGY, by James H. Schmitz"The stories in this book...show the quality of modern science fiction, its range, and, I think, its growing depth and maturity. Science fiction has come a long way." --DAMON KNIGHTContents ix • Introduction (Nebula Award Stories) • (1966) • essay by Damon Knight 1 • The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth • (1965) • novelette by Roger Zelazny 34 • Balanced Ecology • (1965) • shortstory by James H. Schmitz 53 • "Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman • (1965) • shortstory by Harlan Ellison 65 • He Who Shapes • (1965) • novella by Roger Zelazny 151 • Computers Don't Argue • (1965) • shortstory by Gordon R. Dickson 165 • Becalmed in Hell • [Known Space] • (1965) • shortstory by Larry Niven 178 • The Saliva Tree • (1965) • novella by Brian W. Aldiss 234 • The Drowned Giant • (1964) • shortstory by J. G. Ballard

    LAFFERTY is the authoritative collection of short fiction by R.A. Lafferty.Acclaimed as one of the most original voices in modern literature, Raphael Aloysius Lafferty has been awarded and nominated for a multitude of accolades over the span of his career, including the World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement.This collection contains 22 unique tall tales, including:1. Slow Tuesday Night (Introduction by Michael Dirda)2. Narrow Valley (Introduction by Michael Swanwick)3. Nor Limestone Islands (Introduction by Michael Bishop)4. Interurban Queen (Introduction by Terry Bisson)5. Thus We Frustrate Charlemagne (Introduction by Jack Dann)6. In Our Block (Introduction by Neil Gaiman)7. Ride a Tin Can (Introduction by Neil Gaiman)8. Nine Hundred Grandmothers (Introduction by Patton Oswalt/Afterword by Andy Duncan)9. Land of the Great Horses (Introduction by Harlan Ellison/Afterword by Gregory Frost)10. Eurema's Dam (Introduction by Robert Silverberg)11. Selenium Ghosts of the Eighteen Seventies (Introduction by Kelly Robson)12. The Primary Education of the Camiroi (Introduction by Samuel R. Delany)13. Continued on Next Rock (Introduction by Nancy Kress/Afterword by R.A. Lafferty)14. Sky (Introduction by Gwenda Bond)15. Cliffs That Laughed (Introduction by Gregory Feeley)16. Seven-Day Terror (Introduction by Connie Willis)17. Boomer Flats (Introduction by Cat Rambo)18. Old Foot Forgot (Introduction by John Scalzi)19. The World as Will and Wallpaper (Introduction by Samuel R. Delany)20. Funnyfingers (Introduction by Andrew Ferguson)21. Thieving Bear Planet (Introduction by Jeff VanderMeer)22. Days of Grass, Days of Straw (Introduction by Gary K. Wolfe)

    Now from this brilliant young writer comes a groundbreaking collection of stories, many of them previously unavailable in the United States, and including four never-before-published tales–one set in Miéville’s signature fantasy world of New Crobuzon. Among the fourteen superb fictions are“Jack”–Following the events of his acclaimed novel Perdido Street Station, this tale of twisted attachment and horrific revenge traces the rise and fall of the Remade Robin Hood known as Jack Half-a-Prayer. “Familiar”–Spurned by its creator, a sorceress’s familiar embarks on a strange and unsettling odyssey of self-discovery in a coming-of-age story like no other.

    In the years between the first two Bugger Wars, the Hegemony is desperate to recruit brilliant military commanders to repel the alien invasion. They may have found their man--or boy--in John Paul Wiggin....In "Teacher's Pest"-a novella written especially for this collection--a brilliant but arrogant John Paul Wiggin, now a university student, matches wits with an equally brilliant graduate student. "The Investment Counselor" is set after the end of the Bugger Wars. Banished from Earth and slandered as a mass murderer, twenty-year-old Andrew Wiggin wanders incognito from planet to planet as a fugitive--until a blackmailing tax inspector compromises his identity and threatens to expose Ender the Xeoncide. Also reprinted here is the original award-winning novella, "Ender's Game," which first appeared in 1977.

    You meet a souvenir hunter in the Thirtieth Century and a schoolgirl who tries to cope with the teaching methods of the Twenty-second Century. You share the terror of an astronaut in a “haunted” space suit and the dilemma of a wife whose husband knows a common chemical formula for destroying the earth. In short, you feel the impact, the originality, and the uncanny atmosphere created by these science fiction experts not once—but 50 times.Fifty Short Science Fiction Tales have been selected for their concise writing, and for punch lines that leave the reader “surprised, shocked, and delighted at the final sentence.” According to the editors, another important aspect of this literary form is “evocation of a background differing from our own.” Consequently, though some of the stories are just a page long, the reading experience is always excitingly unique.Ballade of an artificial satellite / Paul Anderson --Fun they had / Isaac Astimov --Men are differenct / Alan Bloch --Ambassadors / Anthoy Boucher --Weapon / Fredric Brown --Random sample / T.P. Caravan --Oscar / Cleve Cartmill --Mist / Peter Cartur --Teething ring / James Causey --Haunted space suit / Arthur C. Clarke --Stair Trick / Mildred Clingerman --Unwelcome tenant / Roger Dee --Mathematicians / Arthur Feldman --Third level / Jack Finney --Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful! / Stuart Friedman --Figure / Edward Grendon --Rag thing / David Grinnell --Good provider / Marion Gross --Columbus was a dope / Robert A. Heinlein --Texas Week / Albert Hernhuter --Hilda / H.B. Hickey --Choice / W. Hilton-Young --Not with a bang / Damon Knight --Altar at midnight / C.M. Kornbluth --Bad day for sales / Fritz Leiber --Who's cribbing? Jack Lewis --Spectator sport / John D. MacDonald --Cricket ball / Avro Manhattan --Double-take / Winston K. Marks --Prolog / John P. McKnight --Available data on the worp reaction / Lion Miller --Narapoia / Alan Nelson --Tiger by the tail / Alan E. Nourse --Counter charm / Peter Phillips --Fly / Arthur Porges --Business, as usual / Mack Reynolds --Two weeks in August / Frank M. Robinson --See? / Edward G. Robles, Jr. --Appointment at noon / Eric Frank Russell --We don't want any trouble / James H. Schmitz --Built down logically / Howard Schoenfeld --Egg a month from all over / Idris Seabright --Perfect woman / Robert Sheckley --Hunters / Walt Sheldon --Martian and the magician / Evelyn E. Smith --Barney / Will Stanton --Talent / Theodore Sturgeon --Project hush / Willian Tenn --Great judge / A.E. Van Vogt --Emergency landing / Ralph Williams --Obviously suicide / S. Fowler Wright --Postlude --Six Haiku / Karen Anderson

    Her clients are rich and they demand items and experiences with only the finest verifiable provenance. Other people’s lives have value, after all.But when her A.I. suddenly stops whispering in her ear she finds herself cut off from the grid and loses communication with the rest of the world.The man who stepped out of the trees while hunting deer cut her off from the cloud, took her A.I., and made her his unwilling guest.There are no Authenticities or Captures to prove Katya’s story of what happened in the forest. You’ll just have to believe her.

    In Doors of His Face, The Lamps of His Mouth, Zelazny's rare ability to mix the dream-like, disturbing imagery of fantasy with the real-life hardware of science fiction is on full display. His vivid imagination and fine prose made him one of the most highly acclaimed writers in his field.Contents:· The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth · nv F&SF Mar ’65 · The Keys to December · nv New Worlds Aug ’66 · Devil Car [Sam Nurdock] · ss Galaxy Jun ’65 · A Rose for Ecclesiastes · nv F&SF Nov ’63 · The Monster and the Maiden · vi Galaxy Dec ’64 · Collector’s Fever · vi Galaxy Jun ’64 · This Mortal Mountain · nv If Mar ’67 · This Moment of the Storm · nv F&SF Jun ’66 · The Great Slow Kings · ss Worlds of Tomorrow Dec ’63 · A Museum Piece · ss Fantastic Jun ’63 · Divine Madness · ss Magazine of Horror Sum ’66 · Corrida · ss Anubis v1 #3 ’68 · Love Is an Imaginary Number · ss New Worlds Jan ’66 · The Man Who Loved the Faioli · ss Galaxy Jun ’67 · Lucifer · ss Worlds of Tomorrow Jun ’64

    As the planet is transformed from an unexplored and forbidding terrain to a troubled image of a re-created Earth, we meet the First Hundred explorers—men and women who are bound together by Earth’s tenuous toehold on Mars. Presenting unforgettable stories of hope and disappointment, of fierce physical and psychological struggles, The Martians is an epic chronicle of a planet that represents one of humanity’s most glorious possibilities.The Martians is a unique collection of previously unpublished fiction, a fascinating addition to Robinson’s oeuvre, and a must for all lovers of the red planet.

    It is the genre that stands in opposition to literary modernism." So says David G. Hartwell in his introduction to The Science Fiction Century, an anthology spanning a hundred years of science fiction, from its birth in the 1890s to the future it predicted.David G. Hartwell is a World Fantasy Award-winning editor and anthologist who has twice before redefined a genre--first the horror field with The Dark Descent, then the subgenre of hard science fiction with The Ascent of Wonder, coedited with Kathryn Cramer. Now, Hartwell has compiled the mother of all definitive anthologies, guaranteed to change not only the way the science fiction field views itself but also the way the rest of literature views the field.Contents 17 • Introduction (The Science Fiction Century) • (1997) • essay by David G. Hartwell 21 • Beam Us Home • (1969) • shortstory by James Tiptree, Jr. 31 • Ministering Angels • (1955) • shortstory by C. S. Lewis 39 • The Music Master of Babylon • (1954) • novelette by Edgar Pangborn 57 • A Story of the Days to Come • (1899) • novella by H. G. Wells 112 • Hot Planet • (1963) • shortstory by Hal Clement 127 • A Work of Art • (1956) • novelette by James Blish 139 • The Machine Stops • (1909) • novelette by E. M. Forster 161 • Brightness Falls from the Air • (1951) • shortstory by Margaret St. Clair 166 • 2066: Election Day • (1956) • shortstory by Michael Shaara 177 • The Rose • (1953) • novella by Charles L. Harness [as by Charles Harness ] 232 • The Hounds of Tindalos • (1929) • shortstory by Frank Belknap Long 242 • The Angel of Violence • (1978) • shortstory by Adam Wisniewski-Snerg 252 • Nobody Bothers Gus • [Gus] • (1955) • shortstory by Algis Budrys 261 • The Time Machine • (1954) • shortstory by Dino Buzzati 265 • Mother • (1953) • novelette by Philip José Farmer 285 • As Easy as A.B.C. • (1912) • novelette by Rudyard Kipling 304 • Ginungagap • (1980) • novelette by Michael Swanwick 327 • Minister Without Portfolio • (1952) • shortstory by Mildred Clingerman 333 • Time in Advance • (1956) • novelette by William Tenn 352 • Good Night, Sophie • (1973) • novelette by Lino Aldani (aka Buonanotte Sofia 1963 ) 369 • Veritas • (1987) • novelette by James Morrow 382 • Enchanted Village • (1950) • shortstory by A. E. van Vogt 393 • The King and the Dollmaker • (1970) • novella by Wolfgang Jeschke (aka Der König und der Puppenmacher 1961 ) 435 • Fire Watch • [Time Travel] • (1982) • novelette by Connie Willis 462 • Goat Song • (1972) • novelette by Poul Anderson 486 • The Scarlet Plague • (1912) • novella by Jack London 518 • Drunkboat • [The Instrumentality of Mankind] • (1963) • novelette by Cordwainer Smith 539 • Another World • (1962) • novelette by J. H. Rosny aîné (aka Un Autre Monde 1895 ) 558 • If the Stars Are Gods • [Bradley Reynolds] • (1974) • novelette by Gordon Eklund and Gregory Benford 585 • I Still Call Australia Home • (1990) • shortstory by George Turner 598 • Liquid Sunshine • (1982) • novelette by Alexander Kuprin (aka Zhidkoe solntse 1913 ) 632 • Great Work of Time • (1989) • novella by John Crowley 683 • Sundance • (1969) • shortstory by Robert Silverberg 694 • Greenslaves • (1965) • novelette by Frank Herbert 716 • Rumfuddle • (1973) • novella by Jack Vance 754 • The Dimple in Draco • (1967) • shortstory by R. S. Richardson [as by Philip Latham ] 765 • Consider Her Ways • (1956) • novella by John Wyndham 805 • Something Ending • (1973) • shortstory by Eddy C. Bertin 812 • He Who Shapes • (1965) • novella by Roger Zelazny 869 • Swarm • [Shaper/Mechanist] • (1982) • novelette by Bruce Sterling 886 • Beggars in Spain • [Sleepless] • (1991) • novella by Nancy Kress 939 • Johnny Mnemonic • (1981) • shortstory by William Gibson 952 • "Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman • (1965) • shortstory by Harlan Ellison 961 • Blood's a Rover • (1952) • novella by Chad Oliver 993 • Sail the Tide of Mourning • [Bentfin Boomers] • (1975) • shortstory by Richard A. LupoffThe story The Angel of Violence by Adam_Wiśniewski-Snerg was translated from Polish to English by Thomasz Mirkowicz for this anthology.The story Good Night, Sophie by Lino Aldani was translated from Italian to English by L. K. Conrad.The story Liquid Sunshine by Alexander Kuprin was translated from Russian to English by Leland Fetzer.

    In a Kabbalistic tale of transformation, the executor of an old friend’s will is almost duped into housing his soul. In a tale of time travel between 2015 and 1975, a tragedy sparked by an angel falling onto a pizza shop is reenacted—and the event is barely, but fatally, altered. The cornerstone of the collection is a postscript to the harrowing novel of the haunting of the Romantic poets, The Stress of Her Regard. Once Byron and Shelley break free of the succubus that claimed them, their associate, Trelawny, forges an alliance with Greek rebels to reestablish the deadly connection between man and the nephilim. Fans of Powers’s renowned secret histories will delight as he deftly weaves an array of fantastical creatures into richly layered narratives of the past.

    There is no better anthology that captures the birth of science fiction as a literary field. Published in 1973 to honor stories that had come before the institution of the Nebula Awards, The Science Fiction Hall of Fame introduced tens of thousands of young readers to the wonders of science fiction and was a favorite of libraries across the country. This volume contains novellas by: Ray Bradbury, James Blish, Algis Budrys, Theodore Cogswell, E. M. Forster, Frederik Pohl, James H. Schmitz, T. L. Sherred, Wilmar H. Shiras, Clifford D. Simak, and Jack Vance.Contents: Introduction · Ben Bova · in · Call Me Joe · Poul Anderson · nv Astounding Apr ’57 · Who Goes There? [as by Don A. Stuart] · John W. Campbell, Jr. · na Astounding Aug ’38 · Nerves · Lester del Rey · na Astounding Sep ’42 · Universe [Hugh Hoyland] · Robert A. Heinlein · na Astounding May ’41 · The Marching Morons · C. M. Kornbluth · nv Galaxy Apr ’51 · Vintage Season [as by Lawrence O’Donnell] · Henry Kuttner & C. L. Moore · na Astounding Sep ’46 · ...And Then There Were None · Eric Frank Russell · na Astounding Jun ’51 · The Ballad of Lost C’Mell · Cordwainer Smith · nv Galaxy Oct ’62 · Baby Is Three · Theodore Sturgeon · na Galaxy Oct ’52 · The Time Machine [Time Machine] · H. G. Wells · na The New Review Jan, 1895 (+4) · With Folded Hands... [Humanoids] · Jack Williamson · nv Astounding Jul ’47

    Gene Wolfe, of whom The Washington Post said, “Of all SF writers currently active none is held in higher esteem,” has selected the short fiction he considers his finest into one volume.  There are many award winners and many that have been selected for various Year’s Best anthologies among the thirty-one stories, which include: “Petting Zoo,” “The Tree Is My Hat,” “The Island of Dr. Death and Other Stories,” “The Hero as Werewolf,” “Seven American Nights,” “The Fifth Head of Cerberus,” “The Detective of Dreams,” and “A Cabin on the Coast.” Gene Wolfe has produced possibly the finest and most significant body of short fiction in the SF and fantasy field in the last fifty years, and is certainly among the greatest living writers to emerge from the genres.  This is the first retrospective collection of his entire career.  It is for the ages.Contents11 • The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories • [Archipelago] • (1970) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe23 • Afterword (The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories) • essay by Gene Wolfe25 • The Toy Theater • (1971) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe30 • Afterword (The Toy Theater) • essay by Gene Wolfe31 • The Fifth Head of Cerberus • (1972) • novella by Gene Wolfe76 • Afterword (The Fifth Head of Cerberus) • essay by Gene Wolfe78 • Beech Hill • (1972) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe83 • Afterword (Beech Hill) • essay by Gene Wolfe84 • The Recording • (1972) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe86 • Afterword (The Recording) • essay by Gene Wolfe88 • Hour of Trust • (1973) • novelette by Gene Wolfe112 • Afterword (Hour of Trust) • essay by Gene Wolfe114 • The Death of Dr. Island • [Archipelago] • (1973) • novella by Gene Wolfe158 • Afterword (The Death of Dr. Island) • essay by Gene Wolfe159 • La Befana • (1973) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe162 • Afterword (La Befana) • essay by Gene Wolfe163 • Forlesen • (1974) • novelette by Gene Wolfe201 • Afterword (Forlesen) • essay by Gene Wolfe202 • Westwind • (1973) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe208 • Afterword (Westwind) • essay by Gene Wolfe209 • The Hero as Werwolf • (1975) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe221 • Afterword (The Hero as Werwolf) • essay by Gene Wolfe222 • The Marvelous Brass Chessplaying Automaton • (1977) • novelette by Gene Wolfe236 • Afterword (The Marvelous Brass Chessplaying Automaton) • essay by Gene Wolfe237 • Straw • (1975) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe243 • Afterword (Straw) • essay by Gene Wolfe244 • The Eyeflash Miracles • (1976) • novella by Gene Wolfe291 • Afterword (The Eyeflash Miracles) • essay by Gene Wolfe292 • Seven American Nights • (1978) • novella by Gene Wolfe331 • Afterword (Seven American Nights) • essay by Gene Wolfe333 • The Detective of Dreams • (1980) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe346 • Afterword (The Detective of Dreams) • essay by Gene Wolfe347 • Kevin Malone • (1980) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe355 • Afterword (Kevin Malone) • essay by Gene Wolfe356 • The God and His Man • (1980) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe360 • Afterword (The God and His Man) • essay by Gene Wolfe361 • On the Train • [Redwood Coast Roamer] • (1983) • shortfiction by Gene Wolfe362 • Afterword (On the Train) • essay by Gene Wolfe363 • From the Desk of Gilmer C. Merton • (1983) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe367 • Afterword (From the Desk of Gilmer C. Merton) • essay by Gene Wolfe368 • Death of the Island Doctor • [Archipelago] • (1983) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe372 • Afterword (Death of the Island Doctor) • essay by Gene Wolfe373 • Redbeard • (1984) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe377 • Afterword (Redbeard) • essay by Gene Wolfe379 • The Boy Who Hooked the Sun • (1985) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe381 • Afterword (The Boy Who Hooked the Sun) • essay by Gene Wolfe382 • Parkroads—A Review • (1987) • shortfiction by Gene Wolfe384 • Afterword (Parkroads—A Review) • essay by Gene Wolfe385 • Game in the Pope's Head • (1988) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe390 • Afterword (Game in the Pope's Head) • essay by Gene Wolfe391 • And When They Appear • (1993) • novelette by Gene Wolfe408 • Afterword (And When They Appear) • essay by Gene Wolfe409 • Bed and Breakfast • (1996) • shortfiction by Gene Wolfe (variant of Bed & Breakfast)426 • Afterword (Bed and Breakfast) • essay by Gene Wolfe427 • Petting Zoo • (1997) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe431 • Afterword (Petting Zoo) • essay by Gene Wolfe433 • The Tree Is My Hat • (1999) • novelette by Gene Wolfe452 • Afterword (The Tree Is My Hat) • essay by Gene Wolfe454 • Has Anybody Seen Junie Moon? • (1999) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe464 • Afterword (Has Anybody Seen Junie Moon?) • essay by Gene Wolfe466 • A Cabin on the Coast • (1984) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe475 • Afterword (A Cabin on the Coast) • essay by Gene Wolfe

    Heinlein.The Father-Thing by Philip K. Dick.The Children's Hour by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore.Gomez by C. M. Kornbluth.The [Widget], The [Wadget], and Boff by Theodore Sturgeon.Sandra by George P. Elliott.Beyond Space and Time by Joel Townsley Rogers.The Martian Crown Jewels by Poul Anderson.The Weapon Shops of Isher by A. E. van Vogt (novel).

    Includes: All the Myriad Ways (1968); Passerby (1969); For a Foggy Night (1968); Wait It Out [Known Space] (1968); The Jigsaw Man [Known Space] (1967); Not Long Before the End (1969); Unfinished Story No. 1 (1970); Unfinished Story No. 2 (1971); Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex (essay, 1969); Exercise in Speculation: The Theory and Practice of Teleportation (essay, 1969); The Theory and Practice of Time Travel (essay, 1971) Inconstant Moon (1971); What Can You Say About Chocolate Covered Manhole Covers? (1971); Becalmed in Hell [Known Space] (1965).