Avram Davidson Books

A young Avram Davidson would have been seven years old at the time, when prohibition was the law of the land and beer barons like Dutch Schultz sold illegal alcohol to the public. In 1962 Avram wrote Beer Like Water, which was part of a book of Davidson’s true short stories titled Crimes & Chaos.In this book, in Avram’s typical fashion, he plays with the setting such that it’s a bit more special than reality. Beer! Beer! Beer! exists at the intersection of magical realism (just a hint) and historical fiction, with the streets of Yokums representing the Yonkers of his youth in the 1920s and 1930s much in the way that the British Hidalgo of Limekiller! parallels Belize.If you pay attention, you’ll notice little nods to you, his readers, along the way—could Yokums somehow be connected in Avram’s universe to the goings-on in the fantastical empire of Scythia-Pannonia-Transbalkania?

Professor Vlad Smith is on a terrifying quest, one that will take him from the halls of our most hallowed institutions to the most run-down of old houses in blighted neighborhoods. A mysterious committee, shredded yellowed newspapers, a daguerrotype of a Confederate soldier, a headless corpse and a corpseless head.... These are the clues which Smith must piece together to save his sanity and his daughter, and uncover the terrible secret of the Boss in the Wall. What a scary story, like a modern Dracula but completely original in its concept and chillingly realistic in its narration. Avram Davidson was one of the finest writers the fantasy field has had, endlessly inventive and uniquely vivid. Grania Davis has completed this work, which he left unfinished, in a way that does him proud. - Poul Anderson The Boss in the Wall is a last powerful and major work by a major and powerful author. - Gregory Benford It is hard to imagine the genre that could encompass him; it is even more difficult to imagine fantasy or science fiction without him. - The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction

"Peregrine, bastard son of King Paladrine, thought he had trouble when he was transformed by a sorcerer into a falcon. In fact, his real troubles began when the prepubescent Princess Ruby changed him back into ... well, almost a prince. A bastard to be exact. Whereupon he found himself dragged off by a dyspeptic dragon, smooched by a sphinx, wooed by the weefolk, and finally appointed Sub-Imperial-sub-Legate, which is still not quite a prince, but somewhat more elegant than a bastard"--Page 4 of cover.

Avram Davidson was an American Jewish writer of fantasy fiction, science fiction, and crime fiction, as well as the author of many stories that do not fit into a genre niche. He won a Hugo Award and three World Fantasy Awards in the science fiction and fantasy genre, a World Fantasy Life Achievement award, and a Queen's Award and an Edgar Award in the mystery genre.In this collection of stories from 1959 to 1961, Avram treats us to pieces on maritime tragedies, Prohibition-era gangsters, forgotten Americans, the Triangle Shirt Co. tragedy, and the Crimean Light Brigade blunder. He also has an intriguing theory about Jack the Ripper.

The six Limekiller stories by Avram Davidson blend the magical with the mundane, set against the backdrop of the American involvement in Vietnam. These tales create a vibrant world where the extraordinary intertwines with everyday life, showcasing Davidson's unique storytelling ability. The collection captures a fascinating juxtaposition of war and wonder, inviting readers into a realm where the inexplicable thrives alongside the realities of modern technology.

Legend has it that Virgil, author of THE AENEID, was more than a mere poet. Legend has it that he was an adventurer, an alchemist - a magus. Driven to do the bidding of Queen Cornelia of Carsus, who has taken hostage part of his soul, Virgil embarks upon an attempt to create a virgin speculum - a magic mirror - so that Cornelia can locate her kidnapped daughter. Virgil's quest to assemble this artefact takes him across the ancient world to encounter powers and prophecies, gods and monsters - all the myths and legends of a time that never was. The time of Virgil Magus.

The story unfolds in ancient Mexico under the Aztec Empire, where two ancient alien forces awaken and clash on a secluded mountain, determining the fate of Earth. The Great Old Ones, once benevolent rulers, face off against the Huitzil, malevolent beings from the Evil Stars who have corrupted the Aztecs, instilling a culture of conquest and human sacrifice. This epic confrontation weaves themes of power, sacrifice, and the struggle between good and evil in a richly imagined historical setting.

A New Collection of Long Out-of-Print Stories From One of the Greatest Fantasists of the Twentieth Century Avram Davidson, who died in 1993, was widely regarded as one of the most outstanding authors of short fantasy fiction in our time. This collection comprises his distinctive historical fantasies-tales of strange Mitteleuropas, of magic in Victorian England and on the American frontier. Here are "The Lineaments of Gratified Desire," "Traveller from an Antique Land," and "What Strange Stars and Skies"; here are dragons, cameras, and "The Singular Incident of the Dog on the Beach." Witty, whimsical, dark, and strange, these tales of times and places that almost were will leave even the most jaded readers amazed. No one has ever written like Avram Davidson, before or since.

Here are a dozen stories - the cream of the crop from one of the masters of science fiction and fantasy. With an introduction by Michael Kurland.