Brian M. Thomsen Book order (chronological)

From the ancient tales of long-dead civilizations to the wild success of J. R. R. Tolkien's <i>Lord of the Rings, </i>fantasy has fired our imaginations for as long as there has been story. Whether sweeping sagas of fantastic adventures or cautionary tales told around the campfire, fantasy is deeply woven into the very fabric of humanity, wearing many faces and coming in many flavors. But what fantasy is distinctly American? <i>The American Fantasy Tradition </i>sets out to answer this very question. This comprehensive critical anthology of American fantasy literature applies the groundbreaking theorems of such esteemed American literary critics as Leslie Fiedler, Richard Chase, and Irving Howe to the genre of fantasy in an effort to delineate the true American tradition of fantasy from the more prominent Anglo-European canon, breaking it down into three distinctive strains: <b>The American Tale: Folk, Tall, and Weird</b> Stories that might be considered fables or legends, much like the epics of the Age of Heroes from the classical eras of Rome and Greece, or the tales of the fairy folk from the European tradition, or the fables of Aesop. <b>Fantastic Americana</b> Stories set directly within the American historic landscape, much as the Arthurian tradition is set within the confines of British history. <b>Lands of Enchantment in Everyday Life</b> Stories that involve what might be called the American spirit, focusing on worlds that exist in the shadows of our own, just beyond Rod Serling's famous signpost for <i>The Twilight Zone.</i>

Editor Brian Thomsen admits that film was his entrée into the world of science fiction. After watching classics such as Fantastic Voyage and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, he discovered that many of the most dramatic presentations were based on written stories. So he sought out the authors, read their works, and became enthralled by the golden word as well as the silver screen. Years later he decided to compile an anthology of stories that were translated to film, and the result is The Reel Stuff. The book contains 12 works by writers such as Philip K. Dick and John Varley; some writers are well known and others are not as readily recognizable. Included in the anthology are Dick's "Second Variety" and "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale," which turned up on screen as Screamers and Total Recall, respectively. Also included, but less well known, is Robert Silverberg's "Amanda and the Alien," which was turned into a made-for-cable movie of the same name. There's even an H.P. Lovecraft story here, "Herbert West: Reanimator," which Hollywood made into Re-Animator, a campy SF horror classic. --Craig E. Engler

Candlekeep boasts one of the finest libraries in the Realms, where the privileged few may conduct their research. But what about its secret collections? Volumes and scrolls long forgotten or hidden from the inquiring eyes of browsers. Volumes dealing with matters that can only be described asarcane. New tales of Torl past and present by favorite Realms authors, including: Ed Greenwood, Elaine Cunningham, Jeff Grubb, Mark Anthony, and others

Some come from distant planets. Others come from Mother Earth. Some gain their powers from radiation, cosmic rays, or toxic waste. Others are supreme athletes driven by superhuman dedication. They take colorful names. Don colorful capes. And they save us from ourselves...Contents:Introduction / John Varley --A clean sweep / Laurell K. Hamilton --Time for a hero / Brain M. Thomsen --Peer review / Michael A. Stackpole --Shadow storm / Micky Zucker Reichert --Empowered / Alan Dean Foster --Handing on the goggles / B.W. Clough --She who might be obeyed / Roland J. Green and Frieda A. Murray --And the sea shall cast him out / William Marden --The defender of central park / Josepha Sherman --Reflected glory / Paul Kupperberg --Super acorns / Mike Resnick and Lawrence Schimel --Vets / Richard Lee Byers --(to be continued). (Continued) Four tales of many names / Gerald Hausman --The long crawl of hugh glass / Roger Zelazny --God save the king / P.J. Beese and Todd Cameron Hamilton --Contract hit / Richard A. Knaak --Origin story / Dwight R. Decker --Tu quoque / John DeChancie --Theme music man / Jody Lynn Nye --Bicycle superhero / Dennis O'Neil --Captain Asimov / Steve Antczak --Press conference / Brad Linaweaver --Basic training / Jerry Bingham --One of the boys / Lawrence Watt-Evans --Truth, justice and the politically correct socialist path / John Varley.