Exploring the depths of human imagination, this collection features twenty tales that blend fantasy, science fiction, and horror. Award-winning author Jack Dann delves into the complexities of the human experience, showcasing both its best and worst aspects across various dimensions and timelines. Each story invites readers to embark on imaginative journeys, offering a rich tapestry of themes that challenge perceptions and evoke deep reflections.
A comprehensive guide to the speculative sub-genre of alternate history fiction, this book maps the unique terrain of this vibrant mode of storytelling and then explains how to write it. First giving a concise conceptual overview and the critical tools to differentiate the different forms of counterfactual fiction, Jack Dann lays out the 'tricks of the trade' such 'Heinleining', how to create recognizable 'divergent points' and how to employ paratextual elements and 'layering' to overcome readers' unfamiliarity with invented counterfactual events and cultures. Alongside this, Dann takes you step-by-step through a complete short story to demonstrate, line-by-line, how alternative history fiction works. As well as Dann's exacting methodology for writing professional quality alternate history stories, this book also features a live-on-the-page Q&A with some of the most esteemed alternate history writers working today, including Kim Stanley Robinson, John Birmingham and Lisa Goldstein among many others, who will detail their own particular hacks, theories, processes, methods and strategies. Combining extensive and deep knowledge of the field with accessible writing advice, this is the ultimate guidebook to the broad and complex sub-genre of counterfactual and alterative history fiction.
The collection features seventeen original stories set in a captivating steampunk universe filled with mystery and atmospheric tension. Each tale explores unique characters and intricate plots, immersing readers in a world where technology meets Victorian aesthetics, all while navigating themes of fear and adventure.
Thirty-Five New Stories Celebrating the Wild Side of Australian Fiction
This anthology showcases thirty-five exceptional Australian authors, each contributing original tales that promise to shock, astound, and delight readers. Featuring a diverse range of voices, including bestselling writers like Garth Nix and Trudi Canavan, the collection highlights the vibrant and imaginative landscape of contemporary Australian fiction. With a focus on fantasy, these stories reflect the unique cultural context of Australia while pushing the boundaries of the genre.
JACK DANN'S groundbreaking anthologies Wandering Stars and More Wandering Stars used the tropes of science fiction, fantasy, and magical realism to ask and try to answer! what it means to be a Jew. In his new short-story collection Concentration, Dann enlists the techniques of fabulation to illuminate one of the defining events in human history: the Nazi Holocaust. Author and critic Marleen Barr has written that Dann is a Faulkner and a Márquez for Jews ; and Concentration is a testament to that claim, for these confronting and thought provoking stories are written from a perspective rarely seen in literature. Concentration is nothing less than an attempt to describe the indescribable . . . to come to terms with the unthinkable. The Holocaust was so terrible, so far on the edges of comprehension, so surreal, so psychologically cyclonic and horrific in dimension and effect that perhaps it might best be glimpsed through the reflections of metaphor and fantasy. Dann answers the historian Hayden White's call to revise our notion of what constitutes realistic representation in order to take account of experiences that are unique to our century and for which older modes of representation have proven inadequate. And given the historical amnesia that seems to characterize our time, a work such as this is also . . . necessary.
Ten Science Fiction Stories (Wildside Double #27)
This unique edition features a dual narrative format reminiscent of classic Ace Doubles, allowing readers to flip the book for a second title. It offers a blend of engaging stories that cater to fans of speculative fiction, showcasing diverse themes and imaginative plots. Each side promises a distinct journey, appealing to both new readers and longtime enthusiasts of the genre.
This unique edition features a flip format reminiscent of classic Ace Doubles, presenting two distinct stories in one volume. The twenty-second Wildside Double invites readers to explore diverse narratives, showcasing the creativity and variety of the featured authors. Each story promises an engaging journey, appealing to fans of adventurous and imaginative literature.
This unique edition features two distinct stories presented in a flip format, reminiscent of the classic "Ace Doubles." Readers can enjoy a seamless transition between the two narratives, each offering its own captivating adventure. The ninth installment in the Wildside Double series promises to deliver engaging plots and intriguing characters, appealing to fans of speculative fiction and those looking for a fresh reading experience.
Exploring themes of redemption and artistic legacy, the story reimagines James Dean's life after his tragic accident, granting him a second chance to influence art and culture during a tumultuous period. Set against a backdrop of significant social change, the narrative delves into Dean's struggles and triumphs as he seeks to leave a lasting impact on his generation.
A Chilling new anthology of all-original tales of horrorIncludes New Stories by:Ray BradburyGraham JoycePeter CrowtherKim NewmanSara DouglassThomas TessierM. John HarrisonGahan WilsonThe anthology market these days is awash with small, themed works focused on very specific markets, like vampire erotica and tales of werewolves, or it features best of the year reprints. It has been years since anyone has dared to bring out a broad-reaching anthology that seeks to define the current state of the genre with all original tales from both masters and hot new writers.