Many thousands of readers consider Philip K. Dick the greatest science fiction mind on any planet. Since his untimely death in 1982, interest in Dick's works has continued to mount and his reputation has been further enhanced by a growing body of critical attention. The Philip K. Dick Award is now given annually to a distinguished work of science fiction, and the Philip K. Dick Society is devoted to the study and promulgation of his works.This collection includes all of the writer's earliest short and medium-length fiction (including some previously unpublished stories) covering the years 1952-1955. These fascinating stories include Second Variety, Foster, You're Dead and The Father-Thing, and many others."A useful acquisition for any serious SF library or collection". -- Kirkus"The collected stories of Philip K. Dick is awe inspiring". -- The Washington Post"More than anyone else in the field, Mr. Dick really puts you inside people's minds". -- Wall Street JournalFrom School Library Journalea. vol: 400p. Underwood-Miller. 1987. set: $125. ISBN 0-88733-053-3. LC number unavailable. YA Dick is not just a good craftsman of short stories, but a successful writer of short science fiction stories. These vignettes will expand readers' points of view and challenge usual cultural assumptions. This collection traces Dick's growth as a writer, and also the application of major sci/fi themes over the 30 years between his first story in 1952 and his last in 1982. Thermonuclear war, xenophobia, and the tension between man and technology are among the recurring motifs. Each volume contains brief notes that date the stories and offer some context from the author's perspective. The price may seem high, but it compares favorably with the investment many libraries have in Heinlein and Asimov. These books lend themselves to ``cover-to-cover'' reading, an unusual feat for a five-volume collection. Dorcas Hand, Episcopal High School, BellaireCopyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library JournalEncompassing 34 years and over 100 stories, this collection of the short fiction of the late author provides a retrospective of his contribution to sf literature. Arranged chronologically (with publication history and, in some cases, Dick's own commentaries at the end of each volume), the progression from early stories such as "The Preserving Machine" (1953) to "The Little Black Box" (1964) and "Frozen Journey" (1980) traces the development of one of sf's most eccentric and articulate minds. Highly recommended for any library whose budget can afford the price. JCCopyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. Views: 69
The young and beautiful Lady Linnett Wainwright refuses to submit to anyone, doing as she pleases at all times, whether it's riding her horse across the English countryside or throwing tantrums at Lavenstock Hall, her home. Her father indulges her in all things except when it comes to the man who will marry his precious, spoiled girl. For this, Sir Thomas chooses his business partner, John Foster, who arrives in England from America to be met with the haughty disapproval of a woman he nevertheless falls for passionately.Foster becomes determined to throw Linnett over his knee to teach her the discipline she's never had and show her that he is her master. He believes she will need that discipline and protection if she is to survive a dangerous voyage with him across an ocean filled with pirates to the unknown wilds of the Colonies. Linnett on the other hand, thinks she has her whole life planned out, chasing after a childhood sweetheart even as the handsome John Foster lights a... Views: 69
Somewhere in the Austrian Alps, a group of men in their thirties have gathered for a weekend away. When they come down from their cabin, the world has ended. As the men wander through this destroyed human landscape, Euphoria's nameless narrator reveals only small, shocking details - a crashed helicopter, a boy sitting impassively beside his murdered parents, a provincial nightclub full of charred bodies. Seeking food and fuel for the fire, but finding only the pointless remnants of their suddenly vanished world, the men realise that all they have left is their lives. And are those really worth anything in a world where their future has crumbled away, their past remains only as an empty taunt and their present is reduced to the monotonous trudge of animal survival? An austere, troubling tale of how quickly men become beasts, Euphoria explores the repressed savagery of human nature and the disturbing meaningless of a world run free from society's... Views: 68
An abandoned baby, a glorious old Newport mansion, and awakening romance swirl the glittering waters of Breakwater Bay . . . Preservationist Meri Hollis loves her latest project, restoring one of Newport's forgotten Gilded Age mansions. And with summer approaching, she'll be able to spend more time with her grandmother on the Rhode Island shore. She has a great job, a loving family, and she's pretty sure her boyfriend is going to propose on her thirtieth birthday.But everything Meri believes about family, happiness, truth, and love is shattered when her family's darkest secret is exposed. Thirty years before, Meri's neighbor and friend, Alden Corrigan, took his father's dinghy out to fish. In a sudden storm, he rushed to help a woman stranded on the breakwater. She was just a girl . . . a very pregnant girl who disappeared soon after they reached safety—but not before she left behind a special gift. Now that the truth is out, life will change... Views: 68
Charming and lyrical, The Fairies of Sadieville continues Alex Bledsoe's widely-praised contemporary fantasy series, about the song-wielding fairy descendants living in modern-day Appalachia."This is real." Three small words on a film canister found by graduate students Justin and Veronica, who discover a long-lost silent movie from more than a century ago. The startlingly realistic footage shows a young girl transforming into a winged being. Looking for proof behind this claim, they travel to the rural foothills of Tennessee to find Sadieville, where it had been filmed.Soon, their journey takes them to Needsville, whose residents are hesitant about their investigation, but Justin and Veronica are helped by Tucker Carding, who seems to have his own ulterior motives. When the two students unearth a secret long hidden, everyone in the Tufa community must answer the most important question of their entire lives — what would they be... Views: 68
After Ivy's stepfather disappears, Ivy's mama begins waitressing at Dining Divinely to make ends meet. She also takes in a boarder—twelve-year-old Caleb, who's the same age as Ivy and is the weirdest guy she's ever met. With Mama working full-time, Ivy has to babysit her little brother, JJ. She also has to fend off the nosy Pastor Harold; stop Caleb from filling JJ's head with lies; and keep her best friend, Ellen, from knowing anything about her embarrassing situation at home. Ivy has always found out all she needs to know by lurking in the shadows (some might call it "eavesdropping"). But as things at home become more complicated, she learns to step into the light and not only listen but speak up. Views: 68
As devoted readers of Adriana Trigiani's New York Times bestselling novels know, this "seemingly effortless storyteller" (Boston Globe) frequently draws inspiration from her own family history, in particular from the lives of her two remarkable grandmothers, who have found their way into all Trigiani's cherished novels. In Don't Sing at the Table, this much-beloved writer has gathered their estimable life lessons, revealing how her grandmothers' simple values have shaped her own life, sharing the experiences, humor, and wisdom of her beloved mentors to delight readers of all ages.Lucia Spada Bonicelli (Lucy) and Yolanda Perin Trigiani (Viola) lived through the twentieth century from beginning to end as working women who juggled careers and motherhood. From the factory line to the family table, Lucy and Viola, the very definition of modern women, cut a path for their granddaughter by demonstrating moxie... Views: 68
