Harlan Ellison has been compared to an annoying gnat, a no-see ’em buzzing in your peripheral vision till you try to swat him, and he’s gone.
The great English writer Michael Moorcock—and if his name does not leave you dumbstruck with awe, you should move on—called Ellison a “fox in the sf hen-coop” whose presence will “produce a brighter, faster hen, with improved survival characteristics, laying a tastier, more nourishing egg” and went on to say Ellison was “a brave and lively little beast, who makes a great show of himself to the hounds, but remains too wary ever to lead them to his lair.”
The brilliant novelist Joanna Russ, in admiring frustration, opined that Ellison’s stories “have an assault on you,” but complained that “they’re not like a piece of sculpture that you can stop and walk around and look at from all sides.” Ellison’s reply: “Absolutely not; I want them to grab you by the throat and tear off parts of your body.”
Ellison’s a double agent who lures you into the bush, and when you blink, he’s gone; you don’t know whether to turn left or right, or just dig a hole. He crafts enigmas set to entrap you. When Ellison sees where a story is going, he figures—since he’s writing for the smartest readers alive—you do, too. So he stops and turns left. Or right. Or widdershins. Or digs a cave with 200 tunnels.
Can & Can’tankerous gathers ten previously uncollected tales from the fifth and sixth decades of Harlan Ellison’s professional writing career: a written-in-the-window endeavor that invites re-reading from the start before you’ve even finished it; a second entry in his (now) ongoing abcedarian sequence; a “lost” pulp tale re-cast as a retro-fable; a melancholy meditation for departed friend and fellow legend, Ray Bradbury; a 2001 revision of a 1956 original; an absurdist ascent toward enlightenment (or its gluten-free substitute); a 200-word exercise in not following the directions as written (with a special introduction by Neil Gaiman that weighs in at four times the word count of its subject); a fantastical lament for a bottom-line world; the 2011 Nebula Award-winning short story; and Ellison’s most recent offering, a fusion of fact and fiction that calls to mind Russ’s frustration and Moorcock’s metaphor while offering a solution to the story’s enigma in plain view.
Strokes be damned! Ellison’s still here! HE’s still writing! And with more new books published in the last ten years than any preceding decade of his career, his third act is proving to be the kind other living legends envy. Views: 600
The Secret of the Borgias: The Closed Book by William Le Queux.William Tufnell Le Queux was an Anglo-French journalist and writer. He was also a diplomat, a traveller, a flying buff who officiated at the first British air meeting at Doncaster in 1909, and a wireless pioneer who broadcast music from his own station long before radio was generally available; his claims regarding his own abilities and exploits, however, were usually exaggerated. His best-known works are the anti-German invasion fantasies The Great War in England in 1897 (1894) and The Invasion of 1910 (1906), the latter of which was a phenomenal bestseller.These strange facts would never have been placed on record, nor would this exciting chapter of an eventful life have been written, except for two reasons: first, because the discovery I made has been declared to be of considerable importance to scientists, bibliophiles, and the world at large; and, secondly, because it is my dear wife’s wish that in order to clear her... Views: 600
A house demolition provides an unpleasant surprise for Minneapolis-the bodies of two girls, wrapped in plastic. It looks like they've been there a long time. Lucas Davenport knows exactly how long.
In 1985, Davenport was a young cop with a reputation for recklessness, and the girls' disappearance was a big deal. His bosses ultimately declared the case closed, but he never agreed with that. Now that he has a chance to investigate it all over again, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: It wasn't just the bodies that were buried. It was the truth. Views: 599
This captivating story set in the world of Lauren Oliver’s New York Times bestselling Delirium series focuses on Raven, the fiery leader of a rebel group in the Wilds.
As a teenager, Raven made the split-second decision to flee across the border to the Wilds, compelled to save an abandoned newborn—a baby girl left for dead and already blue from the cold. When she and the baby are taken in by a band of rebels, Raven finds herself an outsider within a tight-knit group. The only other newcomer is an untrustworthy boy known as the Thief until he finally earns himself a new name: Tack.
Now she and Tack are inseparable, committed to each other, the fledgling rebellion, and a future together. But as they both take center stage in the fight, Raven must decide whether the dangers of the revolution are worth risking her dreams of a peaceful life with Tack.
As her story hurtles back and forth between past and present, Raven transforms from a scared girl newly arrived in the Wilds to the tough leader who helps Lena save former Deliria-Free poster boy Julian Fineman from a death sentence. Whatever the original mission may have been, Raven abides by a conviction that she believes to her core: You always return for the people you love.
By turns surprising, revelatory, and poignant, Raven’s story enriches the Delirium world and resonates with a voice that is as vulnerable as it is strong. Views: 599
This Impressive Historical mystery novel has already won first place in its category at both the Pikes Peak and Southwest Writers Conferences in 2000.It is the summer of 1938 and Jerusalem is in chaos. The atmosphere teems with intrigue as terrorists roam the countryside and the British are losing control of the Mandate, even as Europe nervously teeters on the brink of World War II.Against this backdrop of international tensions, Lily Sampson, an American graduate student, is involved in a dig -- an important excavation directed by the eminent British archaeologist, Geoffrey Eastbourne.As he makes his way to the opening of the Rockefeller Museum, an important member of the dig is murdered. Precious artifacts from the dig are missing, one of which is a beautiful blue glass amphoriskos (a vial about three and a half inches long) which Lily herself had excavated. Upset by this loss, she searches for the vial -- enlisting the help of the military attache of the American consulate.But when she contacts the British police, they seem evasive and offputting -- unable or unwilling either to find the murderer or to look into the theft of the amphoriskos. Lily realizes that she will get no help from them and sets out on her own to find the vial. When she finds the victim's journal in her tent, she assumes he had left it for her because he feared for his life.Lily's adventurous search for information about the murder and the theft of the amphoriskos lead into a labyrinth of extreme danger and intrigue. Views: 599
Reggie Fontaine isn’t exactly looking forward to his shift at the Suds ‘N Slice Pizza Parlor. That is until he meets Tori, who owns the tattoo parlor next door. What starts as a boring shift blossoms into something unexpected and magical, a night they’ll never forget. Of course, they’ll always have the matching snowflake tattoos to remember it by…This 6,500-word short story is 39 pages long.Lamont like many eighteen year olds living in 2057 Boston has a convertible podcar, a girlfriend, and three good buddies. Unlike his peers he lives in a Genetic Research center, has a genetic mental disorder, and can shoot lightning out of his blade-staff. Lamont’s secure world is turned upside down when Grid-One, a podcar traffic relay station is hit by terrorists known as the Hakim killing one of his mentors along with thousands in a nationwide tragedy. The team vows revenge and is sent on their first mission to recapture the relay station. In the resulting battle his team is decimated by an unknown sun weapon. He and the only other survivor, his shy friend Mark are thrown into further disarray as they learn of two other Superion teams like theirs were also developed by the secretive Foundation. Fearing that they may be targeted for extermination they escape to the lunar resort of Nuevo Vegas. They both find jobs and are mentored by Jerry Hornish and Edwin Edwards, but both of these men have their own secrets and ties to the Foundation. As other Superion team survivors show up a makeshift team is formed they are mere pawns in a plot by a rival Foundation faction trying to wrest control from the true leader Osiris, an immortal alien who is reincarnated upon death. Are the inexperienced team members ready to take on their battle-hardened renegade predecessors? Will young Osiris arrive in time to help them? Views: 599
A hijacker and his hostage escape to a very strange, very dangerous farm
Since his father died, every Saturday night has been the same for Dave and his mother. She starts by talking—aimless, weird fantasies about get-rich-quick schemes that never come to anything—but finally she goes silent, and that’s when Dave becomes afraid. Mom has a way of getting very close that is repellent and appealing all at once, and he’s terrified of where it might lead.
One Saturday, a noise outside breaks the silence. A hijacker has escaped his stolen plane with a parachute, a hundred thousand dollars in cash, and one very frightened stewardess. The thief thinks he’s gotten away with it, but he doesn’t know what Dave’s mother will do for an easy payday—and a chance to make her son a happy man. Views: 599
FBI Agent Atlee Pine's harrowing search for her long-lost sister Mercy reaches a boiling point in this breakneck thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author David Baldacci. For her entire life, FBI agent Atlee Pine has been searching for her twin sister, Mercy, who was abducted at the age of six and never seen again. Mercy's disappearance left behind a damaged family that later shattered beyond repair when Atlee's parents inexplicably abandoned her. Now, after a perilous investigation that nearly proved fatal, Atlee has finally discovered not only the reason behind her parents' abandonment and Mercy's kidnapping, but also the most promising breakthrough yet: proof that Mercy survived her abduction and then escaped her captors many years ago. Though Atlee is tantalizingly close to her family at last, the final leg of her long road to Mercy will be the most treacherous yet. Mercy left at least one dead body behind before... Views: 599
When Ellen and her two best friends travel to Tulsa for Sue's daughter's wedding, they get the crazy idea of flipping another historical home—only this time, it's an abandoned warehouse. When they hear from the locals that the place is haunted, Ellen and Sue convince Tanya to investigate, and what they uncover is one of Tulsa's and the nation's most horrifying secrets. Views: 599
New York Times bestselling author Wilbur Smith—hailed by Stephen King as the “best historical novelist” and one of the world’s biggest-selling authors—returns to Ancient Egypt in this breathtaking epic that conjures the magic, mystery, romance, and bloody intrigue of a fascinating lost world.
Game of Thrones meets Ancient Egypt in this magnificent, action-packed epic. On the gleaming banks of the Nile, the brilliant Taita—slave and advisor to the Pharaoh—finds himself at the center of a vortex of passion, intrigue, and danger. His quest to destroy the Hyksos army and form an alliance with Crete takes him on an epic journey up the Nile, through Arabia and the magical city of Babylon, and across the open seas. With the future of Egypt itself on his shoulders, Taita enters a world where the line between loyalty and betrayal shifts like the desert sands, evil enemies await in the shadows, and death lingers on the edges of darkness. Views: 598
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Score and Midnight Revenge...
Four years ago, Cate’s entire life changed when she discovered she was the daughter of a supersoldier. But Jim Morgan’s overprotectiveness has pushed her away. These days, she’s working as a freelance photographer and living the dangerous life Jim never wanted for her.
When Cate snaps a photo linking a corrupt South American politician with the leader of a notorious drug cartel, her mercenary father leads a team to rescue her—only to get shot and critically wounded in the process.
As Morgan’s operatives rally together on a revenge mission, they’re faced with new alliances and old heartaches. Cate is forced to work with David “Ash” Ashton, the man who broke her heart two years ago, while Liam Macgregor and Sullivan Port resurface after years apart to finally try to deal with everything they’d left unsaid.
Soon it’s all-out war between the cartel and the mercenaries—with two couples caught in the middle of the blood feud. Love and redemption are within their reach...but first they have to make it home alive. Views: 598
