Product Description
Third in long running series of original sf story anthologies. Interior artwork by Jack Gaughan. Contains: Mother to the World, by Richard Wilson (winner, 1968 Nebula Award; nominated, 1969 Hugo Award); Bramble Bush, by Richard McKenna; The Barbarian, by Joanna Russ; the Changeling, by Gene Wolfe; Why They Mobbed the White House, by Doris Pitkin Buck; The Planners, by Kate Wilhelm (winner, 1968 Nebula Award); Don't Wash the Carats, by Philip José Farmer; Letter to a Young Poet, by James Sallis; Here is Thy Sting, by John Jakes. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Only for the Wolfe Completist
This is Gene Wolfe's first novel, and unfortunately it's a trainwreck made of aging cellulose. The basic idea is intriguing: The U.S. has turned its back on science and technology, abandoning its colonies on Mars. After America has seriously declined as a result, the Martians ostensibly are beaming back propaganda to covert cells and threatening an invason. Unfortunately, the book reads like a below average screwball novel by A.E. Van Vogt. Plot threads and characters are created, dropped, picked up, then dropped again. Individuals are given great power for no reason other than the fact that they are told they possess incredibly bright minds. There are deals and counter-deals and feints and betrayals on the stage of international diplomacy, and in the end one wonders what if anything has actually changed. (One minor historical comment: Jefferson was not at the Constitutional Convention of 1787, as asserted in the book.) Wolfe went on to become a distinguished writer, largely of science fiction and fantasy; this is an interesting artifact for the completist only. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

An excellent collection
For lovers of fantastic literature, the name Zothique no doubt revives pleasant memories of hours spent reading the stories of one of the genre's masters, Clark Ashton Smith.Smith was truly sui generis--although his work contained echoes of Howard and Lovecraft, he was in a class by himself.His short stories are more accurately described as highly compressed novels--he conveyed in short, densely detailed narratives what it would take others hundreds of pages to accomplish.

Thus, I approached THE LAST CONTINENT: NEW TALES OF ZOTHIQUE with more than a little trepidation.My worries were unfounded, however--editor Pelan has done an admirable job in assembling stories from a diverse group of authors includingGerard Houarner, Brian McNaughton, Jessica Almond Salmonson, Don Webb, Gene Wolfe, Brian Stableford, Lucy Taylor and Karl Henrik Johnsson.Most contributors wisely avoided the temptation to mimic Smith's style; to do so most likely would have proved disastrous.Instead, they chose to seize on the energy of his ideas, using them as springboards for their own tales.The result: a truly entertaining batch of stories featuring necromancers, magicians, strange diseases (remember the Silver Death?) and even stranger beasts.

I won't belabor this any more, except to say that this is an excellent collection, a fine, eminently readable tribute that can be enjoyed by Clark aficionados and neophytes alike.

Haunting additions to Smith's classic 'Zothique' deserves kudos
The Last Continent is a collection of new tales in the theme of Clark Ashton Smith's classic "Tales Of Zothique".Gathering up such talented writers as Gerard Houarner, John Pelan, Edward Lee, Charlee Jacob, and Mark McLaughlin, The Last Continent takes us on a journey through the last continent of Zothique that was originally created by Smith.

You will feel the weak red sun as it dies, taste the dust of deserts on your lips, and tremble in the wake of strange magics.The Last Continent crosses the fantasy/SciFi/horror genres like a savage bee pollinating blood-tinged flowers, and the memory of these tales will sting you in pleasing and painful ways, perhaps even hang around awhile like a lump of swollen, poisoned flesh.

Here are the stories you will discover in The Last Continent.

1 - To Wake The Dead In Nypholos by Gerard Houarner.
A strange woman with mystic abilities visits the city of Nypholos, charming her way past the city's guardian.But when her charms are diverted from him to the Xipe Uthala, the guardian proves he is true to his city over all others.

2 - The Decibel Circus by Rhys Hughes.
The last acolyte to the demon god Drigg journeys to a cold desert where stylites pose on pillars and speak in tongues that can arouse changes in men and earth.Ximbus must use these stylites to bring his god back to life before his own body fades from disease.

3 - The Benevolent Emperor by Brian McNaughton.
An arrogant emperor discovers the consequences of arousing the wrath of the Gods, and must watch his kingdom die.

4 - Where The Past Lay Buried by David B. Silva.
When a man sets out on a journey to discover his beginnings, aroused by a prophetic vision, he discovers more than he bargained for and unleashes an unholy force on an innocent village.

5 - The Temple Of Captured Gods by David Niall Wilson.
Even a Priestess can be mistaken, and when coveting a contained God, even a King must listen first to his heart.

6 - The Connoisseur Of Corpses by Dan Clore.
A fantastic tale of a necrophiliac who gives his all to his God in order to become more involved with the dead, a deal that causes him to prosper in more ways than one.

7 - The Vainglorious Simulacrum Of Mungha Sorcyllamia by Mark McLaughlin.
Mark McLaughlin is one of my absolute favorite short story writers.He always manages to bring in a glimpse of humor to both his titles and his tales.In this tale, a gifted man becomes enamored by a painting made in his class, painted by a traveling girl with secrets to hide from him.Nevertheless, they fall in love, and Mungha eventually winds out using all of his gifts in order to see this sensual beauty once more.

8 - The Scarlet Succubus by Edward Lee and John Pelan.
Two of the most talented horror writers come together for this oddly surreal tale.One of the best in the collection.A vile King with dissatisfied vassals pushes them over the edge with his decedent indulgences.While Taquin Narr, the king's wizard, has the answer to uproot the vile king, he remains unaware of the King's secrets, passed on from generation to generation, secrets that keep the kingdom safe.
Spectacular achievement in scifi/fantasy/horror cross-genre.

9 - Hode Of The High Place by Jessica Amanda Salmonson.
A simple boy manages to infiltrate the strange, spiraled palace raised up on an impossible plateau in the midst of an ignorant, rural town.But in ignorance he rules his high place like a barbarian, and forgets from whence he came.

10 - Serenade At The End Of Time by Don Webb.
A thief or an acolyte, what will Fulbra be?Where will his desires lead him, and at what price will he be distracted?

11 - Blue Roses, Red Red Wine by t. Winter Damon.
One of my favorites.Cirdaith, strangely bound by magic to his harp called Shadowdreamer, sails off with his companions to find the City Of Blue Roses.Though they arrive in caution, they stay in decadence, indulging their physical and spiritual fantasies with the mysterious and irresistible nymphs they find there.Blood will flow and hearts will be broken, but the city will live forever with its hunger.

12 - A Traveler In Desert Lands by Gene Wolf.
Another favorite.The price of a jug of water in a desert wasteland turns into a lifelong prison of madness.

13 - Jolerarymi's Rose by Geoff Cooper.
Love knows no bounds, but can love also see through all treacheries?Stonecarver Jolerarymi wants only enough business to eek out a living and please his girl Sheleen.But Sheleen, greedy for the things Jolerarymi cannot buy her, prostitutes herself for goods and coin, making Jolerarymi very jealous.When Jolerarymi is given the contract of a lifetime, his visions of he and Sheleen together forever in a comfortable life are shattered by his murder.Sheleen takes Jolerarymi's corpse to a Necromancer to reanimate.But did she do it for Jolerarymi?Or for herself?Now that he's dead, will Jolerarymi know of her deceit?

14 - The Judgement Of Tsaran by Polagaya Fine.
A man finds his punishment to be incomprehensible, isolation on a deserted island with a strange altar that calls to him.

15 - Ashes Of Longing, Ashes Of Lust by Lucy Taylor.
Another favorite.Xi-Lan abandons his lover Gamede on their journey to the fearsome city of Cienta, leaving her in the middle of the night after a horrible nightmare.When Xi-Lan hears of Gamede's death, he vows to make the journey to collect her remains.Gamede's last wish was to have her ashes scattered from the Mountains of Arden, and for Xi-Lan the road from Cienta to Arden is fraught with horrible danger and unspeakable mutilation.In the end, will he travel with Gamede again?

16 - Love & Death At The End Of The World by Mark Chadbourn.
A band of cutthroats kidnap a beautiful girl to be used as a sacrifice to a demon isolated inside a tower of bones.But when Rathsamman decides that redemption is better than power or riches, he may discover that he is alone.

17 - The Leper King by Charlee Jacob.
Another favorite.Lyrkatra is a young witch intent on building her powers.She is a homely girl, who lives with her goatherd lover Komtai in the mountains that rise up above a fetid leper colony.Where most witches seek knowledge to destroy, Lyrkatra is a gentle soul who seeks the knowledge to create.Komtai discovers a fortune in jewels hidden within the crags of the mountains, and leaves poor Lyrkatra to become a great and wealthy king.Years later, when Lyrkatra is brought before the king to entertain him, she is able to show Komtai that creation is the most powerful magic of all.

18 - The Light Of Achernar by Brian Stableford.
Wow.This is the first story I have read by Brian Stableford, and he has earned a healthy round of applause from me.One of the longer and more stylistic stories in this collection, The Light Of Achernar is a real treat.
`Light' is a complex story surrounding the astrologer/sorcerer Giraiazal, who was exiled to the Isle of Cyntrom.Here, he performs his predictions and declarations of fate for two merchant princes, who are in reality brutal pirates.At the prince's request, Giraiazal tracks down the heirs to the palace throne, two young men whom the prince's are confident they can control.
Lysariel, as the oldest, becomes king, and his brother Manazzoryn comes to live in the palace with him.The brothers each marry a daughter of the pirates.
But Giraiazal sees only misfortune in his readings of the stars, the fell star of Achernar holding its foul sway over the futures of the new royals.Giraiazal does what he can to prevent his predictions from taking place as this complex tale of magic, love, and fate unfolds.But Fate is a tempestuous mistress.

19 - The Triumph Of The Worm by Karl Henrik Johnsson.
This last story left me feeling as though the collection had suddenly flattened out, dropping away from its consistent splendor.One of the most irritating things about this last story is that it, outside of the others, was very poorly edited.Life was constantly misspelled as Fife, many times.And the author took Smith's flowing style and turned it into a chaotic and discordant mess.Each and every sentence was so long and drawn out that the prose lost its music.
In `Worm', Zothique finally dies, leaving only a long-dead and decomposing madman to witness the sun's last throes.

The Last Continent is an original reading experience, utilizing not only Smith's vision of Zothique but his stylistic, flowing prose.These authors, like Smith, were able to breathe life into this dying world.

The book has a nice introduction, "Grim News From The Far Future", by Donald Sidney-Fryer, beautiful cover art by Rob Alexander, and intriguing sketches within the pages by Fredrik King.It is a limited edition of 500 copies, numbered and signed by each author.The layout is very nice, a friendly format, with an easy to read font and tight binding.

While the price is a bit formidable, I have hopes that this book will be picked up by another publisher and made available to the general public at an affordable price.In the meantime, if you are into rare collectibles that have actual, enjoyable content, do not miss out on The Last Continent.I cannot recommend this book highly enough.Enjoy!

New, compelling ideas inspired by the Master of strange!
For an anthology "based" on the style and stories of CAS, I felt most of the stories in this book were as fascinating and strange as Smith's. Without the hamperings of technical descriptions and reasonings of a "Dying Sun" scenario, the stories just naturally fall into prosaic form, dealing in the macabre and and the darkly fantastic. Better than most of the "inspired by..." anthologies. A good read!

A great collection!
This is a tribute anthology inspired by the works of Clark Ashton Smith.Having not read one piece of fiction by Smith, I anticipated missing some of the underlying themes.This was not the case.John Pelan has selectedstories that while being in the tradition of Smith's stylings is easilyaccessible to those of us not entrenched in the ways of Clark AshtonSmith's fiction.As in all anthologies there are gems, good stories and afew dogs.This collection has a higher incidence of the first two.

DavidB. Silva's "Where The Past Lay Buried" is an effective meditationon guilt and the price it extolls.Geoff Cooper's "The Jolerarymi'sRose", a sculptor is betrayed by his wife and he enacts revenge. Edward Lee & John Pelan's "The Scarlet Succubus" waxes poeticon politics, betrayal and some evil aquatic monsters.This one takes youone way then twists the ending so you don't know which way is up. "Ashes of Longing, Ashes of Lust" is a fast moving, beautifullywritten selection that made me feel I was beside the characters.Here youfind a man on a mission and the toll an old girlfriend's last wish takes onhim.Mark McLaughlin spins a tale of obsession in "The VaingloriousSimulacrum of Mungha Sorcyllamia".Brian Stableford turns in astellar novella of passion, love and betrayal in "The Light ofAchernar".

Other standout tales are written by Charlee Jacob, DavidNiall Wilson, Gerard Houarner, Dan Clore, and Gene Wolfe.The bookcontains some outstanding cover art by Rob Alexander and some nice interiorillustrations by Fredrik King and Allen Koszowski. Highly Recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
OTHER VOICES, OTHER DOORS collects the best stories, poems and non-fiction of the last twenty years by Patrick O'Leary, acclaimed author of DOOR NUMBER THREE and THE GIFT. OTHER VOICES, OTHER DOORS is an unabashedly different book. It is a celebration of the inexhaustible shape-shifting power of stories.It is fantastic. It is mundane. And we are not in Kansas anymore. Disturbing, amusing, frank and original, OTHER VOICES, OTHER DOORS is Patrick O'Leary's first (and probably last) collection of writing. Foreword by Gene Wolfe.

Patrick O’Leary wants to tell you a story: about Van Morrison, and vasectomies, and the aliens who are us; about the way it feels - really feels - to be alive and loving and hurting in a world made of wonders. So pull up a chair, open this book: and listen. —Kathe Koja, author of Extremities

Other Voices, Other Doors is essential O’Leary-zany, serious, unclassifiable, and delightful. It reveals the many brilliant facets of a deeply humane and utterly original writer. —Kathleen Ann Goonan, author of Crescent City Rhapsody

Other Voices, Other Doors neatly captures the kaleidescopic nature of Patrick O’Leary’s imagination. Begin reading with any piece - short story, essay, poem - and when next you check the time you will find hours have flown like some impossible bird. A truly hypnotic collection. —Jeffrey Ford, author of The Physiognomy

From LOCUS Magazine, January 2001:

Though today's publishing field is making it harder and harder to find volumes devoted to shorter pieces, collections live on thanks to small presses and the burgeoning print-on-demand business. We should also be grateful to those masters of the field who are willing to support newcomers. Gene Wolfe provides an entertaining intro to Patrick O'Leary's Other Voices, Other Doors, subtitled "A Collection of Stories, Meditations, and Poems"...he shows us through one of those doors and introduces us to the work of an author "so damned human it's a wonder the man-eating sharks haven't come ashore to get him." An author, this reader can now report, whose quirky versatality and hidden depths remind me of none other than Gene Wolfe.

If I were really clever, I might be able to disguise this review as something other than a rave. But nah — Wolfe and O'Leary are the masters at that game. So I just urge you to take a look at Other Voices, Other Doors. You won't be disappointed.—Faren Miller, Locus ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Patrick O'Leary's THE GIFT
I love this book. At first when I heard we had to read an assigned book I thought oh great another boring book report, but I really enjoyed reading this one. The book, The Gift, was published in 1997 by the author Patrick O'Leary. It's very complicated and hard to summarize. It takes you through many different times and places, bringing an unruly team of an orphan, a king, and a Waterman (magical frog) together to triumph over an evil wizard and his accomplice at impossible odds. It is a network of many stories being told by the characters in other stories, interwoven to make one awesome novel.
The review I choose to respond to was written and published by Kate Nepveu on February 21, 1999. She named this book "an astonishing novel of and about stories." Her opinions of the book were all positive, but she thought it was "a book that neither summarizes well nor a book that should be spoiled." She claimed it was a science fantasy for mixing magic with technology, but with the two often confused. In summary, she said "The Gift is an elegant and interesting meditation on story, power, women, and the price one pays with regard to all of them."
I agree with most of the review. While at times it can be hard to follow, The Gift is the kind of book that can take your mind to places your body may never be able to get to. I agree with her (the author's) comment that the book carries some importance of female characters in it. The triumphing hero in the end was female; even the reason the antagonist became the antagonist was because of women. I agree totally with the review's comment on how the importance of women wasn't preached upon but was a natural undertone throughout the plot. After all, the book begins and ends with women with untold stories that cross other stories surrounding them, leaving much to the imagination.
One of the parts I liked in the book that this review touches on is the fact that you can't sum it up in just one story. Kate Nepveu said it the best with her comment that "This is a book about stories." There is the story of the Teller telling the sailors and their Captain another story, the story of Tim. Tim and Simon and Marty encounter many different people, who each have their own background stories and more to tell. It's kind of hard to follow until the last chapter and epilogue, where everything is explained. The review I chose labeled The Gift's many overlapping stories as having "an intricately nested effect that illuminates the world and its characters in a concise, elegant fashion."I agree wholeheartedly with that statement because though there are many things going on. The one story that contains all the others is explained by its contents. The little stories make the big picture, and that in turn made it a very interesting and good book to read.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a book that will make them think. It's not the kind of book you can read in bits and pieces; once you start it you won't want to stop. It's a modernized fairy tale full of dragons, wizards, people who can fly, frogmen, and anything your imagination can fathom. I guarantee it'll keep any reader enthralled till the very last word.

OtherWise
"Other Voices, Other Doors" will introduce you to the work of Patrick O'Leary.The book is chock full of charm, wit, compassion, style, and voice.A wonderful collection.But what else should we expect from the author of the marvelously inventive novels, "Door Number Three" and "The Gift"? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A great look into the making of ...the New Sun series
This is a great book--comrpised mostly of essays written about halfway through the publishing schedule of the four New Sun books--about Gene Wolfe's experiences and impetus and all kinds of other stuff about why and how he wrote such a masterpiece.It includes Urth humor and a lexicon of the words he used (every one of which is/was an actual word used at one time--a well known trait of Gene.)A must have, though a hard find, for any Gene Wolfe fan.And if you're not a fan, go be one, okay?It's way worth it. ... Read more

Product Description
Gene Wolfe and Neil Gaiman invite you to tour the Shambles, that historic old Chicago neighborhood which miraculously survived the Great Fire of 1871. (''Ya can't burn Hell.'' as one local politician laughingly remarked.) Uniquely Chicago, the Shambles offers an array of delights for the intrepid sightseer: Cereal House with its Terribly Strange Bed (be sure to fill out the ''next of kin'' form if you stay the night: a quaint touch adding to the fun of an overnight visit); the House of Clocks boasts a collection of 20,000 time pieces -- make sure you arrive on the hour, for an unforgettable moment; the historic H.H. Holmes' House with the bars on his children's windows still intact; Saunders Park, a soothing respite from the city streets (if one is careful), with its gardens, statuary, ornamental lake and the infamous Petting Zoo (a favorite with children, but it's best not to bring your own); plus many more intriguing sights . . .

In the finest tradition of Charles Addams and Edward Gorey, our trustworthy guides Gene Wolfe and Neil Gaiman reveal the secrets of the Shambles, finding the best places to eat, (and where not to accept food under any circumstances), where to begin your walking tour, and when to run.

The Shambles has been called a place of dark magic and deadly menace. Many will insist there is no such place. Most pray it does not exist. Certainly, a spot not to be missed by any avid sightseer.

Come along . . . walk lively, now. The inhabitants of the Shambles are dying to meet you.

This lovely edition of A Walking Tour of the Shambles sports a cover by Gahan Wilson, America's reigning King of Whimsical Terrors, plus interior illustrations of Shambles' locales by Randy Broecker and Earl Geier, two daring Chicagoans.

Third Printing: 2009 ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Excellent guide for a hard-to-find locale!
I followed this guide and I had an unforgettable experience... Now, where am I exactly?

And yes, I do like Edward Gorey. And Ambrose Bierce.
For anyone having a quirky, dark sense of humour, as most diehard fans of Gaiman and Wolfe do, this is well worth tracking down. I had a smile on my face the entire way through, and laughed out loud to myself in several places. Despite its brief length, I can honestly say it gave me more entertainment for the dollar than any blockbuster novel I've read in the last several years.

If you like Edward Gorey's work, get it. If not, don't.
This book reads like a whimsical guidebook (and is less than a centimeter thick), has playfully macabre art, and all the substance of a marshmallow.If you can't get enough of amusing depictions of dessicating and dying children, shrines to Cthonic gods, and lurking horrors, this might be for you.If you're looking for something mildly engrossing with actual content, keep looking.

Good, but...
I found A Walking Tour to be amusing and clever, but there isn't much material for the price, which is my only real complaint. Recommended for diehard fans of Wolfe and/or Gaiman.

pretty good for what it is
...(The list of Wolfe's other books inside the cover doesn't include anything currently in print by the famous sf author). This is a mock sightseers guide to a fictional part of Chicago. While it is well written and entertaining, it is also very short and filled with illustrations, so there is not a whole lot to read. I would recomend it for light reading, however I would not recomend that anyone pay [$$$] for this small amount of literature. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Two of sci-fi's notable novellas
You can find "Sailing to Byzantium" as a stand-alone book in print, which is terrific, as it is a shame that this double Tor book is now out of print. "Sailing to Byzantium" is a must-read by Silverberg, one of science fiction's premier authors. He excels in the novella genre, and the writing in "Byzantium" is nothing short of exquisite. Silverberg creates an entire future society, yet reveals each fact with perfect timing, dropping them into place as precisely as a safecracker dropping tumblers into the lock of a safe. If you want to read a near-perfectshort work of fiction, this is it.

Turn this book upside down and Gene Wolfe's celebrated "Seven American Nights" is on the other side. The story unfolds with a diary of an Iranian visitor to the ruins of a future United States. The diary tells a story of an adventure in a land of mutants and ruined treasure for the taking. But is the writer reliable in what he tells us? The uncertainty of the information is skillfully crafted and teases the reader almost unbearably along each of the seven nights.

Both these stories are top-notch examples of short fiction writing, and masterpieces of science fiction. If you find a copy of this, snap it up. ... Read more

Product Description
Includes the stories: "The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories" by Gene Wolfe; "In the Queue" by Keith Laumer; "Continued on Next Rock" by R. A. Lafferty; "Eyebem" by Gene Wolfe; "Jim and Mary" G by James Sallis; "Old Foot Forgot" by R. A. Lafferty; "The Pressure of Time" by Thomas M. Disch; "Woman Waiting" by Carol Emshwiller; "The Living End by Sonya" Dorman; "To Sport with Amaryllis" by Richard Hill; "April Fool's Day Forever" by Kate Wilhelm; "A Dream at Noonday" by Gardner Dozois. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good read...
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the many stories in this collection.I highly recommend them. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a brilliant, fascinating tale about the search for God, in which a youngwoman endures sensory deprivation, brain stimulation, and biofeedback; she hassensed something, but not everyone agrees about the nature of the presence. Itmay not be a blessing... Nebula Award Nominee ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Not Free SF Reader
A Science Fiction Story

Clone twin teleological trance test.


4.5 out of 5 ... Read more

Product Description
The editor of Spirits of Christmas collects new works from Gene Wolfe, Alan Dean Foster, Patricia A. McKillip, Charles de Lint, and others, including stories of strange virgin births and high-tech holidays on other planets. ... Read more