Gunning for the Buddha

"Don't be looking for bold starship captains or warrior maidens wielding magic swords in GUNNING FOR THE BUDDHA. Michael Jasper serves up something refreshingly different: a heady brew of ordinary folks making tough decisions at the far edges of reality. Spend some time with these stories and you're bound to bump into people you know who find themselves in places you've only dreamed about." — James Patrick Kelly, Hugo-winning author of THINK LIKE A DINOSAUR and STRANGE BUT NOT A STRANGER

"Jasper's style is all over the place in his first collection — the influence of such established SF authors as John Kessel (who provides an introduction), Tim Powers and Andy Duncan is manifest — but readers curious to see the growth of a writer one story at a time will be rewarded. The title tale involves time travel with an atmospheric twist. Black comedy marks 'A Feast at the Manor,' with its desperate dieters, and 'Goddamn Redneck Surfer Zombies,' about a small beach community dealing with a seasonal influx of the undead. Less successful are 'Unplugged,' about outmoded cyber cowboys, and 'Working the Game,' in which a downtrodden worker finally realizes there's no way to beat the system. 'Explosions' and the three tales that follow explore the repercussions when humans attempt to make a place for the alien Wannoshay after their space ship crashes on Earth. The last four entries are the most memorable, the standout being the evocative and vivid 'Natural Order,' which Jasper calls in his afterword 'the best story I've ever written in ten hours.'" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)