Synopses & Reviews
This ingeniously conceived anthology raises the intriguing question, If Thomas Pynchons Gravitys Rainbow had won the Nebula award in 1973, would the future distinction between literary fiction and science fiction have been erased? Exploring the possibility of an alternate history of speculative fiction, this literary collection reveals that the lines between genres have already been obscured. Don DeLillos Human Moments in World War III” follows the strange detachment of two astronauts who are orbiting in a skylab while a third world war rages on earth. The Ziggurat” by Gene Wolfe traverses a dissolving marriage, a custody dispute, and the visit of time travelers from the future. T. C. Boyles Descent of Man” is the subversively funny tale of a man who suspects that his primatologist lover is having an affair with one of her charges. In Schwarzschild Radius,” Connie Willis draws an allegorical parallel between the horrors of trench warfare and the speculative physics of black holes. Artfully crafted and offering a wealth of esteemed authorsfrom writers within the genre to those normally associated with mainstream fiction, as well as those with a crossover reputationthis volume aptly demonstrates that great science fiction appears in many guises.
Review
"These stories are good enough to make The New Yorker's Eustace Tilley pop his cartoon monocle." io9
Review
"A compelling collection . . . very unique and thought-provoking." Sacramento Book Review
Review
These stories are good enough to make The New Yorkers Eustace Tilley pop
his cartoon monocle.”
io9.com
A compelling collection...very unique and thought provoking.”
Sacramento Book Review
All I really want to do, at the moment, is embrace the unsuspecting editors in a massive, spine-crunching bear hug”
Los Angeles Times
If youre interested in reading a bunch of stories written by some of the best contemporary writers out there, youll like this anthology. If you also want to read some of the best science-fiction stories since the 70s, youll love this anthology.”
Tor.com
Synopsis
- A fascinating speculative anthology merging outstanding short fiction from established science fiction writers and those who merely write science fiction
- Award-winning editing team's anthology series include canon-defining volumes such as Digital Rapture: The Singularity Anthology; Feeling Very Strange: The Slipstream Anthology; and Rewired: The Post-Cyberpunk Anthology
- "These stories are good enough to make
The New Yorker's Eustace Tilley pop
his cartoon monocle."--
io9.comSynopsis
The Secret Is Out
Exploring an alternate history of science fiction, this ingenious anthology showcases eighteen brilliant authors leading the way to a new literature of the future. These award-winning stories defy trends, cross genres, and prove that great fiction cannot be categorized.
Two strangely detached astronauts orbit Earth while a third world war rages on. A primatologists lover suspects her of obsession with one of her simian charges. The horrors of trench warfare dovetail with the theoretical workings of black holes. A dissolving marriage and bitter custody dispute are overshadowed by the arrival of time travelers. An astonishing invention that records the sense of touch is far too dangerous for Thomas Edison to reveal.
The future is here. Read it.
About the Author
James Patrick Kelly is the Hugo, Nebula, and Italia awardwinning author of
Burn,
Think Like a Dinosaur, and
Wildlife. He is a member of the faculty of the Stonecoast Creative Writing MFA Program at the University of Southern Maine. He has co-edited a series of anthologies with John Kessel, described by the
Encyclopedia of Science Fiction as each surveying with balance and care a potentially disputed territory within the field.” Kelly is the technology columnist for
Asimovs Science Fiction magazine and the publisher of the e-book zine
Strangeways.
John Kessel is a Nebula, Sturgeon, and Locus award winner and the author of Corrupting Dr. Nice, Good News From Outer Space, and The Pure Product. He teaches courses in science fiction, fantasy, and fiction writing at North Carolina State University. His criticism has appeared in Foundation, the Los Angeles Times Book Review, the New York Review of Science Fiction, and Science Fiction Age.