Synopses & Reviews
At times humorous, at other times serious, this endearing collection of short fiction explores many concepts regarding fantastical or futuristic safaris. Detailing the many contrasting pitfalls of hunting, a hardboiled detective attempts to locate a unicorn in New York City on New Years Day, and in a later tale, must track down a millennia-old vampire in order to save his assistant. In the Nebula-nominated story Hunting the Snark,” a classical big-game hunt on a newly discovered planet develops similarities to Lewis Carrolls famous poem, yet ends with a surprising twist. In The Soul Eater” and Nicobar LaneThe Soul Eaters Story,” separate views are offered from the hunter and the hunted in an eccentric love story that incorporates elements of Moby Dick and the legend of the Flying Dutchman. Offering a few somber features, Safari 2103 AD” looks at a world where the number of wild animals can be counted on ones fingers, while in Bwana,” colonists leave industrialized Africa to create a paradise on a new world, only to discover how fragile they are. Imaginative and captivating, each narrative offers a unique spin on what it means to be a hunter.
Review
"Nobody spins a yarn better than Mike Resnick. Best of all, when the story's over, you find that he's left something in your memory for you to draw on again and again: a clearer understanding of how nobility emerges from the struggles of life." Orson Scott Card, author, Ender's Game
Review
"Resnick is thought-provoking, imaginative . . . and above all galactically grand." Los Angeles Times
Review
"One of the most daring and prolific writers in [the genre]. Theres no subject he wont explore, and he always delivers." David Brin, author, Kiln People
Review
"These stories are a safari for sure: to the extremes of imagination and through the rich veldt of smart storytelling, a wild preserve of the imagination where the reader is sure to glimpse the most savage, and the most noble, of literary creatures." Edge
About the Author
Mike Resnick is the author of numerous science fiction novels and short stories, including Dragon America, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider: The Amulet of Power, Mutiny, Return to Santiago, and Santiago. He is the editor of This Is My Funniest and has won five Hugo Awards and the Nebula Award. He lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.