The Universe Box
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Discover the vast worlds and pocket universes of Michael Swanwick (Stations of the Tide), the only author to win science fiction's most prestigious award five times in six years. In his dazzling new collection, the master of speculative short stories returns with tales in which magic and science improbably coexist with myth and legend. With two stories original to this collection, Swanwick aptly demonstrates with poignant humor why he is widely respected as a master of imaginative storytelling.
"Swanwick's wildly imaginative and beautifully written short stories have been, for several years, one of the primary joys of the field."
--Washington Post Book World
In engaging stories, Mischling the thief races through time to defeat three trolls before the sun rises for the first time and turns the inhabitants of her city into stone. A scientist is on the run from assassins, because her research in merging human intelligence with sentient AI is too dangerous. An aging veteran obtains a military weapon from his past: a VR robotic leopard in which he rediscovers the consequences of the hunt. In the biggest heist in the history of the universe, a loser Trickster (and the girlfriend who is better than he deserves) sets out to violate every trope and expectation of fiction possible.
Table of Contents
Starlight Express
The Last Days of Old Night
The Year of the Three Monarchs
Ghost Ships
The White Leopard
Dragon Slayer
The Warm Equations
Requiem for a White Rabbit
Dreadnaught
Grandmother Dimetrodon
The Star-Bear
Nirvana or Bust
The Beast of Tara
Reservoir Ice
Artificial People
Huginn and Muninn and What Came After
Cloud
The New Prometheus
Timothy: An Oral History
Annie Without Crow
Universe Box
About this Author
Michael Swanwick is one of the most acclaimed science fiction and fantasy short-story writers of his generation, having received an unprecedented five Hugo Awards in a six year period. He is also the winner of the British Science Fiction and World Fantasy Awards. Swanwick's stories, published in such collections such as Gravity's Angels, Tales of Old Earth, and Not So Much, Said the Cat, have also appeared in many anthologies and magazines, including OMNI, Penthouse, Amazing, Asimov's Science Fiction, New Dimensions. Swanwick's novels include The Iron Dragon's Daughter, a New York Times Notable Book, the Nebula Award-winner Stations of the Tide, the Darger & Surplus series, Dragons of Babel, and City in the Stars. His work has also been translated into more than ten languages. Swanwick lives in Pennsylvania.
Reviews
Praise for the short fiction of Michael Swanwick
"Swanwick's wildly imaginative and beautifully written short stories have been, for several years, one of the primary joys of the field."
--Washington Post Book World
"One of contemporary sf's greatest short-story writers."
--Interzone
"One of the most powerful and consistently inventive short story writers of his generation."
--Gardner Dozois, editor of the Year's Best Science Fiction series
"By turns funny, clever, mysterious, and possessing hidden depths, the stories in Swanwick's latest collection demonstrate he's at the top of his game. Delightful, thoughtful work."
--Jeff VanderMeer, author of Annihilation
"[Swanwick] is a short story writer on the order of Theodore Sturgeon, Shirley Jackson, and Roger Zelazny. . . enticing and delighting and horrifying all at once.
--New York Review of Science Fiction
"Michael Swanwick is darkly magnificent."
--Jack McDevitt, author of The Engines of God
"Swanwick's prose takes no prisoners."
--Time Out Chicago
[STARRED REVIEW] "One of a handful of writers whose short pieces are as impressive as their novels. Versatility, craftsmanship, a dollop of weird, and a delightfully askew sense of humor."
--Kirkus
"Swanwick excels at satisfying conclusions that cause readers to take pause and consider the actions of the characters. Thoughtful, witty, and, at times, disturbing, this collection will appeal to those who enjoy short fiction, no matter the genre."
--Booklist
"[Swanwick's] writing is flawless and creative, his characters incredibly well-developed for short stories, and the descriptive nature of his text can make you feel as if you're living in these other worlds right along with the characters."
--Times Union
"OK--it's official. Michael Swanwick is a god."
--Jane Yolen, author of Briar Rose
"I am too busy plotting how to steal the devil's stone (given to him by a Siberian shaman) that Michael keeps by his typewriter in order to unlock his writing power, all without disturbing his cat."
--Fran Wilde, author of Updraft and Cloudbound
"Michael Swanwick is one of our most reliably entertaining and provocative writers."
--Greg Bear, author of Darwin's Radio
"Any collection by the inventive and mischievous Michael Swanwick is a treasure."
--Locus, Year in Review
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