Virtual Unrealities: The Short Fiction of Alfred Bester"Dazzlement and enchantment are Bester's methods. His stories never stand still a moment." —Damon Knight, author of Why Do Birds Alfred Bester took science fiction into hyperdrive, endowing it with a wit, speed, and narrative inventiveness that have inspired two generations of writers. And nowhere is Bester funnier, speedier, or more audacious than in these seventeen short stories—two of them previously unpublished—that have now been brought together in a single volume for the first time. Read about the sweet-natured young man whose phenomenal good luck turns out to be disastrous for the rest of humanity. Find out why tourists are flocking to a hellish little town in a post-nuclear Kansas. Meet a warlock who practices on Park Avenue and whose potions comply with the Pure Food and Drug Act. Make a deal with the Devil—but not without calling your agent. Dazzling, effervescent, sexy, and sardonic, Virtual Unrealities is a historic collection from one of science fiction's true pathbreakers. "Alfred Bester was one of the handful of writers who invented modern science fiction. " —Harry Harrison |
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Page 345
... Granville was startled . Gertrude , very dark and heavily stacked , nodded , finished typing a line , then leaned back interestingly to the desk behind her and made a note . The telephone girl gave Granville her attention . " Can I be ...
... Granville was startled . Gertrude , very dark and heavily stacked , nodded , finished typing a line , then leaned back interestingly to the desk behind her and made a note . The telephone girl gave Granville her attention . " Can I be ...
Page 348
... Granville . " The crushed voice sounded amused and bitter . " This young man will not be duped . He is a poetic scientist . Social pressure . . . moral pressure . . . terror ... threats . . . none of these influences can lobby against ...
... Granville . " The crushed voice sounded amused and bitter . " This young man will not be duped . He is a poetic scientist . Social pressure . . . moral pressure . . . terror ... threats . . . none of these influences can lobby against ...
Page 350
... Granville . " Thank you again for keeping this appointment , Doctor . You may go now . " Granville got to his feet . " If it's murder , why wait ? Why not- " " Don't say anything , Doctor . Just go . " Suavely , Arno led Granville to ...
... Granville . " Thank you again for keeping this appointment , Doctor . You may go now . " Granville got to his feet . " If it's murder , why wait ? Why not- " " Don't say anything , Doctor . Just go . " Suavely , Arno led Granville to ...
Contents
Disappearing Act | 3 |
Oddy and Id | 22 |
Star Light Star Bright | 38 |
Copyright | |
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Virtual Unrealities: The Short Fiction of Alfred Bester Alfred Bester,Roger Zelazny Limited preview - 1997 |
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