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And nowhere is Bester funnier, speedier, or more audacious than in these seventeen short stories—two of them previously unpublished—that have now been brought together in a single volume for the first time.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 279
... Krane had devised to absorb the acceler- ation strain . The ship's nose was a porthole of natural crystal that stared upward like a cylopian eye . Krane thought : She'll die after this trip . She'll return to the Earth and smash in a ...
... Krane had devised to absorb the acceler- ation strain . The ship's nose was a porthole of natural crystal that stared upward like a cylopian eye . Krane thought : She'll die after this trip . She'll return to the Earth and smash in a ...
Page 282
... Krane struggled in panic , and then relaxed . It had happened before . A long time past he'd been buried deep under ashes when he'd stopped to remember . Weeks ago — or days— or months . Krane clawed with his hands , inching out of the ...
... Krane struggled in panic , and then relaxed . It had happened before . A long time past he'd been buried deep under ashes when he'd stopped to remember . Weeks ago — or days— or months . Krane clawed with his hands , inching out of the ...
Page 284
... Krane called once more , the dog snarled . Puffs of ash leaped beneath its nostrils . He's hungry , Krane thought , that's all . He reached into the knap- sack and at the gesture the dog snarled again . Krane withdrew the chocolate bar ...
... Krane called once more , the dog snarled . Puffs of ash leaped beneath its nostrils . He's hungry , Krane thought , that's all . He reached into the knap- sack and at the gesture the dog snarled again . Krane withdrew the chocolate bar ...
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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