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And nowhere is Bester funnier, speedier, or more audacious than in these seventeen short stories—two of them previously unpublished—that have now been brought together in a single volume for the first time.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 |
From inside the book
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Page 83
... hair and lovely long legs . He winked at her . She winked back . Halsyon edged over toward her , speaking with his eyes and she answered him saucily the same way . Then he picked up his spade and followed the first clown into the ...
... hair and lovely long legs . He winked at her . She winked back . Halsyon edged over toward her , speaking with his eyes and she answered him saucily the same way . Then he picked up his spade and followed the first clown into the ...
Page 193
... hair , a red beard , and weathered skin . He was wearing army fatigues , heavy ski boots , and had a bursting knapsack and blanket roll on his back . He carried a battered shotgun , and his pockets were crammed with odds and ends . He ...
... hair , a red beard , and weathered skin . He was wearing army fatigues , heavy ski boots , and had a bursting knapsack and blanket roll on his back . He carried a battered shotgun , and his pockets were crammed with odds and ends . He ...
Page 338
... hair was exhorting the public irritably . " All right , folks , move along . Move along . This ain't a sideshow . Ain't you got something better to do this morning ? Why get the creeps ? Go buy breakfast or something . " Granville ...
... hair was exhorting the public irritably . " All right , folks , move along . Move along . This ain't a sideshow . Ain't you got something better to do this morning ? Why get the creeps ? Go buy breakfast or something . " Granville ...
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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