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And nowhere is Bester funnier, speedier, or more audacious than in these seventeen short stories—two of them previously unpublished—that have now been brought together in a single volume for the first time.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 175
... morning , Mr. Lundgren . This is Peter Marko . Guy in the penthouse . Right . Mr. Lundgren , be my personal rabbi and get some workmen up here this morning . I want those two baths converted into one . No , I mean it . I'll leave five ...
... morning , Mr. Lundgren . This is Peter Marko . Guy in the penthouse . Right . Mr. Lundgren , be my personal rabbi and get some workmen up here this morning . I want those two baths converted into one . No , I mean it . I'll leave five ...
Page 338
... morning traffic was beginning to litter the streets . Eddie started the ambulance siren and raised his voice to a conversational howl . “ I thought you M.D.'s was writin ' books to stop people from dreamin ' . Psycho stuff . Ain't you ...
... morning traffic was beginning to litter the streets . Eddie started the ambulance siren and raised his voice to a conversational howl . “ I thought you M.D.'s was writin ' books to stop people from dreamin ' . Psycho stuff . Ain't you ...
Page 348
... morning , " Coven went on , “ at the cost of hurling myself under a truck . It was the only way to guarantee Granville's instant awakening . Starr was on the verge of final contact with our friend . He may get through at any moment ...
... morning , " Coven went on , “ at the cost of hurling myself under a truck . It was the only way to guarantee Granville's instant awakening . Starr was on the verge of final contact with our friend . He may get through at any moment ...
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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