Hunting The Snark

With the simultaneous publication of four collections of short novels by some of the genre's leading writers, Five Star Publishing introduces a new series intended to highlight significant contributions to short sf and fantasy. The author of such hard-science masterpieces as Eater, Benford excels at short fiction as well, from a tale of courage in the aftermath of nuclear war (To the Storming Gulf) to a thoughtful commentary on human and primate interaction in his title novella. Resnick's (The Outpost) volume features a quatrain of tales ranging from the title story, in which human predators become prey as their quarry proves deadlier than they, to Redchapel, an alternate story focusing on the infamous Whitechapel murders. Sargent's (The Golden Space) three short tales explore the definition of humanity (The Renewal), the price of freedom (Behind the Eyes of Dreamers), and the meaning of otherness (Shadows). The four tales by sf grand master Silverberg demonstrate his command of place, from the 20th century West Coast (In Another Country) to an America changed by alien occupation (The Way to Spook City) to a pair of tales set on distant planets (They Hide, We Seek and This Is the Road). Libraries looking to augment their short story or sf collections with works by classic authors should consider some or all of these volumes.
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