In the Upper Room and Other Likely Stories is a collection of sixteen fantastic, ironic science fiction tales by Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author Terry Bisson. Terry Bisson uses the fantastic genres as do Kurt Vonnegut or Harlan Ellison, and like them, he is one of the strikingly original voices in short fiction today, with an audience that transcends genre. "Particularly delightful," said The Christian Science Monitor of his first collection. Bisson writes entertaining and moving stories in a strong and unique voice. They are sharp, witty, subversive, and stylish. For instance: "macs" (winner of the Nebula and Locus Awards): Clones of murderous criminals, with no human rights, are sent to be the property of their victims' families. "An Office Romance": A story of the private lives of icons on a computer desktop. "First Fire": A scientist discovers a way to date burning flames and tries it on one in an ancient temple, with astonishing results. From the author of "Bears Discover Fire," one of the most anthologized American short stories of the last decade, this is a collection of stories that originally appeared in sources as diverse as Asimov's SF, Playboy, Southern Exposure, and Crank! They are clever, slick, memorable, occasionally profound, and always surprising. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

In the Upper Room and Other Likely Stories is the new collection of sixteen fantastic, ironic tales by Terry Bisson. Terry Bisson uses the fantastic genres as do Kurt Vonnegut or Harlan Ellison, and like them, he is one of the strikingly original voices in short fiction today, with an audience that transcends genre. "Particularly delightful," said The Christian Science Monitor of his first collection. Bisson writes entertaining and moving stories in a strong and unique voice. They are sharp, witty, subversive, and stylish. For instance: An Office Romance: a story of the private lives of icons on a computer desktop. First Fire: a scientist discovers a way to date burning flame's and tries it on one in an ancient temple, with astonishing results. Macs: clones of murderous criminals, with no human rights, are sent to be the property of their victims' families. From the author of "Bears Discover Fire," one of the most anthologized American short stories of the last decade, this is a collection of stories that originally appeared in sources as diverse as Asimov's SF, Playboy, Southern Exposure, and Crank! They are clever, slick, memorable, occasionally profound, and always surprising.

Widely regarded as the essential book for sci-fi fans, this year's collectioncontains over two dozen stories.

Walter M. Miller, Jr., was one of the twentieth century's leading science fiction writers, a two-time Hugo Award winner and author of the classic novels A Canticle for Leibowitz and Saint Leibowitz and the Wild Horse Woman. This comprehensive literary guide provides more than 1,500 alphabetically arranged entries on Miller's life and body of work. It includes summaries of his two novels and all of his shorter works, character descriptions, explanations of the literary, cultural, historical, and religious allusions found in the works, as well as translations of all foreign words and phrases. This guide is meant to inform both scholarly and popular readings of Miller's work.

As interest in environmental issues grows, many writers of fiction have embraced themes that explore the connections between humans and the natural world. Ecologically themed fiction ranges from profound philosophical meditations to action-packed entertainments. Where the Wild Books Are offers an overview of nearly 2,000 works of nature-oriented fiction. The author includes a discussion of the precursors and history of the genre, and of its expansion since the 1970s. He also considers its forms and themes, as well as the subgenres into which it has evolved, such as speculative fiction, ecodefense, animal stories, mysteries, ecofeminist novels, cautionary tales, and others. A brief summary and critical commentary of each title is included. Dwyer’s scope is broad and covers fiction by Native American writers as well as ecofiction from writers around the world. Far more than a mere listing of books, Where the Wild Books Are is a lively introduction to a vast universe of engaging, provocative writing. It can be used to develop book collections or curricula. It also serves as an introduction to one of the most fertile areas of contemporary fiction, presenting books that will offer enjoyable reading and new insights into the vexing environmental questions of our time.

Science fiction. More than two dozen outstanding tales written in the previous year.