"Rosenbaum's The Ant King and Other Stories contains invisible cities and playful deconstructions of the form. In "Biographical Notes to 'A Discourse on the Nature of Causality, With Air-Planes,' by Benjamin Rosenbaum"—yes, his name is part of the title—the author imagines a world whose technologies and philosophies differ wildly from ours. The result is a commentary on the state of the art that is itself the state of the art." —Los Angeles Times Favorite Books of 2008 * "Give him some prizes, like, perhaps, "best first collection" for this book." —Booklist (Starred review, Top 10 SF Books of the Year) "Featuring outlandish and striking imagery throughout—a woman in love with an elephant, an orange that ruled the world—this collection is a surrealistic wonderland." —Publishers Weekly "Rosenbaum proves he’s capable of sustained fantasy with "Biographical Notes," a steampunkish alternate history of aerial piracy, and "A Siege of Cranes," a fantasy about a battle between a human insurgent and the White Witch that carries decidedly modern undercurrents.... Perhaps none of the tales is odder than "Orphans," in which girl-meets-elephant, girl-loses-elephant." —Kirkus Reviews "Urbane without being arch, sweet without being maudlin, mysterious without being cryptic."—Cory Doctorow, Boing Boing "Lively, bizarre, and funny as well as dark, sinister, and sensual." —Boston Phoenix A dazzling, postmodern debut collection of pulp and surreal fictions: a writer of alternate histories defends his patron’s zeppelin against assassins and pirates; a woman transforms into hundreds of gumballs; an emancipated children’s collective goes house hunting. Benjamin Rosenbaum’s stories have appeared in Asimov’s Science Fiction and McSweeney’s, been translated into fourteen languages, and listed in The Best American Short Stories 2006. Shortlisted for the Hugo and Nebula awards, Rosenbaum’s work has been reprinted in Harper’s and The Year’s Best Science Fiction. He lives in Switzerland with his family.

A debut spanning the weirdest corners of literature and science fiction, exploring family, loyalty, and memory.

Netero has struck a deal with the Chimera Ant King: if the King can defeat him, Netero will reveal the King's true name. Netero is determined to keep fighting, but his attacks have no effect on the terrifyingly powerful King. Will Netero's ultimate attack, the Guanyin Bodhisattva: Zero, break through the King's defenses, or will he be forced to take even more desperate measures? -- VIZ Media

Lucky Linderman didn't ask for his life. He didn't ask his grandfather not to come home from the Vietnam War. He didn't ask for a father who never got over it. He didn't ask for a mother who keeps pretending their dysfunctional family is fine. And he didn't ask to be the target of Nader McMillan's relentless bullying, which has finally gone too far. But Lucky has a secret--one that helps him wade through the daily mundane torture of his life. In his dreams, Lucky escapes to the war-ridden jungles of Laos--the prison his grandfather couldn't escape--where Lucky can be a real man, an adventurer, and a hero. It's dangerous and wild, and it's a place where his life just might be worth living. But how long can Lucky keep hiding in his dreams before reality forces its way inside? Michael L. Printz Honor recipient A.S. King's smart, funny and boldly original writing shines in this powerful novel about learning to cope with the shrapnel life throws at you and taking a stand against it.

Killua and Biscuit take on two Bombers in a fisticuff competition, and during the fight, Biscuit reveals her true shocking form! Meanwhile, Gon is set on getting revenge on Genthru no matter what the cost--including his own body parts! Afterwards a strange event is triggered due to Gon having 99 cards--it's a multiple-choice quiz! But just what is the quiz about, and more importantly what can the prize possibly be?!

Gon's new friend Killua may have run away from home, but that doesn't mean his family is willing to let him leave. Killua's parents sent his older brother Illumi to keep an eye on him during the Hunter Exam, and now Illumi has convinced Killua to return to the family business of assassination. Gon is convinced that Killua must have been brainwashed, and sets out with Leorio and Kurapika to make an intervention. But before the newly licensed Hunters can try to talk some sense into Killua, they have to make it past the unstoppable guard beast that is trained to eat all visitors! -- VIZ Media

Gon and his teammates have been challenged by a group of criminals hired by the Hunter Association. Gon wins with wits, and Kurapika's red-eyed rage assures a victory. But leorio is all out of luck, and loses precious time for his team. It's up to Killua to save the day with a gruesome display of his assassin skills. With time running out, it takes ingenuity and brute force to beat the clock and the test.