Report to the Men's ClubPhilip K. Dick Award finalist Includes the Nebula winning story "Creature" What if the world ended on your birthday -- and no one came? What if your grandmother was a superhero? What if the orphan you were raising was a top-secret weapon, looked like Godzilla, and loved singing nursery rhymes? What if poet laureates fought to the death, in stadiums? Emshwiller's books (Joy in Our Cause, Carmen Dog, Ledoyt, and others) have won her a devoted cult following. Her short fiction is about women and men, monsters, obsessions, art, and falling in love. She writes witty, humane, endearingly odd stories that play with all the genres and conventions you can put a name to -- science fiction, Western, romance, postmodern, tabloid, literary -- and some that haven't even been invented yet. Suspect that life is much stranger than anyone ever admits? Buy this book. Unhappy in love? Buy this book. About to visit the dentist or embark on a long voyage? Buy this book. Troubled by dreams you can never quite remember in the morning? Buy this book. Love good short fiction? Buy this book. |
Contents
Grandma | 1 |
The Paganini of Jacobs Gully | 7 |
Modillion | 27 |
Mrs Jones | 35 |
Acceptance Speech | 53 |
One Part of the Self is Always Tall and Dark | 63 |
Foster Mother | 73 |
Creature | 83 |
Prejudice and Pride | 141 |
Report to the Mens Club | 145 |
Overlooking | 153 |
Water Master | 165 |
Abominable | 183 |
Desert Child | 191 |
Venus Rising | 209 |
Nose | 253 |
Common terms and phrases
already Amos Acularius anymore anyway arms artists baby beach berries Berry Island bowawa Carol Emshwiller climb comes Cora creature dance Emshwiller everything eyes F&SF feel flowers Fred Astaire funny goes Grandma Gray hair hands hanging happen hauwa head hear heard hide I'm breathless Janice jump keep Killdeer knew land laugh lean limber pine live look Lost Egg Modillion mother mountain Nam June Paik never night nose Old Man Lost painting play pull rocks rose-hip Rosie Sam Gray side sleep smell smile Sometimes sort stay stone stop suppose sure Sweet Red swim talk talus tell tepary beans There's things thought told trees turkey vulture turn violin wait walk watch Water Master wear what's wife wonder words wree