Paul Di Filippo

The 15 stories in Di Filippo's latest collection show his command of a colorful palette of ideas and approaches. The title tale is an amusing satire of a sleepless 24/7 near-future in which time is traded like a commodity by professional (if sometimes incompetent) brokers. In the screwball fantasy "The Secret Sutras of Sally Strumpet," a male writer hires an actress to play the pseudonymous female "author" of his bestselling chick lit novel.

A collection of fantastical characters who deal in alternative histories and very funny tales. The authors stories are often profound and offer biting insights on human nature.

Imagine "Frank" Kafka as the scourge of Gotham's mean streets; Henry Miller as a messenger for Western Union; Philip K. Dick as a hardware store salesman married to Linda Ronstadt. Paul Di Filippo, one of the original cyberpunks, reimagines the lives of some of the superstars of literature. Nine unpredictable stories position famous writers in strange, alternate existences.