Terry Bisson

For the first time, you can get Terry Bisson's three Wilson Wu novelettes in one place, including the Hugo-nominated "Get Me to the Church on Time." Everybody should have a friend like Wilson Wu. He's been a rock musician, an engineer, and a pastry chef; he got halfway into a medical degree and a math Ph.D.; he graduated law school and passed the bar on the first try. Combining meteorology and entomology, he helped on a weather-control project in Quetzalcan. (Don't ask.) And then there's his scholarship on desert caravans…. Of course, he's not the main character. That would be Irv, another lawyer, who met him while they were working Legal Aid. Irv's got this talent for stumbling on strange phenomena. Wilson just crunches the numbers. A junkyard dedicated to Volvos conceals a rift in the space-time continuum. A beaded seat cushion in a vacant lot heralds the premature collapse of the universe. And when an airport baggage claim runs like clockwork …? (Shudder.) Check out the math! Bisson has scrupulously illustrated the stories with formulas, all of which have been reviewed for "elegance" by famed mathematician Rudy Rucker. Hey, numbers don't lie!

Boba Fett is not like other boys. His father, Jango Fett, is a bounty hunter. His planet, Kamino, is home to an army of clones. He has no friends, no school. The one thing he does have is a future as a bounty hunter. This future comes quickly. Suddenly Boba Fett is all alone in a dangerous galaxy. He must struggle for safety — and vengeance — using his strength, his intelligence, and his father's hard lessons. Boba Fett will grow up to be one of the most feared bounty hunters in the galaxy. But first he must survive his childhood.

Boba Fett is trapped in the lair of someone who he thinks is a friend, but it really an enemy. Escape is the only option, though attempting to escape has its own risks.

Provides biographical and statistical information on both legendary and up-and-coming American race car drivers, as well as information about how the drivers got started in the field and what life as a race car driver is like.

Presenting an alternative version of African American history, this novel explores what might have happened if John Brown’s 1859 raid on Harper’s Ferry had been successful. Chronicling life in a thriving black nation founded by Brown in the former southeastern United States, this dramatic story opens 100 years later, just as Nova Africa is poised to celebrate its first landing of a spacecraft on Mars. The prosperous black state will soon be tested when the granddaughter of John Brown returns from Africa to reunite with her daughter and share with her a secret that will alter their lives forever.

250 p. ; 18 cm

Kirinyaga - novelette by Mike Resnick Schrödinger's Kitten - novelette by George Alec Effinger The Last of the Winnebagos - novella by Connie Willis Boobs - short story by Suzy McKee Charnas Enter a Soldier. Later: Enter Another - novelette by Robert Silverberg The Mountains of Mourning - novella by Lois McMaster Bujold Bears Discover Fire - short story by Terry Bisson The Manamouki - novelette by Mike Resnick The Hemingway Hoax - novella by Joe Haldeman

From the gentle fantasies that include the wry title story—winner of both the Hugo and Nebula Awards—to ecological allegories; a horrific novelette about experimental excursions into the realm of death; and a first-contact mini-epic, this anthology showcases the wide range of Bisson's powerful talent. In every piece, Bisson's characters are just as absurd as their fantastic landscape, yet thoroughly ordinary, recognizable, and authentic. His pack of scientists, artists, rednecks, insurance salesmen, astronauts, truck drivers, owlish British gentlemen, and others will stay with you like your best friends and quirkiest relations.

Reprints of contemporary sources.

The creator of the "Mystery Method" introduced in Neil Strauss's "The Game" imparts salacious techniques for picking up and seducing women, in a guide that also shares extreme stories from Mystery's life.

This timely collection of short stories leaves nothing in popular culture unscathed?from meetings with Somali pirates and a theory that Paypal is a criminal enterprise to an eerie reimagining of the 9/11 events and a visitor from Atlantis's search for a burger and fries. Additional stories include faux FAQs originally written for Britain's Science magazine and a seductive fantasy piece for Playboy. Opening with a harrowing, high-speed ride through the Upper South and ending with a desperate quest to find Darwin's doomsday machine in New Orleans, readers will delight in these clever stories that present current issues in a fresh new light.