Paul Di Filippo

Paul Di Filippo, hailed by Publishers Weekly as "a master of philosophical SF," delivers another masterful collection showcasing his trademark blend of intellectual depth, wild imagination, and sly humor. In The Visionary Pageant and Other Stories, Di Filippo offers eight mind-bending tales that probe the boundaries between science and mysticism, reality and illusion.In the title novella, a plucky female reporter in 1886 Providence confronts an otherworldly cult whose cosmic ambitions threaten to reshape reality itself. Other highlights include "Worldshifter," a far-future tale of a sentient hive protecting its human companion; "I, For One, Welcome Our New Insect Litterateurs," where a literary agent discovers his newest client is actually a colony of superintelligent ants; and "The Steam House in Innsmouth," a playful mashup of Jules Verne and H.P. Lovecraft.The collection also features "Nine Hundred Grandmothers," "A Canticle for Ackerman," "The Dream-Sculptor of A.I.P.," and "Hivehead"-each demonstrating Di Filippo's gift for combining big ideas with intimate human stories. Whether exploring posthuman evolution, parallel universes, or the nature of consciousness itself, these stories showcase a master storyteller working at the height of his considerable powers.

From acclaimed science fiction author Paul Di Filippo comes this new collection of mind- and genre-bending short stories. From cyberbunk to the murder of Cthulhu to a tale set in the universe of John W. Campbell's "The Thing, " this volume showcases Di Filippo's range as an author-and his mastery of all elements of the fantastic.Included are: IN THE LOST CITY OF LENGTHE LIFEHACKMONARCH OF THE FEASTFROM THE CASEBOOK OF MASTER WIGGINS, ESQ.LOST IN THE REWILDINGTHE WAY YOU CAME IN MAY NOT BE THE BEST WAY OUTTHE YOG-SOTHOTH POLICEMEN'S UNION"NOTHING CAN STOP THE INSECT GIRL CORPS "THINGMAKERAEOTA

Perpetual scam artists Glen and Stan find themselves with a million-dollar stake after their last exploit. Of course, this money must be invested to provide for their future. Why? Because the boys must now go straight. Their notoriety from previous adventures now makes it impossible for them to continue as scammers. The trouble is, they can't agree on an investment.Stan impulsively dumps his half of the money into Elysian Pavilion, a drug-and-alcohol rehab house. He wants Glen to do the same, but Glen wants to open a trendy mezcal bar.An impassable roadblock looms before Glen in the form of the state's chief liquor distributor, Oskar Stoltz, and his scary flunky, Doug McClatchy. Stoltz hates mezcal and won't carry it.Glen's plan seems permanently stymied . . . until he meets three vital people: Trevor Yorn, young rich trustafarian with a handy venue to host parties. Araceli Zavala, a young Mexican-American woman with mythic resonance. And Fulgencio P rez, Araceli's visiting uncle from Mexican, who happens to be a maestro mezcalero, distiller supreme. All the pieces fall into place for a boutique mezcal distillery and a weekly rave, by which Glen will fulfill his dreams and get rich.But the enmity of Stoltz and McClatchy has not abated. Danger, death, and destruction lie in the shadows--leading inexorably toward a final, apocalyptic confrontation

The groundbreaking science fiction classic by H.G. WellsImagine a food...that could change the course of human history. In The Food of The Gods and How it Came to Earth, legendary science fiction author H.G. Wells provocatively chronicles this very idea: a food so powerful it transforms society as we know it.Two young scientists, Mr. Bensington and Professor Redwood, begin their study of "growth" on a whim, then proceed to develop Herakleophorbia IV, a growth serum quickly named "The Food of the Gods." The serum is tested on chickens, who quickly grow to six times their size. It's deemed a success, but after the serum makes its way into the local food chain, the gigantism spreads-giant plants, earwigs, wasps, and even rats. English villages are terrorized and ransacked. But the scientists have yet to learn their lesson, administering the serum to numerous young children. "Boomfood" has now taken the entire country by storm, forcing all of England to reckon with the recklessness of the scientists. Will the giants find peace among the common citizens, or will they be forced to shed blood to ensure their own survival?"If any writer could overcome the hurdles inherent in humanizing giants, that writer would be H. G. Wells, the fellow who practically pioneered all the major tropes of science fiction."-Paul Di Filippo, Hugo-nominated author of The Steampunk Trilogy

The groundbreaking science fiction classic by H.G. WellsImagine a food...that could change the course of human history. In The Food of The Gods and How it Came to Earth, legendary science fiction author H.G. Wells provocatively chronicles this very idea: a food so powerful it transforms society as we know it.Two young scientists, Mr. Bensington and Professor Redwood, begin their study of "growth" on a whim, then proceed to develop Herakleophorbia IV, a growth serum quickly named "The Food of the Gods." The serum is tested on chickens, who quickly grow to six times their size. It's deemed a success, but after the serum makes its way into the local food chain, the gigantism spreads-giant plants, earwigs, wasps, and even rats. English villages are terrorized and ransacked. But the scientists have yet to learn their lesson, administering the serum to numerous young children. "Boomfood" has now taken the entire country by storm, forcing all of England to reckon with the recklessness of the scientists. Will the giants find peace among the common citizens, or will they be forced to shed blood to ensure their own survival?"If any writer could overcome the hurdles inherent in humanizing giants, that writer would be H. G. Wells, the fellow who practically pioneered all the major tropes of science fiction."-Paul Di Filippo, Hugo-nominated author of The Steampunk Trilogy

"Whatever the book you are reading now, you simply must get this at once." -C. S. LewisShun the Ash and the Alder...Sing to the Marble Lady...Enter the door of the Timeless...After Anodos is visited by a fairy on his 21st birthday, his bedroom transforms into a forest, leading him to Fairy Land. With the guidance of fairies and knights, he must navigate ethereal and fantastical landscapes, face threats of evil trees and giants, search for a lost love, and conquer his own haunting shadow.One of the earliest works of portal fantasy and an inspiration to the great fantasy authors of the twentieth century Transport yourself into a tale of love and self-discovery with this fine new edition of Phantastes by George MacDonald, with an additional foreword by author Paul Di Filippo.

"Whatever the book you are reading now, you simply must get this at once." -C. S. LewisShun the Ash and the Alder...Sing to the Marble Lady...Enter the door of the Timeless...After Anodos is visited by a fairy on his 21st birthday, his bedroom transforms into a forest, leading him to Fairy Land. With the guidance of fairies and knights, he must navigate ethereal and fantastical landscapes, face threats of evil trees and giants, search for a lost love, and conquer his own haunting shadow.One of the earliest works of portal fantasy and an inspiration to the great fantasy authors of the twentieth century Transport yourself into a tale of love and self-discovery with this fine new edition of Phantastes by George MacDonald, with an additional foreword by author Paul Di Filippo.

Paul Di Filippo delivers a thrilling and thought-provoking adventure through the multiverse in Vangie's Ghosts, a compelling science fiction novel about one girl with extraordinary powers.Three-year-old Vangie is mute and unresponsive. She shows no interest in the people or world around her, much to the frustration of her callous adoptive parents. Little do they know, Vangie is otherwise occupied observing "ghosts"--an infinite number of versions of herself, in an infinite number of parallel universes.When a tornado hits their trailer and Vangie is severely injured, she makes a desperate leap into another timeline where she survives the tornado, but her adoptive parents do not. So begins a life of shuttling through various foster homes, cultivating her abilities to seek out alternate timelines, and making jumps calculated to better her circumstances in order to avoid the exploitation of adults who seek to harness her powers for their own means.Vangie never communicates with her avatars, until one day the "Council"--a group of Vangies--appear to her and warn her of an ominous, growing threat in the multiverse: a man they call the Massive. And thus begins an epic conflict, spanning millennia and worlds, in a brutal effort to control the fate of the multiverse.Vangie's Ghosts is Paul Di Filippo at the height of his imagination and versatility, filled with compelling characters who play captivating roles in a story where the stakes are nothing less than existence itself.

Biting wit and lush descriptions combine in this striking new edition of Oscar Wilde's short story collection, which contains Wilde's most famous story, "The Canterville Ghost." Originally published in 1887 in the British literary magazine, The Court and Society Review. "Lord Arthur Savile's Crime: A Study of Duty" headlines this anthology, first published in 1891. In addition to the title work, Wilde added "The Canterville Ghost," "The Model Millionaire," and "The Sphinx Without a Secret." Editions dated after 1900 (including this one) also contain "The Portrait of Mr. W. H."In the 132 years since the publication of this collection, numerous actors, writers, and even musicians wrote adaptations of "The Canterville Ghost," the most popular of the stories in this volume. But those adaptations also made significant changes in the plot.Now with a foreword by Hugo-award nominee Paul Di Filippo, go back to the original. Read "The Canterville Ghost," and the other stories as Oscar Wilde wrote them.

Biting wit and lush descriptions combine in this striking new edition of Oscar Wilde's short story collection, which contains Wilde's most famous story, "The Canterville Ghost." Originally published in 1887 in the British literary magazine, The Court and Society Review. "Lord Arthur Savile's Crime: A Study of Duty" headlines this anthology, first published in 1891. In addition to the title work, Wilde added "The Canterville Ghost," "The Model Millionaire," and "The Sphinx Without a Secret." Editions dated after 1900 (including this one) also contain "The Portrait of Mr. W. H."In the 132 years since the publication of this collection, numerous actors, writers, and even musicians wrote adaptations of "The Canterville Ghost," the most popular of the stories in this volume. But those adaptations also made significant changes in the plot.Now with a foreword by Hugo-award nominee Paul Di Filippo, go back to the original. Read "The Canterville Ghost," and the other stories as Oscar Wilde wrote them.

Imagine never touching another human being...Robert Luxley has a biological problem he does not understand and cannot control: one touch from his bare skin and you're paralyzed for fifteen minutes. Lonely and isolated, he's turned his "special trick" into a lucrative career as a hired killer. He thinks he's one of a kind-until one day he's confronted by a young girl named Cassandra, who tells him he's not alone. She has it too, and the two of them are not the only ones.Carriers can render anyone they touch blind, deaf, or otherwise senseless, in seconds. Fearing discovery, Luxley follows Cassandra through a dark underground network of "Deprivers" in a desperate hunt for her missing brother Nicholas, taken hostage by a radical group of carriers with a terrifying agenda. Luxley doesn't know who to trust, or who is safe to touch, but he needs to learn Cassandra's secrets fast."A book that gets under your skin and on your nerves. The science is impressive; the fiction is haunting. It has a lot on its mind; and it will touch you."- Mark Frost, co-creator of Twin Peaks"Deprivers is the ultimate paranoia thriller-emphasis on the word thriller. Fans of everything from The Hot Zone to The X-Files take note, THIS BOOK IS GOING TO BLOW YOU AWAY "- Rockne S. O'Bannon, creator of Alien Nation, Farscape, Defiance and Cult"Deprivers will take you to a terrifying and disturbing tomorrow and make you feel like you live there."- David Brin, Scientist and science fiction author, winner of the Hugo, Nebula, Campbell and Locus Awards

Imagine never touching another human being...Robert Luxley has a biological problem he does not understand and cannot control: one touch from his bare skin and you're paralyzed for fifteen minutes. Lonely and isolated, he's turned his "special trick" into a lucrative career as a hired killer. He thinks he's one of a kind-until one day he's confronted by a young girl named Cassandra, who tells him he's not alone. She has it too, and the two of them are not the only ones.Carriers can render anyone they touch blind, deaf, or otherwise senseless, in seconds. Fearing discovery, Luxley follows Cassandra through a dark underground network of "Deprivers" in a desperate hunt for her missing brother Nicholas, taken hostage by a radical group of carriers with a terrifying agenda. Luxley doesn't know who to trust, or who is safe to touch, but he needs to learn Cassandra's secrets fast."A book that gets under your skin and on your nerves. The science is impressive; the fiction is haunting. It has a lot on its mind; and it will touch you."- Mark Frost, co-creator of Twin Peaks"Deprivers is the ultimate paranoia thriller-emphasis on the word thriller. Fans of everything from The Hot Zone to The X-Files take note, THIS BOOK IS GOING TO BLOW YOU AWAY "- Rockne S. O'Bannon, creator of Alien Nation, Farscape, Defiance and Cult"Deprivers will take you to a terrifying and disturbing tomorrow and make you feel like you live there."- David Brin, Scientist and science fiction author, winner of the Hugo, Nebula, Campbell and Locus Awards

Before the fellowships and wardrobes and dire wolves......there was the village of Erl and the Kingdom of Elfland. Considered formative to the development of the fairy tale and high fantasy subgenres, The King of Elfland's Daughter follows Alveric, who leaves home on a quest with a few basic instructions: locate the Princess Lirazel in Elfland, convince her to return to Erl and marry him, and together produce the first magical Lord of Erl.But what happens when a village gets exactly what it asked for? How does an elf learn to live as a human?Is love lost once, lost forever?The people of Erl are about to find out.Take a walk through the fields we know and see if you can spot the pale-blue peaks of the Elfland Mountains. Fans of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Neil Gaiman will adore Lord Dunsany's influential 1924 classic as much as those authors themselves did.

Before the fellowships and wardrobes and dire wolves......there was the village of Erl and the Kingdom of Elfland. Considered formative to the development of the fairy tale and high fantasy subgenres, The King of Elfland's Daughter follows Alveric, who leaves home on a quest with a few basic instructions: locate the Princess Lirazel in Elfland, convince her to return to Erl and marry him, and together produce the first magical Lord of Erl.But what happens when a village gets exactly what it asked for? How does an elf learn to live as a human?Is love lost once, lost forever?The people of Erl are about to find out.Take a walk through the fields we know and see if you can spot the pale-blue peaks of the Elfland Mountains. Fans of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Neil Gaiman will adore Lord Dunsany's influential 1924 classic as much as those authors themselves did.