Download or read book Fractal Paisleys written by Paul Di Filippo and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2014-04-01 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “‘Trailer park science fiction’ . . . [An] often genuinely funny mixture of Raymond Carver, Harry Harrison, and Douglas Adams” (Booklist). Fractal Paisleys contains ten funny, irreverent, and sexy stories, including two previously published works. The Nebula Award finalist “Lennon Spex” explores how John Lennon found inspiration for his songs. Also included in this collection: the real reason for the disappearance of the dinosaurs, how the L’il Bear Bar in Providence, Rhode Island (the author’s hometown, by the way—not a coincidence) ended up with a talking moose head on its wall, and more of Di Filippo’s fascinating writing. You can try to escape from the mundane, or with the help of Paul Di Filippo, you can take a brief, meaningful break from it. In the vein of George Saunders or Michael Chabon, Di Filippo uses the tools of science fiction and the surreal to take a deep, richly felt look at humanity. His brand of funny, quirky, thoughtful, fast‐moving, heart‐warming, brain‐bending stories exists across the entire spectrum of the fantastic from hard science fiction to satire to fantasy and on to horror, delivering a riotously entertaining string of modern fables and stories from tomorrow, now, and anytime. After you read Paul Di Filippo, you will no longer see everyday life quite the same.
Download or read book The Mammoth Book of Apocalyptic SF written by Mike Ashley and published by Robinson. This book was released on 2010-05-27 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The last sixty years have been full of stories of one or other possible Armageddon, whether by nuclear war, plague, cosmic catastrophe or, more recently, global warming, terrorism, genetic engineering, AIDS and other pandemics. These stories, both pre- and post-apocalyptic, describe the fall of civilization, the destruction of the entire Earth, or the end of the Universe itself. Many of the stories reflect on humankind's infinite capacity for self-destruction, but the stories are by no means all downbeat or depressing - one key theme explores what the aftermath of a cataclysm might be and how humans strive to survive.
Download or read book The Paul Di Filippo MEGAPACK written by Paul Di Filippo and published by Wildside Press LLC. This book was released on 2014-11-06 with total page 531 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 22 Tales of of the fantastic -- science fiction, fantasy, fantastika, slipstream -- by one of the most acclaimed modern masters of the genre! Includes a bonus interview with the author. Included are: LIFE IN THE CARBYNE AGE GALAXY OF MIRRORS SPECTER-BOMBING THE BEER GOGGLES LIFE IN THE ANTHROPOCENE LITTLE WORKER FRACTAL PAISLEYS THE MILL THE GRANGE PHYLOGENESIS GRAVITONS REDSKINS OF THE BADLANDS FarmEarth ANGELMAKERS THE JONES CONTINUUM ADVENTURES IN COGNITIVE HOMOGAMY: A LOVE STORY KAREN COXSWAIN A NIGHT IN THE THIRTEENTH AVENUE MISSION I KANT CUZ I’M TOO JUNG THE NEW CYBERIAD YES WE HAVE NO BANANAS FEMAVILLE 29 SHUTEYE FOR THE TIMEBROKER If you enjoy this book, search your favorite ebook store for "Wildside Press Megapack" to see the 160+ entries in the MEGAPACKTM series, covering science fiction, fantasy, horror, mysteries, westerns, classics, adventure stories, and much, much more!
Download or read book Encyclopedia of Science Fiction written by Don D'Ammassa and published by Infobase Learning. This book was released on 2015-04-22 with total page 2098 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Presents articles on the science fiction genre of literature, including authors, themes, significant works, and awards.
Download or read book Harp Pipe and Symphony written by and published by Wildside Press LLC. This book was released on with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Mammoth Book of New Comic Fantasy written by Mike Ashley and published by Robinson. This book was released on 2013-08-15 with total page 429 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mike Ashley is back with an all-new edition of one of the bestselling Mammoth Books ever, from the funniest writers in the field, including Neil Gaiman, Tom Holt, and Terry Jones. The thirty- five off-the-wall comic fantasies featured in Ashley's new collection are a mix of specially written stories and hard-to-find gems: a computer salesman in fairyland, a vampire football match, a psychotic Father Christmas, and a wizard allergic to magic. Ashley expertly turns fantasy and horror fiction on its head and magic into mayhem. This is huge fun for all comic fantasy fans.
Download or read book Plumage from Pegasus written by Paul Di Filippo and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2024-03-12 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Nothing is sacred to Di Filippo, as shown in this hilarious collection of parodies and other satirical writings that affectionately send up the SF genre.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) No one has a finger on the pulse of the future quite like Paul Di Filippo, and here he sets his sights on humanity’s path in the wake of social media, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality—all with tongue firmly in cheek. In an age of poetry slams and publicity stunts, an author struggles to upgrade his stale live appearances in “Pimp My Read.” Let “Kozmic Kickstarter” put you on the ground floor of such futuristic projects as a chorus of doppelgängers, a live-role-playing simulation of the entire canon of ancient Star Wars movies, and more! In “The Very Last Miserabilist in Paradise,” a science fiction writer—used to delivering bad news about the future—searches for meaning in an era of unprecedented sanity, in which war and inequality, hatred and prejudice have vanished. Take “A Walk on the Mild Side” with a new production company that seeks to soothe an overstimulated populace with cozy new translations of old classics, such as Game of Thrones which features nothing but direwolf puppies being bathed by the Stark family. Head into the future with your sense of humor intact thanks to the thirty stories in this remarkable collection from a master of satirical science fiction.
Download or read book Nanotech written by Gardner Dozois and published by Baen Publishing Enterprises. This book was released on 2013-03-25 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ten mind-blowing tales from the cutting edge of technologyã Imagine a technology that can change the structure and function of your own body...or that can devour an entire country. This is nanotechnology--the creation of self-replicating machines with the capability to build or alter almost any structure, including the human form, by manipulating atoms or molecules--and it has captured the imaginations of science fiction writers and readers everywhere. Now these ten short tales will capture you... "Blood Music" by Greg Bear "Margin of Error" by Nancy Kress "Axiomatic" by Greg Egan "Remember'd Kisses" by Michael F. Flynn "Recording Angel" by Ian McDonald "Sunflowers" by Kathleen Ann Goonan "The Logic Pool" by Stephen Baxter "Any Major Dude" by Paul Di Filippo "We Were Out of Our Minds with Joy" by David Marusek "Willy in the Nano-Lab" by Geoffrey A. Landis At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).
Download or read book Mammoth Books presents Life in the Anthropocene written by Paul Di Filippo and published by Robinson. This book was released on 2012-09-27 with total page 21 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Indebted to Gaia Vince's New Scientist article 'Surviving in a Warmer World', Paul di Filippo's story depicts the life of Aurbindo Bandjalang in the climate change-ravaged planet of the Anthropocene Age. A member of the Reboot Civilisation, 'AB' is part of a new configuration of humanity, nine billion people crowded together in densely populated, high-rise areas on the quarter of the Earth's present-day land mass that remains above water. Di Filippo imagines a world in which the Earth's resources are pushed to their very limits and the human race, while dependent on the all-powerful Sun for its survival, is also subject to its devastating effect on Earth's climate.
Download or read book The Year s Best Science Fiction Nineteenth Annual Collection written by Gardner Dozois and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2002-07-22 with total page 854 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The twenty-first century has so far proven to be exciting and wondrous and filled with challenges we had never dreamed. New possibilities previously unimagined appear almost daily . . . and science fiction stories continue to explore those possibilities with delightful results:Collected in this anthology are such compelling stories as:"On K2 with Kanakaredes" by Dan Simmons. A relentlessly paced and absorbing tale set in the near future about three mountain climbers who must scale the face of K2 with some very odd company."The Human Front" by Ken MacLeod. In this compassionate coming-of-age tale the details of life are just a bit off from things as we know them-and nothing is as it appears to be."Glacial" by Alastair Reynolds. A fascinating discovery on a distant planet leads to mass death and a wrenching mystery as spellbinding as anything in recent short fiction.The twenty-six stories in this collection imaginatively takes us far across the universe, into the very core of our beings, to the realm of the gods, and the moment just after now. Included here are the works of masters of the form and of bright new talents, including:Eleanor ArnasonChris BeckettMichael BlumleinMichael CassuttBrenda W. CloughPaul Di FilippoAndy DuncanCarolyn Ives GilmanJim GrimsleySimon IngsJames Patrick KellyLeigh KennedyNancy KressIan R. MacLeodKen MacLeodPaul J. McAuleyMaureen F. McHughRobert ReedAlastair ReynoldsGeoff RymanWilliam SandersDan SimmonsAllen M. SteeleCharles StrossMichael SwanwickHoward WaldropSupplementing the stories are the editor's insightful summation of the year's events and a lengthy list of honorable mentions, making this book a valuable resource in addition to serving as the single best place in the universe to find stories that stir the imagination and the heart.
Download or read book Mad Professor written by Rudy Rucker and published by Running Press Adult. This book was released on 2009-06-17 with total page 198 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At the untamed frontiers of intelligence, consciousness, matter, and reality lies Rudy Rucker's The Mad Professor, a collection of twelve mind-bending science fiction stories that probe the outer limits of possibility. Rucker, an accomplished computer scientist and mathematician with numerous science books and novels to his credit, brings his deep and varied knowledge of the mind, mathematics, and the ever-weird and wondrous workings of the physical universe to the stories collected here. In Chu and the Nants we read of a bizarre future following a Verge Singularity, in which hyperintelligent computers have taken over the solar system. Panpsychism Proved breaks down the boundaries between mind and matter, exploring the notion that "every object has a mind." And Six Thought Experiments Concerning the Nature of Computation is an exhilarating collection of mini-stories taking us to the outrageous extremes of theoretical speculation. In The Mad Professor, Rucker deploys the full range of his writing talent and scientific knowledge to take us on a wild romp through the known, the unknown, and the awesomely peculiar.
Download or read book The Fiction Writer s Guide to Alternate History written by Jack Dann and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2023-07-13 with total page 185 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive guide to the speculative sub-genre of alternate history fiction, this book maps the unique terrain of this vibrant mode of storytelling and then explains how to write it. First giving a concise conceptual overview and the critical tools to differentiate the different forms of counterfactual fiction, Jack Dann lays out the 'tricks of the trade' such 'Heinleining', how to create recognizable 'divergent points' and how to employ paratextual elements and 'layering' to overcome readers' unfamiliarity with invented counterfactual events and cultures. Alongside this, Dann takes you step-by-step through a complete short story to demonstrate, line-by-line, how alternative history fiction works. As well as Dann's exacting methodology for writing professional quality alternate history stories, this book also features a live-on-the-page Q&A with some of the most esteemed alternate history writers working today, including Kim Stanley Robinson, John Birmingham and Lisa Goldstein among many others, who will detail their own particular hacks, theories, processes, methods and strategies. Combining extensive and deep knowledge of the field with accessible writing advice, this is the ultimate guidebook to the broad and complex sub-genre of counterfactual and alterative history fiction.
Download or read book The Summer Thieves written by Paul Di Filippo and published by Night Shade Books. This book was released on 2021-07-20 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A masterful, witty, picaresque science fiction adventure story evoking the styles of Gene Wolfe and Jack Vance, The Summer Thieves is the first novel in the new Quinary series by noted author and reviewer Paul Di Filippo. He chased his dreams of the ideal summer across a galaxy of thieves . . . Far in the glorious interstellar future, a time of riches and complex technologies, the stern but utilitarian Quinary guards and regulates the flourishing human-colonized galaxy. Under their business-like rule, a family may own a whole planet. And so two bloodlines—the Corvivios clan and the Soldavere clan—are in full possession of the lush and benign world of Verano. The youngest members of each family—Johrun Corvivios and Minka Soldavere—are slated to wed. All looks rosy for the joint family enterprises. But then the happy future is dramatically and tragically overturned! Circumstances separate the lovers and rob them of their places in the galaxy, and Johrun must undertake a desperate quest across the stars to reclaim his birthright. At first aided only by his devoted chimeric helper, the canny Lutramella, Johrun will face a thousand deadly challenges, from malign magicians to haughty outlaws. As his character is matured in fire, his dedication to Verano and his determination to return increase, and his group of friends and allies becomes stronger . . . but will the precious Summer Planet, and his bride-to-be, even be the same when—and if—he returns?
Download or read book Great Philosophical Objections to Artificial Intelligence written by Eric Dietrich and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2021-01-14 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winner of the 2022 CHOICE Outstanding Academic Titles This book surveys and examines the most famous philosophical arguments against building a machine with human-level intelligence. From claims and counter-claims about the ability to implement consciousness, rationality, and meaning, to arguments about cognitive architecture, the book presents a vivid history of the clash between the philosophy and AI. Tellingly, the AI Wars are mostly quiet now. Explaining this crucial fact opens new paths to understanding the current resurgence AI (especially, deep learning AI and robotics), what happens when philosophy meets science, and the role of philosophy in the culture in which it is embedded. Organising the arguments into four core topics - 'Is AI possible', 'Architectures of the Mind', 'Mental Semantics and Mental Symbols' and 'Rationality and Creativity' - this book shows the debate that played out between the philosophers on both sides of the question, and, as well, the debate between philosophers and AI scientists and engineers building AI systems. Up-to-date and forward-looking, the book is packed with fresh insights and supporting material, including: - Accessible introductions to each war, explaining the background behind the main arguments against AI - Each chapter details what happened in the AI wars, the legacy of the attacks, and what new controversies are on the horizon. - Extensive bibliography of key readings
Download or read book The Year s Best Science Fiction Twenty First Annual Collection written by Gardner Dozois and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2004-07 with total page 708 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The stories in this collection imaginatively take readers far across the universe, into the very core of their beings, to the realm of the Gods, and to the moment just after now. Included are the works of masters of the form and the bright new talents of tomorrow. This book is a valuable resource in addition to serving as the single best place in the universe to find stories that stir the imagination and the heart.
Download or read book The Steampunk Trilogy written by Paul Di Filippo and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2014-07-08 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An outrageous trio of novellas that twist the Victorian era out of shape, by a master of alternate history: “Spooky, haunting, hilarious” (William Gibson). Welcome to the world of steampunk, a nineteenth century outrageously reconfigured through weird science. With his magnificent trilogy, acclaimed author Paul Di Filippo demonstrates how this unique subgenre of science fiction is done to perfection—reinventing a mannered age of corsets and industrial revolution with odd technologies born of a truly twisted imagination. In “Victoria,” the inexplicable disappearance of the British monarch-to-be prompts a scientist to place a human-lizard hybrid clone on the throne during the search for the missing royal. But the doppelgänger queen comes with a most troubling flaw: an insatiable sexual appetite. The somewhat Lovecraftian “Hottentots” chronicles the very unusual adventure of Swiss naturalist and confirmed bigot Louis Agassiz as his determined search for a rather grisly fetish plunges him into a world of black magic and monsters. Finally, in “Walt and Emily,” the hitherto secret and quite steamy love affair between Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman is revealed in all its sensuous glory—as are their subsequent interdimensional travels aboard a singular ship that transcends the boundaries of time and reality. Ingenious, hilarious, ribald, and utterly remarkable, Di Filippo’s The Steampunk Trilogy is a one-of-a-kind literary journey to destinations at once strangely familiar and profoundly strange.
Download or read book Fuzzy Dice written by Paul Di Filippo and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2024-03-12 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Di Filippo clowns his way through this transdimensional travelogue cut from the same cloth as Douglas Adams’s Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.” —Publishers Weekly At forty-five-years-old, Paul Girard is a self-loathing clerk at an independent bookstore, having finally killed his dream of being a writer by throwing out his rejected manuscripts. Drowning in existential angst, Paul can’t envision much of a future for himself—until he meets Hans. Hans is one of the Mind Children, an artificial race that has succeeded humanity. If Paul allows Hans to copy his human essence, the key to Superspace and its infinite number of universes will be his. And even though said key is a yo-yo, Paul agrees. Desperate to escape his banal reality, Paul flings the yo-yo and winds up in the singularity that preceded the Big Bang . . . a matriarchal society of women warriors . . . a realm populated by TV characters from his childhood. But Paul’s frantic travels only prove one thing: wherever he goes in the multiverse, there he is. Now how does he get home? “It’s like Tom Robbins’s classic Even Cowgirls Get the Blues recast in the hands of gonzo mathematician Rudy Rucker as a kind of ontological day trip.” —Locus “Frothing with ideas, Fuzzy Dice is one more reason Di Filippo is one of the most imaginative (and underappreciated) writers working today. . . . If humorously intelligent science fiction far beyond the madding crowd is your cup of tea, then this novel (and Di Filippo in general) cannot disappoint. . . . Great fun, great read—almost as much as Sheckley’s Dimension of Miracles.” —Speculiction
