Showing results by narrator "William Coon" in All Categories

What if we discovered that one of history's greatest heroes had written his life story? That's the premise behind Robert Silverberg's amazing novel Gilgamesh the King. The journey begins when six-year-old Gilgamesh's father dies. As he grows to manhood and eventually ascends to the throne, he faces many challenges along the way: political intrigue, war, the burden of leadership. But none are as difficult as his intense internal struggles against loneliness and his own mortality.

"The Ice Palace" is a modernist short story written by F. Scott Fitzgerald and published in The Saturday Evening Post, May 22, 1920. It is one of eight short stories originally published in Fitzgerald's first collection, Flappers and Philosophers (New York City: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1920), and is also included in the collection Babylon Revisited and Other Stories (New York City: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1960).

This collection of five stories from early in his career casts a spotlight on Dick’s incredible imagination. In "Second Variety", robot warriors appear to have given one side the advantage in a devastating war. But a small band of soldiers begins to question just what the robots’ endgame truly is. In "Beyond Lies the Wub", a member of a spaceship’s crew buys a Wub ("a huge dirty pig!") for 50 cents, thinking it might be a good source of meat for the long journey home. Then the Wub speaks....

Although C. M. Kornbluth died an untimely death at age 34, in his short career he managed to write dozens of short stories and a number of novels, often collaborating with other writers. The five stories in this collection are all his own, and show a writer at the height of his powers.

Hugely talented and famously eccentric, pianist Glenn Gould fought a running battle with a long list of less than perfect pianos. A Romance on Three Legs is the story of a love that changed Gould's life: his partnership with the Steinway CD 318, a piano whose peculiar action and temperament ushered Gould closer than ever to interpretive perfection. Katie Hafner weaves the compelling tale of Gould, his favorite piano, and the men who worked on it, revealing new details and nuances in the work and mind of one of the twentieth century's greatest artists.

This box set contains all three novellas in the Tucker Candle trilogy: Wounded Animals, The Legend of Kareem, and Both Ends Burning.

A month ago, the stranger at the bar warned Candle that involving himself in the company's dealings was going to lead him on the path to ruin. Only now does Candle understand the depth of that statement. For every move he makes to uncover the truth, the company counters. They spread lies and send men to kill him. They target his family and try to frame him for murder. This company harbors a terrible secret, and they'll commit heinous acts to keep it under wraps.

Candle thought it was over. Back to the status quo. That's why, when a letter appears in his mailbox from someone he thought was dead, he's dragged back into the middle of the whole mess. He'll have to scurry down to Texas to save the life of a man he doesn't even know, because if he doesn't, his wife and unborn child will again become targets.

While nursing some drinks after a terrible day at work, Tucker Candle spits out his rum and coke when a stranger across the bar turns water into wine. This stranger has a warning for Candle: skip your planned business trip tomorrow. With a clear head the next morning, Candle resumes his normal life. But when Candle comes back from his trip to find his pregnant wife missing and a dead man's blood seeping into his bathroom floor, the washed-up weirdo's counsel doesn't seem so foreign now.

If the cabbage man doesn't arrive soon, another meal will slip by and the king will still be allowed to exude foul breath from his lips. While the pastry chef and the royal food taster plot in the kitchen, the butcher keeps a close eye on their plans. And don't forget the sausage-lipped prime minister...he's got a secret buried in that mustache, no doubt about that.

Matthew knows how things work. He's pretty much an expert. For example: friends. Friendship requires both give and take, and Matthew strongly prefers taking. The solution is close acquaintances - people who think you're their friend because you nod and act interested in whatever the hell they're talking about.

Fifteen years ago, when an interviewer for The Austin American-Statesman asked what it takes to be a writer, William Browning Spencer said, ‘You have to be willing to ruin the rest of your life.’ Mr. Spencer notes that the willingness is more important than the actual result, and that his life is not in ruins. But he does believe that risk-taking is part of the process, not only for the author but for his characters. This is certainly the case for the characters in this collection of stories.

In a 1978 interview, Phillip K. Dick said "I've always had this funny feeling about reality. It just seems very feeble to me sometimes. It doesn't seem to have the substantiality that it's suppose to have." Fortunately for us, Dick translated his feelings about reality into some of the greatest science fiction writing of all time. This collection features five stories from early in his career, when he found his voice as a writer.

Ah, childhood. A time of blissful innocence, "sweet pears and cakes." Not so fast. As Chekhov realistically observes, children are exposed to a wide range of experiences and emotions. Usually by adults, who long ago forgot what it was like to be a child. The children in this collection of stories range from two to nine years old, but they see it all, from life to death, from love to duplicity.

The assassination of Abraham Lincoln is usually told as a tale of a lone deranged actor who struck from a twisted lust for revenge. This is not only too simple an explanation; Blood on the Moon reveals that it is completely wrong. John Wilkes Booth was neither mad nor alone in his act of murder. He received the help of many, not the least of whom was Dr. Samuel Alexander Mudd, the Charles County physician who has been portrayed as the innocent victim of a vengeful government.

"Take him home, love him, and save your money for his institutionalization when he turns 21." That was the best advice Dan Burns' family doctor could offer in 1990 when three-year-old Ben was diagnosed with autism. Saving Ben tells the story of Ben's regression as an infant into the world of autism and his journey toward recovery as a young adult. His father, Dan Burns, puts the reader in the passenger's seat as he struggles with medical service providers, the school system, extended family, and more.

Mystery stories - not exactly the genre you'd typically associate with Henry James. The three stories in this collection, however, explore the mysteries of the human psyche and the human heart. This collection contains "A Light Man", "The Madonna of the Future", and "The Figure in the Carpet."

A former stage hypnotist, the Amazing Conroy really just wants to have a good meal. He’s now the wealthy CEO of a company that leases buffalo dogs, alien creatures capable of biting into and devouring nearly anything. When he attempts to implement a solution for cleaning up massive industrial waste sites, Conroy becomes targeted by ecological terrorists who resent the use of alien technology (living or otherwise) to heal the Earth. But kidnapping and the destruction of his corporate headquarters are the least of Conroy’s problems....

At first glance, 'The Most Dangerous Game’ by Richard Connell, ‘Paul’s Case’ by Willa Cather, and ‘The Beast in the Jungle’ by Henry James have very little in common. In ‘The Most Dangerous Game’ Sanger Rainsford, an accomplished big game hunter, is marooned on a remote island that is inhabited by another big game hunter, General Zaroff, who has found a very twisted way to add thrills to his hunting parties.

And they lived happily ever after.... Or did they? In this collection of stories, Chekhov focuses his powers of observation on the complex relationships between men and women. Why do we couple in the first place? Is it for love, security, comfort, a sense of obligation? And then what? How long can these reasons keep us together? These questions, and more, are explored with the subtlety and insight of the master story-teller.