Sleepside: The Collected Fantasies

by Greg Bear

Overview

Classic fantasy stories from the Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author, "one of our very best, and most innovate, speculative writers" (New York Daily News).
Collecting six stories in old paradigms, Sleepside features Greg Bear's outstanding fantasy writing: "Webster," "The White Horse Child," "Sleepside Story," "Dead Run," "Through Road No Whither," and the Nebula Award finalist "Petra." This edition also includes the special introduction by the author: "On Losing the Taint of Being a Cannibal." 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781497607774
Publisher:	Open Road Media Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Publication date:	04/29/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Greg Bear is the author of over twenty-five books, which have been translated into seventeen languages. He has won science fiction's highest honors and is considered the natural heir to Arthur C. Clarke. The recipient of two Hugo Awards and four Nebula Awards, Bear has been called "the best working writer of hard science fiction" by the Science Fiction Encyclopedia. Many of his novels, such as Darwin's Radio, are considered to be classics of his generation. Bear is married to Astrid Anderson—who is the daughter of science fiction great Poul Anderson—and they are the parents of two children, Erik and Alexandria. Bear's recent publications include the thriller Quantico and its sequel, Mariposa; the epic science fiction novel City at the End of Time; and the generation starship novel Hull Zero Three.
<B>Greg Bear</B> is the author of more than thirty books of science fiction and fantasy, including <I>Forerunner: Cryptum, Mariposa, Darwin's Radio, Eon</I>, and <I>Quantico</I>. He is married to Astrid Anderson Bear and is the father of Erik and Alexandra. His works have been published internationally in over twenty languages. Bear has been called the "Best working writer of hard science fiction" by the <I>Ultimate Encyclopedia of Science Fiction</I>.

Read an Excerpt

Introduction: On Losing the Taint of Being a Cannibal

by Greg Bear

I'm reminded of the line delivered by Joseph Bologna in the motion picture comedy, The Big Bus. His character, Dan Torrance, once drove a bus through Donner Pass, and of course got snowed in. Desperation quickly set in among the passengers, and some odd recipes were resorted to. Torrance pleads that he did not know what was in the soup, adding, "One lousy foot, and they call you a cannibal for the rest of your life!"

Writing science fiction is one of those odd activities, like being a cannibal, that marks you permanently, even should you later become a vegan.

The odd relationship most people have with science--awed fascination, not infrequently dismay and distrust, and guilty dependence--guarantees a mixed reaction among the reading public: "You actually enjoy science? Writing about it, making it up? How interesting."

Their tone of voice tells you that you are now marked forever in their minds.

Science fiction explores the outer limits of the current Western paradigm, science; its playground is all that we know about the universe, and what we imagine we might eventually know.

Many of us, at one time or another, enjoy playing with previous paradigms--mind over matter, magic, dream logic, and so on. Literature does not play favorites; excellent stories have been written in all these areas.

A science fiction writer who writes fantasy, however, is regarded by some as an odd bird indeed. Write science fiction, become well known for it, and--well, your fantasy stories become almost invisible. All those times when you weren't acannibal--simply forgotten.

Yet most of the great science fiction writers have written a great deal of fantasy, and I have, as well. But prejudices and snobbery on both sides of the fence have grown in the past ten or fifteen years.

I've never thought of my fantasy stories as dabbling or slumming. They represent an important part of my writing. Some of my very finest work is fantasy. The first novel I ever finished--an early version of what would later be published as The Infinity Concerto and The Serpent Mage--was fantasy. My second published novel, Psychlone, is a ghost story, heavily influenced by Stephen King. In real life I've even gone hunting ghosts in a world-famous hotel, just like Carnacki, though without his spectacular success.

I love fantasy.

Perhaps by gathering some of my fantasy in one volume, I can convince the world that I've had at least a few moments when I was not a cannibal.

But I won't bet on it.

Being a writer of science fiction is just so odd.

Thank goodness.

Table of Contents

• Contents
• Introduction: On Losing the Taint of Being a Cannibal
• Webster
• The White Horse Child
• Richie by the Sea
• Sleepside Story
• Dead Run
• The Visitation
• Through Road No Whither
• Petra
• The Way of All Ghosts