Landscapes: Stories by Kevin J. Anderson [Hardcover]

Kevin J. Anderson (Author), Neil Peart (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2, 2006

Bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson is best known for his epic science fiction novels such as Hidden Empire, Dune: House Atreides (with Brian Herbert), and Star Wars: Jedi Search. This collection of twenty-two tales and two essays displays the range of his imagination, from science fiction to fantasy to horror; from alien landscapes in the far future to cutting-edge technological developments that could happen tomorrow. The first five stories take readers to parallel universes next door, on expeditions for Alternitech. Other tales put a humorous twist on classic fantasy scenarios of kissing frogs and slaying dragons. Readers will see cloned mammoths, the dark side of early Hollywood, attorneys wrestling with the legalities of time paradoxes, and backpackers on an alien planet.

Kevin J. Anderson loves to write while hiking in the Rocky Mountains of his home state, Colorado. (20021201)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The 22 stories and two essays in this collection by bestseller Anderson (Star Wars: Jedi Search) showcase his competence at shorter length. The idea of landscapes informs his SF tales in particular. In "Music Played on the Strings of Time," parallel timestream hoppers exploit slight differences in place as they seek new music by established artists or successful drug therapies. The artificial ecosystems of "Prisons" keeps the hell of a planet undergoing terraforming at bay. In the postapocalyptic world of "Rest in Peace," civilization has disappeared, along with humanity. In his fantasy stories, Anderson lets loose with humor and fun. In "Frog Kiss," a man kisses a lot of frogs while trying to find members of the enchanted royal family, while in "Special Makeup," a mysterious makeup artist goes to extremes to prepare an unwitting actor for his role as a werewolf. Marring the author's readable style and capable plots are one-dimensional characters and a lack of surprises, but his many fans will find much to enjoy. (Mar.)
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From Booklist

Anderson's prolific output of sf best-sellers, including several Star Wars and Dune titles (the latter with Brian Herbert), hasn't reduced his output of high-quality short stories, as this collection demonstrates. Its 22 selections, which include 7 departures into fantasy and 2 essays highlighting Anderson's love of the outdoors, attest his wide-ranging interests and genius for technological flights of fancy. The first 5 tales focus on Alternitech, a company that exploits alternate time lines by unearthing and profiting from artists and drug therapies unknown in the default time line; in one, for example, an aspiring songwriter is unnerved to discover that he became successful in a parallel universe--and then committed suicide. "Job Qualifications" eavesdrops on a political candidate who tailors his public image by mining the experiences of his many clones. In "Frog Kiss," a man has to kiss a lot of frogs to locate missing members of a royal family. A generous variety of themes and settings should please existing Anderson devotees while also providing a warm welcome for new fans. Carl Hays
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 436 pages
• Publisher: Five Star; 1 edition (March 2, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594144761
• ISBN-13: 978-1594144769
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,139,223 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kevin J. Anderson has written 46 national bestsellers and has over 20 million books in print worldwide in thirty languages. He has been nominated for the Nebula Award, the Bram Stoker Award, and the SFX Readers' Choice Award. Find out more about Kevin Anderson at www.wordfire.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars superb speculative fiction collection, April 14, 2006

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Landscapes: Stories by Kevin J. Anderson (Hardcover)

This speculative fiction collection contains twenty two short stories that run the gamut from fantasy to science fiction but all share in common, Kevin J. Anderson's ability to paint seemingly realistic backgrounds regardless of genre. The width of Mr. Anderson's talent is showcased by the differing landscapes that make up his tales (and two essays) of which fourteen are labeled sci fi; seven fantasy; and three "The Great Outdoors". Ten of the stories are from the 1990s while three first appeared in the latter half of the 1980s; the rest are from this decade. The contributions are all fun with some being collaborations with Benford, Beason and Moesta. Two interesting essays round out this strong anthology so that readers will want to rush out to obtain it. Frogs, werewolves or Santa star in alternate universes or our world which adds great fantasy to this is first-rate pert compilation.

Harriet Klausner

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars C'mas Joy, January 3, 2007

By 

Jay Driskell (Wildwood, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Landscapes: Stories by Kevin J. Anderson (Hardcover)

Hadda spend money for a big guy.
Said he wanted "Landscapes".
Therefor - - -
We both read it first - liked it lots.
Big guy liked it as well.
Merry C'mas.