Visitations (Five Star Science Fiction/Fantasy) [Hardcover]

Jack Dann (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0786249617 | ISBN-13: 978-0786249619 | Publication Date: March 1, 2003 | Edition: 1

Australian author Jack Dann has received the Nebula Award, the World Fantasy Award, the Australia Aurealis Award, and has been honored by the Mark Twain Society. Now, in his first collection in more than two decades, Five Star is pleased to present Visitations, fourteen of Jack Dann's finest works of short fiction, including several Nebula Award-nominated stories. (20021201)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This collection spans a quarter-century of Dann's stories, from "The Dybbuk Dolls" (1975) to "Ting-a-Ling" (2001). In between are, to name only the most distinguished, "Reunion," "The Glass Casket" (a take on Sleeping Beauty), "Night Visions," "A Cold Day in the Mesozoic," "Blind Eye," and one of Dann's tales of an alternate-world Leonardo da Vinci, "Vapors." More are fantasy than sf, though some straddle the border between sf and fantasy, or between fantasy and straight horror, and much of the fantasy is of the mythic variety. Dann contributes no story introductions conveying the backgrounds of the stories, which are always written sparely and clearly, and are frequently very dense and dark in their themes and Dann's development of those themes. Dann has been collected and anthologized quite impressively during his career, but as an introduction to him, this collection is remarkably valuable. Roland Green
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Review

"From a darkly humorous tale of the power of words (Death and the Librarian) to a never-before-published response to events of September 11 (Ilion), Friesner's 12 stories illustrate the author's acutely sensitive vision of wonder in the everyday world... Known primarily for his 'Star Wars' novels... Zahn's short stories also deliver strong plots and memorable characters... Zebrowski's many novels (e.g. Macrolife) mark him as a visionary as well as a master of hard sf. The ten short stories collected in In the Distance provide a benchmark of his creativity... the author expands his concept of the human condition to embrace the stars. Part of Five Star's continuing commitment to showcasing the short fiction of the genre's most prominent author's, these three volumes belong in most libraries where short sf is popular."
-- Library Journal (December 2002) (Library Journal 20020615)

"...Part of Five Star's continuing commitment to showcasing the short fiction of the genre's most prominent authors, these three volumes (Death and the Librarian and Other Stories/ Star Song and Other Stories/ In the Distance, and Ahead in Time) belong in most libraries where short sf is popular."
-- Library Journal (December 2002) (Library Journal )

"Four more titles in Five Star's new series (God Is an Iron and Other Stories/ Generation Gap and Other Stories/ The Lady Vanishes and Other Oddities of Nature/ Suppose They Gave a Peace and Other Stories) of short fiction by noteworthy sf authors offer a variety of tales that illustrate the depth and staying power of the genre...Most of the stories in these volumes have only appeared in periodicals. Libraries wishing to augment their sf or short fiction collections should consider any of them."
-- Library Journal (June 2002) (Library Journal )

". . . a true poet who can create pictures with a few perfect words."
-- Library Journal (Library Journal )

"...his stories [are] more ?literary? than many of the tales which grace the pages of the science fiction magazines and anthologies. Readers who are willing to work with Dann's level of writing will find themselves rewarded by stories which stay with them long after they have closed the cover..."
-- Steven H. Silver (Steven H. Silver )

Product Details

• Hardcover: 255 pages
• Publisher: Five Star; 1 edition (March 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786249617
• ISBN-13: 978-0786249619
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,934,613 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars stories run much of the speculative fiction gamut, May 17, 2003

By 

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

This review is from: Visitations (Five Star Science Fiction/Fantasy) (Hardcover)

This fourteen story collection consists of tales mostly written in the 1970s and 1980s yet remains timely in their exploration of what is the essence that makes a human? Each contribution is cleverly written so that the casual fan has an exciting story to read. It also enables those of the audience who relish philosophy pondering the meaning of life. The stories run much of the speculative fiction gamut but peels down to what is humanity? There is obviously a Jack Dann revival going. Between this anthology and his recent JUBILEE work (released in December) we get to know the author and like what we read. Thus his myriad of fans have plenty of solid reading matter worth perusing.

Harriet Klausner