Most Popular Books by Carol Emshwiller

* Philip K. Dick Award Winner * Best of the Year: Locus, Village Voice, San Francisco Chronicle, Book Magazine * Nominated for the Impac Award Charley is an athlete. He wants to grow up to be the fastest runner in the world, like his father. He wants to be painted crossing the finishing line, in his racing silks, with a medal around his neck. Charley lives in a stable. He isn''t a runner, he''s a mount. He belongs to a Hoot: The Hoots are alien invaders. Charley hasn''t seen his mother for years, and his father is hiding out in the mountains somewhere, with the other Free Humans. The Hoots own the world, but the humans want it back. Charley knows how to be a good mount, but now he''s going to have to learn how to be a human being.

“Combines the cruel humor of Candide with the allegorical panache of Animal Farm.”—Entertainment Weekly "Carol is the most unappreciated great writer we''ve got. Carmen Dog ought to be a classic in the colleges by now . . . It''s so funny, and it''s so keen." —Ursula K. Le Guin “A rollicking outre satire.... full of comic leaps and absurdist genius.”—Bitch “A wise and funny book.”—The New York Times "This trenchant feminist fantasy-satire mixes elements of Animal Farm, Rhinoceros and The Handmaid''s Tale.... Imagination and absurdist humor mark [Carmen Dog] throughout, and Emshwiller is engaging even when most savage about male-female relationships."—Booklist "Her fantastic premise allows Emshwiller canny and frequently hilarious insights into the damaging sex-role stereotypes both men and women perpetuate." —Publishers Weekly The debut title in our Peapod Classics line, Carol Emshwiller’s genre-jumping debut novel is a dangerous, sharp-eyed look at men, women, and the world we live in. Everything is changing: women are turning into animals, and animals are turning into women. Pooch, a golden setter, is turning into a beautiful woman—although she still has some of her canine traits: she just can''t shuck that loyalty thing—and her former owner has turned into a snapping turtle. When the turtle tries to take a bite of her own baby, Pooch snatches the baby and runs. Meanwhile, there''s a dangerous wolverine on the loose, men are desperately trying to figure out what''s going on, and Pooch discovers what she really wants: to sing Carmen. Carmen Dog is the funny feminist classic that inspired writers Pat Murphy and Karen Joy Fowler to create the James Tiptree Jr. Memorial Award.

I Live With You is a sophisticated collection of fierce, compassionate fiction marked by an absurdist sense of humor. A contemporary of Jorge Luis Borges, Italo Calvino, and Fay Weldon, Carol Emshwiller has been lauded for her originality and lyricism. These striking short stories skillfully explore themes of war, seduction, and censorship: An Eden emerges from the wreckage of burning books in “The Library,” “Boys” sets a weary general and his sons against a village of determined mothers, and “I Live With You (and You Don’t Know It)” brings a necessary chaos from an uninvited guest.

Eighteen stories deal with alien worlds, extraterrestrial invaders, crossbreeds, animals, and lonely city-dwellers.

Bobby Lassiter has some important secrets—but it’s not as if anyone’s paying attention. It’s the middle of the Depression, and while Bobby’s mother and older sister knit all day to make money, Bobby explores the California desert around their home. That’s how Bobby finds Boots. He’s under their one half-dead tree, halfdead himself. Right away he’s a secret, too—a secret to be fed and clothed and taken care of, and even more of a secret because of what he can do. Sometimes Boots is a man. Sometimes he’s (really, truly) a horse. He and Bobby both know something about magic—and those who read this book will, too. “A wonderful story about a man who is a horse, and a boy who is a girl—about fake magic and real love—about deaths that are part of living and the pain that pays for joy. I love it.”—Ursula K. Le Guin

The Secret City is a proud enclave carved in stone. Hidden high in a mountain range, it is a worn citadel protecting a lost culture. It harbors a handful of aliens stranded on Earth, waiting for rescue and running out of time. Over years of increasing poverty, an exodus to the human world has become their only chance for survival. The aliens are gradually assimilating not as a discrete culture but as a source of cheap labor. But the sudden arrival of ill-prepared rescuers will touch off divided loyalties, violent displacement, and star-crossed love. As unlikely human allies are pitted against xenophobic aliens, the stage is set for a final standoff at the Secret City.

Crossing the boundaries between fabulist literature, science fiction, and magical realism, the stories in this collection offer a valuable glimpse into the evolution of Carol Emshwiller’s ideas and style during her more than 50-year career. Influenced by J. G. Ballard, Steven Millhauser, Philip K. Dick, and Lydia Davis, Emshwiller has a range of works that is impressive and demonstrates her refusal to be labeled or to stick to one genre. This exhilarating new collection marks the first time many of the early stories have been published in book form and is evidence of the genius of Emshwiller, one of America’s most versatile and imaginative authors.

"A sweet and true and heartbreaking (story), echoing with the actualities of our old horseback life in the American West".--William Kittredge.

Tells the story of Abel, an impish, mute child; of Mary Catherine, whose eccentricities trigger new spirit in him; and of Henny, a World War 1 veteran. These and other characters come to life amid Emshwiller''s rich country landscape. With Leaping Man Hill Carol Emshwiller continues to breathe life into the American Western, turning the genre on its head, filling it with surprises, and giving it unparalleled authenticity, power, and poignancy.

Stories ranging from surreal adventure to hilarious satire. In this long awaited but nonetheless startling collection, Emshwiller uses tongue-in-cheek realism to explore the psychological make-up of contemporary women. Not afraid to stick their necks out, these stories force us to look at the ordinary domestic world and see it as truly skewed, odd, metaphorical, allegorical, satirical and fantastic.

Fiercely imaginative stories from an esteemed and prolific writer.

As is traditional in the world of zines, we apologize for the lateness of the current issue to appear. This, er, tradition goes back to Bob, the first caveman. Damn his late eyes. Also, we introduce a new columnist, Nicole Kimberling, who will write about food. This time, she starts us off with that most delightful of comestibles: brownies.

Women write science fiction. They always have. Rediscovery: Science Fiction by Women (1953-1957) offers, quite simply, some of the best science fiction ever written: 20 amazing pieces, most of which haven''t been reprinted for decades...but should have been. Whether you are a long-time fan or new to the genre, you are in for a treat. Dig in. Enjoy these newly-rediscovered delicacies a few at a time...or binge them all at once!

First Firebirds. Then Firebirds Rising. Now there is Firebirds Soaring, the third anthology of original stories by some of today?s finest writers of fantasy and science fiction. These authors, including Nancy Farmer (The Sea of Trolls), Ellen Klages (The Green Glass Sea), Margo Lanagan (Black Juice), and Jane Yolen (The Devil?s Arithmetic), have brought new worlds and Old Magic to life in nineteen remarkable pieces of short fiction. Mike Dringenberg, co-creator of Sandman, contributes decorative vignettes. Firebirds Soaring?like Firebirds and Firebirds Rising?sets the standard for short fiction for teenagers and adult fans of the genre.

The fifth volume in the Science Fiction Megapack series collects 25 tales of high adventure through other worlds and times, including 5 Hugo and Nebula Award-winners and nominees. Featured this time are: AGAPE AMONG THE ROBOTS, by Allen Steele THE STARSHIP MECHANIC, by Jay Lake and Ken Scholes PEACEMAKER, by Gardner Dozois OR ALL THE SEAS WITH OYSTERS, by Avram Davidson GRANDMA, by Carol Emshwiller THE GIFT BEARER, by Charles L. Fontenay I, ROBOT, by Cory Doctorow ALL RIGHTS, by Pamela Sargent THE EICHMANN VARIATIONS, by George Zebrowski MAY BE SOME TIME, by Brenda W. Clough CYBERPUNK, by Bruce Bethke MILLENNIUM, by Everett B. Cole JOIN OUR GANG? by Sterling E. Lanier GREYLORN, by Keith Laumer JUMPING THE LINE, by Grania Davis HE’S ONLY HUMAN, by Lawrence Watt-Evans THE WASONICA CORRECTION, by James C. Stewart CIRCUS, by Alan E. Nourse THE HATED, by Frederik Pohl CODE THREE, by Rick Raphael COST OF LIVING, by Robert Sheckley THIS IS KLON CALLING, by Walter J. Sheldon THE BIG BOUNCE, by Walter S. Tevis THE RISK PROFESSION, by Donald E. Westlake THE FIRE EGGS, by Darrell Schweitzer And don''t forget to search this ebook store for "Megapack" to see other volumes in the series, from science fiction to ghost stories to mysteries...and many more!

Carol Emshwiller''s writing career spanned sixty years, and the roughly 150 stories she published appeared in pulp magazines and literary journals and everything in between -- earning her the Pushcart Prize, multiple Nebula Awards, and a World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement. Moon Songs selects a representative sample of stories from every era of Emshwiller''s work, providing readers new and old with a guidebook to a unique vision. Wry and ironic, hilarious and heartbreaking, poignant and poetic, these tales stand as testament to the vivid imagination of an original and uncompromising writer.