It's rate that I'm not working on a novel. Short stories often happen between novels. Consequently my output is fairly small. But I love the tale-telling concept, the notion 'that I can spin a yarn, rather than construct something architectural and precise.'
So writes triple Hugo Award-winning author C.J. Cherryh in the introduction to this book, the first comprehensive collection of her independent short fiction. For though C.J. is primarily known for her novels, its clear from the more than two dozen brilliant and varied stories collected here, as well as her commentaries about them, that she loves the short forms and truly enjoys her forays into them.
We welcome you to join this expert far-traveller in realms of her imagination, where you'll visit: 'Cassandra'-the Hugo Award-winning tale of a woman cursed with a unique, prophetic madness. 'Threads of Time'-an unforgettable reminder that when you play tricks in time, Time itself may play the greatest trick on you. 'The Last Tower'-in which an old man discovers how an 'ally' may topple defences an enemy could never breach. Sunfall-in which six mighty Earth cities laden with the grandeur of history confront their fates in the far future light of our own dying sun. And may other magical, alien, and future worlds, in a volume which incorporates all C.J Cherryh's previous, long unavailable collections, individual short stories which have never been compiled before, and a never before published novella written specifically for this book. So board this spaceship where your tour guide is one of the most gifted and brilliant of all science fiction and fantasy writers, and embark on a journey fuelled by the imagination of the incomparable.
Industry Reviews
"Sure to appeal to Cherryh enthusiasts as well as initiates... all readers should appreciate her short fiction's lyrical blend of SF and fantasy. The majority (of the stories) showcase the author's talent for depicting the effect of history on individuals. The Visible Light section, which includes the Hugo-winning 'Cassandra, ' highlights her skill at creating poignant, believable characters embedded in political and personal conflicts." --Publishers Weekly "This massive and valuable collection reprints all of Cherryh's short fiction... 'Cassandra' is a Hugo Award winner and, with 'A Thief in Korianth' and 'The Last Tower, ' enjoyes classic status in the Cherryh canon. Toward the end comes an assortment of 'Other Short Fiction, ' amid which 'The Dark King, ' 'The Unshadowed Land, ' and 'Gwydion and the Dragon' are outstanding. Cherryh crafts even less impressive stories well enough to verify her reputation for brilliance and versatility." --Booklist
"The twenty-nine short stories, novellas, and novelettes gathered here represent the best of Cherryh's short fiction. Known primarily for such novels as Cuckoo's Egg and the 'Chanur' series, Cherryh demonstrates a fine flair for compact storytelling that encompasses science, fantasy, and myth." --Library Journal
"A quarter-century of short stories shows an award-winning writer to be master of more than just novels. Economical, swift, varied, employing just the right amount of detail, they are all eminently readable and often accomplish the same thing the novels do in a fraction of the space. In these days of ever-increasing book prices, this mammoth volume represents a bargain at its modest price. But of course, it's the high quality of the stories that seals the deal." --SciFi.com
"Highly intelligent and inexhaustibly imaginative, this versatile collection should be cherished for decades to come. Much more than entertainment, The Collected short Fiction of C.J. Cherryh is literary history unearthed." --The Barnes & Noble Review
