George Alec Effinger Live! From Planet Earth

Originally intended to be a collaboration with the author, this collection of the most memorable short stories of the late George Alec Effinger is a tribute from those who best knew his work — his friends, fellow writers, and editors. In addition to handpicking their favorite pieces, Michael Bishop, Neil Gaiman, Barbara Hambly, Mike Resnick, Howard Waldrop, and others have contributed a personal introduction or afterword to accompany each selection that reveals their deep respect for and insights into the author. The short stories "The Aliens Who Knew, I Mean, Everything" and "Everything but Honor," both Hugo Award finalists, are among those included. Of special interest are seven previously uncollected short stories and a poem written under the author's pen name, O. Niemand. Introduced by Gardner Dozois, former editor of Asimov Science Fiction Magazine, these stories are uniquely written in the style of other authors including Ernest Hemingway, John Steinbeck, James Thurber, and Mark Twain. Considered by Effinger to be "sympathetic homage" rather than parody or caricature, they present his perspective on how these noted authors would have tackled science fiction, such as "The Man Outside," the John Steinbeck-inspired story about a loner in a domed city on an asteroid deep in space.

Contents:

• Editor's Notes and Acknowledgments by Marty Halpern
• Introduction to The Aliens Who Knew, I Mean, Everything by Michael Bishop (aka In Praise of Hollyhocks)
• The Aliens Who Knew, I Mean, Everything
• Afterword to The Aliens Who Knew, I Mean, Everything by George Zebrowski
• Introduction to All the Last Wars at Once by Mike Resnick
• All the Last Wars at Once
• Introduction to Two Sadnesses by Howard Waldrop
• Two Sadnesses
• Introduction to Target: Berlin! by Pamela Sargent
• Target: Berlin!
• Introduction to One by Barbara Hambly
• One
• Introduction to My Old Man by Lawrence Person
• My Old Man
• Introduction to Everything but Honor by Neal Barrett, Jr.
• Everything But Honor
• Introduction to Solo in the Spotlight by Bradley Denton
• Solo in the Spotlight
• Introduction to At the Bran Foundry by Jack Dann
• At the Bran Foundry
• Introduction to Housebound by Richard Gilliam
• Housebound
• Introduction to Glimmer, Glimmer by Bradley Denton
• Glimmer, Glimmer
• Introduction to From Downtown at the Buzzer by Mike Resnick
• From Downtown at the Buzzer
• Introduction to the O. Niemand Stories by Gardner Dozois
• The Wooing of Slowboat Sadie
• The Man Outside
• Afternoon Under Glass
• Two Bits
• The Artist Passes It By
• The Day the Invaders Came
• The Wisdom of Having Money
• Put Your Hands Together
• Introduction to Seven Nights in Slumberland by Neil Gaiman
• Seven Nights in Slumberland
• Introduction to My First Game as an Immortal by Barbara Hambly
• My First Game as an Immortal (poem)