Robert Sheckley was an eccentric master of the American short story, and his tales, whether set in dystopic cityscapes, ultramodern advertising agencies, or aboard spaceships lighting out for hostile planets, are among the most startlingly original of the twentieth century. Today, as the new worlds, alternate universes, and synthetic pleasures Sheckley foretold become our reality, his vision begins to look less absurdist and more prophetic. This retrospective selection, chosen by Jonathan Lethem and Alex Abramovich, brings together the best of Sheckley’s deadpan farces, proving once again that he belongs beside such mordant critics of contemporary mores as Bruce Jay Friedman, Terry Southern, and Thomas Pynchon.
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Oblique and satirical
(Times Literary Supplement)At his best when his sardonic nature intersected with an intriguing sci-fi premise, [Sheckley] paved the way for even more adventurous authors with perfectly crafted short stories like these.
(The Scotsman)
I can't believe I've gone this long without reading any Robert Sheckley. Store of the Worlds is a collection of classic sci-fi stories from the '50s and '60s, which melds the wit of Ray Bradbury with the philosophical undertones of Philip K Dick. From a race of aliens who think nothing of murder but regard lying as deeply immoral, to a boy wizard whose only desire is to be an accountant, comic and throught-provoking gems.
(Bookseller)With his inventive characters, boundary-shoving plots and wry humour, [Sheckley] remains one of the true masters of the genre
(Time Out)ROBERT SHECKLEY (1928–2005) was born in New York City and joined the army shortly after high school, serving in Korea from 1946 to 1948. In the 1950s and ’60s his stories appeared regularly in science-fiction magazines, especially Galaxy, as well as in Playboy and Esquire.
JONATHAN LETHEM is the author of eight novels, including Girl in Landscape and Chronic City, and five collections of stories and essays, including The Ecstasy of Influence (2011). He has previously written the introductions for the NYRB Classics editions of A Meaningful Life by L.J. Davis and On the Yard by Malcolm Braly. He teaches at Pomona College and lives in Los Angeles and Maine.
ALEX ABRAMOVICH has been an editor of Feed, Flavorpill, and Very Short List and a writer for The New York Times, The London Review of Books, and other publications. He lives in Oakland, California, and Astoria, Queens.
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. Robert Sheckley was science fiction's in-house reply to theblack humorists of the 1950s and 60s- Bruce Jay Friedman,Terry Southern, and the young Thomas Pynchon were his nonetoo-distant relatives; Mort Sahl's comedy, Charles Schultz'scartoons, and Tom Lehrer's songs all mined similar veins.Sheckley targeted the conformity and consumerism of ourmid-century technotopia while it was still under construction.His new worlds, alternate universes, and future dystopias haveonly become more present with the passing years, even as hiscareer, played out both in the pulp magazines and in front-linevenues like Playboy and Omni, is a glimpse of a time when"science fiction writer" could be a kind of hipster credential.Mordant, absurdist, and deadpan, the best of Sheckley's dissidentfarces represent science fiction's high-water mark as anallegorical clearinghouse for twenty-century angst. Mordant, absurdist, and deadpan, the best of Sheckley's dissident farces represent science fiction's high-water mark as an allegorical clearinghouse for twenty-century angst. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9781590174944
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