Lucius Shepard

Все книги автора Lucius Shepard (7) книг

The Dragon Griaule

‘These six stories explore ground far from the high fantasy with which dragons are frequently associated. Fans of Shepard’s unusual and often powerful Griaule tales will be delighted to have them all in one place’Publishers Weekly‘His work is daring and unsettling in the way art should be’Kirkus Reviews‘A writer with breathtaking ability’Locus‘One of the finest science fiction writers of all time’Science Fiction ChronicleLucius Taylor Shepard was born in Lynchburg, Virginia, in 1947. He travelled extensively in his youth, and has held a wide assortment of occupations in the United States, Europe, Southeast Asia and Latin America, including rock musician and night club bouncer. He attended the Clarion Writers’ Workshop in 1980 and made his first commercial sale a year later. His work covers many areas of fantastic fiction and has recently encompassed non-fiction, as well. For over a decade, he has contributed a regular column on SF cinema for The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. Lucius Shepard has won numerous prizes for his work, including the Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, Theodore Sturgeon and International Horror Guild awards. He lives in Portland, Oregon.Text copyright © Lucius Shepard 2012Introduction copyright © Graham Sleight 2013The Man Who Painted the Dragon Griaule copyright © Lucius Shepard 1984The Scalehunter’s Beautiful Daughter copyright © Lucius Shepard 1988The Father of Stones copyright © Lucius Shepard 1988Liar’s House copyright © Lucius Shepard 2004The Taborin Scale copyright © Lucius Shepard 2010The Skull copyright © Lucius Shepard 2012All rights reservedISBN 978 0 575 09009 5www.orionbooks.co.ukwww.gollancz.co.uk

Lucius Shepard

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Beautiful Blood

Lucius Shepard’s Beautiful Blood is something both special and long awaited: the first novel-length exploration of the world of the Dragon Griaule. It’s a subject that has preoccupied Shepard since the publication of “The Man Who Painted the Dragon Griaule” in 1984, and he has returned to it repeatedly over the years, though never before in such a mesmerizing, all-encompassing fashion.Like the initial tale, Beautiful Blood begins in the 1850s in the town of Teocinte, in a world “separated from our own by the thinnest margin of possibility.” It is a landscape whose dominant feature is the massive, long-dormant body of an ancient dragon that has lain there motionless, for millennia, exerting a powerful but mysterious influence on the surrounding area. The novel tells the story of Richard Rosacher, an ambitious young medical student who becomes fascinated by the properties inherent in the dragon’s blood. His exploitation of those properties launches him on a career that leads him from the shabbiest quarter of Teocinte to a morally ambiguous position of power, wealth, and influence. Beautiful Blood takes us though the entire length of that career, which is marked throughout by the invisible agency of Griaule, who may well be the driving force behind Rosacher’s astonishing ascension.The novel also encapsulates the events of the initial Griaule story, events that dovetail neatly with the current tale. Meric Cattanay, the eponymous protagonist of “The Man Who Painted the Dragon Griaule,” makes a welcome reappearance here. Meric’s decades-long involvement with the dragon begins at roughly the same time as Rosacher’s. Their stories proceed along parallel but independent lines that occasionally intersect, providing us with a view of familiar events wider and deeper than any we have had before. The result is a colorful, involving narrative with profound metaphysical overtones, one that raises—but does not answer—significant questions. Is the dragon merely a bizarre but entirely natural phenomenon? Or is he/it the manifestation of some divine purpose? And to what extent are the actions of men like Meric and Rosacher the reflections of its implacable but enigmatic will? Questions such as these animate the narrative at every turn, adding an extra level of resonance to one of the most original and important fictional creations of recent years!Beautiful Blood Copyright © 2014 by Lucius Shepard.All rights reserved.Dust jacket illustration Copyright © 2014by J. K. Potter. All rights reserved.Interior design Copyright © 2014by Desert Isle Design, LLC. All rights reserved.First EditionISBN  978-1-59606-652-6Subterranean PressPO Box 190106Burton, MI 48519subterraneanpress.com

Lucius Shepard

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Dagger Key and Other Stories

Lucius Shepard is a grand master of dark fantasy, famed for his baroque yet utterly contemporary visions of existential subversion and hallucinatory collapse. In Dagger Key, his fifth major story collection, Shepard confronts hard-bitten loners and self-deceiving operators with the shadowy emptiness within themselves and the insinuating darkness without, to ends sardonic and terrifying. The stories in this book, including six novellas (one original to this volume) are:  “Stars Seen Through Stone”—in a small Pennsylvania town, mediocrity suddenly blossoms into genius; but at what terrible cost?  “Emerald Street Expansions”—in near-future Seattle, echoes of the life of a medieval French poet hint at cither reincarnation or a dire conspiracy.  “Limbo”—a retired criminal on the run from the Mafia encounters ghosts, and much worse, on the shores of a haunted lake  “Liar’s House”—in the grip of the legendary dragon Griaule, destiny, is a treacherous and transformative thing.  “Dead Money”—a small-time New Orleans criminal ventures outside his proper territory, and poker and voudoun conspire to bring him down.  “Dinner at Baldassaro’s”—a gang of immortals debates the future in an Italian resort, only for events to outrun any of their expectations.  “Abimagique”—a glib college loser falls in love with a witch, becoming an involuntary part of a world-saving—or world-destroying—magical ritual.  “The Lepidopterist”—a small boy on a Caribbean island witnesses the creation of preternatural beings by a Yankee wizard…  “Dagger Key”—off the coast of Belize, the ghost of a famous pirate seems to control a spiral of murder and intrigue; or is someone else responsible?  Dagger Key And Other Stories / Copyright © 2007 by Lucius Shepard  Introduction / Copyright © 2007 by China Miéville  Cover / Copyright © 2007 by J.K. Potter  Published in September 2007 by PS Publishing Ltd. by arrangement with the author. All rights reserved by the author.  FIRST EDITION  ISBN  978-1-904619-74-1 (Deluxe slipcased hardcover)   978-1-904619-73-4 (Trade hardcover)  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.  “Stars Seen Through Stone” first appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, July 2007; “Emerald Street Expansions” first appeared on Sci Fiction, March 2002; “Limbo” first appeared in The Dark, edited by Ellen Datlow (Tor, 2003), and has been revised for its appearance here; “Liar’s House” first appeared on Sci Fiction, December 2003; “Dead Money” first appeared in Asimov’s, April 2007; “Dinner at Baldassaro’s” first appeared in Postscripts 10, Spring 2007; “Abimagique” first appeared on Sci Fiction, August 2005, and has been extensively revised for its appearance here; “The Lepidopterist” first appeared in Salon Fantastique, edited by Ellen Datlow and Terry Windling (Thunder’s Mouth, 2006); “Dagger Key” is original to this collection.  Design and layout by Alligator Tree Graphics  Printed and bound in Great Britain by Biddles Ltd  PS Publishing Ltd / Grosvenor House / 1 New Road / Hornsea, HU18 1PG / Great Britain

Lucius Shepard

Фантастика

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Green Eyes

Life the second time around is short, strange and terrifying to the awakened. One "zombie", victim of a bizarre scientific obsession, breaks away, leaving a trail of muder and miracle as he flees the Project and the horror his "life" hasbecome.Green Eyes is a book that has no respect for genre. Throughout its course, the novel spans the whole of the nebulous speculative fiction genre, taking on the appearance of science fiction, fantasy and horror all in turn. Perhaps the best way to describe it is as American Gothic. Or even as a love story.If this sounds like an alarming mish-mash, don't worry, Lucius Shepard blends these ingredients together with consummate skill. If you go to this book with preconceptions, you will inevitably find them overturned but if you just go with the flow, you will find that Shepard knows what he is doing.Though no synopsis can do the story justice (the back cover certainly fails), it is possible to sketch out the basic elements of the setup. By using bacteria extracted from graves, a small group of scientists have been able to reanimate corpses. These zombies (or Bacterially Induced Artificial Personalities to use the jargon) are being studied because they seem to exhibit heightened awareness.One side effect of the treatment is that bioluminescent threads form in the eyes of the zombies, causing the glowing identification mark of the title. A more extreme side effect is that the newly awakened zombies do not live very long, sometimes as little as days. It is this that causes one zombie, Donnell, to escape from the lab with the help of his therapist, Jocundra.Psuedo-scientific zombies are a pretty uninspiring basis for a novel, bringing to mind a sub-par episode of The X-Files. However Shepard uses this as a jump-off point for something much more interesting. Donnell discovers that he, and the other zombies, can manipulate electromagnetic fields and this paves the way for the developments of the rest of the novel.To begin with, the novel is mostly concerned with the burgeoning relationship between Donnell and Jocundra. It starts unpromisingly; Donnell is understandably sullen and introverted. Even in their clinical relationship, there is a spark of sexual attraction though. As soon as they leave the suffocating confines of the lab, things take off. On the road, the relationship progresses to friendship, intimacy and finally love. It is a progression that many authors seem to believe requires only a few quick join-the-dots passages but the benefits of a deep examination are abundantly clear here.Green Eyes takes place in the back-country of Louisiana, a perfect example of pathetic fallacy. Fecund and decadent, swampy, sweaty and sordid, it mirrors the story. This evocative setting is coupled with Shepard's impressive prose. He is able to assume any voice, be it scholarly, poetic or anything between. It is lyrical, richly descriptive and brimming with imagery. He also displays an acute ear for dialogue.Though the focus of the novel remains constant, centred on Donnell and Jocundra's relationship, everything else keeps shifting. Every time the reader begins to think they know the direction the novel is going to go in, they find the emphasis changes. Importantly, this is never an alienating experience.At times, the novel seems as directionless as a road movie, an episodic cruise, but at the end we find that Shepard has always been in control of the story and everything comes together. Likewise when things start to get really strange (as they soon do), they never become absurd. This technical mastery of a plot, that could easily have run away with itself, is all the more impressive considering it is a debut novel.                                                                            Copyright © 2002 Martin Lewis© Ace Science Fiction Books, New Ace SF Special, First published May 1, 1984

Lucius Shepard

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Viator

QUARTERED ABOARD THE FREIGHTER, VIATOR, run aground twenty years before on a remote section of the Alaskan coast, the four men hired to determine the ship’s worth at salvage have begun to exhibit a variety of eccentric behaviors. They’ve become obsessed with Viator to the point that the world beyond seems of consequence only as it relates to the ship. When their putative leader, Thomas Wilander, is afflicted by a series of disturbing dreams, he concludes that something on board may be responsible for their erraticism. He seeks the help of a woman in the nearby village of Kaliaska and together they initiate an investigation into the history of Viator, hoping to learn, among other things, why the ship was run aground and who was the mysterious man who hired the four. But their efforts may be too late. The men, whose eccentricities are now verging on the insane, show no sign of intending to abandon their new home, compelled by Viator’s eerie allure. To make matters worse, winter will soon be setting in, ominous incidences of sound and light are issuing from the forest surrounding the ship, and Wilander’s dreams may be coming true… Viator © 2004 by Lucius Shepard This edition of Viator © 2004 by Night Shade Books Jacket illustration © 2004 by John Picacio Jacket design by John Picacio Interior layout & design by Jeremy Lassen First Edition ISBN 1-892389-44-4 (Trade Hardcover) 1-892389-45-2 (Limited Edition) Night Shade Books http://www.nightshadebooks.com

Lucius Shepard

Ужасы / Фантастика

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VACANCY & ARIEL

VACANCY & ARIEL For many of us, the Ace Double Novels of the ’50s and ’60s have long been a source both of pleasure and nostalgia. This new double volume from Subterranean Press stands squarely in that distinguished tradition, offering a pair of colorful, fast-paced novellas from one of the finest writers currently working in any genre: Lucius Shepard. In Vacancy, a washed-up actor, a mysterious motel, and a Malaysian “woman of power” form the central elements in a riveting account of a rootless man forced to confront the impossible—but very real—demons of his past. This is Shepard at his harrowing, hallucinatory best. Ariel brilliantly transmutes some traditional SF concepts—alien incursions, the mysteries of quantum physics—into an astonishing, often moving reflection on love and obsession, memory and identity, and the archetypal conflict that stands at the heart of an infinite multitude of worlds. Vacancy & Ariel Copyright © 2009 by Lucius Shepard. All rights reserved. “Vacancy” Copyright © 2007. First appeared in Subterranean Online. “Ariel” Copyright © 2003. First appeared in Asimov’s.Dust jacket and interior illustrations Copyright © 2009 by J.K. Potter. All rights reserved. Interior design Copyright © 2009 by Desert Isle Design, LLC. All rights reserved. First Edition ISBN 978-1-59606-222-1 Subterranean Press PO Box 190106 Burton, MI 48519 www.subterraneanpress.com

Lucius Shepard

Социально-психологическая фантастика / Фантастика

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Two Trains Running

Steel Rails, Brittle LivesIn early 1998, author Lucius Shepard embarked on a new journey…Shepard joined the “hobo nation”—riding the rails throughout the western half of the United States, his “neighbors” the disenfranchised, the homeless, the punks, the gangs, and the joy riders. At the time, the Freight Train Riders of America (FTRA) were making headlines across the country: Were they an organized gang using the U.S. rail system to rape and murder, to smuggle illegal drugs, and to terrorize unsuspecting train-hoppers? Or, were the FTRA members simply a “brotherhood,” united for support and companionship only? While investigating the facts for an article that appeared in the July 1998 issue of Spin, Shepard traveled the rails with FTRA members Missoula Mike and Madcat for the inside story.The author then gathered together these facts, along with rumors and innuendos, and melded them into his fiction, thus creating this unique collection of facts and fiction entitled Two Trains Running. In addition to “The FTRA Story”—unedited and expanded from its original Spin appearance—this volume also contains two novellas written in Shepard’s award-winning inimitable style: “Over Yonder” and “Jailbait,” the latter novella published here for the first time.In “Over Yonder”—winner of the 2003 Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award for best SF story of the year—suffering alcoholic Billy Long Gone chases a stranger, who supposedly stole his dog, onto a black train—a train like no other Billy had ever seen or rode: a living train. As Billy travels on this train, his health improves and his thinking clears. The train passes though strange, arabesque, monster-infested landscapes as it journeys to Yonder—a likely paradise where a few hundred hobos live within the confines of a majestic tree in apparent peace and tranquility. But every paradise has its price, and in Yonder, peace and tranquility breed complacency and…startling deaths. “Over Yonder” brilliantly showcases Shepard’s world-building skills in a story that serves as a metaphor for every human’s soul-searching questions: Why are we here? Is this life after death? Is there something beyond paradise?A hardcore tale of deception, lust, revenge, and murder, “Jailbait” takes us into the seedy underbelly of rail yards and train hopping: Madcat, who functions best in a whiskey-induced haze, must decide between solitude and companionship when he meets up with Grace, an underaged runaway. Grace, in turn, seeks the security of an older man and the life about which only young girls can dream.“Introduction: The Steel,” copyright © 2004 by Lucius Shepard.“The FTRA Story,” copyright © 2004 by Lucius Shepard. Originally published in a much shorter version as “Attack of the Freight Train-Riding Crazed Vietnam Vet Psycho Killer Hobo Mafia…or Not,” Spin, July 1998.“Over Yonder,” copyright © 2002 by Lucius Shepard. First published on SCI FICTION, January 2, 2002.“Jail Bait,” copyright © 2004 by Lucius Shepard. Previously unpublished.Copyright © 2004 by Lucius ShepardCover illustration copyright © 2004 by John PicacioEdited by Marty HalpernLIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGUING-IN-PUBLICATION DATAISBN 1-930846-23-1 (alk. paper)All rights reserved, which includes the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form whatsoever except as provided by the U.S. Copyright Law. For information address Golden Gryphon Press, 3002 Perkins Road, Urbana, IL 61802.Printed in the United States of America.First Edition

Lucius Shepard

Современная русская и зарубежная проза / Фантастика

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