TRUE WEREWOLVES OF HISTORY: From Ancient Times to the Present by Donald F. Glut

EVEN IF YOU ARE PURE OF HEART YOU MAY FIND YOURSELF SAYING YOUR PRAYERS AT NIGHT, WHEN THE WOLFBANE BLOOMS AND THE AUTUMN MOON IS BRIGHT – AFTER YOU READ THESE SWORN ACCOUNTS OF LYCANTHROPY AND SHAPESHIFTING.

“These stories should not be read before bedtime or under a full moon! You have been warned!” —Amazon review

True Werewolves of History uses archival chronicles and new research to bring to life the stories of 100 werewolves. This unique tour-de-force focuses on real tales of werewolves (not to mention "werebears,” “werejaguars” and others) from throughout the world and across the centuries. You'll find them all in this volume for your delectation and enlightenment.

“This is an interesting primer introducing one to many famous and many more not so famous alleged cases of werewolfery and similar conditions.” —Goodreads

Among the more famous lycanthropes chronicled:
St. Ronan
John Lackland
Roland Bertin
Gilles Garnier
Pierre Burgot
Michel Verdun
Jacques Roulet
Jean Grenier
Peter Andersen
Ivan Of Shiganska
Ivan Baranoff
Joana of Tarcouca
Stubbe Peeter
Sergeant Bertrand

Among the most well-known cases of lycanthropy:
The wolves with human hands and feet
Pope Leo and the witches
The werewolf of Auvergne
The werewolves at Christmas
The shepherd Petronius
The werewolves who were burned at the stake
The werewolf in the museum
Mere Maxim
The mare-woman
The Wild Beast of Geaudan
Wolf Hollow
The Vargamor
The Werewolves of the Harz Mountains
Le Meneur Des Loups
The Isawiyya
Abbot Gilbert and the Werewolf
Revenge of the Were-Jaguars
The Werewolf Burgomaster
The Werewolf Flower of Transylvania

Other kinds of creatures people are said to have been transformed into:
Were-Tigers
Leopard-Men
Were-Jackals
Lion-Men
Were-Equines
Were-Hippos
Fox-Women
Were-Bears
Were-Panthers
Were-Hyenas

“This is actually a fun little book! Werewolves were taken seriously once, and this book contains “reports” and stories concerning them. A few rather profound and sad.” —Goodreads

Categories New and Featured Books , Nonfiction , Horror , H - Anthologies & Collections
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THE SILICON MAN by Charles Platt

ANOTHER DAZZLING SPECULATION BY THE HUGO, CAMPBELL, PROMETHEUS, & LOCUS AWARD FINALIST AUTHOR.

"A plausible, well-crafted narrative exploring cyberspace in a wholly new and very refreshing way." —William Gibson

“For the first time, a trip into the Heart of Virtual Reality with a Conrad who actually knows the territory. This fast-paced thriller set on the interface between Life and Immortality sends real chills down real spines.” —Terry Bisson

“In fascinating detail, Platt shows us what it would really be like to live—and breathe!—in cyberspace.” —Gregory Benford

What would it be like to upload your consciousness into cyberspace? James Bayley, an investigator for the High Technology Crime division of the FBI, finds out when he investigates LifeScan, a clandestine project sponsored by an aging billionaire. LifeScan’s aim is to create a silicon universe, and it has embezzled millions of dollars in public funds to create a detailed cyberspace that offers virtual immortality.

But what price this immortality? Those scanned will become immortal, virtual gods in a universe of their own creation, freed from the weaknesses of flesh. But to gain immortality, each candidate must first die!

And to keep James Bayley from reporting back to the FBI, LifeScan decides to kill him in a car crash and then use him as a test subject—the first person to be uploaded into the silicon universe they have created. But his wife, Yumi, as she discovers clues convincing her the crash was a setup, begins to investigate his death, determined to bring those responsible to justice … while James trapped in cyberspace, perhaps forever, tries to figure out who and what he is now.

“Full of good ideas ... a thought-provoking, thoughtful novel.” —The New York Review of Science Fiction

“A well-plotted, fast-paced, and imaginative look into the future ... a book where ideas drive the plot. Above all, Platt’s work is full of surprises.” —The Washington Post

“Who hasn't dreamed of disembodied barrel rolls over the fractal geographies of cyberspace, reincarnated as one of the infomorphs envisioned by Charles Platt is his unforgettable novel, The Silicon Man? Platt's achingly painful evocation of the man, 'downloaded' against his will, who realizes he is a cloud of electrons in computer memory who will never hold his wife and child in arms of flesh again has never stopped haunting me.” —Mark Dery, Escape Velocity: Cyberculture at the End of the Century

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FREE ZONE by Charles Platt

Hugo, Locus and Prometheus Award finalist—every major science fiction theme in one volume—the only science fiction novel you'll ever need!

Free Zone has been compared with The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy! “...but Platt is the better writer, and Free Zone is the better book.”—Washington Post Book World

In a disintegrating Los Angeles of the near future, fearless biker Dusty McCullough defends the Free Zone against intelligent dinosaurs, talking dogs, and barbarians from the Earth's core. Can she and her genius hacker boyfriend beat their enemies into submission before the invading horde of snaliens devour them all?

“Good, wacky, over-the-top fun!” —Goodreads

"An everything including the kitchen sink send-up of distopian sci-fi in a near-future Los Angeles 'free zone' where a freebooting woman is leading a semi-autonomous urban geography of misfits and freaks. The author touches on every conceivable theme used in science fiction (time travel, aliens, ESP, etc) and references several bodies of sci-fi work as well as specific authors. A great spoof book, equal parts humor and adventure. Extremely entertaining for anyone who has extensively read sci-fi to treasure hunt all the subtle and not so subtle references. This had me howling with laughter. Highly recommended." —Amazon review

“You’ll enjoy the book more if you put your brain in neutral and go along for the ride. Free Zone is a mostly successful spoof/pastiche.” —Aboriginal Science Fiction

"A delightful science fiction fantasy novel set in a parallel universe where Los Angeles is a chaotic dictatorship with a libertarian Free Zone in the middle of it. We know it's an alternate universe because ours is referenced in it by the super-intelligent robot from the future who stumbles upon it while threading time-space looking for a better place for the combat-grrl president of the Free Zone and her geek boyfriend, his friends. This is because the Free Zone is being invaded by hyper-intelligent dogs, aliens, dinosaurs and subterranean troglodytes all at about the same time. Fortunately, the Hell's Angels are there to save L.A. from these lesser terrors." —Amazon review

“This book has everything.” —Goodreads

Free Zone contains a list of over twelve dozen sci-fi themes used in the book.

Cover: Michael Marrak

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CHILDREN OF THE ISLAND [Laena’s Children Book 4] by Charlotte Prentiss

In an ancient world ruled by superstition and fear, one brave woman defies her people to find the truth!

Kori lives in a world of constant danger. Monstrous beasts devour brave hunters; earthquakes shake the island homes of her tribe; and far to the west, Mount Tomomor belches fire into the sky.

She is the chieftain's daughter, privileged yet shunned of her tribe because of her independent, willful nature. Her people live in fear of the Earth Spirits that rule the land with casual cruelty, but Kori refuses to recognize their power. She rebels—and is cast out, forced to fend for herself in the forest on the western shore.

But even as she finds fulfillment there in the arms of a brave warrior, Kori discovers the startling truth about her world. She is determined to enlighten her people, but first must confront a looming catastrophe that threatens to eradicate all life in the place she has come to love.

"If only I could mark this amazing novel as 'to-read again'. Because I definitely will be, very soon." —Goodreads

"Charlotte Prentiss has done a masterful job creating this book. She writes beautifully and so poetically. She is patient and takes her time with the details to bring the story to life. At first when Kori was expressed as different from the rest of her kinfolk and that as a result she was unmated, then she was cast out for 30 days with no defense it seemed very Clan of the Cave Bearish. As the story developed though the plot thickened and it took on a story of its own. It took a different direction entirely than how it began. It was very original with a slight Romeo & Juliet theme. The characters were all different from one another. You had enemies, the good, the bad, the unaware, the superstitious, and the manipulative. So many different characters and all with different personalities and very well developed. The descriptions come alive so vividly in my mind. I think the reason I enjoyed this book so much was that Kori reminds me much of myself." —Amazon

"I really liked this story. While the beginning was rather slow and a little dark (Kori's people's fear of the old ones is at times all-consuming), Kori was a believable heroine, with a likeable personality. Her struggles to be accepted by her tribe, her mother, were at times heart-wrenching. Her eventual romance with a non-tribal male was well-portrayed.
I recommend this novel for fans of 'prehistoric fiction.' You won't be disappointed." —Amazon

Originally published as The Island Tribe.

Categories Fantasy , F - Novels
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CHILDREN OF THE OCEAN [Laena’s Children Book 5] by Charlotte Prentiss

To save her people, she must make a heart-breaking sacrifice that will test her courage as a warrior … and a woman!

“This is a great book flows smoothly, keeps you wondering and goes through the lives of the tribe and their struggles and heartaches. If I didn't already have the book, I would buy it again.” —Amazon Verified 5-star review

Here was an ancient land of beauty and bloodshed... Turning away from warfare and superstition, Kori and her husband, Uroh, left their people to found the Ocean Tribe, a group of peace-loving wanderers turned fishermen and hunters. Led by a strong and beautiful female warrior, protected by the mysterious sea, they had no enemies. Or so Kori thought. Yet a bitter foe lies deep within the tribe itself, poised to strike.

The tribe's peaceful existence begins to crumble when a stranger named Werror appears, seeking refuge after ruthless fighters decimate his village. Skilled and clever, this powerful man both captivates and disturbs Kori. Little does she know that he is about to lead her into the ultimate betrayal...and a battle for survival that will shatter everything she believes about herself and her world.

For fans of Jean Auel's Clan of the Cave Bear and S.A. Adams' Prehistoric.

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PROTEKTOR by Charles Platt

POWERFUL, BREATHLESS ADVENTURE!" —SF Gateway

From the multiple award-nominee and winning science fiction author!

In the far future, immortality treatments and boundless material resources are delivered across the galaxy by The Protektorate, a network of benevolent AIs. The system serves every human need, yet is a cybernetic dictatorship.

A few rebels refuse to sacrifice their personal freedom in exchange for health, wealth, and happiness. On the pleasure world of Agorima, the misfits sabotage a utopian society, which quickly disintegrates into chaos.

James McCray is an anomalyst whose idiosyncratic mix of skills suits him for combat with the terrorist rebels. A computer engineer who doubles as a special investigator, McCray is a rulebreaker by nature, constrained only by his auton, a humanoid robot who serves the status-quo. Soon McCray finds himself dealing with opponents who are immensely wealthy and totally corrupt, assisted by Eva Chang, a charismatic journalist who develops a love-hate relationship with him.

Notable for its complex future scenario supported by authentic computer science, Protektor poses challenging questions about ethics and liberty. Written by the multiple award-nominee and winning science fiction author Charles Platt, this novel of breathtaking suspense has been hailed as a masterpiece of cyberpunk.

“Action-adventure cyberpunk, easy to read, gripping, entertaining and irresistible. Highly recommended, especially for fans of William Gibson style cyberpunk.” Amazon review

“A well-plotted, fast-paced, and imaginative look into the future . . . a book where ideas drive the plot. Above all, Platt’s work is full of surprises.” Washington Post

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DREAM MAKERS, Vol. 2: The Uncommon Men and Women who Write Science Fiction by Charles Platt

Intimate, revealing, insightful conversations with Arthur C. Clarke, Stephen King, Larry Niven, Joanna Russ, Fritz Leiber, William S. Burroughs, Jack Vance, Joan D. Vinge, Piers Anthony, L. Ron Hubbard, James Tiptree Jr., Theodore Sturgeon and 16 more masters of science and speculative fiction. Conducted by editor and writer Charles Platt.

 

“In nearly every instance, Platt is successful at creating a three-dimensional portrait that firmly places the writer in the context of his or her own life. By doing so he has taken a major step toward placing their writings in context and illuminating the workings of the imaginative mind.” —The South Bend Tribune

 

“A small monument to the art of listening. Real personalities are revealed. Eccentric, noisy, quarrelsome, irreverent, and likable.” —The Charlotte Observer

 

"Platt does an exemplary job at the difficult task of providing a balanced picture of each of his subjects... These are some of the best (interviews) I've ever seen. Held me spellbound for hours.” —Analog

 

“Simply and absolutely must-reading for anyone who reads … science fiction and who is curious about the authors. Excellently-done profiles by a writer who has a keen eye for the inner person and the outer clue.” —Fantasy Newsletter

 

“Anyone who reads SF regularly will want Dream Makers, Vol. II. A fascinating book about fascinating people.” —Newsday

 

“I fell on it, I've been devouring it, I have read it so impatiently that I have even skipped passages that interested me ... lapping it up, laughing, groaning.” —Brian W. Aldiss

 

Complete listing of authors interviewed:

Jerry Pournelle
Larry Niven
Christopher Priest
William S. Burroughs
Arthur C. Clarke
Alvin Toffler
John T. Sladek
D. M. Thomas
Keith Roberts
Piers Anthony
Keith Laumer
Joe Haldeman
Fritz Leiber
Robert Anton Wilson
Poul Anderson
Jack Vance
Theodore Sturgeon
L. Ron Hubbard
Joanna Russ
Janet E. Morris
Joan D. Vinge
Harry Harrison
Donald A. Wollheim
Edward L. Ferman
Kit Reed
James Tiptree Jr.
Stephen King
Charles Platt

Critics and authors agree, Dream Makers 1 & 2 are two of the most informative and fascinating books about science fiction and its authors you’ll ever read!

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DREAM MAKERS, Vol. 1: The Uncommon Men and Women who Write Science Fiction by Charles Platt

REVEALING, INSIGHTFUL INTERVIEWS WITH MORE THAN TWO DOZEN INFLUENTIAL SF WRITERS

“I wanted to know about science fiction writers. Who were they, where were they, and how did they get published? How did they decide what to write, how much were they paid—and who put those awful covers on their books? I wanted to know about the process which caused a book to exist. My curiosity led me to interview twenty-nine science fiction writers for Dream Makers.” Charles Platt

“Excellent prose profiles ... you get the feeling that you really know each person that Platt has talked with ... highly recommended.” —Amazing Stories

Back in print! Historic interviews with legendary authors. Plus new material including: Introduction and updated Historical Context on the authors and their work in the decades following the book’s original publication.These interviews were generally captured in the writer's environment and provide fascinating, behind the scenes views of their writing process and their state of mind. “I'm very impressed ... a tremendous piece of work. ... remarkable portraits.” —J. G. Ballard

In-depth conversations with Isaac Asimov, Thomas M. Disch, Ben Bova, Robert Sheckley, Kurt Vonnegut. Jr., Norman Spinrad, Frederik Pohl, Samuel R. Delany, Barry N. Malzberg, Edward Bryant, Alfred Bester, C. M. Kornbluth, Algis Budrys, Philip José Farmer, A. E. van Vogt, Philip K. Dick, Harlan Ellison, Ray Bradbury, Frank Herbert, Damon Knight and Kate Wilhelm, Michael Moorcock, J.G. Ballard, E.C. Tubb, Ian Watson, John Brunner, Gregory Benford, Robert Silverberg, and Brian W. Aldiss.

“So vivid, you wish they would never end. ... a special book.” -Chicago Tribune“Wittily perceived and cleanly professional interviews with sci-fi writers, rich in information and wide in scope, free of indulgence and tunnel vision.” -Philadelphia Inquirer
“Compulsively instant reading ... other things got tossed aside for it.” —Tan Wai-qnn

Cover: Michael Marrak

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GARBAGE WORLD: The SF Ecological Classic by Charles Platt

A THOUGHT-PROVOKING ADVENTURE ON THE WEIRDEST PLANET IN THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE FICTION FROM THE HUGO, LOCUS, CAMPBELL & PROMETHEUS AWARD NOMINEE AUTHOR

The radical, disturbing classic that helped usher in the age of ecological science fiction.

"The story is good entertainment…quite amusing." —SF Commentary

Kopra is The garbage dump of the United Asteroid-Belt Pleasure Worlds Federation, who citizens can’t stand the sight of the waste products they produce. A small asteroid, miles deep in unimaginable filth and debris of all shapes and sizes., Kopra's sole function is to receive waste materials its sister asteroids send.

Its inhabitants are a dirty lot, long accustomed to working in the waste materials of the solar system. They disdain bathing and wear soiled rags like a medal. They are considered subhuman wretches by the citizens of the Pleasure Worlds. But the Koprans see it differently, they keep the system running by doing the work no one else can do. They are everything the Asteroid-Belters Pleasure Worlds are not—and proud of it.

Avoided by off-worlders for centuries (the stench alone is enough to repel any sentient being) Kopra suddenly becomes an object of extraordinary interest to Federation government officials. So, send assign the Oliver Roach, qualified Federation Observer and Recorder, to visit the asteroid. and report back on conditions, physical, psychological, and political.
From the moment the fastidious Oliver cautiously sets foot on the asteroid, he is plunged into an adventure as bizarre as it is exciting—filled with danger and plenty of surprises. And a quite unexpected denouement.

…The Federation had believed an asteroid as big as Kopra solved their waste disposal problems forever. But can any civilization really do that?

Read the explosive climax and find out.

The incendiary book that announced the arrival of the most scathing SF satirist since Jonathan Swift!

"What an interesting concept and study on human nature. I highly recommend this book to anyone. It is a fast, easy read, just right for a rainy summer day. I really liked it." —Beverly, Goodreads

"Garbage World was actually a sort of Freudian parable. In the novel, there is a near-perfect split between inhabitants of the asteroid who embrace garbage (metaphor for excrement) and sensuality versus everyone else, who are compulsively clean and inhibited. The protagonist succeeds in ditching his inhibitions by finding true love with an uninhibited, free-spirited young woman who seduces him in a pile of mulch, thereby proving that one can touch messy, dirty, taboo things and not only survive but enjoy it immensely. Once he recognizes and accepts the resulting changes in his outlook and his personality, he becomes a much healthier, much more well-adjusted person. In the cultural milieu in which it appeared, Garbage World was one distinctive voice among a deluge of others asking the day's youth to question the assumptions of society and to shake off the shackles of convention to find one's true, if messier, self. I liked it." —Gregory S., Amazon

"I have students using this book for an environmental reading/writing project. So far the reviews from them have been great." —Deb E., Amazon

"This book is awesome because it's proto-hippy science fiction about someone who learns to love living in filth with a society of scavengers. It's got brilliant class politics and it's entertaining as hell." —Margaret K., Goodreads

"Absurdly fun. From action to political intrigue to weird garbage-mud sex, it has everything you didn't know you needed. It was amazing." —Kevin M., Goodreads

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CHILDREN OF THE SUN [Laena’s Children, Book 3] by Charlotte Prentiss

A WOMAN OF PASSION AND DARING — IN A SPELLBINDING SAGA OF DANGER AND DESIRE IN PREHISTORIC AMERICA!

“Hands down the best book in the trilogy! Loved all three books that not only showcased Native Americans but even more so: Women who were, Strong, Beautiful, Courageous and so many other things” —Goodreads

“I love all this author’s books.” —Goodreads

In the American Southwest, ten thousand years after the last Ice Age swept the earth, a peaceful tribe of cave dwellers hunt and till the land. Beautiful, sensuous Nisha, known as the defiant one, dares to choose her own mate despite the tribe's disapproval. And together, the fierce passion between these two gives life to an infant son, destined to become the Great Hunter.

But one night, under a sky filled with ominous stars, Nisha's world is viciously destroyed by a pillaging raping tribe of nomads. Watching in helpless horror as her husband and son are murdered, Nisha vows revenge. With relentless wit and wile, she plays her captors against each other, titillating them with a new kind of lovemaking, outsmarting and taming their brutishness. And with the triumphant courage of a resolute risk taker, Nisha escapes into a new life, filled with new adventure, passion-and love.

More Raves For Children of the Sun:

“The story begins with Nisha's tribe and her husband and newborn baby. The tribe lives happily together as equals. men and women work together with trust and freedoms. In one night, her whole life is changed by one traumatic appearance of Greb and his sexist men. You follow Nisha as her rage and anger consume her as she tries to bring the men responsible for destroying her tribe and her people. This journey takes you along to see her frustration, her failures, her guilt, her wit and wile, her success and the different cultures and customs of other tribes. The characters are very well built; each has their own personality and their own reasons for doing as they do. The author did not flinch about putting blood and gore into the novel as well as sex. You want your readers to believe the story and it and how are we to believe it if the authors spare us the realistic truths of human savagery? As a survivor of an abusive boyfriend I understand the need for justice, the need for revenge and the need to help others like me. The guilt, blaming myself, the anger and rage and breakdowns were overwhelming and the story did a fine job of creating a similar circumstance for Nisha. It all happens during a time when agriculture and other advanced tools and systems were spreading through the many tribes of the American Southwest ... irrigation, trading systems, agriculture, bows and arrows - all the other innovations of that time. The scenery is wonderful as well and she writes vividly. Great for lovers of adventure, justice, passion, native and pre-historical fictions.” —Amazon Review

“Of the three books in this trilogy, Children of the Ice, Children of the Mesa and Children of the Sun, this was probably the most intriguing. It was more sexual than the others, to be sure - which was interesting because through this, Prentiss was able to show the aggression of the warrior tribe, as opposed to the sophistication of the Hohokam and Anasazi tribes. Having Nisha do a lot of traveling was beneficial to the reader - we were able to experience the cave dwelling people, the valley dwellers, and the people who lived on the mesa (descendants of the people who originally found the mesa in the last novel). She is very descriptive of her characters and surroundings.” —Goodreads

“Overall, this was a solid entertaining book I recommend to those interested in historical fiction.” —Goodreads

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