The Best of Walter Jon Williams

De: Walter Jon Williams

Narrado por: Joel Richards

With the publication of his debut novel, The Privateer, in 1981, Walter Jon Williams began one of the most varied and prolific careers in contemporary popular fiction. But much of Williams' best work takes place in the shorter forms, as this generous volume, filled to overflowing with award-winning and award-nominated stories, clearly proves.

The Best of Walter Jon Williams reflects its author's affection for - and mastery of - the novella form. Elsewhere in the collection, Williams offers us one brilliantly sustained creation after another. The Nebula Award-winning "Daddy's World" takes us into a young boy's private universe, a world of seeming miracles that conceals a tragic secret. "Dinosaurs" is the far-future account of the incredibly destructive relationship between the star-faring human race and the less evolved inhabitants of the planet Shar.

"Diamonds from Tequila" is a lovingly crafted example of SF noir in which a former child actor attempts a comeback that proves unexpectedly dangerous. "Surfacing" is a tale of alienation featuring a research scientist more at home with the foreign and unfamiliar than with the members of his own species.

These stories, together with half a dozen equally substantial tales, are the clear product of a master craftsman with a seemingly limitless imagination. The Best of Walter Jon Williams is the capstone of a truly remarkable career.

©2021 Walter Jon Williams; Introduction copyright 2021 by Daniel Abraham (P)2021 Tantor

love the voice

Best of Walter Jon Williams

610 pages, Hardcover

First published February 28, 2021

This edition
Format
610 pages, Hardcover
Published
February 28, 2021 by Subterranean Press
ISBN
9781645240020 (ISBN10: 1645240029)
ASIN
1645240029
Language
English


Daddy's World: Published in 2000, this story won a Nebula Award
This is a story that shows the nature of ethics and technology. If we could, should we download a person's personality in an attempt to save them from death. What are the repercussions? How do we keep them the same? Should we keep them the same? What is our legacy? It's an ethical conundrum and a wonderful masterpiece of storytelling.

The golden age
Walter and the narrator of his audible version take the fans on a hysterical look at the California gold rush. His quirky tale adds to the genre expanse of the author but entertainment in general.


Dinosaurs: Published in 1987, this story was nominated for a Hugo Award
A quirky science fiction jaunt into the story tellers imagination
The advantage of time and technology over others has been a fact of colonial contact. What if first contact was with a less advanced alien culture.? What is our role in contact and how do we cope? The idea that we can decide the persona of man to his basic parts, hunger. Sex or intellect by use of AI and computers is a fearful concept on its own.
Walter looks into all aspects of personality and the humerus of man's control.

Surfacing: Published in 1988, this story was nominated for a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award
What is intelligence? Could we through our work connect not only to the intellectual aspects of earth based creatures but of alien creatures. If we could live lifetimes without regard to span or death could we find our lives work to bring these things to pass. In a world we're death is conquered, what is our mental limit?
If we could talk to whales.

Video star
The life of gangs is fluid, one asymmetric episode at a time, one gang in charge. Each overcrowded by new blood, new groups over and over again. He knew it was time to leave before it destroys him , Ric is poisoned in transit. His cure is more costly than the retaliation of the gang.


The millennium Party
A story of love and time as a man remembers his one Millennium anniversary of his marriage. The story shows the evolution of man. Using memory saved by Technology, “Brain” can save only what he wants. This method that can create duplicates that complete tasks the original could not, exploring the universe.

The bad twin
Time travel is a hard thing to do. Having the ability to replicate yourself and then eliminate them when you find a problem with current events. This historical mystery shows the nature of what is crime and what is investigation. How time travel was used to plunder history? It returns to create a law system to protect history

The Green Leopard Plague: Published in 2004, this story won a Nebula Award and was nominated for a Hugo Award
A very marvelous story that has many artistic descriptions of mermaids, and the changes of mankind. He used some of the Philippines mythology to create a remarkable story of mankind and adaptation.

Diamonds from Tequila
An investigator looks into the world of drugs, and vacation and movie creation. The story shows how invested the industry is in cartel behaviors.

Margaux the adventure of Lady Sula as Gredel assumes her identity. Those who have read praxis would appreciate the information in this story. Since this episode is referred to in the novel series but not explained.

Prayers on the Wind: Published in 1991, this story was nominated for a Nebula Award Looking at a future where Buddist ideology is changed by technology. A reincarnated buddha is tested and left to overwhelm the retreat with changes that abandon many of the main disciples to question their beliefs.

Wall, Stone, Craft: Published in 1993, this story was nominated for a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award
A remake of Mary Shelly and her Frankenstien story. The perspective of Mary, and her triumph and struggles in finding a story and her own voice. The dark stories of the Italian countryside that she finds on her trip.