The Radio Magician & Other Stories
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- $5.99
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- $5.99
Publisher Description
Mixing straight-forward science fiction ideas, such as search for habitable planets, the terra-forming of Venus, and a time-traveling substitute teacher, along with fantasy concepts, such as saving the Earth from nuclear destruction through supernatural sacrifice, a teen werewolf agonizing over attending prom on the night of the full moon, or a young boy who denies his polio by listening to a radio magician, to tales of horror where a pair of fathers have both lost sons, or an inn so vast that a man may never find his wife, The Radio Magician and Other Stories showcases James Van Pelt's wide-ranging talent as a tale spinner of the fantastic.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
From robots to werewolves, witchcraft to terraforming, James Van Pelt's neatly crafted short stories have been a mainstay in science fiction and fantasy magazines for a generation. In his third collection, nineteen reprinted stories demonstrate once again Van Pelt's fertile imagination, as well as his broadly appealing and flexible style. The title story is a Bradbury-esque tale of a boy crippled by polio who puts desperate hope for a cure in the illusions of a magician on the radio. "Of Late I Dreamt of Venus" and "How Music Begins" examine the cost of perfection, while "The Last Age Should Know Your Heart" and "Tiny Voices" explore the value of life from unusual perspectives. In some of the more episodic stories, Van Pelt tackles the ugly price of world peace in "The Light of a Thousand Suns", the mix of teenage angst and magic in "Origins of the Species", and the post-apocalyptic follies in "The Ice Cream Man"-all reminiscent of classic Twilight Zone tales: rich with provocative ideas. Readers are bound to enjoy these stories from an author who is as equally at home with magic as he is with hot-rodding spaceship pilots.
