Rambunctious: Nine Tales of Determination (Unabridged‪)‬

A powerful and poignant collection of memorable stories from an award-winning storyteller, Rambunctious: Nine Tales of Determination is charming, action-packed, frightening, and thoughtful by turn.

“Wilber’s voice (has) a kind of authority and compassion that have helped him carve out a niche identifiably his own.” (Locus Magazine)

In these nine stories of determination, seemingly ordinary people find themselves in extraordinary circumstances as they confront their fears and embrace their challenges on a near-future Earth, in an alternate-history past, or even on a far, distant alien world.


A single parent with a daughter with Down syndrome daughter considers what his life and career might have been as a parent and a pro football player in some alternate reality
A young girl on an isolated Florida island discovers that her quirky grandparents are even stranger than she thought
A high school basketball player confronts the ghosts of her past
A young woman struggles to make peace with the horrors of her forgotten childhood
An elderly woman slides into dementia even as she finds some essential truths that were lost in the hazy mists of her memory.
A baseball player becomes a spy during an alternate-history version of World War II, where he plays a pivotal role in stopping the Nazi war machine


“Rick Wilber draws you in through his compassion for his characters and his keen eye for the familiar, and then he slips you sideways into places startlingly new, beautiful, and true. You finish these stories entertained, to be sure, but moved as well, and with your perspective forever widened.” (Gregory Norman Bossert, World Fantasy Award-winning author)

"Rick Wilber writes with heart and soul. His stories transport us to other worlds and alternate realities and yet somehow bring us closer to home. He is a master weaver of wonder. You'll love this book!" (Nick DiChario, Hugo and World Fantasy-nominated author of A Small and Remarkable Life)

"A major collection from what it's high past time to admit is one of our major writers. Wilber writes with literate flair, compassion, and a deep understanding of human psychology. Highly recommended!" (Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo Award-winning author of The Oppenheimer Alternative)