Flying In the Heart of the Lafayette Escadrille
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- $5.99
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- $5.99
Publisher Description
James Van Pelt’s fourth story collection Flying in the Heart of the Lafayette Escadrille offers a carnival of science fiction, fantasy and horror tales. Hang on as you fly a WWI fighter plane hanging in a singles’ bar, ride a dragon from a troubled-man’s past, run genetically engineered world record marathons, see Tokyo Rose and the ghost of a romance past, read books before they turn to stone, run with wolves who will not let you go, conduct alien abductions, and swim in a lake of childhood regrets. Van Pelt’s wide-ranging imagination promises a surprise at every turn, taking you into the very heart of your dreams and fears.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Van Pelt's fourth collection (after The Radio Magician and Other Stories) contains 23 examples of his deft, imaginative science fiction and fantasy. Obsession underscores the title story, about the dating troubles of a young man fascinated and distracted by WWI planes, and fuels the strange book collector of "Rock House." "Howl Above the Din," "Ark Ascension," and "Far from the Emerald Isle" explore the grim consequences of ecological disaster, both on Earth and in space habitats crammed with desperate survivors. Van Pelt's personal experience as an educator adds resonance to "Teaching," "Mrs. Hatcher's Evaluation," "Working Pushout," and the wry zombie-themed "Classroom of the Living Dead," all stories of teachers faced with unwanted social or technological change. The hauntings in "Night Sweats," "Savannah Is Six," and "Father's Dragon" sweep readers to the spooky end of the genre spectrum. Vivid atmospheres and solid plotting make for satisfying reading.
