Not So Much, Said the Cat
by Michael Swanwick
The master of literary science fiction returns with this dazzling new collection. Michael Swanwick takes us on a whirlwind journey across the globe and across time and space, where magic and science exist in possibilities that are not of this world. These tales are intimate in their telling, galactic in their scope, and delightfully sesquipedalian in their verbiage.
Join the caravan through Swanwick's worlds and into the playground of his mind. Travel from Norway to Russia and America to Gehenna. Discover a calculus problem that rocks the ages and robots who both nurture and kill. Meet a magical horse who protects the innocent, a semi-repentant troll, a savvy teenager who takes on the Devil, and time travelers from the Mesozoic who party till the end of time...
**Review
Praise for Michael Swanwick
“Swanwick's wildly imaginative and beautifully written short stories have been, for several years, one of the primary joys of the field.”
—Washington Post Book World
“One of contemporary sf’s greatest short-story writers.”
—Interzone
“One of the most powerful and consistently inventive short story writers of his generation.”
—Gardner Dozois, editor of the Year’s Best Science Fiction series
“An amazingly assured writer, seemingly incapable of writing a sentence that isn't interesting in itself, in addition to the way it moves the sentence forward.”
—New York Review of Science Fiction
“Michael Swanwick is darkly magnificent.”
—Jack McDevitt, author of The Engines of God
“Swanwick's prose takes no prisoners.”
—Time Out Chicago
Praise for the collection The Dog Said Bow-Wow
“By turns funny, clever, mysterious, and possessing hidden depths, the stories in Swanwick’s latest collection demonstrate he’s at the top of his game. Delightful, thoughtful work, sure to please his readers.”
—Jeff VanderMeer, author of Annihilation
Starred Review “In addition to their individual quality, the 16 stories in this rollicking collection amply demonstrate Hugo-winner Swanwick’s impressive versatility . . . intriguing characters and lovingly told stories.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Witty, smart, challenging, marveling in off-beat invention and beautifully written….”
—SF Site, Featured Review
“…surpassingly brilliant . . . storytelling of the highest order.”
—Locus
Praise for The Dragons of Babel
Starred Review “Modern fantasy at its fines . . . Swanwick introduces us to a wide range of marvelous conceits, fascinating digressions and sparkling characters ... should hold great appeal for fans of Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys or China Mieville's novels."
—Publishers Weekly
Starred Review “In his long-awaited sequel to the convention-shattering Iron Dragon’s Daughter, Swanwick continues to turn traditional ideas of Faerie life upside down while remaining true to ancient Celtic Faerie lore . . . masterfully written.”
—Library Journal
Praise for Cigar-Box Faust and Other Miniatures
“[M]iniaturized, tightly compressed fictions that are alternately startling, funny and mysterious, and often possess the resonance of especially vivid dreams. . . . [a] whimsical, wonderfully eccentric collection.”
—Washington Post Book World
“Felicities, surprises, bon-mots, witticisms, epiphanies, goodies of every description.”
—Fantastic Metropolis
Praise for Dancing with Bears
“Dancing With Bears is an amazing, entertaining dip into a distinctively imagined future.”
—Jay Lake, author of Mainspring
“Swanwick has a light touch, and therefore manages to pull off something unlikely: a buddy comedy set in post-apocalyptic Russia. . . .”
—io9
“Michael Swanwick’s Dancing With Bears is what Dostoyevsky would have written, if he’d ever attempted a post-apocalyptic steampunk-esque comedy of manners-slash-heist-story. . . .”
—Green Man Review
About the Author
Michael Swanwick is one of the most acclaimed science-fiction and fantasy short-story writers of his generation, having received an unprecedented five consecutive Hugo Awards. He has also the winner of the Theodore Sturgeon and World Fantasy awards. Swanwick’s novels include The Iron Dragon’s Daughter, a New York Times Notable Book, and the Nebula Award–winning Stations of the Tide. His short fiction has appeared in many venues, including OMNI, Penthouse, Amazing, Asimov’s Science Fiction, New Dimensions, and Full Spectrum, and his work has been translated into more than ten languages. Swanwick is currently at work on a third novel set in Industrialized Faerie.
Join the caravan through Swanwick's worlds and into the playground of his mind. Travel from Norway to Russia and America to Gehenna. Discover a calculus problem that rocks the ages and robots who both nurture and kill. Meet a magical horse who protects the innocent, a semi-repentant troll, a savvy teenager who takes on the Devil, and time travelers from the Mesozoic who party till the end of time...
**Review
Praise for Michael Swanwick
“Swanwick's wildly imaginative and beautifully written short stories have been, for several years, one of the primary joys of the field.”
—Washington Post Book World
“One of contemporary sf’s greatest short-story writers.”
—Interzone
“One of the most powerful and consistently inventive short story writers of his generation.”
—Gardner Dozois, editor of the Year’s Best Science Fiction series
“An amazingly assured writer, seemingly incapable of writing a sentence that isn't interesting in itself, in addition to the way it moves the sentence forward.”
—New York Review of Science Fiction
“Michael Swanwick is darkly magnificent.”
—Jack McDevitt, author of The Engines of God
“Swanwick's prose takes no prisoners.”
—Time Out Chicago
Praise for the collection The Dog Said Bow-Wow
“By turns funny, clever, mysterious, and possessing hidden depths, the stories in Swanwick’s latest collection demonstrate he’s at the top of his game. Delightful, thoughtful work, sure to please his readers.”
—Jeff VanderMeer, author of Annihilation
Starred Review “In addition to their individual quality, the 16 stories in this rollicking collection amply demonstrate Hugo-winner Swanwick’s impressive versatility . . . intriguing characters and lovingly told stories.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Witty, smart, challenging, marveling in off-beat invention and beautifully written….”
—SF Site, Featured Review
“…surpassingly brilliant . . . storytelling of the highest order.”
—Locus
Praise for The Dragons of Babel
Starred Review “Modern fantasy at its fines . . . Swanwick introduces us to a wide range of marvelous conceits, fascinating digressions and sparkling characters ... should hold great appeal for fans of Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys or China Mieville's novels."
—Publishers Weekly
Starred Review “In his long-awaited sequel to the convention-shattering Iron Dragon’s Daughter, Swanwick continues to turn traditional ideas of Faerie life upside down while remaining true to ancient Celtic Faerie lore . . . masterfully written.”
—Library Journal
Praise for Cigar-Box Faust and Other Miniatures
“[M]iniaturized, tightly compressed fictions that are alternately startling, funny and mysterious, and often possess the resonance of especially vivid dreams. . . . [a] whimsical, wonderfully eccentric collection.”
—Washington Post Book World
“Felicities, surprises, bon-mots, witticisms, epiphanies, goodies of every description.”
—Fantastic Metropolis
Praise for Dancing with Bears
“Dancing With Bears is an amazing, entertaining dip into a distinctively imagined future.”
—Jay Lake, author of Mainspring
“Swanwick has a light touch, and therefore manages to pull off something unlikely: a buddy comedy set in post-apocalyptic Russia. . . .”
—io9
“Michael Swanwick’s Dancing With Bears is what Dostoyevsky would have written, if he’d ever attempted a post-apocalyptic steampunk-esque comedy of manners-slash-heist-story. . . .”
—Green Man Review
About the Author
Michael Swanwick is one of the most acclaimed science-fiction and fantasy short-story writers of his generation, having received an unprecedented five consecutive Hugo Awards. He has also the winner of the Theodore Sturgeon and World Fantasy awards. Swanwick’s novels include The Iron Dragon’s Daughter, a New York Times Notable Book, and the Nebula Award–winning Stations of the Tide. His short fiction has appeared in many venues, including OMNI, Penthouse, Amazing, Asimov’s Science Fiction, New Dimensions, and Full Spectrum, and his work has been translated into more than ten languages. Swanwick is currently at work on a third novel set in Industrialized Faerie.