Celebrate classic novels of the New Wave era of sci-fi with this
second collectable science fiction anthology from Library of
America.
Presenting 4 underrated science fiction classics from a tumultuous
time in American history--including works by iconic Black author Samuel
R. Delany and feminist Joanna Russ.
In R. A. Lafferty's utterly idiosyncratic and uncategorizable Past
Master (1968), Renaissance philosopher Thomas More is summoned to
Golden Astrobe in the year 2535: Can he save the planet's troubled
utopia from its soulless technological perfection and ensure the
survival of the faith?
Joanna Russ introduces one of SF's first and most engaging female
adventurers in her taut and edgy debut novel Picnic on Paradise
(1968): the tough, sardonic, unforgettable Alyx, an ancient Phoenician
mercenary teleported into the future to serve as guide and bodyguard for
a band of stranded space tourists.
The first African American writer to make a name for himself in the
genre, Samuel R. Delany was hailed as "the best science-fiction writer
in the world" on the basis of Nova (1968), a white-hot, fast-paced,
protocyberpunk interstellar adventure featuring a misfit crew on a
high-stakes quest.
Stumbling on a mysterious ancient text among his father's belongings,
the son of a master woodcarver uncovers the key to revolutionary change
in Jack Vance's Emphyrio (1969), a marvel of craftsmanship and
visionary world-building set on remote, feudal, theocratic Halma.
