The Perfect Host

Book excerpt: A brilliant collection of 17 classic science fiction & fantasy short stories from the “patron saint of SF short story writers” (David Brin, author of Startide Rising and The Postman) The 5th of 13 volumes that collects all of Hugo and Nebula award-winner Theodore Sturgeon’s short fiction, with a foreword by Larry McCaffrey Perhaps better known for classic SF novels such as Venus Plus X and More Than Human, and the fan-favorite Star Trek episode “Amok Time,” the legendary master of speculative fiction was also a prolific short story writer. This volume contains stories written from 1947 to 1949, most of which first appeared in some of the most popular pulp magazines of the era such as Astounding Science Fiction and Weird Tales. Included stories: • “Quietly” • “The Music” • “Unite and Conquer” • “The Love of Heaven” • “Till Death Do Us Join” • “The Perfect Host” • “The Martian and the Moron” • “Die, Maestro, Die!” • “The Dark Goddess” • “Scars” • “Messenger” • “Minority Report” • “Prodigy” • “Farewell to Eden” • “One Foot and the Grave” • “What Dead Men Tell” • “The Hurkle is a Happy Beast” Also included are extensive liner notes on every story from editor Paul Williams, including alternate takes and rarities.