Short stories

For HTML and printable versions (PDF) of a number of these stories, see my Fiction Liberation Front site.

Collections/anthologies

In addition to the individual stories below, I've also published the following collections (*asterisk indicates stories not previously published):

Missing Persons (ReQuest Audiobooks, May 2006)

Audiobook only: "Lizard Men of Los Angeles," "Prodigal Son," "Perfidia"

Love In Vain (Subterranean Press, October 2001)

Contents: "Love In Vain," "His Girlfriend's Dog," "White City," "Language," "Mystery Train," "The War At Home," "Kidding Around," "Steam Engine Time," "Scales," "Wild For You," "Sticks," "Match," "Oz," "Gold," "Secrets," "Jeff Beck," "The Best Part Of Making Up," "Dirty Work," "Flagstaff," "The Tale Of Mark The Bunny," "Castles Made of Sand"

Private Eye Action As You Like It (with Joe R. Lansdale) (Crossroads Press, July 1998)

Contents: Introduction to the Slater Stories* (Lansdale), "The Full Count" (Lansdale), "Long Gone, Forever" (Lansdale), "One Blonde, Well Dead" (Lansdale), "The Short Unhappy Career of Lew Shiner, Tough Guy Writer,"* "Deep Without Pity," "The Killing Season,"* "Prodigal Son,"* "Can You Run With It?"* (Shiner's Introduction to the Talbot Stories), "Black as the Night" (with Lansdale), "Man Drowning" (with Lansdale), Afterword to the Talbot Stories* (Lansdale)

The Edges of Things (WSFA Press, June 1991)

Contents: Introduction by Mark L. Van Name, "Relay,"* "The Apparition,"* "Twilight Time," "Fractal Geometry,"* "Stompin' at the Savoy," "Brujo," "Odd Man Out," "Rake Off," "The Gene Drain," "The Kiss,"* "Blood Relations," "Till Human Voices Wake Us," "Tinker's Damn"

Nine Hard Questions About the Nature of the Universe (Pulphouse, January 1990)

Contents: Introduction, "Snowbirds," "Soldier, Sailor,"* "Kings of the Afternoon," "Tommy and the Talking Dog," "Omphalos,"* "Promises," "Dancers," "Plague," "Nine Hard Questions About the Nature of the Universe"

At the end of the eighties I edited an anthology called When The Music's Over. The one requirement for the stories was that the characters had to resolve the central conflict without resorting to violence. Despite heroic efforts I didn't get as much gender balance or international flavor as I wanted, but I did love every story in the book. Bantam published it just in time for the Gulf War, when the US had the least sympathy for pacifism since World War II.

Web debuts

"Straws," "Fear Itself," "Golfing Vietnam," June 2007

THE NEXT (original screenplay), June 2007

"You Never Know," November 2004

"The Tale of Mark the Bunny," September 1999

Published stories

"The Tree Climber," OUR GENERATION #1, Summer 1968

"Tinker's Damn," GALILEO #5, Oct 1977

"Black as the Night" (with Joe R. Lansdale), MIKE SHAYNE, Sept 1979

"Deep Without Pity," MIKE SHAYNE, June 1980

"Rake-Off," SKULLDUGGERY, May 1980

"Stuff of Dreams," F&SF, April 1981

"Blood Relations," TWILIGHT ZONE, May 1981
reprints:

  • NIGHT CRY #1, 1984

"Kings of the Afternoon," SHAYOL #4, Winter 1980 [sic]
reprints:

  • MONDO JAMES DEAN, Peabody, St. Martins, 1996

"Tommy and the Talking Dog," TWILIGHT ZONE, July 1982

"Brujo," F&SF, Aug 1982

"Lifelike," MIKE SHAYNE, Aug 1982

"The Circle," TWILIGHT ZONE, Nov 1982
reprints:

  • 13 HORRORS OF HALLOWEEN, Waugh et al., Avon, 1983
  • OCTOBER DREAMS, Chizmar/Morrish, Roc, 2002

"Snowbirds," ANALOG, Nov 1982

"Promises," F&SF, Dec 1982

"Things That Go Quack in the Night" (w/Edith Shiner), ASIMOV'S, Jan 1983
reprints:

  • TALES FROM ASIMOV'S, Williams/Manson, HBJ, 1986
  • VISIONS OF FANTASY, Asimov/Greenberg, Doubleday, 1989

"Plague," ASIMOV'S, April 1983

"Mystery Train," OUI, May 1983

  • IMAGININGS, Rudnicki, Frog, 2004

"Nine Hard Questions About the Nature of the Universe," F&SF, Dec 1983

"Man Drowning" (with Joe R. Lansdale), PULPSMITH, Autumn 1983

"Deserted Cities of the Heart," OMNI, Feb 1984

"Twilight Time," ASIMOV'S, April 1984
reprints:

  • YEAR'S BEST SF #2, Dozois, Bluejay, 1985
  • TIME TRAVELERS, Dozois, Ace, 1989
  • SHORT STORY PAPERBACK #30, Pulphouse, 1991

"Till Human Voices Wake Us," F&SF, May 1984
reprints:

  • MERMAIDS!, Dann and Dozois, Ace, 1986
  • MIRRORSHADES, Sterling, Arbor, 1986 (Ace 1988)

"The War at Home," ASIMOV'S, May 1985
reprints:

  • YEAR'S BEST SF #3, Dozois, Bluejay, 1986
  • IN THE FIELD OF FIRE, Dann/Dann, 1987 (mm 1987)
  • NORTON BOOK OF SF, Le Guin, Norton, 1993
  • THE VIETNAM WAR, Franklin, Bedford, 1996

"Mozart in Mirrorshades" (with Bruce Sterling), OMNI, Sept 1985
reprints:

  • MIRRORSHADES, Sterling, Arbor, 1986 (Ace 1988)
  • 7TH OMNI BOOK OF SF, Datlow, Zebra, 1989
  • BEST ALTERNATE HISTORY STORIES OF THE 20TH CENTURY, Turtledove/Greenberg, Del Rey, 2001

"Stompin' at the Savoy," SHAYOL #7, Winter 1985
reprints:

  • THREE FISTED TALES OF BOB, Smith, Simon & Schuster, 1990

"Jeff Beck," ASIMOV'S, Jan 1986
reprints:

  • YEAR'S BEST SF #4, Dozois, St. Martin's, 1987
  • LONDON EVENING NEWS, 8 Oct 1987
  • BEST IN ROCK FICTION, Sawyers & DeCurtis, Hal Leonard, 2005

"Cabracan," ASIMOV'S, Oct 1986
reprints:

  • FUTURE ON ICE, Card, Tor, 1999

"The Long, Dark Night Of Fortunato," WILD CARDS, Martin, Bantam, Jan 1987

"Third Generation," WILD CARDS, Martin, Bantam, Jan 1987

"Dancers," NIGHT CRY, Summer 1987

"Pennies From Hell," ACES HIGH, Martin, Bantam, April 1987

"Americans," THE FICTION MAGAZINE (UK), May 1987

"Six Flags Over Jesus" (w/Edith Shiner), ASIMOV'S, Nov 1987

Fortunato segment, JOKERS WILD, Martin, Bantam, Nov 1987

"Rebels," OMNI, Nov 1987

"Odd Man Out," TRAJECTORIES, Feb 1988

"Zero Hour," ACES ABROAD, Martin, Bantam, June 1988

"Oz," FULL SPECTRUM, Aronica/McCarthy, Bantam, Sept 1988

"Love in Vain," JACK THE RIPPER, Dozois/Casper, Tor, Sept 1988
reprints:

  • YEAR'S BEST FANTASY #2, Datlow, St. Martin's, 1989
  • YEAR'S BEST SF #6, Dozois, St. Martin's, 1989

"Electric Lady," HIGH TIMES, Nov 1988

"Stoked," REAL, Spring/Fall 1988
reprints:

  • STORMING THE REALITY STUDIO, McCaffery, Duke, 1991

"His Girlfriend's Dog," NEW PATHWAYS, May 1989

"Steam Engine Time," BEST OF THE WEST 2, Lansdale, Doubleday, May 1989

"Gold," RAZORED SADDLES, Lansdale/LoBrutto, Dark Harvest, Aug 1989 (Avon pb, 1990)

"The Gene Drain," SEMIOTEXT[E] 14: SF, Wilson/Rucker/Wilson, 1989

"How I Won the War on Drugs" (w/Bruce Sterling), HOT TALK, March 1990

"Scales," ALIEN SEX, Datlow, Dutton, April 1990 (ROC pb March 1992)

"White City," ASIMOV'S, June 1990
reprints:

  • YEAR'S BEST SF #8, Dozois, St. Martin's, 1991

"Language," NEW PATHWAYS, July 1990

"Kidding Around," JOURNAL WIRED #2, Spring 1990

"Match," REAL, Fall 1990

"Wild For You," ASIMOV'S, Dec 1990
also:

  • FIRES OF THE PAST, Jordan, St. Martin's, Mar 1991

"Horses," ONE-EYED JACKS, Martin, Bantam, Feb 1991

"Riders," JOKERTOWN SHUFFLE, Martin, Bantam, Sept 1991

"Dirty Work," DARK AT HEART, Lansdale, Dark Harvest, March 1992

"Sticks," IN DREAMS, McAuley/Newman, Gollancz, Spring 1992
reprints:

  • IT'S ONLY ROCK AND ROLL, Eidus/Kastan, Godine, Nov 1998

"Lizard King," LA WEEKLY, June 25, 1993

"Voodoo Child," ASIMOV'S, July 1993

"Secrets," ASIMOV'S, Nov 1993

"The Shoemaker's Tale," THE KING IS DEAD, Sammon, Delacorte, Sept 1994

"Sitcom," ASIMOV'S, Jan 1995

"Castles Made of Sand," GARGOYLE, Spring, 1997

"Like the Gentle Rain," F&SF, Oct/Nov 1997

"Flagstaff," RALEIGH NEWS & OBSERVER, Dec 27, 1998

"Lizard Men of Los Angeles," F&SF, July 1999

"Primes," F&SF, Oct/Nov 2000

"Perfidia," BLACK CLOCK #2, Fall 2004
reprints:

  • SUBTERRANEAN #3, Spring 2006

 

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