Novels
- Carmen Dog (1988)
- Venus Rising (1992)
- Ledoyt (1995)
- Leaping Man Hill (1998)
- The Mount (2002)
- Mister Boots (2005)
- The Secret City (2007)
Collections
- Verging on the Pertinent (1989)
- Joy in Our Cause (1990)
- The Start of the End of It All (1990)
- Report to the Men’s Club (2002)
- I Live with You (2005)
- The Collected Stories of Carol Emshwiller (2011)
- The Collected Stories: Vol. 2 (2013)
Novels Book Covers
Collections Book Covers
Carol Emshwiller Books Overview
Carmen Dog
In this dangerous and sharp eyed look at men and women and the world we live in rverything is changing: women are turning into animals, and animals are turning into women. Pooch, a golden setter is turning into a beautiful woman although she still has some of her canine traits: she just can t shuck that loyalty thing and her former owner is turning into a fierce snapping turtle. When the turtle takes a bite at her baby, Pooch is forced to make a choice: she takes the baby and runs. Meanwhile there is a dangerous wolverine on the loose, men are desperately trying to figure out what’s going on, and Pooch discovers what she really wants; to sing Carmen. Carmen Dog is intelligent, funny, and beautiful, and for years has been an underground classic. It inspired writers Pat Murphy and Karen Joy Fowler to create the James Tiptree Jr. Memorial Award and we are very pleased to publish it as the debut title in our new Peapod Press reprint line. ”Her fantastic premise allows Emshwiller canny and frequently hilarious insights into the damaging sex role stereotypes both men and women perpetuate.” Publishers Weekly ”Carol is the most unappreciated great writer we’ve got. Carmen Dog ought to be a classic in the colleges by now…
It’s so funny, and it’s so keen.” Ursula K. Le Guin
Leaping Man Hill
A beautiful family novel, set on a Western ranch around 1915, about adversity, recovery, love.
The Mount
Charley is an athlete. He wants to grow up to be the fastest runner in the world, like his father. He wants to be painted crossing the finishing line, in his racing silks, with a medal around his neck. Charley lives in a stable. He isn’t a runner, he’s a mount. He belongs to a Hoot: The Hoots are alien invaders. Charley hasn’t seen his mother for years, and his father is hiding out in The Mountains somewhere, with the other Free Humans. The Hoots own the world, but the humans want it back. Charley knows how to be a good mount, but now he’s going to have to learn how to be a human being.
The Secret City
Written in a voice that is accessible to both mainstream and genre readers, this gripping tale contains a contemporary political subtext that is packed with humanism, complexity, and subtle humor. This inventive story centers on a mysterious enclave protecting a lost culture, a hidden city in the wilderness where stranded aliens struggle to preserve their fragile society. Hoping for a better life, many have fled The Secret City in favor of trying to survive in the harsh human world; others remain concealed, living out a fading memory in hope of deliverance. When the mythical rescuers suddenly arrive, insisting on an immediate interplanetary return, these very human aliens discover that neither world is truly their own.
Report to the Men’s Club
What if the world ended on your birthday and no one came? What if your grandmother was a superhero? What if the orphan you were raising was a top secret weapon, looked like Godzilla, and loved singing nursery rhymes? What if poet laureates fought to the death, in stadiums? Emshwiller’s previous books Joy in Our Cause, Carmen Dog, Ledoyt, and others have won her a devoted cult following. Her short fiction is about women and men, monsters, obsessions, art, and falling in love. She writes witty, humane, endearingly odd stories that play with all the genres and conventions you can put a name to science fiction, Western, romance, postmodern, tabloid, literary and some that haven’t even been invented yet. Suspect that life is much stranger than anyone ever admits? Buy this book. Unhappy in love? Buy this book. About to visit the dentist or embark on a long voyage? Buy this book. Troubled by dreams you can never quite remember in the morning? Buy this book. Love good short fiction? Buy this book.
I Live with You
A sophisticated collection of fierce, tender fiction marked by absurdist humor, these striking short stories skillfully explore themes of war, seduction, and censorship. An Eden emerges from the wreckage and destruction of burning books in ‘The Library.’ ‘Boys’ sets a weary general and his sons against a village of determined mothers, and ‘I Live with You‘ brings a chaos from an uninvited guest. Filled with originality and lyricism, this collection is a must for science fiction and adventure fans.
The Collected Stories of Carol Emshwiller
Crossing the boundaries between fabulist literature, science fiction, and magical realism, the stories in this collection offer a valuable glimpse into the evolution of Carol Emshwiller’s ideas and style during her more than 50 year career. Influenced by J. G. Ballard, Steven Millhauser, Philip K. Dick, and Lydia Davis, Emshwiller has a range of works that is impressive and demonstrates her refusal to be labeled or to stick to one genre. This exhilarating new collection marks the first time many of the early stories have been published in book form and is evidence of the genius of Emshwiller, one of America s most versatile and imaginative authors.
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