Search Worlds Without End

Table of Contents:

• Introduction - essay by Poul Anderson and Karen Anderson
• The Pathways of Desire - (1979) - novelette by Ursula K. Le Guin
• Dream Done Green - (1974) - shortstory by Alan Dean Foster
• Midnight by the Morphy Watch - (1974) - shortstory by Fritz Leiber
• All on a Golden Afternoon - (1956) - novelette by Robert Bloch
• The Helmet - (1973) - shortstory by Barry N. Malzberg
• Dreams Are Sacred - (1948) - novelette by Peter Phillips
• Dreaming Is a Private Thing - (1955) - shortstory by Isaac Asimov
• The Monarch of Dreams - (1886) - shortstory by Thomas Wentworth Higginson
• The Circle of Zero - (1936) - shortstory by Stanley G. Weinbaum
• The Soft Predicament - (1969) - novelette by Brian W. Aldiss
• Heartstop - (1974) - novelette by George Alec Effinger
• The Detective of Dreams - (1980) - shortstory by Gene Wolfe
• Jade Blue - (1971) - shortstory by Edward Bryant
• Something Wild Is Loose - (1971) - novelette by Robert Silverberg
• The Visitor - (1974) - shortstory by Poul Anderson

A potpourri of poetry and amazing tales that cross genre borders, between fantasy, horror, noir, science fiction, and more, from the legendary Poul Anderson and his wife, Karen Anderson

Lyrical and beautiful, enchanting and strange, exhilarating and horrific, this extraordinary collaboration between science fiction-fantasy luminary Poul Anderson and his equally creative wife, Karen, almost defies description. Combining their extraordinary talents, the Andersons have produced a sumptuous feast of the written word--stories that delight, move, and disturb, mixed with rich, sumptuous poetry that soars.

A truly stunning collection, The Unicorn Trade transports readers to places at once uniquely strange and strangely familiar--magical fairy realms, the far reaches of outer space, and the twisted minds of madmen. Stories of love, loss, and self-discovery are met with soaring verse that celebrates the human spirit and the wonders of the universe. Here are unforgettable bounding leaps of the imagination, where detective noir is ingeniously reimagined, and tales of Edgar Allan Poe-like suspense stand side by side with poignant tributes to the men who led us to the stars. Real treasures are to be found here--a hungry Olympian god's interactions with a divine computer, a murdered man's shrewd revenge, an Earthling's con game on an unsuspecting Martian visitor, and other such flights of inventive fancy--in a sterling compendium of stories, poems, and science fiction haikus (scifaiku) as bright as starshine and more magical and enduring than fairy gold.

Table of Contents:

• The Unicorn Trade - (1971) - poem by Karen Anderson
• Fairy Gold - novelette by Poul Anderson
• Ballade of an Artificial Satellite - (1958) - poem by Poul Anderson
• The Innocent Arrival - (1958) - novelette by Poul Anderson and Karen Anderson
• Six Haiku - (1962) - poem by Karen Anderson
• Haiku for Mars - poem by Karen Anderson
• Think of a Man - (1965) - poem by Karen Anderson
• Dead Phone - (1964) - novelette by Poul Anderson and Karen Anderson
• Bela Lugosi: 1883-1956 - poem by Karen Anderson
• The Kitten - (1976) - novelette by Poul Anderson and Karen Anderson
• Apollo 1: January 27, 1967 - poem by Karen Anderson
• Planh on the Death of Willy Ley: June 23, 1969 - (1969) - poem by Poul Anderson and Karen Anderson and Tim Courtney
• Murphy's Hall - (1971) - shortstory by Poul Anderson and Karen Anderson
• Single Jeopardy - (1958) - shortstory by Poul Anderson and Karen Anderson
• In Memoriam: Henry Kuttner - (1958) - poem by Karen Anderson
• Cyril M. Kornbluth - poem by Karen Anderson
• A Feast for the Gods - (1971) - novelette by Poul Anderson and Karen Anderson
• Theoretical Progress - (1964) - poem by Karen Anderson
• Investigation of Galactic Ethnology - (1964) - poem by Karen Anderson
• Look Up - (1965) - poem by Karen Anderson
• The Sky of Space - (1963) - poem by Karen Anderson
• Cosmic Concepts - (1961) - poem by Poul Anderson and Karen Anderson
• Extract From the English Edition of a Guide Michelin - (1973) - shortstory by Poul Anderson and Karen Anderson
• Robert A. Heinlein - poem by Karen Anderson
• Treaty in Tartessos - (1963) - shortstory by Karen Anderson
• A Philosophical Dialogue - (1971) - shortstory by Poul Anderson
• Professor James - (1965) - poem by Poul Anderson and Karen Anderson
• Landscape With Sphinxes - (1962) - shortstory by Karen Anderson
• Alpha, Beta - poem by Karen Anderson
• A Blessedness of Saints - (1962) - essay by Poul Anderson
• Origin of the Species - (1958) - poem by Karen Anderson
• Conjunction (Venus and Jupiter, February 1975) - poem by Karen Anderson
• Adonis Recovered - poem by Karen Anderson
• The Piebald Hippogriff - (1962) - shortstory by Karen Anderson
• The Coasts of Faerie - shortstory by Karen Anderson
• Shanidar IV - poem by Karen Anderson

Book one of the King of Ys series: Blending fantasy, history, and adventure, the epic story of Ys begins as the Roman Gratillonius finds himself thrust into the highest seat of power.

In the waning days of the Roman Empire, Magnus Maximus sends his prefect Gratillonius to western Gaul and the faraway land of Ys, a place shrouded in legend and ruled by a cruel and tyrannical king. When the sovereign challenges Gratillonius to a duel, the envoy from Rome emerges victorious and claims the throne as the new king of Ys, inheriting a land whose religion, culture, and history are entirely foreign. He also gains the former king's nine wives, the Gallicenae, a powerful group of women to whom he must appear equally devoted despite his growing feelings for one in particular. As he adjusts to his new role as ruler of Ys, Gratillonius must fight to keep his strange new country on its feet while the rest of the Roman Empire begins to crumble around him.

Roma Mater is the first book in Poul and Karen Anderson's King of Ys series, which continues with Gallicenae.

In book two of the King of Ys series, Gratillonius adjusts to his new role as sovereign of Ys as threats from all sides begin closing in.

As the Roman Empire loses its grip on its far-flung territories, the mystical kingdom of Ys in western Gaul is in great danger of slipping into oblivion. Suffocated for years by the rule of a tyrant king, Ys's last hope arrived in the form of a Roman emissary, Gratillonius, who defeated the sitting king to take the throne himself. Now Gratillonius must grapple with the kingdom's political strife and religious tensions while balancing his responsibilities to the Gallicenae, nine wide-ranging witches who have become his wives. Though Rome seeks to spread Christianity, and Gratillonius stands firm in his worship of Mithras, the Ysans hold to an entirely different religion in service of pagan deities who must be obeyed lest grave consequences descend on the fragile kingdom.

Gallicenae is the second book in Poul and Karen Anderson's King of Ys series, which continues with Dahut.

In book three of the King of Ys series, Gratillonius's reign faces a deadly new threat from across the sea.

For sixteen years Gratillonius has been the king of Ys, a position he has used to bring the once-teetering city-state back to stability as the Roman Empire continues to collapse around it. Rome would prefer a more malleable leader in Gratillonius's place and makes no secret of it. As pressure from Roman leadership increases, Gratillonius must also contend with Niall maqq Echach, the leader of Northern Ireland who holds the Ysan king responsible for the death of his son. Compounding these complications is the ever-present threat of retribution by the Ysan gods, should the kingdom's leadership make a misstep. But perhaps the greatest danger of all is unfolding from within Gratillonius's own household, where, following the death of one of his nine wives, the gods have named an unsettling replacement: Dahut, Gratillonius's own daughter.

As treachery mounts from within and without, Gratillonius must hold to his principles in defiance of the gods while still protecting Ys from the destruction closing in on all sides.

Dahut is the third book in Poul and Karen Anderson's King of Ys series, which concludes with The Dog and the Wolf.

In the fourth and final book of the King of Ys series, Gratillonius and the Ysan survivors have one final chance to rebuild in the wake of inconceivable destruction.

As legendary as King Arthur's Court and as mystical as Atlantis, the fabled kingdom of Ys has finally fallen, the victim of invading hordes and vengeful gods. Destitute, the remaining Ysans put their faith in their longtime leader, Gratillonius, who protected the city-state of Ys for two decades before it succumbed to the malevolent forces surrounding it. Now more vulnerable than ever, Gratillonius and the Ysans set out to rebuild their beloved city, first with wood and then with stone, providing a fortress against the elements and the marauding King Niall maqq Echach, still on his years-long quest to see Ys turned to dust. While the Dark Ages begin to rise across Europe, the Ysans and their king grasp one last time for survival--lest their history be lost forever.

The Dog and the Wolf is the final book in Poul and Karen Anderson's King of Ys series, which also includes Roma Mater, Gallicenae, and Dahut.