Mr. Lazarus and Other Stories

This collection of 24 stories, which originally appeared in science fiction and fantasy magazines, anthologies and on-line publications between 1962 and 2013, has roots in many parts of the popular culture from those years: other books, films, radio serials and more. They might be called stories about stories, which many readers will recognize. As such, these tales make up an informal history of their own genres. There are recurring characters ranging from the enigmatic Mr. Lazarus, who seems to appear whenever the natural universe is out of whack, to the Gemini Twins, a pair of space-age heroes with talents that enable to take on an entire planet, if necessary. And there are many one-time characters, such as the judge of an alien beauty contest; the Hollywood horror producer who encounters the real thing and tries to build a movie around it; the soldier who hunts a werewolf at a military academy; a B-western stunt man who finds creepy characters from beyond turning up in the cast of his latest picture, and a few well-known SF writers who change the course of space exploration, among many others. Among the challenges they encounter are invaders from space, vampires, unicorns, virtual Martians and a beautiful gypsy who can foretell the future, up to a point. And beneath the action and suspense lies a gentle humor, here and there. These stories should have something for every SF and fantasy enthusiast, and any pop culture enthusiast.