The Visionary Pageant and Other Stories

<p>Paul Di Filippo hailed by <em>Publishers Weekly</em> as a master of philosophical SF delivers another masterful collection showcasing his trademark blend of intellectual depth wild imagination and sly humor. In <em>The Visionary Pageant and Other Stories</em> Di Filippo offers eight mind-bending tales that probe the boundaries between science and mysticism reality and illusion.</p><p>In the title novella a plucky female reporter in 1886 Providence confronts an otherworldly cult whose cosmic ambitions threaten to reshape reality itself. Other highlights include Worldshifter a far-future tale of a sentient hive protecting its human companion; I For One Welcome Our New Insect Litterateurs where a literary agent discovers his newest client is actually a colony of superintelligent ants; and The Steam House in Innsmouth a playful mashup of Jules Verne and H.P. Lovecraft.</p><p>The collection also features Nine Hundred Grandmothers A Canticle for Ackerman The Dream-Sculptor of A.I.P. and Hivehead-each demonstrating Di Filippo's gift for combining big ideas with intimate human stories. Whether exploring posthuman evolution parallel universes or the nature of consciousness itself these stories showcase a master storyteller working at the height of his considerable powers.</p>