An early unpublished novel kindly made available on the web by the author. A dark novel set in a future where von Neumann probes build a growing interstellar computer network to house the uploaded minds of dead people, ruled by artificial intelligences.

Blackmail, kidnapping, revenge Barnaby Rudge is part suspenseful mystery and part historical novel. Based on the Gordon Riots of June 1780, which culminated in the storming and destruction of the Newgate Prison, we recount these events through the eyes of the kind but simple-minded title character, Barnaby Rudge. Powerful, gripping read.

In this comic novel, Mr. Polly is a timid man who prefers reading books of adventure rather than working in a draper's shop. A life with little money and a spiteful wife is one of woe. A disenchanted Mr.Polly plans to burn down his shop and kill himself. His plan fails and a turn of events leads him to a genuinely brighter future, especially after a dead man has been mistakenly identified as Mr.Polly.

"Kessel proves himself again a master not just of science fiction, but also of the modern short story, crafting compelling characters and following them through plots that never fail to please - or to defy prediction." --Metro Magazine

"Kessel's blend of dark humor and reality-stretching scenarios is consistently mesmerizing." --Booklist

"One of the best collections of the year." --Locus

"These well-crafted stories, full of elegantly drawn characters, deliver a powerful emotional punch." --Publishers Weekly

Lewis Shiner is a two-time finalist for the Nebula (Frontera, Deserted Cities of the Heart), a finalist for the Philip K. Dick (Frontera), and won the World Fantasy award for Glimpses.

This collection veers into the weird side of the Old West, with punks, communists, crooked sodbusters, and a touch of slide guitar.

A satire on Victorian morals and marriage.