Unicorn Variations

Unicorn Variations is an enchanting story about a man who plays chess with a beer-guzzling unicorn in a bar, with the fate of the human race at stake. Twenty-one other stories are collected here and linked by Zelazny's own illuminating and amusing commentary.

"Explains the history, origins, theories, and various tellings of unicorns"--

Sixteen magical tales about the most wondrous of all creatures. A collection of tales of fantasy featuring the legendary unicorn. "The Spoor of the Unicorn" by Avram Davidson "The Silken-Swift" by Theodore Sturgeon "Eudoric's Unicorn" by L. Sprague de Camp "The Flight of the Horse" by Larry Niven "On the Downhill Side" by Harlan Ellison "The Night of the Unicorn" by Thomas Burnett Swann "Mythological Beast" by Stephen R. Donaldson "The Final Quarry" by Eric Norden "Elfleda" by Vonda N. McIntyre "The White Donkey" by Ursula K. Le Guin "Unicorn Variation" by Roger Zelazny "The Sacrifice" by Gardner Dozois "The Unicorn" by Frank Owen "The Woman the Unicorn Loved" by Gene Wolfe "The Forsaken" by Beverly Evans "The Unicorn" by T. H. White At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).

Become an expert on the various species of North American Unicornus thanks to this fun, funny, and fascinating field guide! From historical details to identification strategies, you’ll soon be immersed in the world of unicorns that roam the wilds of North America thanks to the scientific, "fact-packed" handbook. Plus, you’ll learn easy, step-by-step drawing techniques for when you’re out in the wild searching for signs of unicorn presence. Along with unicorn history, popular tales, and scientific information, you’ll be provided with in-depth details about the most popular species of North American unicorns, including: • American Unicorn • Hoary Unicorn • Spiked Bog Pony • Tropical Unicorn • And more! This field guide is perfect for any lover of these fantastic beasts, no matter if they believe unicorns to be fact or fiction!

The World is Born From Zero is an investigation into the relationship between video games and science fiction through the philosophy of speculation. Cameron Kunzelman argues that the video game medium is centered on the evaluation and production of possible futures by following video game studies, media philosophy, and science fiction studies to their furthest reaches. Claiming that the best way to understand games is through rigorous formal analysis of their aesthetic strategies and the cultural context those strategies emerge from, Kunzelman investigates a diverse array of games like The Last of Us, VA-11 Hall-A, and Civilization VI in order to explore what science fiction video games can tell us about their genres, their ways of speculating, and how the medium of the video game does (or does not) direct us down experiential pathways that are both oppressive and liberatory. Taking a multidisciplinary look at these games, The World is Born From Zero offers a unique theorization of science fiction games that provides both science fiction studies and video game studies with new tools for thinking how this medium and mode inform each other.

Using 163 photographs of images carved on the underside of medieval choir stalls in the churches and cathedrals of England in the thirteenth through sixteenth centuries, this work provides a spirited examination of the social history of ordinary men and women during the late-medieval period. This examination is particularly useful in that the choir stalls have become less accessible to the public in recent years. Misericords have received some scholarly attention, but this work is the first to interpret the carvings as social commentary. They are not examined as decorative embellishments or pieces of church furniture, but rather "read" as intimate glimpses into the thoughts, actions, and beliefs of a segment of the English medieval population. Whatever amused, angered, frightened, or elated the common person is recorded here in these extraordinary records.

WHO DO TODAY'S TOP FANTASY WRITERS READ - AND WHY? This was the question posed to some of the most influential authors in the field today. This book is their answer. Here are seventeen of the most memorable stories in the genre, each one personally selected by a well-known writer, and each prefaced by that writer's explanation of his or her choice.