Jeff VanderMeer Libri

Un'importante opera New Weird dall'autore vincitore di tre World Fantasy Award. Sotto la città di Veniss, fortificata contro le desolazioni esterne e i mostri che le abitano, c'è un mondo sotterraneo in cui ogni cosa è distorta e alterata, in cui un'umanità disperata e misera si dedica a gravosi compiti ormai inutili e che è regno indiscusso di Quin, artista genetico e manipolatore di uomini e destini. Le sorti di Nicholas, oloartista tormentato, di Nicola, sua sorella e di Shadrach, amico dell'uno e perdutamente innamorato dell'altra, si compirà nei recessi sotterranei più profondi di Veniss, luogo in cui "L'Orrore e la Bellezza possono dirsi sinonimi".

Per trent’anni l’Area X è rimasta tagliata fuori dal resto del mondo. La Southern Reach ha inviato numerose missioni esplorative, ma nessuna è mai tornata davvero indietro. Questa volta sarà diverso: la dodicesima missione, raccontata in Annientamento , e composta unicamente da donne. Quattro esploratrici che non conoscono niente l’una dell’altra, nemmeno il nome – sono indicate con la funzione che svolgono: l’antropologa, la topografa, la psicologa e la biologa – accettano di partecipare a un viaggio che assomiglia molto a un suicidio. In Autorità un nuovo direttore siede a capo della Southern Reach, John Rodriguez. Tutti lo chiamano Controllo, anche se sembra non avere il controllo di nulla. Gli basta poco, però, per capire che i segreti della Southern Reach sono altrettanto numerosi di quella dell’Area X, e forse più minacciosi. In Accettazione , ultimo capitolo della trilogia, Controllo si tuffa nel cuore dell’Area X aiutato da una misteriosa creatura che ha le fattezze e i ricordi della biologa. Insieme si inoltrano verso il faro da cui ogni cosa sembra essere partita alla ricerca di risposte. Eppure non è di risposte che hanno bisogno, ma di nuove e più giuste domande. Con la tensione del thriller e la profondità della grande letteratura, Jeff VanderMeer ha saputo raccontare le nuove, imminenti, antichissime paure del nostro mondo.

Benvenuti ad Ambergis, la città di ogni splendore e ogni nequizia, dove ogni cosa è possibile in un succedersi di fastose immagini visionarie degne dell'arte pittorica di Bosch, il capolavoro best seller negli Stati Uniti di Jeff VanderMeer, creatore del New Weird e raffinato, avvincente, sconvolgente cantore di un fantastico che va al di là della fantascienza, del surrealismo, del meraviglioso, e costituisce una delle più sconvolgenti ed emozionanti esperienze di lettura che esalta il genio dello scrittore per tre volte vincitore del World Fantasy Award, e dei premi Nebula, Rhysling, British Fantasy Award e BSFA, trionfatore con questo romanzo in Francia e Finlandia dove ha ottenuto i più importanti premi nazionali. Di questo libro scrive Michael Moorcock: "Un raro tesoro di storie e visioni, da assaporarsi con gioia e rispetto. È il lavoro di uno scrittore originale, è quello che cercavate." E il grande China Melville aggiunge: "Da qualche parte nel punto di intersezione tranarrativa pulp e surrealismo, al massimo livello di entrambe le tradizioni, c'è la Ambergris di Jeff Vandermeer." Dopo anni di attesa e di lavoro, finalmente siamo orgogliosi di presentare al pubblico italiano uno dei massimi capolavori della letteratura fantastica moderna.

Per trent'anni l'Area X - un territorio dove un fenomeno in costante espansione e dall'origine sconosciuta altera le leggi fisiche, trasforma gli animali, le piante, sembra manipolare lo stesso scorrere del tempo - è rimasta tagliata fuori dal resto del mondo. La Southern Reach, l'agenzia governativa incaricata di indagarne gli enigmi e nasconderla all'opinione pubblica, ha inviato numerose missioni esplorative. Nessuna però è mai tornata davvero dall'Area X: chi, inspiegabilmente, ricompariva al di qua del confine era condannato a un destino peggiore della morte. Questa volta, però, sarà diverso: la dodicesima missione è composta unicamente da donne. Quattro donne che non conoscono nulla l'una dell'altra, nemmeno il nome - sono indicate con la funzione che svolgono: l'antropologa, la topografa, la psicologa e la biologa - accettano di partecipare a un viaggio che assomiglia molto a un suicidio. Cosa le ha spinte a imbarcarsi in una missione tanto pericolosa? La biologa spera di ritrovare il marito, uno dei membri dispersi della spedizione precedente. Ma forse cerca anche di fuggire dai suoi fantasmi. E le altre? Cosa nasconde la psicologa, ambigua leader del gruppo? Quando le quattro esploratrici incappano in una strana costruzione mai segnalata da nessuna mappa, capiranno che fino a quel momento i disturbanti misteri dell'Area X erano stati appena sfiorati.

Dopo che, al termine di "Autorità", il confine dell'Area X ha iniziato improvvisamente a espandersi e inghiottire ogni cosa nella sua avanzata, a cominciare dalla sede della Southern Reach, la situazione sulla "costa dimenticata" sta precipitando. Controllo, aiutato dalla misteriosa creatura che ha le fattezze e i ricordi della biologa e si fa chiamare Uccello Fantasma, si inoltra nel cuore dell'Area X, verso il faro da cui ogni cosa sembra essere partita. Sembra che tutti i personaggi della trilogia dell'Area X in qualche momento della loro vita abbiano visitato il faro. Verremo cosi a conoscenza della storia del suo guardiano, un uomo tormentato, con un passato di predicatore e troppi, forse ingiustificati, sensi di colpa, che proprio al faro pare aver riconquistato una qualche forma di pur precaria serenità. Anche grazie all'amicizia di una bambina dei dintorni, Gloria, con cui stabilisce un legame profondo, una relazione che saprà sopravvivere ai cataclismi successivi all'"evento". Ma veramente la Southern Reach è stata creata dopo l'evento che ha generato l'Area X o esisteva da molto, molto prima? E, soprattutto, chi ha innescato il processo che ha dato vita all'Area X e perché? Forse già ora, in qualche angolo del pianeta, un'"anomalia" dall'origine sconosciuta sta alterando la realtà in modi cosi sottili che probabilmente passerebbero inosservati.

Da trent’anni, un fenomeno misterioso altera l’ecosistema costiero di un territorio nel Sud degli Stati Uniti, noto come Area X. La Southern Reach, un’agenzia governativa segreta, cerca di svelarne i segreti, ma senza risultati. Il nuovo direttore, John Rodriguez, soprannominato Controllo, si trova a gestire una struttura dove ogni membro persegue obiettivi personali e segreti. La sua vice, legata alla precedente direttrice, potrebbe conoscere i motivi che hanno spinto l’ex capa a partecipare a una missione come psicologa. I membri della sezione scientifica sono coinvolti in esperimenti pericolosi, mentre Whitby, un apparente tuttofare, sembra avere informazioni riservate. Controllo si rende conto che i misteri della Southern Reach sono tanto complessi quanto quelli dell’Area X. Si interroga sul vero scopo dell’agenzia, chi la comanda e quale autorità la sovraintende. Inoltre, si chiede chi lo abbia messo al comando. Per affrontare queste sfide, Controllo trova un alleato inaspettato: una biologa riapparsa dopo essere tornata oltre il confine.

From Lovecraft to Borges to Gaiman, a century of intrepid literary experimentation has created a corpus of dark and strange stories that transcend all known genre boundaries. Together these stories form The Weird, and its practitioners include some of the greatest names in twentieth and twenty-first century literature. Exotic and esoteric, The Weird plunges you into dark domains and brings you face to face with surreal monstrosities. You won't find any elves or wizards here...but you will find the biggest, boldest, and downright most peculiar stories from the last hundred years bound together in the biggest Weird collection ever assembled. The Weird features 110 stories by an all-star cast, from literary legends to international bestsellers to Booker Prize winners: including William Gibson, George R. R. Martin, Stephen King, Angela Carter, Kelly Link, Franz Kafka, China Miéville, Clive Barker, Haruki Murakami, M. R. James, Neil Gaiman, Mervyn Peake, and Michael Chabon. The Weird is the winner of the 2012 World Fantasy Award for Best Anthology

Wonderbook offers a unique writing guide that emphasizes playfulness and pragmatism. With an accessible and example-rich approach, it motivates writers while providing essential practical information for improvement, catering to both teens and adults.

From the author of Borne and Annihilation comes the one-volume hardcover reissue of his cult classic Ambergris Trilogy.

What if life was neverending? What if you could change your body to adapt to an alien ecology? What if the pope were a robot? Spanning galaxies and millennia, this must-have anthology showcases classic contributions from H. G. Wells, Arthur C. Clarke, Octavia E. Butler, and Kurt Vonnegut, alongside a century of the eccentrics, rebels, and visionaries who have inspired generations of readers. Within its pages, you?ll find beloved worlds of space opera, hard SF, cyberpunk, the New Wave, and more. Learn about the secret history of science fiction, from titans of literature who also wrote SF to less well-known authors from more than twenty-five countries, some never before translated into English. In The Big Book of Science Fiction, literary power couple Ann and Jeff VanderMeer transport readers from Mars to Mechanopolis, planet Earth to parts unknown. Immerse yourself in the genre that predicted electric cars, space tourism, and smartphones. Sit back, buckle up, and dial in the coordinates, as this stellar anthology has got worlds within worlds

Return to the unique and evocative world of 'The Dying Earth' in this tribute anthology featuring the most distinguished fantasists of our day. Here are 22 brand-new adventures set in the world of Jack Vance's greatest novel.

A curated selection of feminist speculative fiction (science fiction, fantasy, horror, and more)

The Strange Bird, by Jeff VanderMeer, expands the world of his acclaimed novel, Borne. This unique creature, part bird and part human, escapes from a besieged laboratory where scientists have turned against their creations. As she navigates tunnels and evades capture, she discovers that the sky is not a sanctuary; it is filled with wildlife that rejects her and remnants of human civilization, including satellites and drones. Her journey leads her to the remnants of the Company, a collapsed biotech firm that has left behind both successful and failed experiments, such as networked foxes and a giant bear. Among the various creatures she encounters, it is the humans—desperate and exploitative—who pose the greatest threat, seeing her merely as a possession to be captured or traded. VanderMeer not only enriches the narrative of Borne but also offers a fresh perspective through the eyes of this new creature, who fights for her place in a fractured world. This story challenges our understanding of nonhuman existence and highlights the complexities of survival in a landscape shaped by human actions. VanderMeer’s work signals a maturation of eco-fiction, presenting a vision of the future that is both wild and unpredictable.

An epic yet personal look at several decades of life, love, and death in the imaginary city of Ambergris--previously chronicled in Jeff VanderMeer's acclaimed City of Saints & Madmen -- Shriek: An Afterword relates the scandalous, heartbreaking, and horrifying secret history of two squabbling siblings and their confidantes, protectors, and enemies. Narrated with flamboyant intensity and under increasingly urgent conditions by ex-society figure Janice Shriek, this afterword presents a vivid gallery of characters and events, emphasizing the adventures of Janice's brother Duncan, a historian obsessed with a doomed love affair and a secret that may kill or transform him; a war between rival publishing houses that will change Ambergris forever; and the gray caps, a marginalized people armed with advanced fungal technologies who have been waiting underground for their chance to mold the future of the city. Part academic treatise, part tell-all biography, after this introduction to the Family Shriek, you'll never look at history in quite the same way again.

Unearth the enchanting origins of fantasy fiction with a collection of tales as vast as the tallest tower and as mysterious as the dark depths of the forest. Fantasy stories have always been with us. They illuminate the odd and the uncanny, the wondrous and the fantastic: all the things we know are lurking just out of sight--on the other side of the looking-glass, beyond the music of the impossibly haunting violin, through the twisted trees of the ancient woods. Other worlds, talking animals, fairies, goblins, demons, tricksters, and mystics: these are the elements that populate a rich literary tradition that spans the globe. A work composed both of careful scholarship and fantastic fun, The Big Book of Classic Fantasy is essential reading for anyone who's never forgotten the stories that first inspired feelings of astonishment and wonder

First published in hardcover by MCD/Farrar, Straus and Giroux in 2017.

Offering timely advice in an era when the burden of production and publicity frequently falls on authors, this essential reference reflects on methods for being focused, productive, and savvy in the craft of writing. Discussing a wide range of essential topics for self-promoting authors, this important guide explores questions such as How can authors use social media and the internet? How does the new online paradigm affect authors, readers, and the book industry? How can authors find the time to both create and promote their work? and What should never be done? Through good-humored encouragement, practical tips of the trade culled from 25 years of experience as a writer, reviewer, editor, publisher, agent, and blogger are shared. Including topics such as personal space versus public space, deadlines, and networking, the benefits of interacting with readers through new technologies is revealed.

div Steampunk—a grafting of Victorian aesthetic and punk rock attitude onto various forms of science-fiction culture—is a phenomenon that has come to influence film, literature, art, music, fashion, and more. The Steampunk Bible is the first compendium about the movement, tracing its roots in the works of Jules Verne and H. G. Wells through its most recent expression in movies such as Sherlock Holmes. Its adherents celebrate the inventor as an artist and hero, re-envisioning and crafting retro technologies including antiquated airships and robots. A burgeoning DIY community has brought a distinctive Victorian-fantasy style to their crafts and art. Steampunk evokes a sense of adventure and discovery, and embraces extinct technologies as a way of talking about the future. This ultimate manual will appeal to aficionados and novices alike as author Jeff VanderMeer takes the reader on a wild ride through the clockwork corridors of Steampunk history. Praise for The Steampunk Bible: "The Steampunk Bible is an informed, informative and beautifully illustrated survey of the subject." -The Financial Times "The Steampunk Bible is far and away the most intriguing catalog of all things steam yet written." -The Austin Chronicle “It’s hard to imagine how VanderMeer and Chambers could have put together a stronger collection. Its publication marks a significant, self-conscious moment in the history of the movement.” —PopMatters.com /DIV

2010's cult novel. A fever dream detective story that blends the best of James Ellroy and Philip K. Dick, Cormac McCarthy and China Mieville, John le Carre and J G Ballard

On a remote South China Sea island, a deadly hunt is underway... but not the kind of expedition the participants expected. As the hunters battle for survival, they discover there is another creature out for blood: a Predator with an unstoppable lust for conquest.

From the author of the bestselling Steampunk Bible, a practical and inspirational volume on making your own Steampunk creations.

A collection of chilling and prescient stories about ecological apocalypse and the merging of human and machine. Welcome to Moderan, world of the future. Here perpetual war is waged by furious masters fighting from Strongholds well stocked with “arsenals of fear” and everyone is enamored with hate. The devastated earth is coated by vast sheets of gray plastic, while humans vie to replace more and more of their own “soft parts” with steel. What need is there for nature when trees and flowers can be pushed up through holes in the plastic? Who requires human companionship when new-metal mistresses are waiting? But even a Stronghold master can doubt the catechism of Moderan. Wanderers, poets, and his own children pay visits, proving that another world is possible. “As if Whitman and Nietzsche had collaborated,” wrote Brian Aldiss of David R. Bunch’s work. Originally published in science-fiction magazines in the 1960s and ’70s, these mordant stories, though passionately sought by collectors, have been unavailable in a single volume for close to half a century. Like Anthony Burgess in A Clockwork Orange, Bunch coined a mind-bending new vocabulary. He sought not to divert readers from the horror of modernity but to make us face it squarely. This volume includes eleven previously uncollected Moderan stories.

Set a decade after "Annihilation," this fourth volume of the Southern Reach Trilogy continues to explore the enigmatic and unsettling themes established in the previous books. It delves deeper into the mysteries of Area X and the psychological and environmental transformations it brings. VanderMeer’s signature blend of surrealism and ecological commentary invites readers to confront the unknown as characters grapple with the consequences of their past actions and the haunting legacy of Area X.

Features short stories within the genre that were written during the last decade, along with discussions about its future and how the genre should be defined.

Replete with whimsical mechanical wonders and charmingly anachronistic settings, this pioneering anthology gathers a brilliant blend of fantastical stories. Steampunk originates in the romantic elegance of the Victorian era and blends in modern scientific advances—synthesizing imaginative technologies such as steam-driven robots, analog supercomputers, and ultramodern dirigibles. The elegant allure of this popular new genre is represented in this rich collection by distinctively talented authors, including:Content"Introduction: The 19th Century Roots of Steampunk" by Jess Nevins"Benediction: Excerpt from The Warlord of the Air" by Michael Moorcock"Lord Kelvin's Machine" by James P. Blaylock"The Giving Mouth" by Ian R. MacLeod"A Sun in the Attic" by Mary Gentle"The God-Clown is Near" by Jay Lake"The Steam Man of the Prairie and the Dark Rider Get Down: A Dime Novel" by Joe R. Lansdale"The Selene Gardening Society" by Molly Brown"Seventy-Two Letters" by Ted Chiang"The Martian Agent, A Planetary Romance" by Michael Chabon"Victoria" by Paul Di Filippo"Reflected Light" by Rachel E. Pollock"Minutes of the Last Meeting" by Stepan Chapman"Excerpt from the Third and Last Volume of Tribes of the Pacific Coast" by Neal Stephenson"The Steam-Driven Time Machine: A Pop Culture Survey" by Rick Klaw"The Essential Sequential Steampunk: A Modest Survey of the Genre within the Comic Book Medium" by Bill Baker

Under the watchful eye of The Company, three characters -- Grayson, Morse and Chen -- shapeshifters, amorphous, part human, part extensions of the landscape, make their way through forces that would consume them. A blue fox, a giant fish and language stretched to the limit. A messianic blue fox who slips through warrens of time and space on a mysterious mission. A homeless woman haunted by a demon who finds the key to all things in a strange journal. A giant leviathan of a fish, centuries old, who hides a secret, remembering a past that may not be its own. Three ragtag rebels waging an endless war for the fate of the world against an all-powerful corporation. A raving madman who wanders the desert lost in the past, haunted by his own creation: an invisible monster whose name he has forgotten and whose purpose remains hidden. Jeff VanderMeer's Dead Astronauts presents a City with no name of its own where, in the shadow of the all-powerful Company, lives human and otherwise converge in terrifying and miraculous ways. At stake: the fate of the future, the fate of Earth - all the Earths.

'Frankly superb. This pummelling eco-thriller camouflages the true 'understory' of societal collapse, and glows in the dark with original thinking' David Mitchell, author of Utopia Avenue A speculative thriller about the end of all things, set in the Pacific Northwest. A harrowing descent into a secret world. 'Jane Smith' receives an unexplained envelope containing the key to a storage unit. And inside that storage unit is a taxidermy hummingbird and directions to a taxidermy salamander. Somehow, this bizarre treasure hunt, that Jane never expected or asked for, sets in motion a series of events that quickly put her and her family in danger. As she desperately seeks answers, she discovers time is running out - for her and possibly for the world. 'This is climate fiction at its most urgent and gripping' The New York Times 'Visionary, dark, beautiful, and strange, that rare novel that coaxes you into imagining the unimaginable' Kristen Roupenian, author of You Know You Want This: Cat Person and Other Stories 'Harrowing, gripping, and profound. It's both a thriller and a requiem for a disappearing world' Emily St. John Mandel, author of The Glass Hotel

A Peculiar Peril is a head-spinning epic about three friends on a quest to protect the world from a threat as unknowable as it is terrifying, from the Nebula Award–winning and New York Times bestselling author of Annihilation, Jeff VanderMeer. Jonathan Lambshead stands to inherit his deceased grandfather’s overstuffed mansion—a veritable cabinet of curiosities—once he and two schoolmates catalog its contents. But the three soon discover that the house is filled with far more than just oddities: It holds clues linking to an alt-Earth called Aurora, where the notorious English occultist Aleister Crowley has stormed back to life on a magic-fueled rampage across a surreal, through-the-looking-glass version of Europe replete with talking animals (and vegetables). Swept into encounters with allies more unpredictable than enemies, Jonathan pieces together his destiny as a member of a secret society devoted to keeping our world separate from Aurora. But as the ground shifts and allegiances change with every step, he and his friends sink ever deeper into a deadly pursuit of the profound evil that is also chasing after them.

In this new collection from World Fantasy Award-winner Jeff VanderMeer, car accidents, Angkor Wat, dead whales, flower vendors, dogcatchers, classic television shows, frogs, and the moon are transformed by the author's imagination into something unique and magical. Showcaseing his Rhysling Award-winning poem "Flight," reprinted in Nebula Awards 30, The Day Dali Died also provides a selection of short-short fictions- including "Bullets and Airplanes," "The County Fair," and "How Benjobi Song Came to Rule Iphagenia" (original to this collection). From lost books to mythic journeys into the surreal, The Day Dali Died showcases VanderMeer's talent for both epiphany and precise detail.

This collection of 23 stories reflects a diversity of approaches to key questions about the human condition, including questions about mortality, love, obsession, and creativity. “Balzac’s War” is a harrowing, powerful far-future novella that pits brother against brother in a landscape ravaged by war with Earth’s newly sentient human-made species. In 13th-century Cambodia, a lone artist is torn between his love of his craft and his unspoken love for a woman in “The Bone Carver’s Tale.” In “The Emperor’s Reply” and “The Compass of His Bones,” set in 17th-century Peru, the last Incan Emperor, having brutally fallen at the hands of the Conquistadores, seeks his revenge.

This is a crevice book... a shadow volume whose pages were written in the cracks of ancient cities and long since forgotten.Nine stories, nine shadows... words tattooed on skin, locked in towers, frozen under glass and sleeping with apple hearts, refusing to be defined. They are carved of light, and slither through your fingers like winter rain.

Ten years after the Southern Reach Trilogy's initial publication, the surprise fourth volume emerges, continuing the captivating narrative of Area X. The trilogy was an instant sensation, celebrated by major publications and figures like Stephen King, with each volume achieving bestseller status and winning numerous awards. Its transition from paperback to hardcover and a cult classic film adaptation solidified its place in contemporary literature, selling over a million copies. Despite this success, Jeff VanderMeer felt the story of Area X remained incomplete, with unresolved mysteries and untold perspectives. Key questions lingered about the forces behind Area X's creation and the first mission to the Forgotten Coast before it was named Area X. The narrative unfolds in three parts, each detailing a new expedition, offering long-awaited answers while introducing fresh questions and profound surprises. This installment is a brilliant and terrifying exploration of the unique literary landscape established by the series, serving as the final word on one of the most provocative speculative fiction narratives of our time.

Jeff VanderMeer, ein virtuoser Schriftsteller der Phantastik, präsentiert mit „Ein Herz für Lukretia“ seine gesammelten Erzählungen aus zwei Jahrzehnten. Die Auswahl zeigt die Vielfalt seines Schaffens, von düsterer SF bis zu surrealistischen und magisch-realistischen Texten, einschließlich Erzählungen aus seinem Roman „Veniss Underground“.

When humanity expanded beyond the safety of Earth to new stars and horizons, they never dreamed what dangers they would encounter there. When the alien juggernaut known as the Covenant declared holy war upon the fragile human empire, millions of lives were lost—but, millions of heroes rose to the challenge. In such a far-reaching conflict, not many of the stories of these heroes, both human and alien, have a chance to become legend. This collection holds eleven stories that dive into the depths of the vast Halo universe, not only from the perspective of those who fought and died to save humanity, but also those who vowed to wipe humanity out of existence.INTRODUCTION - Frank O’ConnorBEYOND - art by Sparth, words by Jonathan GoffPARIAHB. - K. EvensonSTOMPING ON THE HEELS OF A FUSS - Eric RaabMIDNIGHT IN THEHEART OF MIDLOTHIAN - Frank O’ConnorDIRT - Tobias S. BuckellACHERON- VII - art by Sparth, words by Jonathan GoffHEADHUNTERS - Jonathan GoffBLUNT INSTRUMENTS - Fred Van LenteTHEMONA LISA - Jeff VanderMeer and Tessa KumICON - art by Robogabo, words by Jonathan GoffPALACE HOTEL - Robt McLeesHUMAN WEAKNESS - Karen TravissCONNECTIVITY - art by Robogabo, words by Jonathan GoffTHE IMPOSSIBLE LIFE AND THE POSSIBLE DEATH OF PRESTON J. COLE - Eric NylundTHE RETURN - Kevin GraceFROM THE OFFICE OF DR. WILLIAM ARTHUR IQBAL

V druhé knize Prapodivných potíží Jonathan Lambshead spolu s přáteli pokračuje v nebezpečném putování Aurorou, alternativním univerzem plným bizarní bytostí a podivných kouzel, kam jej dovedly tajné dveře v podzemí rodinného sídla. Pomalu v sobě objevuje dosud netušené schopnosti a začíná chápat, jak náročný úkol před něj osud postavil. A zatím se vojska Aleistera Crowleyho, který pomocí černé magie už dávno ovládl Paříž a útočí i na pevninský most do Anglie, neúprosně blíží ku Praze... Čtenáři se opět mohou těšit na báječný ohňostroj nápadů, humoru a napínavých scén, jimiž VanderMeerova první řada knih pro mládež doslova překypuje. A jakou roli v tom všem sehraje svišť, jehož stín dopadá až příliš daleko?

Nechte se unést do měst plných stínů, zažijte groteskní rituály, chaotické oslavy a poznejte kulty přinášející utrpení a smrt. Navštivte strach nahánějící místa, kde jsou těla živých tvorů přetvářena do surreálních monstrózních podob a kde se lidé marně bouří proti neměnným silám světa. Vše podléhá smrti a rozkladu a nikdo není bez viny. Odkryjte pravou podstatu new weirdu. Břitká městská fantasy plná niterní bezprostřednosti – new weird. Povstal z klasické fantasy a šestákových pulpových románů, z hororu i detektivky, z thrilleru a noiru. Vše si osvojil, vstřebal a přetvořil po svém, aby se nakonec vynořil ze zaprášené kukly nostalgie jako svěže literární, šokující a bezvýhradně inovativní styl fantastiky. V této knize najdete to nejlepší z new weirdu od nejznámějších autorů této odnože fantastického žánru. Po všech stránkách pozoruhodná antologie obsahuje původní internetovou diskuzi, která vůbec poprvé definovala new weird, názory předních evropských žánrových editorů a jako vrchol společnou práci nejznámějších spisovatelů new weirdu.

Deset let od prvního vydání Jižní Zóny, děsivé i poetické trilogie o tajemné Oblasti X, nás autor zve na další neočekávanou výpravu. Zpočátku se dozvídáme o záhadném a děsivém konci jedné vědecké expedice - konci tajemně provázaném s budoucími událostmi a s manipulativními praktikami státní agentury známé jako Centrála. O mnoho let později se materiály ohledně expedice dostanou do rukou agenta Centrály Jima a podivný dojem, který z materiálů má, ještě zesílí, když se ocitne v terénu na takzvaném Zapomenutém pobřeží. S mladou a nezkušenou kolegyní postupně zjišťuje, že má co do činění nejen se skupinou nebezpečných podivínů zkoumajících paranormální jevy, ale že se v okolí znovu pohybuje tajemný Renegát, zodpovědný za tragický osud oné dávné expedice. Příběh vrcholí vysláním první výpravy do Oblasti X, za tajemnou bariéru, která někdejší Zapomenuté pobřeží odřízla od okolního světa. Očima elitního, ale výstředního agenta sledujeme, jak se dobře vycvičený tým pokouší v nejisté, proměnlivé krajině nalézt způsob, jak území navrátit jeho dřívější podobu...