Store of the Worlds – The Stories of Robert Sheckley
Store of the Worlds: The Stories of Robert Sheckley, edited by Alex Abramovich and Jonathan Lethem / ISBN 9781590174944 / 416-page paperback from New York Review Books Classics
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An NYRB Classics Original – Robert Sheckley was an eccentric master of the American short story, and his tales, whether set in dystopic cityscapes, ultramodern advertising agencies, or aboard spaceships lighting out for hostile planets, are among the most startlingly original of the twentieth century. Today, as the new worlds, alternate universes, and synthetic pleasures Sheckley foretold become our reality, his vision begins to look less absurdist and more prophetic. This retrospective selection, chosen by Jonathan Lethem and Alex Abramovich, brings together the best of Sheckley’s deadpan farces, proving once again that he belongs beside such mordant critics of contemporary mores as Bruce Jay Friedman, Terry Southern, and Thomas Pynchon.
