Short Fiction D - F

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Darktree, Darktide
[2600 words]

Young Jon Dahlquist visits an elderly distant relative who is dying at the Darktree Sanitarium.  Earlier he had been forced to share his room with her, and he now still fears the strange hypnotic powers that she had over him then.


  1. Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction #239 (Edward L. Ferman)
    [Cornwall CT: Mercury Press], Apr 1971 ($.60); pp. 94 - 100












  2. [as Un grand flot noir]
    [French translation by Denise Hersant]
    Fiction #221 (Alain Dorémieux)
    [Paris: Editions Opta], May 1972 (4 F); pp. 94 - 102












  3. Terrors (Charles L. Grant)
    • Chicago: Playboy Press 21138 [ISBN 0-867-21138-5] [pb], Jun 1982 ($2.50); pp. 179 - 186
    • New York: Berkley 07691 [ISBN 0-425-07691-1] [pb], Aug 1984 ($2.95)









  4. [as Darktree]
    [Dutch translation]
    Gruwelijk gezelschap
    • Amsterdam: Loeb Alfred Hitchcockreeks [ISBN 90-6213-684-2]; 1985












  5. [as Darktree]
    [Dutch translation]
    Gruwelijk en grotesk
    • Amsterdam: Loeb Alfred Hitchcockreeks [ISBN 90-379-0063-1]; 1988
Dear Bill
[1500 words]
  1. All the Devils are Here (David D. Deyo, Jr.)
    • Atlanta GA: Unnameable Press, Aug 1986; pp. 26 - 28
      1. [ISBN 0-934227-03-9] [signed trade paperback, limited to 200 copies] ($8.00)
      2. [ISBN 0-934277-02-0] [trade paperback, 1000 unsigned copies] ($30.00)








  2. Emphatically Not SF, Almost (MB), Dec 1990; pp. 37 - 40
Death and Designation Among the Asadi
[32500 words]
  1. Worlds of If #164 (Ejler Jakobsson)
    [New York: UPD Publishing Corp.], Jan/Feb 1973 ($.75); pp. 4 - 68 [illustration uncredited, possibly Jack Gaughan]

    Worlds of If Tandem Sci-Fi No. 5 (Ejler Jakobsson)
    [London: Universal-Tandem Publishing Co.], 1973 (25p); pp. 4 - 68









  2. The 1974 Annual World's Best SF (Donald A. Wollheim)
    • New York: DAW Books UY1109 [#101] [ISBN 0-87997-109-6] [pb], May 1974 ($1.25)); pp. 187 - 266
    • New York: DAW Books [book club edition published by Doubleday] [hc], Sep 1974 ($1.98); pp. 161 - 232
    • [as The World's Best SF Short Stories #1]
      London: The Elmfield Press [ISBN 0-705-70057-7] [hc], Oct 1975
    • [as Wollheim's World's Best SF: Series Three]
      New York: DAW Books UE1507 [ISBN 0-87997-507-5] [pb], Dec 1979 ($2.25); pp. 187 - 266






















  3. [as Mort et succession des Asadis]
    [French translation by Laurence Azaïs]
    Galaxie #122 (Michel Demuth)
    [Paris: Opta], Jul 1974 (5 F)












  4. The Best from If, Volume 2 (anonymous)
    • New York: Award AQ1360 [pb], Sep 1974; pp. 93 - 178















  5. [as Tod und Bestimmung unter den Asadi]
    [German translation by Horst Pukallus]
    Science Fiction Story Reader 11 (Wolfgang Jeschke)
    • Munich: Heyne SF 3627 [ISBN 3-453-30538-8] [pb], 1979 (DM 5,80); pp. 63 - 164












  6. [Slightly revised]
    Included in Transfigurations (MB), Oct 1979; pp. 21 - 108


    [Note: all future reprintings are of this revised version]












  7. [as Morte e designazione tra gli Asadi]
    [Italian translation by Iole Luisa Rambelli]
    Il meglio di If 2
    • Milan: Mursia [Tascabili Mursia 35] [pb], Aug 1980 (Lire 3.500); pp. 103 - 199













  8. [as Tod und Bestimmung unter den Asadi]
    [German translation by Waltern Brumm]
    Included in Transfigurationen (MB), 1986; pp. 21 - 126














  9. [as Morte e Designazione Fra gli Asadi]
    [Italian translation by Annarita Guarnieri]
    Included in Il segreto degli Asadi (MB), Sep 1986; pp. 13 - 100













  10. [as Tod und Bestimmung unter den Asadi]
    [German translation by Horst Pukallus]
    Heyne Science Fiction Jahresband 2000 (Wolfgang Jeschke)
    • Munich: Heyne SF 6342 [ISBN 3-453-16188-2] [pb], 2000 (ÖS 131,00)











  11. Blue Kansas Sky (MB), Oct 2000; pp 192 - 263
Death Rehearsals
[27400 words]
[An "Urban Nucleus of Atlanta" story]
  1. Chapter Seven of Catacomb Years (MB), Jan 1979; pp. 301 - 384














  2. [as Proben für den Tod]
    [German translation by Walter Brumm]
    Die Jahre in den Katakomben (MB), 1982; pp. 281 - 363
Diary of a Dead Man
[4400 words]
  1. Afterlives (Pamela Sargent & Ian Watson)
    • New York: Vintage Books 72986 [ISBN 0-394-72986-2] [pb], Aug 1986 ($5.95); pp. 297 - 312















  2. Close Encounters with the Deity (MB), Aug 1986; pp. 155 - 168















  3. Twenty Questions: An Introduction to Philosophy (First Edition) (G. Lee Bowie, Meridith W. Michaels & Robert C. Solomon)
    • San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich [ISBN 0-15-592388-9] [trade pb], 1988; pp. 450 - 457



  4. [as Diario di un uomo morto]
    [Italian translation by Massimo Patti]
    Altre vite (Pamela Sargent & Ian Watson)
    • Milan: Arnoldo Mondadori Editore [Urania 1130] [pb], Jul 1990 (Lire 4.500); pp. 92 - 103
Doggedly Wooing Madonna
[5300 words]

Prentice "Prentz" Metcalf, a high-school student with a decidedly talented literary skill, sets out to woo pop icon Madonna in a series of letters.  He is aided in his quest by Mrs. Hewitt, his sympathetic and understanding school counselor.

[I] came up with this story while my wife was working with young people as a counseling intern.  She found that many of them, excluded in one way or another from their parents' busy lives, were finding unusual and inventive ways of investing their lives with meaning and/or stability.  [The protagonist of this story] finds an especially bizarre approach to this problem, yes, but well-meaning survivors do both what they have to and what they can.


  1. Century #2 (Robert K. J. Killheffer)
    [Brooklyn NY: Century Publishing Inc., ISSN 1079-8145] May/Jun 1995 ($5.95); pp. 80 - 91
Dogs' Lives
[7500 words]

[Originally sold to Harlan Ellison for The Last Dangerous Visions]

  1. The Missouri Review Vol. VII, No. 2 (Speer Morgan)
    [Columbia MO: University of Missouri, ISSN 0191-1961], Spring 1984















  2. Light Years and Dark (Michael Bishop)
    • New York: Berkley 07214 [ISBN 0-425-07214-2] [trade pb], Nov 1984 ($8.95); pp. 475 - 490















  3. The Best American Short Stories 1985 (Gail Godwin with Shannon Ravenel)
    • Boston: Houghton Mifflin, Sep 1985; pp. 24 - 43
      1. [ISBN 0-395-36450-7] [hardcover] ($14.95)
      2. [ISBN 0-395-39058-3] [trade paperback]











  4. Nebula Awards 20 (George Zebrowski)
    • New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Nov 1985; pp. 292 - 312
      1. [ISBN 0-15-164927-8] [hardcover] ($17.95)
      2. [ISBN 0-15-665477-6] [trade paperback] ($8.95)












  5. Close Encounters with the Deity (MB), Aug 1986; pp. 91 - 113














  6. Dogtales! (Jack Dann & Gardner Dozois)
    • New York: Ace 15760 [ISBN 0-441-15760-2] [pb], Sep 1988 ($3.50); pp. 125 - 144















  7. The Literary Dog (Jeanne Schinto)
    • Boston: The Atlantic Monthly Press [ISBN 0-87113-383-0] [hc], 1990 ($19.45); pp. 351 - 370
    • New York: Grove / Atlantic Monthly Press [ISBN 0-87113-504-3] [trade pb], Oct 1991 ($15.00)
    • [as Of Dogs and Men]
      London: Andre Deutsch Ltd. [ISBN 0-233-98743-6] [hc], Sep 1991 (£13.99)
    • [as Dog Tales for Christmas]
      London: Headline [ISBN 074723924X] [trade pb], Oct 1992 (£5.99)


  8. [Japanese translation]
    The Literary Dog, Book 2 (Jeanne Schinto)
    • Tokyo: Shincho Bunko [ISBN 4-102-42302-8] [pb], Jan 1994












  9. The New Roger Caras Treasury of Great Dog Stories (Roger Caras)
    • New York: Bristol Park Books [ISBN 0-884-86209-7] [hc], Oct 1999 ($27.00); pp.













  10. [Japanese translation by Masami Fukushima]
    Dogtales! (Jack Dann & Gardner Dozois)
    • Tokyo: Fusosha Mystery [ISBN 4-594-02815-2] [pb], Nov 1999
The Domes
[1300 words]
[An "Urban Nucleus of Atlanta" story]
  1. The Anthology of Speculative Poetry #3 (Robert Frazier)
    [Sand Ridge WV: TASP Press], 1978 ($2.50); pp. 16 - 17














  2. Prelude to Catacomb Years (MB), Jan 1979; pp. 19 - 23















  3. [as Die Kuppeln]
    [German translation by Walter Brumm]
    Die Jahre in den Katakomben (MB), 1982; pp. 7 - 11
The Door Gunner
[11300 words]
  1. The Silver Gryphon (Gary Turner & Marty Halpern)
    • Urbana IL: Golden Gryphon Press, May 2003; pp. 27 - 54
      1. [ISBN 1-930846-15-0] [trade hardcover] ($27.95)
      2. [limited edition hardcover; slipcased, signed and limited to 100 copies] ($135.00)











  2. Realms of Fantasy (Shawna McCarthy)
    [Herndon VA: Sovereign Media Co., ISSN 1078-1951], Oct 2003 ($3.99); pp. 58 - 75 [illustrated by Dave Leri]
Dr. Prida's Dream-Plagued Patient
[1800 words]
  1. Aberrant Dreams #7 (Earnest G. Saylor)
    [Atlanta GA: HD-Image, ISSN 1554-4605] Spring 2006 ($5.50)












  2. The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, Volume Eighteen (Stephen Jones)
    • London: Robinson [ISBN 978-1-84529-481-6] [trade pb], Oct 2007 (7.99); pp. 228 - 233
    • New York: Carroll & Graff [ISBN 978-0-7867-2049-1] [trade pb], Nov 2007 ($13.95); pp. 228-233
Effigies
[11500 words]

On the planet Hond the few surviving tribes of an advanced human civilization struggle along in a primitive manner.  Only Verlis enters into the caves where the remnants of science have lain dormant.  His efforts there lead to an attempt to re-establish humankind, by combining his cells with seeds to grow human clones.  The more difficult problem is to convince his fellow tribespeople to help him.

Damon Knight declined to use the original version of "Effigies" in his Orbit anthology series, but expressed a qualified fondness for the notion of growing people from seeds, calling it "spooky".  Cadmus, the founder of Thebes, is reputed to have grown an army of mindless warriors from dragon's teeth (it might not be inappropriate to call these warriors dragoons), but I do not think I can site a classical impetus for "Effigies".  About the time I wrote the story I had been doing a lot of gardening, and the vaguely erotic contours of my squash and okra mounds may have led me to devise a metaphor linking human and vegetable generative forces.  (Or maybe not.)  Some people have complained about this story's "bleakness", but my gardens never turned out very well, either. — from Preface to Blooded on Arachne


  1. Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction #329 (Edward L. Ferman)
    [Cornwall CT: Mercury Press], Oct 1978 ($1.25); pp. 106 - 130












  2. [as Abbilder]
    [German translation by Marcel Bieger]
    Lektrik Jack [Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction #54] (Manfred Kluge)
    • Munich: Heyne 3681 [ISBN 3-453-30600-7] [pb], 1979 (DM 3,80)











  3. [French translation by Robert Berghe]
    Fiction #314 (Alain Dorémieux)
    [Paris: Editions Opta], Dec 1980













  4. Blooded on Arachne (MB), Jan 1982; pp. 55 - 85















  5. [as Abbilder]
    [German Translation by Johannes R. Blasius]
    Arachne (MB), Jun 1983, pp. 59 - 88
The Egret
[2000 words]
  1. Playboy (Alice K. Turner)
    [Chicago IL: Playboy Publishing, ISSN 0032-1478], Jun 1987 ($3.50); pp. 70 - 72 [illustrated by Kinuko Craft]












  2. When the Black Lotus Blooms (Elizabeth A. Saunders)
    • Atlanta GA: Unnameable Press; Aug 1990; pp. 286 - 292 [illustrated by Rodger Gerberding]
      1. [ISBN 0-934227-06-3] [hardcover, signed and limited to 350 copies] ($65.00)
      2. [ISBN 0-934227-05-5] [trade paperback] ($12.95)









  3. Emphatically Not SF, Almost (MB), Dec 1990; pp. 55 - 60
An Episode in the Death of Philip K. Dick
[1400 words]
  1. New Pathways into Science Fiction and Fantasy #8 (Michael G. Adkisson)
    [Plano TX: MGA Services, ISSN 0886-2451], Aug 1987 ($2.50); pp. 13 - 15


  2. Prelude to The Secret Ascension (MB), Nov 1987; pp. 1 - 4
Epistrophy
[2800 words]

The temporary caregiver of the wheelchair-bound Julian Wrysodick learns of the elderly man's past as the inventor of the Wrysodick Juke Box, his deceased wife, and her final resting place.


  1. Tombs (Peter Crowther and Edward E. Kramer)
    • Stone Mountain GA: White Wolf [ISBN 1-56504-905-5] [hc], Jun 1995 ($19.99); pp. 68 - 73
    • Clarkston GA: Borealis / White Wolf WW13006 [ISBN 1-56504-906-3] [pb], Jun 1996 ($5.99); pp. 116 - 125






  2. At the City Limits of Fate (MB), Aug 1996; pp. 119 - 126
The Fall of Saganella Lesser
[1000 words]
[An "Urban Nucleus of Atlanta" story]
  1. Interlude in Catacomb Years (MB), Jan 1979; pp. 296 - 300














  2. [as Der Fall von Saganella Lesser]
    [German translation by Walter Brumm]
    Die Jahre in den Katakomben (MB), 1982; pp. 276 - 280
A Father's Secret
[2000 words]
  1. Pulpsmith Vol. 4, No. 3 (Harry Smith)
    [New York: Generalist Association / The Smith], Autumn 1984 ($2.00); pp. 88 - 91













  2. Pulphouse: A Hardback Magazine #1, Fall 1988 (Kristine Kathryn Rusch)
    • Eugene OR: Pulphouse Publishing; Aug 1988; pp. 111 - 118
      1. [leatherbound hardcover; signed and limited to 250 copies] ($50.00)
      2. [trade hardcover] ($17.95)









  3. Emphatically Not SF, Almost (MB), Dec 1990; pp. 41 - 47
A Few Last Words for the Late Immortals
[3400 words]
  1. Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact (Stanley Schmidt)
    [New York: Condé Nast Publications, ISSN 0161-2328], Jul 1979 ($1.25); pp. 74 - 83 [illustrated by Broeck Steadman]
First Councilor Lesser
[1200 words]
[An "Urban Nucleus of Atlanta" story]
  1. Interlude in Catacomb Years (MB), Jan 1979; pp. 208 - 212














  2. [as Die Erste Ratsvorsitzende Lesser]
    [German translation by Walter Brumm]
    Die Jahre in den Katakomben (MB), 1982; pp. 190 - 194
For Thus Do I Remember Carthage
[7500 words]
  1. The Universe (Byron Preiss) [illustrated by John Collier]
    • New York: Bantam Spectra [ISBN 0-553-05227-6] [hc], Nov 1987 ($27.95); pp. 209 - 224
    • Camp Hill PA: Quality Paperback Book Club [trade pb], Nov 1987 ($13.50); pp. 209 - 224
    • New York: Bantam Spectra 34782 [0-553-34782-9] [trade pb], Dec 1989 ($16.95); pp. 209 - 224








  2. The Year's Best Science Fiction: Fifth Annual (Gardner Dozois)
    • New York: St. Martin's Press, May 1988; pp. 605 - 621
      1. [ISBN 0-312-01853-3] [hardcover] ($19.95)
      2. [ISBN 0-312-01854-1] [trade paperback] ($12.95)
    • [as Best New SF 2]
      London: Robinson, Sep 1988
      1. [ISBN 0-948164-78-6] [hardcover] (£11.95)
      2. [ISBN 0-948164-77-8] [trade paperback] (£5.95)






















  3. [as Je me souviens de Carthage]
    [French translation by Pierre K. Rey]
    Univers 1989 (Pierre K. Rey)
    • Paris: J'ai Lu #2572 [ISBN 2-277-22572-X] [pb], Mar 1989; pp. 177 - 202











  4. [as Así recuerdo yo Cartago]
    [Spanish translation by Damián Alou]
    El Universo (Byron Preiss) [illustrated by John Collier]
    • Barcelona: Círculo de Lectores [hc], Oct 1989











  5. At the City Limits of Fate (MB), Aug 1996; pp. 127 - 149
 

Compiled by Michael H. Hutchins

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