The Unreal and the Real: Selected Stories, Volume One: Where on Earth (The Unreal and the Real, #1)

Publishers Weekly Top 10 Best of the Year In her new collection, Story Prize finalist Maureen F. McHugh delves into the dark heart of contemporary life and life five minutes from now and how easy it is to mix up one with the other. Her stories are post-bird flu, in the middle of medical trials, wondering if our computers are smarter than us, wondering when our jobs are going to be outsourced overseas, wondering if we are who we say we are, and not sure what we'd do to survive the coming zombie plague. Praise for Maureen F. McHugh: "Gorgeously crafted stories."—Nancy Pearl, NPR "Hauntingly beautiful."— Booklist "Unpredictable and poetic work."— The Plain Dealer Maureen F. McHugh has lived in New York; Shijiazhuang, China; Ohio; Austin, Texas; and now lives in Los Angeles, California. She is the author of a Story Prize finalist collection, Mothers & Other Monsters , and four novels, including Tiptree Award-winner China Mountain Zhang and New York Times editor's choice Nekropolis . McHugh has also worked on alternate reality games for Halo 2 , The Watchmen, and Nine Inch Nails, among others. io9 Best SF&F Books of 2011 Tiptree Award Honor List Philip K. Dick Award finalist Story Prize Notable Book

Outer Space, Inner Lands includes many of the best known Ursula K. Le Guin nonrealistic stories (such as "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas," "Semley’s Necklace," and "She Unnames Them") which have shaped the way many readers see the world. She gives voice to the voiceless, hope to the outsider, and speaks truth to power—all the time maintaining her independence and sense of humor.

Companion volume Where on Earth explores Le Guin's satirical, risky, political and experimental earthbound stories. Both volumes include new introductions by the author.

Praise for Ursula K. Le Guin's short stories:

“She is the reigning queen of but immediately we come to a difficulty, for what is the fitting name of her kingdom? Or, in view of her abiding concern with the ambiguities of gender, her queendom, or perhaps—considering how she likes to mix and match—her quinkdom? Or may she more properly be said to have not one such realm, but two?”
—Margaret Atwood, New York Review of Books

"She is a splendid short-story writer.... Fiction, like Borges's, that finds its life in the interstices between the borders of speculative fiction and realism."—San Francisco Chronicle

"Ursula Le Guin's prose breathes light and intelligence. She can lift fiction to the level of poetry and compress it to the density of allegory."—Jonathan Lethem

"Like all great writers of fiction, Ursula K. Le Guin creates imaginary worlds that restore us, hearts eased, to our own."—The Boston Globe

"Admirers of fine literature, fantastic or not, will cherish this rich offering."—Publishers Weekly

"She wields her pen with a moral and psychological sophistication rarely seen and while science fiction techniques often buttress her stories they rarely take them over. What she really does is write fables: splendidly intricate and hugely imaginative tales about such mundane concerns as life, death, love, and sex.”—Newsweek

"Le Guin's powerful work illustrates that fantasy need not be escapist, that gender studies need not be dry or strident, and that entertainment need not be mindless."—The Onion

Ursula K. Le Guin has published twenty-one novels, eleven collections, essays, poetry, translations, and books for children. She lives in Portland, Oregon.

Outer Space, Inner Lands includes many of the best known Ursula K. Le Guin nonrealistic stories (such as "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas," "Semleys Necklace," and "She Unnames Them") which have shaped the way many readers see the world. She gives voice to the voiceless, hope to the outsider, and speaks truth to powerall the time maintaining her independence and sense of humor. Companion volume Where on Earth explores Le Guin's satirical, risky, political and experimental earthbound stories. Both volumes include new introductions by the author. This volume includes the following stories: The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas (1973) Semleys Necklace (1964, 1975, Hainish Cycle) Nine Lives (1969, 1997) Mazes (1975, 2003) The First Contact with the Gorgonids (1991) The Shobies Story (1990, Hainish Cycle) Betrayals (1994, Hainish Cycle) The Matter of Seggri (1994, Hainish Cycle) Solitude (1994, Hainish Cycle) The Wild Girls (1994) The Fliers of Gy (2000) The Silence of the Asonu (2000) The Ascent of the North Face (1983) The Author of the Acacia Seeds (1974) The Wifes Story (1982) The Rule of Names (1964, Earthsea) Small Change (1981) The Poacher (1992) Sur (1982) She Unnames Them (1985) *Jar of Water (2014) [ * "Jar of Water" does not appear in the 2012 Small Beer Press edition(s) of this work, but was added to the combined volume later released by Saga Press / Simon and Schuster.] The Unreal and the Real is a major event not to be missed. In this two-volume selection of Ursula K. Le Guin's best short storiesas selected by the National Book Award winning author herselfthe reader will be delighted, provoked, amused, and faced with the sharp, satirical voice of one of the best short story writers of the present day. Where on Earth explores Le Guin's earthbound stories which range around the world from small town Oregon to middle Europe in the middle of revolution to summer camp. Companion volume Outer Space, Inner Lands includes Le Guin's best known nonrealistic stories. Both volumes include new introductions by the author. This volume includes the stories: Brothers and Sisters (1976, Orsinia) A Week in the Country (1976, 2004, Orsinia) Unlocking the Air (1990, Orsinia) Imaginary Countries (1973, Orsinia) The Diary of the Rose (1976) The Direction of the Road (1974, 2002) The White Donkey (1980) Gwilans Harp (1977, 2005) Mays Lion (1983) Buffalo Gals, Wont You Come Out Tonight (1987) Horse Camp (1986) The Water is Wide (1976, 2004) The Lost Children (1996) Texts (1990, Klatsand) Sleepwalkers (1991, Klatsand) Hand, Cup, Shell (1989, Klatsand) Ether, Or (1995) Half Past Four (1987) "Creates imaginary worlds that restore us, hearts eased, to our own."? The Boston Globe "Admirers of fine literature, fantastic or not, will cherish this rich offer-ing."? Publishers Weekly Outer Space, Inner Lands includes many of the best known Ursula K. Le Guin nonrealistic stories which have shaped the way many readers see the world. She gives voice to the voiceless, hope to the outsider, and speaks truth to power?all the time maintaining her independence and sense of humor. Ursula K. Le Guin has published twenty-one novels, eleven collections, essays, poetry, trans-lations, and books for children. She lives in Portland, Oregon 'Creates imaginary worlds that restore us, hearts eased, to our own.'The Boston Globe'Admirers of fine literature, fantastic or not, will cherish this rich offer-ing.'Publishers WeeklyOuter Space, Inner Lands includes many of the best known Ursula K. Le Guin nonrealistic stories which have shaped the way many readers see the world. She gives voice to the voiceless, hope to the outsider, and speaks truth to power all the time maintaining her independence and sense of humor.Ursula K. Le Guin has published twenty-one novels, eleven collections, essays, poetry, trans-lations, and books for children. She lives in Portland, Oregon. Praise for Ursula K. Le Guin's short story collections: "It is the author's more serious work that displays her talents best. . . . [A] classy and valuable collection."--Publishers Weekly "A master of the craft."--Neil Gaiman The Unreal and the Real is a two-volume selection of Ursula K. Le Guin's best stories. It is a much-anticipated event and there is no doubt it will delight, amuse, and provoke. Where on Earth explores Le Guin's satirical, risky, political, and experimental earthbound stories. Ursula K. Le Guin has received the PEN-Malamud and National Book Awards, among others. She lives in Portland, Oregon "A collection of short stories by the legendary and iconic Ursula K. Le Guin --- selected by the author, and combined in one volume for the first time. The Unreal and the Real is a collection of some of Ursula K. Le Guin’s best short stories. She has won multiple prizes and accolades from the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters to the Newbery Honor, the Nebula, Hugo, World Fantasy, and PEN/Malamud Awards. She has had her work collected over the years, but this is the first short story volume combining a full range of her work."--Provided by publisher. The apocalypse was yesterday. These stories are today. Following up on her first collection, Story Prize finalist Maureen F. McHugh explores the catastrophes, small and large, of twenty-first century lifeand what follows after. What happens after the bird flu pandemic? Are our computers smarter than we are? What does the global economy mean for two young girls in China? Are we really who we say we are? And how will we survive the coming zombie apocalypse? Presents a selection of many of the author's best known non realistic stories, including "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas," "Semley's Necklace," and "She Unnames Them." Self aware computers. Zombies. Clinical trial volunteers. Chinese factory workers. Dolls that look like newborn infants. After the apocalypse.