"Timothy Zahn - Star Song and Other Stories" - читать интересную книгу автора (Zahn Timothy)

would
again give the kind of balance to let me know if this was someone I wanted as
my
guide into worlds of wonder over the next few weeks or months.
Which brings us back to this particular collection. In putting it together,
I've
tried to give a fair sampling of the sort of stories I've been writing over
the
years. There's everything from serious to humorous; from very short vignette
to
novella length; from my somewhat older efforts ("Point Man," 1987) to more
modern ones ("Star Song," 1997).
A quick rundown of the particular stories, in case you're interested:
"Point Man" was the third of a series of interconnected stories (modeled
after
Larry Niven's Known Universe series) that somehow never got any farther than
these three. I have that problem sometimes with series: I get distracted by
something else, and never quite get back. Maybe someday...
"Hitmen—See Murderers" was one of those ideas that let me edge a little ways
into philosophy, as well as getting to figure out ways that something that
looked so useful and good could generate such bad results. I was probably at
least partially influenced by Arabian Nights-type stories, and seeing how a
malevolent genie could mess up a perfectly good set of wishes. (Tip for
beginning writers: read everything. It all gets used eventually.)
"The Broccoli Factor." Don't even ask. Too much time spent around small
children, I guess.
"The Art of War" was commissioned (sort of) by Kris Rusch, who was editing
Fantasy & Science Fiction at the time. She had been intrigued by my Star Wars
character Grand Admiral Thrawn and his way of connecting art and war, and
thought there was something else I could do with that pairing. This may not
have
been exactly what she had in mind, but it's what came out.
"The Play's the Thing" was inspired by my first trip to New York City since
childhood, and my first-ever Broadway play. Until I can write, produce, or
star
in one myself, I guess this story will have to suffice.
And finally, "Star Song" was one of the handful of stories I've written where
I
was able to draw on my love of music. It was also one of those maddening
times
where I quickly had all of the story except for one crucial piece. In this
case,
a comment from my son was the key to that piece, after which everything fell
into place. I made the mistake of giving him 5% of the payment in thanks.
Never
do that with a teenager. He now figures any residual money that comes in from
the story is partially his, and as a paralegal student he knows how to argue
from precedent. I'm just glad I didn't offer him 10%.
So there you have it: background, history, and, hopefully, a little appetite
whetting. All that's left now is the stories themselves.