Books
The Autopsy: Best Weird Stories of Michael Shea
Year: 2022
Publisher: Hippocampus Press
A new 2022 Collection of Michael Shea Stories by Hippocampus Press and a great way to read his classic story “The Autopsy” which has been adapted for TV for Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities. “The Autopsy” is one of several tales that mingles gruesomeness and science fiction. Others include “Polyphemus,” where the members of a spaceship encounter the titanic eye of some unthinkably vast and hostile entity. “The Angel of Death” exhibits the battle of two alien entities as they successively inhabit hapless human beings in their quest for supremacy.
Shea’s sensitivity to the downtrodden is exhibited in such tales as “The Horror on the #33,” “Water of Life,” and “Tollbooth,” populated by homeless people, prostitutes, drug dealers, and other disdained members of society. Shea’s affinity for California is shown in “Fill it with Regular,” “Upscale,” and other tales that bring his native state to life. As a bonus, two unpublished stories are included: “Feeding Spiders,” evoking the work of a writer who adopted California as his home-Ray Bradbury; and “Ghost,” where a vengeful ghost stalks the tough streets of South Boston.
MR. CANNYHARME
Shea wrote the novel Mr. Cannyharme in 1981, and it constitutes a remarkable adaptation of Lovecraft’s early story “The Hound” (1922), about the depredations of an ancient Dutch vampire. In Shea’s novel, Mr. Cannyharme stalks the seedy Mission District of San Francisco in the aftermath of the hippie movement of the 1960s. Holed up in a rundown hotel, the seemingly harmless Cannyharme—aged, feeble, bent almost double with a crippling disease—is the focus of the supernatural terror in the novel.
Demiurge: The Complete Cthulhu Mythos Tales
Order Here
The title story, “Demiurge,” is a previously unpublished novella that draws upon Lovecraft’s tales of psychic possession in its chilling portrayal of a nameless monster who may be the harbinger of the overthrow of the entire human race.
THE A’Rak
Order Here
Nifft the Lean Trilogy
THE FINAL CHAPTER! Shea swears,
“It is my best Nifft yet!”
“Afire with lilting verse,
acrawl with grotesqueries!”
The A’Rak is also available in Russian!
The Incompleat Nifft
A DOUBLE WHAMMY
on Baen Books! Nifft the Lean &
The Mines of Behemoth
Nifft Trilogy
Books I and II together!
Discuss it here!
Fantasy & Science Fiction review
Translation:
Nifft is available in Russian
The Incompleat Nifft
Order Here
The Incompleat Nifft, Baen, May 2000 A Collection of Part I & II of Nifft the Lean Trilogy:
- Nifft The Lean
- The Mines of Behemoth
The Mines of Behemoth
Order Here
(Part II of Nifft the Lean Trilogy)
First published in three installments in Tomorrow magazine,
July, August, September issues, 1996
The Mines of Behemoth, New York, Baen Books, 1997
Year: 2023
Publisher: Centipede Press
Order Here
Nifft the Lean, our spirited and wily thief extraordinaire, has proclaimed his second coming in the novel-length adventure, The Mines of Behemoth.
This Centipede Press special edition book is printed in four colors and two colors throughout, bound in black cloth, with printed endpapers, a stunning dustjacket, top-edge stain, and ribbon marker.
Polyphemus
Polyphemus UK
Polyphemus
A collection comprising: “The Autopsy”, “The Angel of Death”, “Polyphemus”, “Uncle Tuggs”, “The Pearls of the Vampire Queen”, “The Horror on the #33”, and “The Extra”
Sauk City, Arkham House Publishers Inc., 1988
World Fantasy Best Collection Finalist (1988): Polyphemus
Foreign Edition:
Polyphemus, London, Grafton Books, 1991
Order Here
Polyphemus, a landmark collection of the best modern speculative fiction is now available again at long last!
Michael Shea deftly blends the genres of horror, fantasy, and science fiction.
In the title story, an exploration team on a desert planet encounters a terrifying alien monstrosity. In “The Angel of Death,” a serial killer hunting innocent women turns out to be a visitor from another world. In “Uncle Tuggs,” a more traditional horror story infused with a dose of black humor, a series of grisly and bizarre deaths ensues that may be connected to the mysterious disappearance of old Uncle Tuggs, and in “The Horror on the #33” a wino witnesses a horrific murder committed by a strange wasp-headed monster on a city bus.
I, Said the Fly
I, Said the Fly
The Sixth Omni Book of Science Fiction, Ellen Datlow, ed., New York, Zebra Books, 1989
I, Said the Fly (limited edition hardbound) Seattle, Silver Salamander Press, 1993 (Note: published in an edition of 850 copies for sale as follows: 50 copies bound in leather numbered 1-50; 300 copies bound in cloth, numbered 1-300; and 500 copies perfectbound, unnumbered. All copies signed by Shea and introducer Larry Tritten.)
Fat Face
Fat Face
Fat Face
Axolotl Press, Seattle, Limited Edition, 1988
Collected in:
The Year’s Best Fantasy, Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling, eds., New York, St. Martin’s Press, 1988
The Year’s Best Horror Stories, Series XVI, Karl Wagner, ed., New York, DAW Books, 1988
Cthulhu 2000
Musta Kivi, Helsinki Werner Soderstrom Osakeyhtio, 1995
“Fat Face (Revised)”
Collected in Cthulhu 2000, Arkham House hardcover, Winter 1995
In Yana, the Touch of Undying
In Yana, the Touch of Undying (UK)
In Yana, the Touch of Undying
In Yana, the Touch of Undying, New York, DAW Books, Dec. 1985
Foreign Editions and Translations:
In Yana, the Touch of Undying, London, Grafton Books, 1987
An Italian Edition and a Japanese Edition, 1993; for details contact DAW
The Color out of Time
The Colour Out of Time (British)
The Colour Out of Time
New York, DAW Books, 1984
Foreign Editions:
The Colour Out of Time, London, Grafton Books, 1986
German edition, Frank Festa Verlag 2003.
Nifft the Lean
Nifft the Lean
1983 Best Novel
Winner Best Novel, 1983 World Fantasy Award
Foreign Editions and Translations:
Nifft the Lean (Japan)
Nifft the Lean (French)
La Quete de Nifft-le-Mince, Paris, Nouvelles Editions Opta, 1984
Japanese Edition
(title untranscribable) Tokyo, Hayakawa Publishing Inc., 1985
German Edition in two volumes:
Fischzug im Daemonenmeer
Die Reise Durch Die Unterwelt
German Edition in two volumes: Die Reise durch die Unterwelt, 1984
Fischzug im Dämonenmeer, 1985, Frankfurt/M-Berlin-Wein, Verlag Ullstein GmbHNifft the Lean, London, Grafton Books, 1990
Nifft the Lean, London, Grafton Books, 1990
Nifft the Lean (Italy)
Nifft the Lean (UK)
La Leggenda di Nifft, Milano, Arnoldo Mondadore Editore, 1990
Pimeyden linnake (anthology featuring “Come Then, Mortal”, one of the four “segments” of Nifft the Lean) Markku Sadelehto, ed., Helsinki, Kustannus Oy Jalava, 1991
Nifft the Lean Limited edition, John Pelan ed., Eugene, Darkside Press, 1994
In The Incompleat Nifft, Baen Books May 2000
Order Here
Russian Edition of Nifft the Lean, 2004
ISBN 5-352-00746-4
A Quest for Simbilis
A Quest for Simbilis
A Quest for Simbilis
New York, DAW Books, January 1974
Foreign Editions and Translations:
Simbilis Rome Cover
Simbilis, Rome, Fanucci Editore, 1980
Ravasz Cugel
La Revanche de Cugel l’Astucieux, Editions
Reise in die Unterwelt
La Revanche
Payot et Rivages, Fantasy, Paris, 1997 (New French Translation)
Reise in die Unterwelt, Rastatt/Baden, Erich Pabel Verlag KG, 1977
A Quest for Simbilis, London, Grafton Books, 1985
Related posts
-
Welcome to Michael Shea!
This is the official website of Michael Shea, Author and World Fantasy Award Winner. Stay updated by subscribing to the RSS feed.
Polyphemus (1987)
Free Stuff from Author Michael Shea
In Memory Drive Slow
“In Memory Drive Slow” is a weird tale inspired by a handwritten sign the author once saw on a Sonoma Country back road.
And Death Shall Have No Dominion
Year: 2017
Publisher: Hippocampus PressMichael Shea (1946–2014) was one of the most distinguished, respected, and beloved figures in the fields of fantasy, horror, and science fiction. He won two World Fantasy Awards, and his <i>Nifft the Lean</i> series of fantasy adventure novels attracted a wide audience. He also wrote powerful tales of supernatural horror, including several tales elaborating upon H. P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos.
This first major volume of writings and tributes to appear after his untimely death contains an array of fiction, poetry, and other writings that demonstrate Shea’s effortless skill in different genres and styles. Four substantial tales–including the unpublished novella “Credit Card” and the award-winning “The Growlimb”–are included, together with an intriguing assortment of weird and fantastic poetry, published and unpublished, including verses that appeared at key moments in his novels and stories.
The volume features tributes to Shea’s unique personal and literary gifts by such figures as Laird Barron, Cody Goodfellow, Marc Laidlaw, Jessica Amanda Salmonson, and Jason V Brock, as well as a portfolio of artwork illustrating Shea’s writings by such artists as Michael Whelan, Alan Clark, John Stewart, Allen Koszowski, and Steve Gilbert. The book concludes with a comprehensive bibliography of Shea’s writings.
This book is a poignant testimonial to the imperishable imprint that Michael Shea left upon the domain of imaginative fiction, and upon the individuals whose lives he touched.
Linda Shea, writer and artist, was married to Michael Shea for more than thirty years. S. T. Joshi is a leading author, critic, and editor in the realm of weird fiction and included Shea’s writings in several of
his anthologies, including the acclaimed <i>Black Wings</i> series.Price: $20.00
Purchase NowDemiurge – The Complete Cthulhu Mythos Tales of Michael Shea
Year: 2018
Publisher: Dark RenaissanceFor more than thirty years, Michael Shea has been making his own distinctive contributions to the Cthulhu Mythos devised by H. P. Lovecraft—an entire universe of gods and monsters that hundreds of writers have imitated. But Shea has done a lot more than merely mimic Lovecraft’s prose or add a new god or “forbidden book” to the Mythos. In his Mythos tales, Shea has infused his own unique vision and perspective.The much-reprinted “Fat Face” takes us into the seedy underworld of prostitutes and drug dealers in San Francisco, while other tales such as “Dagoniad,” “Copping Squid,” and “Tsathoggua” vividly meld Lovecraftian cosmic horror with the contemporary world of California, with its swimming pools and beachcombers. Shea was also fascinated with Lovecraft’s novel of Antarctic horror, At the Mountains of Madness, and his stories “Under the Shelf” and “Beneath the Beardmore” take us to that frozen land of death and terror.
The title story, “Demiurge,” is a previously unpublished novella that draws upon Lovecraft’s tales of psychic possession in its chilling portrayal of a nameless monster who may be the harbinger of the overthrow of the entire human race. Michael Shea (1946–2014) was the award-winning author of The Color out of Time, the Nifft the Lean series of fantasy novels, and the classic tales “Polyphemus” and “The Autopsy.” This volume of his complete Cthulhu Mythos tales has been assembled by S. T. Joshi, a leading authority on Lovecraft and the Mythos.This volume features wraparound cover artwork and five interior illustrations by renowned artist Aeron Alfrey (MADHOUSE)
Price: $23.94
A Quest For Simbilis
Year: 2020
Publisher: SpatterlightBy dint of a mispronounced spell, Cugel the Clever finds himself once again unceremoniously dumped by a winged demon onto the bleak far northern shores of the Sea of Cutz — the location of a fierce battle aeons past between the archmagician Simbilis and the hordes of the subworlds league. Vowing to exact comprehensive revenge from Iucounu, the Laughing Magician, Cugel sets forth on the long journey back to Almery.
Expecting potent magical gifts in recompense, Cugel swears fealty to Mumber Sull, the exiled Thane of Icthyll. Under the guttering blood-red sun, the two set off across the lands of the Dying Earth to obtain the aid of the legendary Simbilis. They must face cannibals, sorcery, demons, and all the other deadly and sinister creatures that populate the Earth in its final days…
In this — his first published novel — World Fantasy Award winner Michael Shea recounts the further adventures of Cugel the Clever with the permission of Jack Vance, author of The Eyes of the Overworld. Shea subsequently wrote his seminal Nifft the Lean stories, which are foreshadowed, in many ways, in the present work. Dan Temianka, author of The Jack Vance Lexicon, provides an introduction for this new edition, which sheds light upon Shea, Vance, and Temianka’s lifelong friendship with Michael Shea.
On the Paladins of Vance label, Spatterlight publishes original works by authors who have given their own imagination free rein in the many wonderful worlds of the Grandmaster of fantasy & sci-fi.
Price: $13.95
Mr Cannyharme, A Novel of Lovecraftian Terror
Year: 2021
Publisher: Hippocampus PressMichael Shea wrote the previously unpublished novel Mr. Cannyharme in 1981, and it constitutes a remarkable adaptation of H. P. Lovecraft’s early story “The Hound” (1922), about the depredations of an ancient Dutch vampire. In Shea’s novel, Mr. Cannyharme stalks the seedy Mission District of San Francisco in the aftermath of the hippie movement of the 1960s. Holed up in a rundown hotel, the seemingly harmless Cannyharme—aged, feeble, bent almost double with a crippling disease—is the focus of the supernatural terror in the novel.
Mr. Cannyharme, written in a vibrant prose that brings to life the multitude of characters that populate the book, is a triumph of Lovecraftian terror, but also speaks of the way in which those who are regarded as the refuse of society can assert their dignity and self-worth in a grim environment. In this sense, it proves to be a novel affirming the triumph of the human spirit over the horrors facing it.
Price: $20.00
Purchase now
Note: PREVIOUSLY UNPUBLISHED
The Autopsy / Best Weird Stories of Michael Shea
Year: 2022
Publisher: Hippocampus PressA new 2022 Collection of Michael Shea Stories by Hippocampus Press and a great way to read his classic story “The Autopsy” which has been adapted for TV for Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities. “The Autopsy” is one of several tales that mingles gruesomeness and science fiction. Others include “Polyphemus,” where the members of a spaceship encounter the titanic eye of some unthinkably vast and hostile entity. “The Angel of Death” exhibits the battle of two alien entities as they successively inhabit hapless human beings in their quest for supremacy.
Shea’s sensitivity to the downtrodden is exhibited in such tales as “The Horror on the #33,” “Water of Life,” and “Tollbooth,” populated by homeless people, prostitutes, drug dealers, and other disdained members of society. Shea’s affinity for California is shown in “Fill it with Regular,” “Upscale,” and other tales that bring his native state to life. As a bonus, two unpublished stories are included: “Feeding Spiders,” evoking the work of a writer who adopted California as his home-Ray Bradbury; and “Ghost,” where a vengeful ghost stalks the tough streets of South Boston.
Price: $20.00
Purchase now