Fifteen masterpieces of speculative short fiction, including Hugo and Nebula Award–winning stories from the acclaimed author of Shatterday.

"These are not stories that should be forgotten; and some of you are about to read them for the first time . . . I envy you." —Neil Gaiman, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of American Gods, from his Foreword

In a post-apocalyptic future, fifteen-year-old Vic wanders the wasteland with Blood, his genetically-altered telepathic dog, in a struggle for survival against violent marauders, deadly radioactive insects, and an underground community desperate to restore the human race in the Hugo Award–nominated and Nebula Award–winning novella, "A Boy and His Dog,"—the basis of the cult classic film.

An intergalactic conspiracy infects the minds of the most powerful politicians in the Republican Party—and only one jolly old elf can save them in "Santa Claus vs. S.P.I.D.E.R."

And in the Hugo Award–winning title story, disparate threads of violence, conflict, and conversation weave an intricate tapestry across worlds and times in an experimental tour-de-force of the imagination.

This groundbreaking collection brings together some of Harlan Ellison's most innovative and intriguing stories, frightening and funny visions of human nature that can only come from the peerless Grand Master of Science Fiction.

"One of the great living American short story writers." —The Washington Post

Includes: "The Beast That Shouted Love at the Heart of the World," "Along the Scenic Route," "Phoenix," "Asleep: With Still Hands," "Santa Claus vs. S.P.I.D.E.R.," "Try a Dull Knife," "The Pitll Pawob Division," "The Place With No Name," "White on White," "Run For the Stars," "Are You Listening?," "S.R.O.," "Worlds to Kill," "Shattered Like a Glass Goblin," "A Boy and His Dog"