Marid Audran has risen from hustling on the streets of the decadent Budayeen ghetto to being the right-hand man of one of the Maghreb's most feared men. As an enforcer for the powerful Friedlander Bey, Marid is just beginning to enjoy his newfound wealth and privilege, when he and Bey are betrayed by a rival and accused of murder.
Sentenced to exile and abandoned to die in the vast Arabian desert, Marid and Bey must somehow survive the searing sands and make their way back to the now-hostile Budayeen--and, then, take their vengeance.
By turns thrilling and philosophical, "The Exile Kiss "is the culmination of one of the great works of modern SF.

Marid Audran has become everything he once despised. Not so long ago, he was a hustler in the Budayeen, an Arabian ghetto in a Balkanized future Earth. Back then, as often as not, he didn' t have the money to buy himself a drink. But he had his independence.
Now Marid works for Friedlander Bey, " godfather" of the Budayeen, a man whose power stretches across a shattered, crumbling world. During the day, Marid is a policeman... and Bey' s personal envoy to the police. His new position has brought him money and power which he would abandon in a moment if he could return to a life of neither owning nor being owned. Which, unfortunately, isn' t one of his options.
It' s also not an issue. For something dark is afoot. Something that is sending the city into chaos. Helping a child-mutilator to avoid arrest. Sending a killer to murder Marid' s partner. Murdering prostitutes and savaging their remains. Signs point to the hand of Abu Adil-- the one man in the city whose power rivals Friedlander Bey' s. Whatever happens next, it' s not going to be good news for Marid Audran...

Stories that “belong to a world that has been shaped not only by Asimov and Heinlein but also by Borges, Pynchon and Barthelme� (The New York Times). In IRRATIONAL NUMBERS, as with much of his work, author George Alec Effinger straddles the line between allegorical fantasy and science fiction. It’s a vein Effinger mines for a deep, meaningful understanding of human nature. Challenging and disquieting in the way only the best fiction can be, this collection of eight magnificent pieces of fiction will have readers clamoring for more. George Alec Effinger was a true master of satirical Science Fiction. Before his death in 2002, he gained the highest esteem amongst his peers for his pitch-perfect stylistic mimicry and his great insight into the human condition. Despite a life filled with chronic illness, Effinger was a prolific novelist and short story writer, earning multiple Nebula and Hugo Award nominations. 

Someone’s about to rip off a sleepy little Louisiana town! Chuck’s gang of truckers are geared for looting. When Tom masterminds a false hurricane alert…When sheriff Boshardt orders an evacuation of the town…When Chuck moves in to strip the town clean…Their cool caper escalates into a devastating triple-cross that rips the rooftops off everything from Miami to New Orleans—and nothing—no one will ever be the same! 

A coming-of-old-age novel from the Hugo Award–winning author of When Gravity Falls. “Engaging . . . spry, inventive, and often quite funny� (Kirkus Reviews). In HEROICS, Irene--like everyone in the future--struggles with boredom. Food, clothing, and all the necessities of human life have been taken care of. But, what does that leave of life itself? At eighty-two, Irene sets out on a pilgrimage across America hoping to find the answer. Along the way, she becomes transformed, both physically and by her interactions with other civilians all trying to cope with this new world. Filled with wry humor and fantastic symbolism, HEROICS mixes adventure and philosophy in a way both engrossing and entertaining. Of this book, friend and fellow writer Harlan Ellsion said, “It is the best Effinger yet…and for those of us who have been watching with amazement that is about as rich a compliment as you can expect from other envious authors. Damn him, he’s good!� George Alec Effinger was a true master of satirical Science Fiction. Before his death in 2002, Effinger was a prolific novelist and short story writer, earning acclaim from his fans and peers, including a Nebula Award nomination for his first book WHAT ENTROPHY MEANS TO ME. In HEROICS, he revisits some of the themes and characters of that first book for startling, funny and poignant results. 

Nebula Award Finalist Doctor, watch out! As Dore stood by, he saw the Doctor backing slowly into the corner where he would meet his fate. Initially defending himself with a torch, the Doctor searched frantically for a new method of defense. The crimson mass is lunging forward using long, tentacle-like attachments: what is that thing? Slowly the subhuman blob comes in to focus, and Dore realizes...it's a colossal radish! This is a monster never before wrestled with; what are they going to do? After reading this vegetative tale, you won't look at your garden the same way again.