This collection of dark transformations of horror and the supernatural includes both stories and poems, including the classic werewolf tale, "Wer Means Man," and a story of misbegotten creatures in the woods, "A Pound of Chocolates on St. Valentine's Day," plus verses both fantastical and evocative.

A study of various King adaptations from "Carrie" to "Silver Bullet."

A guide to Aldiss's fictional output from the 50's to the 80's.

Michael R. Collings examines the life and work of American science fiction author Piers Anthony. Starmont Reader's Guide 20.

The first volume documenting and collecting Orson Scott Card's work for the last 30 years. Every novel, story, poem, every word that has been published--and then some is in this collection. This is a must for any reader, who wants to learn everything about this author's extensive work and career.

In this revised and expanded edition of "The Stephen King Phenomenon," Dr. Michael R. Collings re-examines the impact of Stephen King on popular culture.

A study of King's fiction, including a chapter on criticism and a chronology of King's works.

Stephen King is Richard Bachman by Michael R. Collings. This is the whole story of how Stephen King s Richard Bachman came to life, and when King finally had to give up the ghost and come forth with the truth that he was writing under the pseudonym of Richard Bachman. This of course came about when the fifth novel, Thinner, was released and a reader discovered King s pseudonym. Now Michael Collings takes us from the beginnings of this unusual fiction side-show of Stephen King s body of work, to what we thought would be the last Bachman release, The Regulators. Updated and completely revised with new information and Richard Bachman releases since it s original publication almost twenty-five years ago. Chapters Featured: A History for Richard Bachman. Genre, Theme, and Image in Richard Bachman. Rage. The Long Walk. Roadwork. The Running Man. Thinner. Regulators... and Desperation. Pipe-Dreams and Possibilities. Original cover art commisioned by Erik Wilson. Profusely illustrated with covers of Bachman books from around the world.

In Reflections on the Fantastic: Selected Essays from the Fourth International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts, editor Michael R. Collings has selected the best of the conference proceedings reflecting the intent of the conference to discover aspects of the fantastic in every branch of the arts. The twelve essays commence with theoretical discussions of the fantastic as it relates to other genres and elements of life. The second section examines individual authors including Peter Beagle, French fantasists Alain Robbe-Grillet and Felix Labisse, and Spanish authors Amado Nervo and Jose Maria Merino. The third section discusses issues in contemporary science fiction, opening with a look at artificial language in the work of Samuel R. Delaney. It continues with examinations of the work of Brian W. Aldiss, and a look at the narrative structure in works by Ursula K. Le Guin and Frederik Pohl. The section concludes with a further discussion of artificial language by Gregory Shreve.

Michael R. Collings examines the life and work of American science fiction author Piers Anthony. Starmont Reader's Guide 20.

No artist creates his works in a vacuum. Beyond the conscious influence of books read, artwork seen, minds probed (through conversation or exchange of letters), writers are in no small part products of everything that surrounds them--people, places, things, events. MILTON'S CENTURY is designed to place one particular genius--John Milton, arguably the finest poet the English nation (perhaps even Western civilization) has produced--in the context of his time. And what a remarkable time it was--a century of revolutions, of discoveries, of literary and artistic efflorescence, of religious turmoil and political turbulence, of plagues and fires and ultimate rebuilding...and of the first adumbrations of the Modern Age. MILTON'S CENTURY becomes vital and alive for twenty-first-century readers through the vast network of connections and interconnections that Professor Collings articulates. Borgo Literary Guides, No. 15.

Professor Collings' absorbing study, IN THE IMAGE OF GOD (1990), the first full-length treatment of Orson Scott Card, did not circulate widely following its initial publication. Now it has been republished-along with several key essays exploring directions in Card's fiction-in trade paperback. Taken as a whole, the augmented study examines Card's unique vision and literary achievements, a consummate storyteller who blends science fiction and fantasy with his deepest religious beliefs and moral convictions. Included in ORSON SCOTT CARD: PENETRATING TO THE GENTLE HEART are not only the earlier book in its entirety but also significant essays on ENDER'S GAME as modern epic; on Card as an established writer of mythopoeic prose; on THE FOLK OF THE FRINGE as defining a mode of community and belief. The expanded volume includes a full index and bibliography. It will be of value to any student of Card's writing, particularly those looking for beginning points in discussing his life and his works.