Multiverse: Exploring Poul Anderson’s Worlds
About this audiobook
Poul Anderson was one of the seminal figures of twentieth-century science fiction. Named a Grand Master by the Science Fiction Writers of America in 1997, he produced an enormous body of standalone novels and series fiction and was equally at home in the fields of heroic fantasy and hard SF. He was a meticulous craftsman and a gifted storyteller, and the impact of his finest work continues, undiminished, to this day.
Multiverse: Exploring Poul Anderson's Worlds is a rousing, all-original anthology that stands both as a significant achievement in its own right and as a heartfelt tribute to a remarkable writer—and equally remarkable man. A nicely balanced mixture of fiction and reminiscence, Multiverse contains more than a dozen stories and novellas by some of today's finest writers, along with moving reflections by, among others, Anderson's wife, Karen; his daughter, Astrid Anderson Bear; and his son-in-law, novelist and coeditor Greg Bear. Bear's introduction, "My Friend Poul," is particularly illuminating and insightful.
The fictional contributions comprise a kaleidoscopic array of imaginative responses to Anderson's many and varied fictional worlds. A few of the highlights include Nancy Kress' "Outmoded Things" and Terry Brooks' "The Fey of Cloudmoor," stories inspired by the Hugo Award–winning "The Queen of Air and Darkness"; a pair of truly wonderful Time Patrol stories, "A Slip in Time" by S. M. Stirling and "Christmas in Gondwanaland" by Robert Silverberg; Raymond E. Feist's Dominic Flandry adventure, "A Candle"; and a pair of very different homages to the classic fantasy novel, Three Hearts and Three Lions: "The Man Who Came Late" by Harry Turtledove and "Three Lilies and Three Leopards (And a Participation Ribbon in Science)" by Tad Williams. These stories, together with singular contributions by such significant figures as Larry Niven, Gregory Benford, and Eric Flint, add up to a memorable, highly personal anthology that lives up to the standards set by the late—and indisputably great—Poul Anderson.
About the author
Greg Bear has won two Hugo Awards and three Nebula Awards and is a past president to the Science Fiction Writers of America. He lives in Seattle, Washington.
Gardner Dozois, one of the most acclaimed editors in science fiction, has won the Hugo Award for Best Professional Editor fifteen times, as well as the Kate Wilhelm Solstice Award. He was the editor of Asimov’s Science Fiction magazine for twenty years, is the editor of the Year’s Best Science Fiction anthologies, and is coeditor of the Warriors anthologies, Songs of the Dying Earth, and many others. As a writer, Dozois twice won the Nebula Award for Best Short Story. He lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Nancy Kress is the author of more than thirty books, including more than a dozen novels of science fiction and fantasy. Her novels have won two Hugo and six Nebula awards as well as the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for best science fiction novel. She lives in Seattle.
Harry Turtledove, known as the “Master of Alternative History,” is the Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author of a number of bestselling series and standalone novels. He received his PhD from UCLA in Byzantine history and worked as a technical writer for the Los Angeles County Office of Education before becoming a full-time fiction writer. He also served as the treasurer of the Science Fiction Writers of America. He has written a number of successful series, including the Crosstime Traffic series, the Darkness series, and the Worldwar I Colonization series, among others. His standalone works include Ruled Brittania, Every Inch a King, Conan of Venarium, Household Gods, and Justinian.
S. M. Stirling is the author of science fiction and fantasy fiction, including three stand-alone novels and many novels in eight series, as well as novels in five more series in which he collaborated with Anne McCaffrey, Jerry Pournell, and David Drake, among others.
C. J. Cherryh planned to write since the age of ten. When she was older, she learned to use a typewriter while triple-majoring in Classics, Latin, and Greek. With more than seventy books to her credit, and the winner of three Hugo Awards, she is one of the most prolific and highly respected authors in the science fiction field. Cherryh has been named a Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master by the Science Fiction Writers of America.
Stephen Baxter is an acclaimed, multiple-award-winning author whose many books include the Xeelee Sequence series, the Time Odyssey trilogy (written with Arthur C. Clarke), and The Time Ships, a sequel to H. G. Wells's classic The Time Machine. He lives in England.
Eric Flint is a modern master of alternate history fiction, with three million books in print. He is the author and creator of the bestselling Ring of Fire series, starting with the novel 1632. He was for many years a labor union activist. He lives near Chicago, Illinois.
Terry Brooks has thrilled readers for decades with his powers of imagination and storytelling. He is the author of more than thirty books, most of which have been New York Times bestsellers. He is a recipient of the 2017 World Fantasy Association’s Life Achievement Award. His novels Running with the Demon and A Knight of the Word were chosen by the Rocky Mountain News as two of the best fantasy novels of the twentieth century.
Robert Silverberg has won five Nebula Awards, four Hugo Awards, and the prestigious Prix Apollo. He is the author of more than one hundred science fiction and fantasy novels -- including the best-selling Lord Valentine trilogy and the classics Dying Inside and A Time of Changes -- and more than sixty nonfiction works. Among the sixty-plus anthologies he has edited are Legends and Far Horizons, which contain original short stories set in the most popular universe of Robert Jordan, Stephen King, Ursula K. Le Guin, Gregory Benford, Greg Bear, Orson Scott Card, and virtually every other bestselling fantasy and SF writer today. Mr. Silverberg's Majipoor Cycle, set on perhaps the grandest and greatest world ever imagined, is considered one of the jewels in the crown of speculative fiction.
David Brin is a scientist, speaker, technical consultant, and winner of the Freedom of Speech Award. His novels—including Earth, The Postman, Startide Rising, and Kiln People—have been New York Times bestsellers, winning multiple Hugo, Nebula, and other awards. He lives near San Diego, California.
Jerry Pournelle (1933–2017) was an American science fiction writer, essayist, and journalist who contributed for many years to the computer magazine Byte. He wrote the popular Janissaries and CoDominium series and was the coauthor of several bestselling science fiction novels, including Lucifer’s Hammer, The Mote in God’s Eye, and the New York Times bestseller Footfall. He had advanced degrees in engineering, political science, statistics, and psychology and, in addition to his career as a fiction writer, had for many years written columns on both politics and technology.
Raymond E. Feist is the author of more than thirty previous books, including the internationally bestselling “Riftwar Cycle” of novels set in his signature world of Midkemia, as well as a standalone novel, Faerie Tale. The Firemane Saga is his first all-new epic fantasy series. He lives in San Diego, California.
Larry Niven is the multiple Hugo, Locus, and Nebula Award–winning author of science fiction short stories and novels, including the Ringworld series, as well as many other science fiction masterpieces. His Footfall, coauthored with Jerry Pournelle, was a New York Times bestseller.
Gregory Benford is a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of California, Irvine. A Woodrow Wilson Fellow and a member of Phi Beta Kappa, he received the Lord Prize for contributions to science in 1995 and the Asimov Memorial Award for popularizing science in 2007. He has written numerous works of science fiction, receiving a Nebula Award and a John W. Campbell Memorial Award for his novel Timescape.
Tad Williams is a former singer, shoe-seller, radio show host, and taught both grade school and college classes. He is cofounder of an interactive television company, and is currently writing comic books as well as film and television scripts. He lives with his family in London and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Jim Manchester is a retired English and theater teacher in Rhode Island. He has directed and acted in many theatrical productions over the years and has done voice-over work in the Providence area. Jim resides in the lovely seaport town of Bristol, Rhode Island.
Richard Powers has published thirteen novels. He is a MacArthur Fellow and received the National Book Award. His book, The Overstory, won the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction.
Charlotte Anne Dore is a member of SAG/AFTRA and AEA. She works in theater and film around New England. She played Elizabeth Hopkins in The American Experience and was a gorilla puppeteer in Zookeeper. She runs the award-winning Rosalita’s Puppets. As a storyteller, she has worked for Ghost and Gravestones ghost tour and Read Boston, a summer reading program.
Stephen R. Thorne is a professional actor and a member of the Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, Rhode Island. He has played Hamlet, Henry V, and Tom Joad, among many other roles. Stephen has narrated over fifty audiobooks.
Susan Boyce is the award-winning narrator of over 240 audiobooks. She performs in variety theater, is one half of the song-and-dance team of Jones & Boyce, and holds a degree in theater and biology. Susan can be heard in phone trees, in computer games, and as the voice of the pink "Care Bear." She lives in St. Augustine, Florida, and summers in Greenville, Maine.
Shaun Grindell is an award-winning audiobook narrator and accomplished actor who trained at The Calland School of Speech and Drama and The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in London. With over two hundred audiobook titles to his name, he enjoys narrating a multitude of genres.
Narrator Rebecca Mitchell is a performance artist and classically trained vocalist, as well as a professional host, emcee, and personality. Her natural flare for the dramatic, coupled with her love of being in the studio, brought her to the world of narrating in 2013. Her natural, mellifluous style reveals her rich alto training, love of storytelling, and ease in front of a microphone. Though a longtime New Englander, Rebecca Mitchell was born and raised in the Midwest. The myriad accents and dialects from her various homes, as well as those from her extensive travels, find their way into the characters she portrays. A collector of personality traits, idiosyncrasies, vocal styles, and personal histories, Rebecca infuses her narration with such elements, deepening the richness of her work.
Charlie Thurston has appeared on stages across the country, including Trinity Repertory Company, Arden Theatre Company, Baltimore Center Stage, Intiman Theater, Chautauqua Theater Company, and Riverside Theatre. Charlie holds an MFA in acting from Brown University/Trinity Rep.
Angela Brazil is an AudioFile Earphones Award–winning narrator and a professional actor who is proud to be a long-standing member of the Resident Acting Company at Trinity Repertory Company. She also teaches at the Brown/Trinity Conservatory.
Rachel Dulude is an actor and book narrator based in Providence, Rhode Island. She has been recording audiobooks since 2012 in genres ranging from young adult to adult thrillers. As an actor, she has performed with the Wilbury Theatre Group in Providence and the Gamm Theatre in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Rachel has also worked as a costume technician at the Trinity Repertory Company since 2006.
Barry Press has been an active professional actor, director, and teacher for over thirty-five years. He has performed off Broadway and at numerous regional theaters from Alaska to Florida. He is founder and artistic director of Living Literature, a Rhode Island–based literacy program.
Mark Peckham is an actor and director based in Rhode Island. In addition to working with Trinity Rep, Virginia Stage Co., and many Boston-area theaters, he was the voice of Joseph Smith in the award-winning PBS documentary American Prophet with Gregory Peck.
