Songs of Leaving

An undercover patron of literature restores hope in a bookless society; the survivor of a long-ago space mission receives a visit from a hauntingly familiar UFO; a time-traveling assassin wreaks havoc in the execution of his latest contract; a late-night driver undergoes a most unusual police interrogation; a small town meets alien life and encounters a small problem regarding the measurement of time; the clone of Abraham Lincoln strives to find peace in modern-day New York City; a super-villain discovers his true place in the scheme of things; and the imminent impact of a county-sized piece of space debris brings to the remnants of humanity a multitude of old friends to witness the fall of mankind.

Just some of the stories in this new collection from Award-winning author Peter Crowther, who – already renowned for his work in horror/dark fantasy and crime/suspense – turns his attention here to the other-worldly elements of SF. But, as ever, the emphasis is on people... the things that motivate them and the things that bring them together.

Contents:

• Peter Crowther: Tales of Wonder by Adam Roberts
• Some Burial Place, Vast and Dry
• The Killing of Davis-Davis
• The Invasion
• Palindromic
• Surface Tension
• Heroes and Villains
• A Worse Place than Hell
• Halfway House
• Elmer
• Setting Free the Daughters of Earth
• Late Night Pick-Up
• Songs of Leaving
• Story Notes by Peter Crowther