Emperor of Gondwanaland

“The only thread connecting the 18 stories that make up this witches’ brew . . . seems to be the author’s bright imagination and a spark of dark humor” (Kirkus Reviews).

Literary allusions abound in this volume as Di Filippo recasts a classic Melville story of slave rebellion at sea—with aliens; “Ailoura” tells the Puss in Boots fairy tale as a space opera romp; “Observable Things” has Cotton Math...