"Two Worlds of Walter M. Miller" collects two rare early science fiction stories from the pulp magazines. "Death of a Spaceman" originally appeared in the March, 1954 issue of AMAZING STORIES. "The Hoofer" originally appeared in the September, 1944 issue of FANTASTIC UNIVERSE.
In the depths of the Utah desert, long after the Flame Deluge has scoured the earth clean, a monk of the Order of Saint Leibowitz has made a miraculous discovery: holy relics from the life of the great saint himself, including the blessed blueprint, the sacred shopping list, and the hallowed shrine of the Fallout Shelter. In a terrifying age of darkness and decay, these artifacts could be the keys to mankind's salvation. But as the mystery at the core of this groundbreaking novel unfolds, it is the search itself—for meaning, for truth, for love—that offers hope for humanity's rebirth from the ashes.
Walter M. Miller Jr is best remembered as the author of A Canticle for Leibowitz, universally recognized as one of the greatest novels of modern SF. But as well as writing that deeply felt and eloquent book, he produced many shorter works of fiction of stunning originality and power. His profound interest in religion and his innate literary gifts combined perfectly in the production of such works as The Darfstellar, for which he won a Hugo in 1955, Conditionally Human, I, Dreamer and The Big Hunger, all of which are included in this brilliant and essential collection.
The sequel to "A Canticle for Leibowitz". A thousand years after a nuclear holocaust, the Catholic Church is still in a power struggle with the temporal leaders of the devastated USA. Cardinal Brownpony hopes to keep the church free, but there are many enemies within the church.
In a world in which the Cold War never ended, American president John Smith XVI dares to re-open contact with the East after forty years of Big Silence. A comedy of masks ensues, with unexpected results. From the author of A Canticle for Leibowitz, this classic tale from the pulps originally appeared in 1953.
