Nightscape

For more than thirty years, David Morrell has been known as a master of the literate, high-adrenaline novel of action. But Morrell is equally at home in shorter forms, as this splendid new collection-his first since 1999's Black Evening-amply demonstrates. Nightscape contains an emotionally revealing introduction, five stories, two novellas, and a never-before-published script written for the syndicated television series, Monsters. Together, these expertly constructed narratives explore universal themes of guilt, grief, and obsession. The subjects range from the personal to the apocalyptic and feature a gallery of fully realized characters, including: an Elevis-obsessed professor ("Elvis .45"), an aging screenwriter cast adrift in a youth-oriented culture ("Front Man"), a loyal, third-world revolutionary determined to complete his mysterious mission ("Remains to Be Seen"), a father undone by his daughter's murder ("Nothing Will Hurt You"), and a son determined to preserve-and care for-a father frozen in cryogenic sleep ("Resurrection").

David Morrell is the author of First Blood, the awardwinning novel in which Rambo was created. He holds a Ph.D. in American literature from the Pennsylvania State University and was a professor in the English department at the University of Iowa until he gave up his tenure to devote himself to a full-time writing career