Unicorn Trade

A potpourri of poetry and amazing tales that cross genre borders, between fantasy, horror, noir, science fiction, and more, from the legendary Poul Anderson and his wife, Karen Anderson

Lyrical and beautiful, enchanting and strange, exhilarating and horrific, this extraordinary collaboration between science fiction–fantasy luminary Poul Anderson and his equally creative wife, Karen, almost defies description. Combining their extraordinary talents, the Andersons have produced a sumptuous feast of the written word—stories that delight, move, and disturb, mixed with rich, sumptuous poetry that soars.

A truly stunning collection, The Unicorn Trade transports readers to places at once uniquely strange and strangely familiar—magical fairy realms, the far reaches of outer space, and the twisted minds of madmen. Stories of love, loss, and self-discovery are met with soaring verse that celebrates the human spirit and the wonders of the universe. Here are unforgettable bounding leaps of the imagination, where detective noir is ingeniously reimagined, and tales of Edgar Allan Poe–like suspense stand side by side with poignant tributes to the men who led us to the stars. Real treasures are to be found here—a hungry Olympian god’s interactions with a divine computer, a murdered man’s shrewd revenge, an Earthling’s con game on an unsuspecting Martian visitor, and other such flights of inventive fancy—in a sterling compendium of stories, poems, and science fiction haikus (scifaiku) as bright as starshine and more magical and enduring than fairy gold.