The Dark Ride collects John Kessel’s best short fiction, beginning with 1981’s “Not Responsible! Park and Lock It!” and ending with 2021’s “The Dark Ride.” The stories range from flash pieces to novellas, from comedy to existential horror, from far future SF to Kafkaesque fantasy, including 40,000 words of never-before-collected fiction and extensive author’s notes. All his best are here, among them Nebula Award winners “Another Orphan” and “Pride and Prometheus,” by the writer Sci-Fi Weekly called “quite possibly the best short story writer working in science fiction today.” Table of Contents: Introduction by Kim Stanley Robinson Not Responsible! Park and Lock It! Events Preceding the Helvetican Renaissance Pride and Prometheus The Motorman’s Coat The Closet Some Like It Cold The Miracle of Ivar Avenue Spirit Level Stories for Men The Pure Product Gulliver at Home Buddha Nostril Bird Invaders The Lecturer Buffalo Clean Another Orphan Consolation The Baum Plan for Financial Independence The Dark Ride Story Notes