Fans of William Browning Spencer have been waiting more than ten years for this, his second collection of short stories. The Ocean and All Its Devices won't disappoint. Spencer's first collection, The Return of Count Electric was acclaimed by reviewers in The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Cemetery Dance, Publishers Weekly and other magazines and newspapers. Science fiction legend Roger Zelazny, once introduced to Spencer's work, became a lifelong devotee. He wrote: William Browning Spencer is one of those rare short story writers who comes along once in a generation—like Saki, Collier, Sheckley—and manages to combine all of the virtues within that restricted format. The Ocean and All Its Devices collects some of Spencer's finest published work. Three of these stories appeared in year's best anthologies. Another, The Death of the Novel, was a finalist for a Bram Stoker Award, while The Essayist in the Wilderness was on the final ballot for a World Fantasy Award. Contains: Introduction (The Ocean and All Its Devices) • essay The Ocean and All Its Devices • (1994) • novelette The Oddskeeper's Daughter • (1995) • novelette The Death of the Novel • (1995) • short story Downloading Midnight • (1995) • novelette Your Faithful Servant • (1993) • short story The Foster Child • (2000) • short story The Halfway House at the Heart of Darkness • (1998) • short story The Lights of Armageddon • (1994) • short story The Essayist in the Wilderness • (2002) • novelette