Origin Stories

The Midnight-to-Three Rediscovery series showcases works by contemporary writers that were published and forgotten - stories, essays, and other writing that has fallen by the wayside, has never been collected, and now lives on the fringes of each writer's bibliography. The goal is make these potentially unknown, unread, or hard-to-locate pieces available to readers once more, and re-introduce them to the discussion of the writer's work. The third Rediscovery chapbook presents early fanzine fiction of Tom Reamy, who was a stalwart in sf fandom before embarking on a professional writing career that was cut short by his untimely death in 1977 at age 42. These are some of Reamy's earliest pre-professional efforts, learning and honing the skills that would one day win him a Nebula and the John W. Campbell award. Included "A Prayer at Bedtime" (1953 and 1955): two versions of his earliest story, offering a rare glimpse at how Reamy revised his first known tale into his first prizewinner. "Jenny's Friends" (1954): a strange girl becomes acquainted with stranger associates. "To Hell on a Rollercoaster" (1957): a driver seeks freedom within his road-centric society. "Thread of Existence" (1958): a discussion of death - and whether anyone actually dies - devolves into violence. Edited and with an introduction and research notes by Doug Lane.