The Universe Box
by Michael Swanwick
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Pub Date 3 Feb 2026 | Archive Date Not set
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Description
Discover the vast worlds and pocket universes of Michael Swanwick (Stations of the Tide), the only author to win science fiction’s most prestigious award five times in six years. In his dazzling new collection, the master of speculative short stories returns with tales in which magic and science improbably coexist with myth and legend. With two stories original to this collection, Swanwick aptly demonstrates with poignant humor why he is widely respected as a master of imaginative storytelling.
“Swanwick’s wildly imaginative and beautifully written short stories have been, for several years, one of the primary joys of the field.”
—Washington Post Book World
In engaging stories, Mischling the thief races through time to defeat three trolls before the sun rises for the first time and turns the inhabitants of her city into stone. A scientist is on the run from assassins, because her research in merging human intelligence with sentient AI is too dangerous. An aging veteran obtains a military weapon from his past: a VR robotic leopard in which he rediscovers the consequences of the hunt. In the biggest heist in the history of the universe, a loser Trickster (and the girlfriend who is better than he deserves), sets out to violate every trope and expectation of fiction possible.
A Note From the Publisher
Advance Praise
Praise for the short stories of Michael Swanwick
“By turns funny, clever, mysterious, and possessing hidden depths, the stories in Swanwick’s latest collection demonstrate he’s at the top of his game. Delightful, thoughtful work, sure to please his readers.”
—Jeff VanderMeer, author of Annihilation
[STARRED REVIEW] “In addition to their individual quality, the 16 stories in this rollicking collection amply demonstrate Hugo-winner Swanwick’s impressive versatility . . . intriguing characters and lovingly told stories.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Witty, smart, challenging, marveling in off-beat invention and beautifully written . . .”
—SF Site, featured review
“Surpassingly brilliant . . . storytelling of the highest order.”
—Locus
“Every reader with a dollop of humanity will admire Michael Swanwick’s rowdy good humor. His towering creativity seems so effortless that it is easily overlooked—so effortless, and so immense.”
—Gene Wolfe
“For most writers, it’s a good day when a story is witty or has great ideas or characters. Michael Swanwick consistently wins on all three.”
—Vernor Vinge
“Michael Swanwick is one of my all-time favorite short-story writers. Sometimes he makes me laugh, sometimes he makes me shudder, sometimes he makes me weep. He always makes me think. And that’s just when I am talking to him.”
—Jane Yolen, author of The Emerald Circus
“An essential conjunction yielding wonder, warmth, wit, and many a synergistic epiphany.”
—James Morrow, author of Shambling Toward Hiroshima
Marketing Plan
National marketing plan to include print and digital ARC distribution; author appearances in New England and national venues; outreach to regional and national librarians and independent booksellers; cover reveal and social media campaigns
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781616964504 |
| PRICE | US$18.95 (USD) |
| PAGES | 304 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Robert M, Reviewer
I first read Michael Swanwick back in the 80s, when he was regularly featured in the Gardnor Dozois World’s Best annual anthologies.
I had thought I had gone off the short story, as so many I have read (or tried to read) recently left me impatient and bored (I’m looking at you Someone in Time). But it turns out I was just missing decent writing.
Michael Swanwick has a masterful ability to drop you into the middle of a world, give you exactly what you need to get started, and then deliver the rare, the unusual, the unexpected, in a deceptively easy way. Two pages, max, is what it takes to deliver enough back story, or information, to have you hooked on whatever current story you’re reading.
An eclectic mixture of science fiction, fantasy, time travel, and the simply strange, this is thought provoking, easy-reading, entertainment.
Isa E, Bookseller
I opened The Universe Box expecting what I would out of any sci-fi collection: dark themes of a far flung future, echoes of human civilization long lost, machinery corrupted into evil by the hands of its creators-
What I got, however, was the most unexpected series of stories ranging from stories that made me feel like I was watching events unfold through the bright orange lens of an 80s film, a fantasy tale with elements of time travel and folklore, heartache and wonder learned and loved by a machine, and so much more.
I loved and couldn't get enough of the anachronistic elements throughout the stories in The Universe Box, it being one of my favourite themes already, Swanwick does an incredible job at seamlessly creating these encapsulated worlds that, while having their feet on the ground, explode with abstract elements that at some points have me feeling like I've been dreaming.
Thank you to net galley for the ARC of this book. I look forward to the release date!
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