Bright Segments: The Complete Short Fiction

Praise for Bright Segments

“For those readers familiar with Sallis primarily as the author of Drive (later adapted into an ultra-violent, neon-infused film with Ryan Gosling) and the Lew Griffin mystery novels, Bright Segments contains one big surprise: many of the stories are science fiction, a genre that Sallis has explored deeply throughout his life, bending it to his whims in all kinds of ways. There’s something in here for everyone, from the bleakly comedic ‘The Invasion of Dallas’ (aliens find relationships just as confusing as humans) to the disquieting ‘New Teeth’ (which comes off as a more ghostly ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?’).”
—Nick Kolakowski, CrimeReads

“Like a hive bereft of its queen, Sallis’ world buzzes endlessly with worker bees and drones.”
—Kirkus Reviews


Praise for James Sallis

“The power of simplicity and the musical ring of truth as only Sallis can deliver it—as he has done bravely, consistently, for the last few decades.”
—Los Angeles Times

“Then there’s James Sallis – he’s right up there, one of the best. It is quite possible that speaking of Jim Sallis in the same tone as Poe and Dostoevsky is not overblowing on my part.”
—Harlan Ellison

“James Sallis is one of our greatest living crime writers . . . Try to get his words, his stories, his people out of your head. Just try.”
—Laura Lippman, author of Lady in the Lake

“Sallis is a sure hand—characters and prose, of course, dialogue, too, but he is also a subtle weaver of plot, with the perfect level of push. His descriptions evoke a place more real than mere realism could render, and his people speak and sweat and live and die and it’s all a great pleasure.”
—Daniel Woodrell, author of Winter’s Bone

“One of the most enjoyable and most important writers working today, James Sallis has quietly revolutionized an entire genre of literature.”
—Sara Gran, author of Come Closer