THE ULTIMATE SILVER SURFER

Published by Boulevard Books & Byron Preiss Multimedia Co., Inc. trade paperback, ISBN 1-57297-029-4, 339p., $12

New stories spanning the career of the skyrider of the spaceways!

CONTENTS:

Introduction by Stan Lee (illustration by Dave Gibbons).

PART ONE: ORIGIN "The Silver Surfer" by Stan Lee & Tom DeFalco (illustration by John Buscema). The Surfer tells a young boy of his origins on Zenn-La and how he came to be exiled on Earth.

PART TWO: EXILE

"To See Heaven in a Wild Flower" by Ann Tonsor Zeddies (illustration by Michael Avon Oeming). Newly exiled on Earth, the Surfer tries to learn more of this strange planet, and becomes embroiled in a situation involving refugees in Gambia.

"Point of View" by Len Wein (illustration by George Pérez). A man's dying wish is to know what it's like to soar amongst the stars....

"Improper Procedure" by Keith R.A. DeCandido (illustration by Ron Frenz & Patrick Olliffe). The Surfer stops what he thinks is a murder, and instead nearly ruins a hostage negotiation. But his attempts to make amends with the NYPD prove more difficult than he imagined.

"Do You Dream in Silver?" by James Dawson (illustration by Gary Frank). The subject of this week's Everything's Angie talk show: women who are in love with the Silver Surfer.

"Incident on a Skyscraper" by Dave Smeds (illustration by Steve Leialoha). The Surfer saves a teenager from suicide, and must prevent her from making another attempt.

"On the Beach" by John J. Ordover (illustration by Colleen Doran). David Smith wasn't sure who he expected to meet on the beach in Malibu, but the Silver Surfer wasn't on the list...

PART THREE: FREEDOM

"Disturb Not Her Dream" by Steve Rasnic Tem (illustration by Scot Eaton). A woman has been imprisoned -- by an entire solar system!

"The Broken Land" by Pierce Askegren (illustration by Paul Ryan). Enoch Mathews has found a power source he desperately needs in a cosmically powered beacon left at a grave site by the Silver Surfer, but the Surfer is not happy to learn that the beacon has been stolen!

"What's Yer Poison?" by Christopher Golden & José R. Nieto (illustration by Amanda Conner). A meeting with Eros of Titan at a rundown bar becomes a greater trial than the Surfer could possibly expect.

"Godhood's End" by Sharman DiVono (illustration by Jordan Raskin). An alien freebooter has conquered a civilized race for its gems, and only the Surfer can stop him.

"Sambatyon" by David M. Honigsberg (illustration by Tom Morgan). The Surfer finds the lost world of Sambatyon, a world told in legends throughout the cosmos, and hopes to find peace -- a peace disturbed by an alien armada that wishes to annex the holy place.

"The Love of Death or the Death of Love" by Craig Shaw Gardner (illustration by Grant Miehm). Thanos possesses the powerful Orb of Niesta, and will use it to curry Death's favor -- by killing all the past and present Heralds of Galactus, starting with the Surfer!

"The Tarnished Soul" by Katherine Lawrence (illustration by Scott McDaniel). A blackness spreads throughout the Surfer's body and his very soul, as he is forced to confront his darker side.

"A Game of the Apocalypse" by Dan Persons (illustration by Ernie Stiner). The holy wars on Nahl 3 seem to be without purpose or function, indeed seem counterproductive to the continued survival of the planet. The Surfer must learn the dark secret behind the jihad before the world's inhabitants are wiped out!

For more on the other novels and anthologies starring Marvel characters, check out http://www.byronpreiss.com. You can also e-mail the editor of these books (and the author of "Improper Procedure") Keith R.A. DeCandido at krad@ix.netcom.com.