The Last of a Thing
()
About this ebook
What happens when the world loses the last of a thing?
Four mighty warriors set out to slay the last dragon, opposed by only a fool. But even a fool knows: the last of a thing is something to cherish.
"One of Canada's most original writers of speculative fiction." —Library Journal
"The man is Sturgeon good. Zelazny good. I don't give those up easy." —Spider Robinson, Hugo and Nebula Awards winner
"A great storyteller with a gifted and individual voice." —Charles de Lint, World Fantasy Award winner
"His stories are a treasure trove of riches that will touch your heart while making you think." —Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo and Nebula Awards winner
Douglas Smith
Douglas Smith is an award-winning historian and translator and the author of Rasputin and Former People, which was a bestseller in the U.K. His books have been translated into a dozen languages. The recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, he has written for The New York Times and Wall Street Journal and has appeared in documentaries with the BBC, National Geographic, and Netflix. Before becoming a historian, he worked for the U.S. State Department in the Soviet Union and as a Russian affairs analyst for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. He lives with his family in Seattle.
Read more from Douglas Smith
The Russian Job: The Forgotten Story of How America Saved the Soviet Union from Ruin Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Jigsaw Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Apep Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFormer People: The Final Days of the Russian Aristocracy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Thriving in the Second Half of Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFrom a Guys View Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGoing Down to Lucky Town Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMy Life and Times Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEnlightenment Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDoorways Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Walker of the Shifting Borderland Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMemories of the Dead Man Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGreen Zone Selling: How Top Producing Salespeople Out-Sell, Out-Earn and Outlast Everyone Else Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Taste Sweet & Salty Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bouquet of Flowers in a Vase, by van Gogh Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBy Her Hand, She Draws You Down: The Movie Companion Book Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Secret of the Sword Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Red Bird Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBy Her Hand, She Draws You Down Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Last Ride Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsState of Disorder Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSymphony Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to The Last of a Thing
Related ebooks
Vampire Alley Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDracula Reigns Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGulf and Other Poems Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Mask of Spells Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Witch King's Oath: Heirs to Eternity, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Worm Ouroboros Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Ultimate Collection of my Works: My Works, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAncestors and Descendants: The Saga of Bob, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsQuest of Thunder: Stormbourne Chronicles, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBalsamo, the Magician Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTitan's Garden: Crimson Wolf: Titan's Garden Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTitan's Garden: Crimson Wolf Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTales from the Stellar Realms 01: Time Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Celtic Riddle Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dryad's Tale, A Short Story Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFlashes of Witchcraft and War: The Saga of Sir Bryan, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Undefeated Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSons of the Oak: The Fifth Book of The Runelords Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Forty Thieves: Marjana's Tale Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Vasilisa: Hearth and Bard Tales Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Dragon Sorceress: Destiny is An Adventure, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCity of the Automatons Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBy the Mountain Bound Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Aurealis #145 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIn the Fig Tree's Shade Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDeath's Conquest Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Well of Time Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsQuest Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Embers in a Dark Frost Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Simon Rack 1: Earth Lies Sleeping Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Fantasy For You
Piranesi Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This Is How You Lose the Time War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The City of Dreaming Books Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Priory of the Orange Tree Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tress of the Emerald Sea: Secret Projects, #1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Eyes of the Dragon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Assassin and the Pirate Lord: A Throne of Glass Novella Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Immortal Longings Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nettle & Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fellowship Of The Ring: Being the First Part of The Lord of the Rings Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Picture of Dorian Gray (The Original 1890 Uncensored Edition + The Expanded and Revised 1891 Edition) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fairy Tale Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Assassin and the Desert: A Throne of Glass Novella Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Talisman: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Silmarillion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Phantom Tollbooth Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Don Quixote: [Complete & Illustrated] Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Stories of Ray Bradbury Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Assassin and the Empire: A Throne of Glass Novella Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ocean at the End of the Lane: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Assassin and the Underworld: A Throne of Glass Novella Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Titus Groan Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wizard's First Rule Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Daughter of the Forest: Book One of the Sevenwaters Trilogy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Last of a Thing
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
The Last of a Thing - Douglas Smith
The Last of a Thing
by Douglas Smith
Four mighty warriors set out to slay the last dragon, opposed by only a fool. But even a fool knows: the last of a thing is something to cherish.
~~
One of Canada’s most original writers of speculative fiction.
—Library Journal
Doug Smith is, quite simply, the finest short-story writer Canada has ever produced in the science fiction and fantasy genres... His stories are a treasure trove of riches that will touch your heart while making you think.
—Robert J. Sawyer
A great storyteller with a gifted and individual voice.
—Charles de Lint
Table of Contents
DESCRIPTION
THE LAST OF A THING
ABOUT THE STORY
A REQUEST
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ALSO BY DOUGLAS SMITH
CHIMERASCOPE
THE HOLLOW BOYS
THE WOLF AT THE END OF THE WORLD
COPYRIGHT
THE LAST OF A THING
I AM A
fool.
I walk this road from the castle of my lord, wearing the costume of a fool. My chequerboard tunic rests loosely on my spare frame above red leggings, my hat dangling its bells above my painted face. The curled toes of my slippers dance through the dust of the road. A warm sun, in a sky unmarked by cloud or winged beast, speckles the forest shade.
A sound of hoofbeats taps me on my shoulder. I turn to see a knight mounted on a white steed. Proud and strong, his horse carries its load with an effortless air, a tireless extension of its master. Flames of combat lick at the coals of its eyes.
The knight draws rein.