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Summer Guests
Mel just wanted to enjoy his stay-at-home vacation in his mostly quiet apartment. But when a he looked into a birdhouse and saw beautiful slanted golden eyes staring back at him his vacation was going to be anything but boring.
They were certainly alive! One was green, a tiny body of jade, and the other was silkily human-colored, which was why he had been confused on that point. The wings could hardly be anything else, though they were very odd-looking, almost like thin, flexible glass.
Soon he is sharing his apartment with a couple of fairy-like beings. Where did they come from? What we're they doing on Earth? And were they friends of something a whole lot more dangerous?
They were certainly alive! One was green, a tiny body of jade, and the other was silkily human-colored, which was why he had been confused on that point. The wings could hardly be anything else, though they were very odd-looking, almost like thin, flexible glass.
Soon he is sharing his apartment with a couple of fairy-like beings. Where did they come from? What we're they doing on Earth? And were they friends of something a whole lot more dangerous?
50 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 22, 2009
6 people are currently reading
9 people want to read
About the author
James H. Schmitz
243 books93 followersJames Henry Schmitz (October 15, 1911–April 18, 1981) was an American writer born in Hamburg, Germany of American parents. Aside from two years at business school in Chicago, Schmitz lived in Germany until 1938, leaving before World War II broke out in Europe in 1939. During World War II, Schmitz served as an aerial photographer in the Pacific for the United States Army Air Corps. After the war, he and his brother-in-law ran a business which manufactured trailers until they broke up the business in 1949.
Schmitz is best known as a writer of space opera, and for strong female characters (including Telzey Amberdon and Trigger Argee) that didn't fit into the damsel in distress stereotype typical of science fiction during the time he was writing. His first published story was Greenface, published in August 1943 in Unknown. Most of his works are part of the "Hub" series, though his best known novel is the non-Hub The Witches of Karres, concerning juvenile "witches" with genuine psi-powers and their escape from slavery. Karres was nominated for a Hugo Award.
In recent years, his novels and short stories have been republished by Baen Books (which bought the rights to his estate for $6500), edited (sometimes heavily edited) and with notes by Eric Flint. Baen have also published new works based in the Karres universe.
Schmitz died of congestive lung failure in 1981 after a five week stay in the hospital in Los Angeles. He was survived by his wife, Betty Mae Chapman Schmitz.
Schmitz is best known as a writer of space opera, and for strong female characters (including Telzey Amberdon and Trigger Argee) that didn't fit into the damsel in distress stereotype typical of science fiction during the time he was writing. His first published story was Greenface, published in August 1943 in Unknown. Most of his works are part of the "Hub" series, though his best known novel is the non-Hub The Witches of Karres, concerning juvenile "witches" with genuine psi-powers and their escape from slavery. Karres was nominated for a Hugo Award.
In recent years, his novels and short stories have been republished by Baen Books (which bought the rights to his estate for $6500), edited (sometimes heavily edited) and with notes by Eric Flint. Baen have also published new works based in the Karres universe.
Schmitz died of congestive lung failure in 1981 after a five week stay in the hospital in Los Angeles. He was survived by his wife, Betty Mae Chapman Schmitz.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 22, 2020
A Grim Fairy tale!
This story draws you into a flight of fantasy with just a twist of danger and bitter deadly peril to sweeten the aftertaste of a summers adventure.
This story draws you into a flight of fantasy with just a twist of danger and bitter deadly peril to sweeten the aftertaste of a summers adventure.
March 13, 2026
Very good read.
I enjoyed reading this book very much and I recommend this book to anyone who likes stories with other sentient beings acting with humans.
I enjoyed reading this book very much and I recommend this book to anyone who likes stories with other sentient beings acting with humans.
April 14, 2026
A surprisingly adept, modern seeming story, though written in 1959, blending SF & Fantasy/Legend.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews