In the Company, you're either a God or a Pawn, but sometimes you have to be both. The eight stories, reprinted for the first time in this collection delve further into the history and exploits of the Company and its operatives, including Mendoza, Lewis, and Alec. The book opens with the novella, "To the Land Beyond the Sunset," starring Lewis and Mendoza, and involving a strange tribe in Bolivia whose members claim to be gods. Their ability to grow a small tropical paradise in the middle of the desert certainly seems godlike, and it's Mendoza's job to figure what their secret is."Standing in His Light" features Van Drouten, and her role in the career of the artist Jan Vermeer. The story illustrates how, with a little help from the Company, lost masterpieces can be found (or created) easily. Other stories include "Welcome to Olympus, Mr. Hearst," which opens up intriguing questions about The Company, and the original novelette, "Hellfire at Twilight," which concl "Keep your eye on Kage Baker! You never know where she's heading next, but it's always worth going there. She's an edgy, funny, complex, ambitious writer with the mysterious, true gift of story-telling."-Ursula K. Le Guin "Anything Kage Baker publishes I will immediately rush out and read! I am never disappointed. The woman is a marvel. . . . I've been hooked from the beginning . . . ."-- Ellen Kushner "Funny, heart-rending, terrifying, pellucid, Baker's magnificent series grows in stature with every installment." - Kirkus , starred review on The Children of the Company "Vividly evoked. . . .Baker has a light touch, and her effervescent characterization and talent for social comedy make The Children of the Company picturesque and picaresque, sometimes extremely funny." -Nick Gevers, Locus "Keep your eye on Kage Baker! You never know where she's heading next, but it's always worth going there. She's an edgy, funny, complex, ambitious writer with the mysterious, true gift of story-telling." --Ursula K. Le Guin "Kage Baker is the greatest natural storyteller to enter the field since Poul Anderson." -Gardner Dozois "The book unfolds through both Labienus' memories and the journals and artifacts of Victor and others caught in his web. As in the other Company novels, the time line spanned is prodigious, despite which Baker never stints on characters and details that capture the reader's fancy."-- Booklist on The Children of the Company "Another entry in Baker's superlative series about Dr. Zeus . . . . An astonishing and thoroughly satisfying installment. What's more, Baker's overall concept and rationale, flawlessly sustained through five books, grows ever more spellbinding and impressive." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) on The Life of the World to Come KAGE BAKER lives in Pismo Beach, CA Gods and Pawns By Baker, Kage Tor Books Copyright ©2007 Baker, Kage All right reserved. ISBN: 9780765315526 Contents  To the Land Beyond the Sunset            11   The Catch                                            76   The Angel in the Darkness                    100   Standing in His Light                             176   A Night on the Barbary Coast               203   Welcome to Olympus, Mr. Hearst        224   Hellfire at Twilight                                 292   Continues... Excerpted from Gods and Pawns by Baker, Kage Copyright ©2007 by Baker, Kage. Excerpted by permission. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site. Used Book in Good Condition