Philip K. Dick Award Winner Best of the Year:  Locus, Village Voice, San Francisco Chronicle, Book Magazine Nominated for the Impac Award Charley is an athlete. He wants to grow up to be the fastest runner in the world, like his father. He wants to be painted crossing the finishing line, in his racing silks, with a medal around his neck. Charley lives in a stable. He isn't a runner, he's a mount. He belongs to a Hoot: The Hoots are alien invaders. Charley hasn't seen his mother for years, and his father is hiding out in the mountains somewhere, with the other Free Humans. The Hoots own the world, but the humans want it back. Charley knows how to be a good mount, but now he's going to have to learn how to be a human being. A memorable alien-invasion scenario, a wild adventure, and a reflection on the dynamics of freedom and slavery. (Booklist) Brilliantly conceived and painfully acute . . . (Publishers Weekly, starred review) Carol Emshwiller  (sfwa.org/members/emshwiller) is the author of many acclaimed novels and story collections, including  Carmen Dog ,  The Start of the End of It All  (winner of the World Fantasy Award), Report to the Men’s Club and Other Stories ,  I Live with You and You Dont’ Know It , and  The Mount  (winner of the Philip K. Dick Award and a Nebula Award finalist). She teaches in the NYU Continuing Education program, and divides her time between homes in New York City and California.