The King Is Dead

Walter Tevis is widely regarded as a master for both his gritty poolhall novels and his brilliant rendering of the world of competitive chess. This long overdue collection establishes Tevis's rightful place as a maestro of the short form, as well. Including previously unpublished stories from journals and magazines, this entertaining collection showcases Tevis's characteristic perceptiveness, empathy, and range.

In one story, a man receives a phone call from his future self and follows their instructions to unpredictable, calamitous results. In another, a famous actor and a young actress showcase their talent for acting both on and off the stage. There are five short stories set in poolhalls, including one that features Fast Eddie Felson and another that was the basis for the novel The Hustler. Here also is his first fictional foray into chess, with a ranked chess player finding fellowship in the prison yard with another player.

In all of them, Tevis reminds us again and again why his writing has long been revered for its roving curiosity and innate humanity.

A W&N Essential

“If Hemingway had the passion for pool that he had for bullfighting, his hero might have been Eddie Felson”

Tevis traps us in the breathless drama of the moment and makes us feel the same intense involvement his characters feel

The Plain Dealer
Sheer entertainment. It is a book I reread every few years - for the pure pleasure and skill of it Michael Ondaatje on THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT
Compelling. . . . A magnificent obsession Los Angeles Times on THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT
Tevis writes about pool with power and poetry and tension . . . Grabs the reader and doesn't let go. You don't have to appreciate pool to like this book, to appreciate its sense of living on the edge Washington Post on THE COLOR OF MONEY
A fine, swift, wanton, offbeat novel The New York Times on THE HUSTLER
Time on THE HUSTLER

Walter Tevis was an American novelist and short story writer. Whilst a student at the University of Kentucky, Tevis worked in a pool hall and published a story about the game for an English class. He would later revisit his love for pool in the novels THE HUSTLER (1959) and THE COLOR OF MONEY (1984), both of which would be adapted into multiple award-winning films starring Paul Newman. Among his other works, THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH (1963) and MOCKINGBIRD (1980) are considered masterpieces of science fiction. Tevis died in 1984.

Walter Tevis is widely regarded as a master for both his gritty poolhall novels and his brilliant rendering of the world of competitive chess. This long overdue collection establishes Tevis' rightful place as a maestro of the short form, as well. Including previously unpublished stories from journals and magazines, this entertaining collection showcases Tevis's characteristic perceptiveness, empathy, and range.In one story, a man receives a phone call from his future self and follows their instructions to unpreditcable, calamitous results. In another, a famous actor and a young actress showcase their talent for acting both on and off the stage. Here also are five short stories set in poolhalls, including one that features Fast Eddie Felson and another that was the basis for the novel The Hustler . Here also is his first fictional foray into chess, with a ranked chess player finding fellowship in the prison yard with another player.In all of them, Tevis reminds us again and again why his writing has long been revered for its roving curiosity and innate humanity.

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