The Last Ride — Douglas Smith

An urban fantasy story from a multi-award winning author.

"Doug Smith is, quite simply, the finest short-story writer Canada has ever produced in the science fiction and fantasy genres, and he's also the most prolific. His stories are a treasure trove of riches that will touch your heart while making you think."
-- Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo Award-winning author of Hominids and FlashForward

"A great storyteller with a gifted and individual voice."
-- Charles de Lint

"One of Canada's most original writers of speculative fiction."
-- Library Journal

DESCRIPTION:
Vaya is an immortal Valkyrie and favorite daughter of Odin All Father, sworn to carry dead heroes from the battlefields of Earth to live forever in Valhalla. One day, she intervenes on the battlefield to save the life of a soldier who has captured her heart, and is forced by Odin to choose between immortality and the man she loves.

But for Vaya, the hardest choice still lies ahead of her.

REVIEWS:
"...exemplifies the best elements of Douglas Smith's writing. ... As always, even for such a brief time, there is so much life in these characters. I don't bother to marvel at how quickly I come to care for Douglas Smith's people anymore, it's a given."
-- SF Crowsnest Reviews

"A gripping portrayal of Vaya, a Valkyrie, and the ultimate sacrifices one makes for love.”
-- SFRevu

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Doug is an award-winning author of speculative fiction, with over a million words of fiction sold and over a hundred short story sales to professional markets in thirty countries and two dozen languages.

He has published three short story collections: Chimerascope (ChiZine Publications, Canada, 2010), Impossibilia, (PS Publishing, UK, 2008), and just recently, La Danse des Esprits (Dreampress, France, 2011).

Doug has twice won Canada's Aurora Award for speculative fiction, and have been a finalist for the international John W. Campbell Award, the Canadian Broadcast Corporation's Bookies Award, and the juried Sunburst Award.