In 1985 Kevin made his first professional salt in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction with "Final Performance," a ghostly tale of the haunting of the globe Theatre, in Shakespearean London, by characters of performances past. This story was chosen for the preliminary ballot of the prestigious Nebula Award, and is included in this collection along with seventeen other hand-picked tales.

The title story, "Dogged Persistence," a gritty tale about the ultimate use of nanotechnology -- achieving immortality! --  formed the genesis of Anderson's internationally best-selling novel, Antibodies.

And the first ever sequel to a Harlan Ellison story, "Prisoner of War" serves as a follow-on to Ellison's classic Outer Limits teleplay, "Soldier." 

This collection also features the best of Kevin's shared writing, including the first ever Dune short story, "A Whisper of Caladan Seas," co-written with Brian Herbert, Frank Herbert's son, and "Drumbeats," a horrific tale set in Africa co-written with drummer Neil Peart of the renowned rock band Rush. Other coauthors include Doug Beason, with whom Kevin has written eight novels, and Rebecca Moesta, coauthor with Kevin of the fourteen-book Young Jedi Knights series.

From hard science fiction ("Reflections in a Magnetic Mirror") to dark historical fantasy ("New Recruits"), the strength of these stories will surprise readers new to Kevin's writing and reward those who are already familiar with his novel-length work.

DOGGED PERSISTENCE has been nominated for the Colorado Book Award.

Here's what reviewers are saying about Dogged Persistence:

"Both a retrospective pilgrimage through close to two decades of the author's writing history, and an intriguing peek into how a writer of talent and energy manages not only to exist but as well to make a significant commercial splash in this uncertain professional arena. All in all, DOGGED PERSISTENCE displays a solid mix of imaginative treatments and Kevin Anderson's considerable abilities." -- Locus

"Bestseller Anderson shows unexpected breadth in his first short-story collection. All in all, these 18 tales provide solid entertainment, and reveal depths not evident in Anderson's more commercial fiction." -- Publisher's Weekly

"Kevin Anderson shows us a wide range of styles, topics, and subgenres in his assemblage of eighteen stories titled DOGGED PERSISTENCE. Whether a solo outing or one with his peers, an Anderson story always features his trademarks of cool rationalism, cogent ideas, and suspenseful pacing." -- Asimov's

"Kevin J. Anderson is a seasoned and gifted writer. DOGGED PERSISTENCE is a splendid anthology of his short story writings that will prove to be a 'must read' for the legions of his fans, and send those encountering his work within these pages for the first time on an enthusiastic search for the rest of his novels." -- Midwest Book Review

"Kevin Anderson is not recognized for his short fiction as much as his novels. This, his first collection, demonstrates that his short fiction is equally interesting. Anderson is a talented and flexible writer who proves with this selection that he has the potential to be a significant talent." -- Science Fiction Chronicle

"Anderson's range is as versatile and as wide as he is prolific: original novels and short stories, shared universe stories, and collaborative stories-all of which are represented in this collection. Equally as varied are the science fiction themes and motifs-such as cloning, alternate timelines and time travel, nanotechnology-Anderson explores in his collection, an exploration that is made the more powerful through the parallel exploration of the human condition. There are human stories, albeit in the future or an alternate timeline, or in a fairytale universe, or next door, the troubled present-of love gone wrong (or right), sickness, sacrifice, friendship, family, loss, and grief. This is a strong first collection, demonstrating clearly Anderson's talent and range as a writer. This collection also is a testament to the short story and its versatility and its possibilities. As Anderson is a star of American science fiction in the 1990s and now the early 2000s, this collection deserves attention." -- Science Fiction Research Association

"[A] solid volume of various short works by the multi-talented Kevin J. Anderson. There is not a slow mover or an uninteresting premise in the bunch. Anderson is quite a writer and this collection allows the reader to get a good sense of his versatility. For those who are only familiar with his novels, this is the perfect collection to get a more fully formed picture of Kevin J. Anderson-the man and the writer." -- Baryon

"Anderson has an acute sense of pacing and a shrewd gift for characterization. Altogether, pretty good reading." -- Booklist

"Anderson is nothing if he isn't versatile. In this collection of short stories, Anderson makes use of plots that cover a great deal of the science fiction landscape. Anderson is a bit craftsman and a bit chef, taking a dash of suspense, a pinch of history, blending with the reader's imagination he serves up a dish with subtle flavors and textures. He dovetails facts with his fiction and builds a new structure on the foundation of what had come before in fantastic literature. His regular readers will be comforted by his familiarity with the ingredients of history and personalities and new readers are likely to be intrigued by the new frontiers he explores in this varied collection." -- Connotations

General Quotes

"Anderson writes with humor, sensitivity and clarity." -- Publisher's Weekly

"Extraordinarily well-developed and continually fascinating." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Kevin J. Anderson is a rare combination of talent and practicality." -- Starlog

"The hottest writer on (or off) the planet." -- Fort Worth Star-Telegram

"Spirited and entertaining." -- The Philadelphia Enquirer

"Exciting and dynamic." -- Denver Post

Read one of the stories, Scientific Romance, on infinity plus.