First published 2016
This collection gathers thirteen science fiction stories that examine what lies beneath surface appearances. Fritz Leiber's "Pipe Dream" and Howard Fast's "The Large Ant" reveal that initial impressions deceive. Isaac Asimov's "Let's Get Together" and Rog Phillips's "The Only One That Lived" present contrasting perspectives on alien encounters. In "David's Daddy" by Rosel George Brown, a parent confronts the terrible truth about their child, while Michael Shaara's "Man of Distinction" follows someone grappling with complete insignificance. The stories traverse space and time, from Stephen Barr's "I Am A Nucleus" exploring chaos and disorder to Gordon R. Dickson's "Time Grabber" manipulating temporal forces. Arnold Marmor's "Birthday Present" weaves together betrayal and killing, while Kris Neville's "Moral Equivalent" questions why societies copy each other completely. These tales probe unsettling possibilities, stark realities, and humanity's capacity for terrible acts across the cosmos.
Genres: short-stories, science-fiction, literary-fiction
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: contrasting-perspectives, stark-realities, unsettling-possibilities
Period: 20th-century
216 pages · Paperback · Armchair Fiction & Music