by Nancy Kress
First published 1998
Nancy Kress presents eighteen science fiction tales that examine how technology reshapes human experience. The collection features "Beggars in Spain," her Hugo and Nebula Award-winning story about genetic modification and social inequality. "And Wild for to Hold" sends a time traveler back to encounter Anne Boleyn, creating friction between advanced technology and Tudor England. Other stories include "The Price of Oranges," "Glass," "People like Us," "Cannibals," "To Scale," "Touchdown," "Down behind Cuba Lake," "In a World like This," "Philippa's Hands," "Inertia," "Phone Repairs," "The Battle of Long Island," "Renaissance," "Spillage," "The Mountain to Mohammed," "Craps," and "In Memoriam." Each narrative probes the tension between scientific advancement and human nature. Kress reveals how people adapt, resist, or transform when confronted with new realities that challenge their understanding of themselves and their world.
Genres: short-stories, science-fiction, literary-fiction
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: social-commentary, time-travel
Period: Tudor England
327 pages · Hardcover · Sauk City: Arkham House