This book contains many short stories and shorter works of fiction. I especially liked the stories about the exo-sociologist Kandler, repairing the virtual kitty, and the world of Alan Isaacs.

Here is the latest in a yearly compendium of new speculative fiction stories from north of the border, in Canada (eh?).

In the early 20th Century, Halley’s Comet collides with Earth, causing nuclear winter. A planetary habitat is under attack by a sophisticated computer virus, which is spread by a cybernetic house pet. In a world where everyone gets their fiction beamed directly into their brains, a woman on a train picks up an actual book left by someone else. A new form of punishment for condemned criminals involves the surgical removal of body parts; first it’s an eye, then a hand... There’s a story about human resourcefulness in the face of an otherwise certain death on the surface of Mars.

A man who runs an oriental restaurant does not know what to do about his father. Even though he died several days previously, the father’s ghost is still holding court, entertaining customers and old friends. What does one do with aliens who act exactly like drunken, horny teenage humans? Human organs for transplant can now be grown like house plants.

This is a first-rate collection of stories that deserve much greater exposure. These authors may not yet be household names; they also deserve much greater exposure. The reader will not go wrong with this book. ( )