PRAISE FOR T. JACKSON KING "I sometimes think a writer's greatest virtues are persistence and endurance, and it seems as if you have them." --Roger Zelazny "Congratulations on the long overdue story collection, Tom What I find most terrific is your range of topics and styles. You have always been an explorer." --David Brin EXOTIC AND ECLECTIC SHORT STORIES Wonder at the choice presented to an Oregon jazz singer who is offered the greatest gig of her life--if only she will choose to sing for Judgment Day. Discover just what the attraction of Earth might be for Alien ship captains. Consider what America might have been like if concentration camps had been set up for HIV/AIDS sufferers. Experience the wonder of an America where science and technology are failing as Earth magic becomes real. Explore the horrific consequences of removing an ancient archaeological artifact and putting it on display in Berlin's Pergamum Museum. Marvel at the macabre suffering one couple hidden away in an ancient Swiss castle will endure for their art. Ponder whether cannibalism of another thinking species is a reasonable choice for survival. Find out what happens when people work as migrant laborers under distant stars and leave behind orphaned children. Experience the dangers of travel between the stars where gravity's tug brings with it the tides of fear. See how interstellar employment may come down to being a hired gun.