Ed by Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois
Ace Books (a division of Berkley, which is a division of Penguin) © 2002
Stories by Poul Anderson and a whole crop of “new” (meaning 1990’s SciFi writers)
Personally, I think they just had the Poul Anderson story in there to give it that "homage" to clasic sci-fi, because all the other stories were from the 1990's to early double-aughts. Which was good for me to read, because I hadn't read much sci-fi since my college days kicked it out of my system, and I haven't really been keeping up with the genre . . .
which is a shame, becuase if this collection is any indication, some really interesting things have been happening. It always fascinates me how sci-fi takes the science of the time and extrapolates it into any possibly various outcome - for better or worse - usually for "darker"
Can't go over the stories right now, but I will suggest that you read them - even if you don't like sci-fi, read them with an eye to a warning as to what will happen to us if we allow our technology to surpass our need for our physical bodies, which is the theme for each of these stories.
And, since I can't resist putting a book into a personal context: I read this while on a weekend retreat with my wife a few months ago - we had planned a "together" getaway to a romantic bed and breakfast, and she, the poor dear, comes down with a stomach virus the first two days there - and me, having neglected to pack books (not thinking I'd need them!), picked this little paperback up at the dollar store, thinking "for a buck you can't go wrong" and while I whiled away the afternoon and the evening, while my darling wife lay sleeping, I burned through these stories almost in one sitting, they were so intriguing. And in some way, it was a very romantic time for me - watching over her, bringing her juice or a towel when she stirred from the flu-induced stupor, and in between times reading some well-written sci-fi.
So, (and don't tell my wife this!) it was actually a very romantic getaway for me . . . although I'm sure it wasn't for her!
VG
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