I haven't read anything by McAllister before so I wasn't really sure what to expect. To tell the truth, I don't remember the circumstances as to why I picked up the book. Not a dig on McAllister; he's just not an author that pops up on my usual watchlist of horror authors. Considering that most of the stories in the book were science fiction, it's not hard to figure out why. I do remember skipping this book a couple of times to read something else instead. The combination of an unknown author and a title that didn't grab me kept me from being eager to start the collection. I should have known better because the collection is pretty solid. Plus each story had some author notes on how the story came into existence. I always enjoy that bit of "behind the scenes". Those biographical moments also revealed that McAllister taught for a while at UC Irvine, where I graduated. Zot! I think he was gone before I got there but still pretty cool. Anyway, considering the size of my To Be Read pile, I'm probably not going to hunt down other novels by McAllister. At the same time, if something is conveniently there, I'm going to read and enjoy it. As usual, my favorites are below.

"Dream Baby" - A war-time nurse discovers she can see who is going to die.
"Kin" - A boy hires a killer to protect his unborn sister.
"World of the Wars" - Mars aliens or just the normal aliens next door.
"The Boy in Zaquitos" - The sub-title is a perfect description. The Retired Operative Speaks to a Class.
"Stu" - A scientist helps a boy to see more of the world. ( )