A disappointing collection overall.

The Retro Man - Gordon Eklund
A life lived in reverse, as a kind of moral tale. The moral aspect is simple and becomes clear early on, but this is technically well executed even if it isn't always logically consistent.

The State of the Art on Alyssum - Marta Randall
Some things are on a planet. Three things, to be precise, and they aren't the same as each other nor do they fully understand each other. It seems likely that they were cargo destined for some kind of galactic zoo, but their ship crashed and they are stranded. Short, sad, and good at conveying the isolation and lack of understanding of the protagonists.

Black as the pit, from pole to pole - Steven Utley & Howard Waldrop
Silverberg describes this tale of a descent into a many-layered earth as a 'goofy masterpiece', but I can't agree. It's dull and ultimately pointless.

You are here - Phyllis & Alex Eisenstein
Cara, our protagonist, appears to be a child on some kind of spaceship. We know this both from the dialogue and the frequent diagrams that tell her "You are here." The things that engage her in dialogue don't seem quite as real as Cara, and so it turns out. Silverberg describes this as a 'chilling conclusion' but it feels foregone almost from the outset.

Twinkle, twinkle little bat - J.A. Lawrence

A group of space traders, human and extraterrestrial, have a navigational accident whilst returning with their spoils. The planet on which they make landfall only reveals its true nature to one of the crew too late to save most of them.

This is one of the better stories in the collection. It feels as if it might have benefited from a longer treatment.

The almost empty rooms - John Shirley

In the stocks - Barry N. Malzberg

The Blood's Horizon - A.A. Attanasio

A vague, trippy account of a facility which houses researchers, or perhaps people being researched on, or both. It evolves into a story about post-human evolution or the oneness of the universe or something along those lines. Unrewarding. ( )