This is an outstanding collection of stories, most about near-future bio-engineering, written with a uniquely human and emotional touch. Most are real gems."Beggars in Spain" is the first story in the collection, and it's easy to see why it won the Hugo and Nebula Awards for best novella in 1991. (It was later expanded into a full-length novel.) It's really an incredible piece of writing, highly engaging, sparkling characters, and interesting extrapolation of current science into science fiction, and a thoughtful exploration of social issues. But mostly, it was just an intriguing story that really pulled me in. This story alone is worth the price of the book."Fault Lines" is such a fluid, multi-faceted story I almost forgot what the sci-fi element was."Evolution is another intensely individual human story set amid a biological crisis, as the world copes with super-viruses that are widely resistant to existing antibiotics."Sex Evolution" is another outstanding story of consequences of relatively minor cloning to create multiple twins carried by different mothers, and the effect the knowledge has on one very young such "when"."Margin of Error" and "Summer Wind" are enticing, short little diversions."Flowers of Aulit Prison" is the only story in the collection that ventures off of planet Earth, introducing us to some aliens with a different culture and biochemistry.And "Dancing on Air" wrap things up with a final novella, again returning to genetic engineering but has perceived within mother-daughter relationships.Kress's two attempts at very short, humorous stories don't fare quite so well. "Unto the Daughters" and "Always True to Thee" didn't really work for me.
