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Title: Fresh modern stories
Review: It's hard to define the "modern era" of science fiction, but this anthology provides a good measure. The stories (originally published from 1981 to 2002) have a freshness, perhaps by asking questions about how we humans would react to future realities. These 17 stores are not hard on scientific details, but rather focus on human reaction. There are no rigid forms and Maureen McHughs "Lincoln Train" could be thought of as alternate history. Greg Bear's "Tangents" tells a story of a young boy interacting with an older experimental couple, and the boys reaching new worlds that the couple could only glimpse. Philip K. Dick (creator of Blade Runner) short tale of cat-kibble and boredom is easy to relate to. Orson Scott Card's "Salvage", perhaps updates the James Dean story of restlessness and homesickness. Less we think that the future belongs to the humans Terry Bisson's "They're made out of meat" puts us in our place. A great anthology!
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