Blending a focus on cutting-edge technology with deep emotional impacts, this enticing collection draws its stories from various Year's Best and Reader's Choice lists. The pathos of the human condition is explored in such stories as "My Mother, Dancing," in which seedlings are planted and those responsible must decide if they will play God with them, or let natural selection progress; or in "Nano Comes to Clifford Falls," where nanotechnology brings every wish to everyone—yet dire problems still ensue. The narratives reveal many forms of artificial intelligence including a persecuted slave in "Computer Virus," a controlling force of the universe in "Mirror Image," or even one that's entirely indifferent to humans in "Savior." From the center of the galaxy to the swamps of Earth, all 13 inventive tales offer a trademark mix of hard science fiction interacting with flawed humanity.