Unpossible and Other Stories

From demon-possessed racecars to the horrors of modern science to a super villain prison break, Gregory (The Devil's Alphabet) displays his wide-ranging mastery of science fiction and fantasy in this outstanding short fiction collection. Hard-science highlights include the intellectually and emotionally challenging exploration of neuroscience, consciousness, and identity in "Second Person, Present Tense%E2%80%9D; a mix of quantum mechanics and the personal demands of genius in "Dead Horse Point%E2%80%9D; and the burgeoning of artificial intelligence and robotics in "Gardening at Night.%E2%80%9D Comic book-inspired tales like "Message from the Bubblegum Factory%E2%80%9D and "The Illustrated Biography of Lord Grimm%E2%80%9D explore the negative effects of superheroes on the world from the point of view of both sidekicks and ordinary citizens. The collection ends strongly with the dark-tinged "The Continuing Adventures of Rocket Boy,%E2%80%9D a tale of boys escaping their reality by making their own science fiction movie. All 14 of Gregory's top-notch tales make this an indelible read and a must-have collection for science fiction enthusiasts, proving him to be a rising science star in the genre. (Nov.)