Why Not You and I?

Wagner's second collection contains 11 horror stories, most of which are diverting if not actually horrifying. ""Neither Brute Nor Human'' is a tale of two writers who make it big, one of whom is really drained by his success; ``Into Whose Hands'' is an account, with very sinister overtones, of a day in the life of a psychiatrist in a state mental hospital; ``Old Loves'' makes gentle and not so gentle fun of the fanatic fans of the old Avengers television series; ``The Last Wolf'' is a sad tale of the future in which people have almost ceased to read; ``Sign of the Salamander'' is a well-executed pastiche of 1930s pulp magazine hero stories; ``Blue Lady, Come Back'' is an expert mix of detective story and supernatural story; and ``Lacunae'' concerns a drug that expands the consciousness a bit beyond its limits. (November 30)