The Earth Strikes Back

Worried that this collection of ""ecological horror stories"" might be didactic, politically correct and just plain boring? Fear not. After you read 10 pages, the anthology is hard to put down. Whether telling the story of a future plague, of a toxic disaster or of the next evolutionary stage, the authors manage to be compelling. Almost every story is pleasantly creepy, and the ones that aren't are sardonic, gory or disturbing. Mother Nature in this collection is no helpless babe. Instead, she responds to human abuses with a left hook that would do Mike Tyson proud. The result is an anthology that is occasionally preachy but, more often, fantastic. Let's just hope it's printed on recycled paper. (Apr.)