Strange Wonders: A Collection of Rare Fritz Leiber Works

More the literary equivalent of a set of DVD extras than a true collection, these stories, poems, and fragments might intrigue Leiber completists, but won't offer much to readers looking for entertainment. Most of the included pieces are incomplete, offering only a glimpse into what might have been. A few items of religious juvenilia offer an intriguing glimpse down Leiber's roads not taken. The diehard fan or scholar will enjoy some of the unpolished but largely self-sufficient tales like "Opaque Corridor," "The Communicants," and "Social Inventor." Only "The Mystery of the Japanese Clock," an exercise in mechanical analysis, and the wacky "Quicks Around the Zodiac" really provide anything that might be of interest to the casual reader. (Nov.)