On the Eyeball Floor and Other Stories

The 28 fantasy stories, vignettes, and poems in this enticingly varied first collection range in mood from the giddy to the somber, but all are distinguished by their author’s skill at pursuing ideas to their logical extreme. “Standard Comfort Measures in Earthling Pregnancies” is written as a “what to expect when you’re expecting” guide for human women and men who unexpectedly become hosts to alien embryos. “Super-Baby-Moms Group Saves the Day!” is a succession of online chat group posts from mothers coping with children who have outrageous superhero powers. At the opposite extreme of these comic flings are “Selling Home,” set in a Ballardian world of endlessly overarching bridges where the disenfranchised struggle to reach the upper decks of the wealthy, and “Old Dead Futures,” whose damaged protagonist reveals that his ability to mentally alter reality is more a curse than a blessing. Connolly writes with a vividness that immerses the reader in her scenarios and makes their unpredictable endings all the more fulfilling. Agent: Ginger Clark, Curtis Brown Ltd. (Aug.)