Under South American Skies

This second engaging volume in Resnick and Dozois's Future Earths series transports readers to South American latitudes that are as exotic and exciting as the farthest stars. In Orson Scott Card's story, the birth of an Aztec messiah heralds the reforestation of North and South America, bringing the industrial revolution to a peaceful end. Homesickness plagues a vacationer in a charming story by Pat Murphy that shows how kindness can make travelers feel welcome, even if they're from another star system. In this tale that evokes ``Sleeping Beauty,'' Gregorio, a Mexican hammock salesman, hangs a hammock in a warm cave for an extraterrestrial abandoned for 100 years, so that she can rest and feel ``at home'' until her friends arrive to pick her up. In a classic and unnerving story by James Tiptree Jr., alienation from one's fellow species members causes a vacationing mother and daughter to hitch a ride on a visiting starship. Though these women have successful careers and a loving family, they see themselves as impotent in a world ruled by men; their dream of escaping male hierarchy is realized when they are stranded near a group of aliens on a scientific study. (Aug.)