Virtually Now: Stories of Science, Technology, and the Future

While science-fiction anthologies may come a dime a dozen, there will always be notable exceptions. The tales collected here are one such exception, not because of their quality, but because of the editorially risky decision to solicit original material. The result is a mixture of work by established figures and new entrants. In her short introduction, Schinto (Shadow Bands) offers no apology for her initial lack of interest in science fiction and tells how she was slowly won over as she read on. Unfortunately, her taste has produced an uneven collection at best. Some tales, such as Alison Baker's ""Better Be Ready 'Bout Half Past Eight"" and Ralph Lombreglia's ""Somebody Up There Likes Me"" hardly qualify as science fiction. Others, by established and unestablished writers alike, suffer some of the more common sins of poor science fiction writing. The selection from Doris Lessing's Shikasta is overbearingly preachy; Thomas Fox Averill, in ""The Onion and I,"" makes the novice's mistake of explaining his own symbols. There are, however, some winners. Octavia Butler's ""Speech Sounds"" is an accomplished work of post-apocalyptic fiction, while Richard Goldstein's ""The Logical Legend of Heliopause and Cyberfiddle"" cunningly exploits the fragmented diction of the cyberpunk tradition. And, finally, the collection benefits from an unusual number of comic pieces. Though no masterwork as far as anthologies go, Virtually Now is a creditable collection for any science fiction fan. (Nov.)