From School Library Journal
Grade 10 Up For serious fans of science fiction who will not be put off by often gruesome imagery, wild reaches of the unexpected, and the use of British dialect and expressions, this is a collection of seven thought-provoking stories. Three of these stories have been published in earlier collections. In Urn Burial, a shepherd discovers the ancient coffin of a catlike warrier hero and is saved from making a decision on whether or not to exploit his discovery. A pregnant female is the sole living survivor in the world in Peckforton Hill , and her offspring emerge as the new Adam and Eve . A would-be poet in ``The Death of Wizards'' learns that knowing the complete truth about everything is not a gift to be wished for. Two young children visiting the English town of Northwich in ``The Big Rock Candy Mountain'' are led by night to a city that exists in the past. In ``Rachel and the Angel,'' a young girl has to find at least one person worth saving or her small English town will be destroyed. The longest story is ``Artist on Aramor.'' In it an artist is hired to paint the breathing, growing landscape of the distant planet Aramor. When he grows increasingly lonely, he is given ``sex robots'' as companions. Always surprising and often grimly graphic, these seven tales will appeal to readers who are willing to think. It's the type of science fiction that deserves a second reading. Yvonne A. Frey, Peoria Public Library, Ill.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
