This collection of tightly crafted, highly imaginative short stories employs surrealist, satirical, and fantastical devices to explore politics, class, and gender. From a hilarious tale about bioengineering and the stresses of climbing the corporate ladder to an evocative story of a woman who loses a sock at the the laundromat and finds she's missing a bit of her soul, these science fiction stories showcase an award-winning writer's compelling vision of the universe. Computer pioneers, cross-country skiers, and aliens figure into these literary stories that challenge the boundaries of imagination with quirky, anti-establishment characters and visionary technological extrapolation. Contents Foreword by William Gibson "Stable Strategies for Middle Management" "Fellow Americans" "Computer Friendly" "The Sock Story" "Coming to Terms" "Lichen and Rock" "Contact" "What Are Friends For?" "Ideologically Labile Fruit Crisp" "Spring Conditions" "Nirvana High" (with Leslie What) "Green Fire (with Andy Duncan, Pat Murphy, and Michael Swanwick) Afterword by Howard Waldrop