[Synopsis from the book's web pages at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords]  This book is a compilation of 13 contemporary science fiction and speculative fiction short stories whose range extends from the innermost dimensions of the mind to the outer reaches of the universe. The stories touch on both timeless and novel themes including philosophical questions as to the meaning of life, the nature of reality, the power of love, the catastrophic consequences of looking for truth in all the wrong places, scientific hubris, and the superlative strength and wrenching weakness of the human spirit. Themes include hard and soft science fiction, horror, humor, romance and literary fiction in both traditional and unusual combinations. Several of the stories in this collection can be classified as "dark fiction" that pose all too disturbingly feasible ways for human beings to destroy themselves through bad decisions--and perhaps even our corner of the universe. But these are tempered with humor and with the hope that springs from humanity's ability to cheat fate through its ingenuity--and, more importantly, to learn from its mistakes. These stories are intended to entertain, but also to leave the reader thinking long after she/he puts down the book.