From his first professional story written when he was 16, "The Faces Outside," to his most critically acclaimed work, the novelette Dream Baby, a finalist for both the Hugo and Nebula awards, these 17 stories showcase the author's five decades of science fiction writing. Whether it be an elderly woman who uses her vast wealth to create a genetically perfect son ("Angels") or a young boy who learns the rituals of an alien culture in order to obtain an assassin¹s help for his unborn sister ("Kin"), the stories resonate with a child¹s sense of wonder coming face-to-face with the realities of the human condition in a science-fictional world. The book also features story notes that reveal each story's origin as well as the influences-both literary and human-on the author's life and writing career.