Presents an anthology of science fiction stories and includes comments and analysis by their authors, including Greg Bear, Nancy Kress, Bruce Sterling, and Howard Waldrop Award-winning sf writers and instructors from the Clarion Writers Workshop (Greg Bear, Joe Haldeman, Pat Murphy, Karen Joy Fowler, and others) demonstrate?through their stories?how they create plot, character, setting, theme, point of view, and style. Each section contains an introductory essay by editor Wilson, two illustrative stories, and a short, insightful essay by each author. Highly recommended for all sf collections. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. Editor Wilson, founding father of the long-running Clarion Writers Workshops for science fiction, is well qualified to compile this anthology that also affords its contributors' instructive behind-the-scenes comments on the sf writer's craft. A virtual who's who of major players in contemporary sf, the lineup includes James Patrick Kelly, Greg Bear, Kim Stanley Robinson, Joe Haldeman, and eight others; each provides insight on the composition of his or her story. Nancy Kress contributes wry social satire in "The Price of Oranges" when a septuagenarian travels to 1937 to kidnap a boyfriend for his granddaughter. Given the form of an academic book review, Bruce Sterling's "Our Neural Chernobyl" describes a future viral outbreak of elevated animal intelligence. Pat Cadigan's "Pretty Boy Crossover" describes the entertainment medium of the future, which involves downloading one's entire existence into a computer. Good reading and an indispensable resource for both aspiring sf writers and curious fans seeking enlightenment as to how favorite authors get and develop their crazy ideas. Carl Hays