MICROCOSMIC TALES

One hundred miniature sf short stories, most of them too gimmicky to induce more than a shrug—but a few old pros do provide some mini-pleasure. Asimov's own "True Love" is the first-person tale of a program in a Multivac-complex—a program that gets away from its programmer (who's seeking the ideal woman) and begins seeking the ideal girl for itself. Harlan Ellison provides two audacious stories that reduce Big Themes to sprightly one-liners. Arthur C. Clarke's "Take a Deep Breath"—about a man without a spacesuit who can save his life only by passing through the vacuum between two space vehicles—offers his customary technological authority and precision. And who can resist Joanna Russ' nonstory "Useful Phrases for the Tourist"—the alien tourist, that is: "Waitress, this meal is still alive". . . "Are you edible? I am not edible". . . "That is my ear". . . "I am toxic". . . Not for serious sf folk, and no substantial nutrition for anybody—but a serviceable enough bedside anthology for those who get a yen for just a taste of something silly or tricky before going to sleep.