A STARFARER'S DOZEN
Stories of Things to Come
edited by Michael Stearns & illustrated by Michael Hussar
Stearns (A Wizard's Dozen, 1993) gathers over a dozen fantastic tales in a compelling collection that illuminates the depths of deep space and the spirit of teenagers. Martha Soukup's battered runaway finds her own salvation by tending a beaten dog; Will Shetterly writes of homosexual love between teen superheroes in the aftermath of a gay-bashing incident. Gang violence is the focus of Jane Yolen's story, set in a future where teens can be transformed back into apes and go ``wilding'' in New York City's Central Park, and where Zena refuses to wear her safety collar in order to be cool. Her eventual epiphany may seem a bit forced, but the maturity, intelligence, and sensitivity of all this collection's protagonists should prove reassuring to fans of the genre. (Fiction. 12+)