Alternatives

As the end of the twentieth century approaches, anxiety about the possible end of the world is becoming more evident in literature, popular culture, and public discourse. In this timely book, Ulrich Kortner addresses this issue of apocalyptic anxiety by offering a theological and philosophical evaluation of the apocalyptic. In particular, Kortner looks at how theology, responding in pastoral sensitivity, should deal with the fears present in this age of anxiety. Kortner. Concludes that real meaning and hope for the world is possible only after the world's inhabitants deal constructively with the stark reality of the world's end. This book should be read by anyone interested in the theological and philosophical aspects of apocalypticism.

Collections of science fiction short stories by early Hugo winner Mark Clifton

Over the years since 1965, Algis Budrys has emerged as the leading critic of mod­ern speculative fiction: insightful, eclectic, and notoriously uninhibited. Benchmarks collects the material that started it all: 54 Galaxy Bookshelf book-review columns Budrys created for the now-vanished Galaxy Magazine. Written for what was then the world’s leading SF periodical, these legendary summations and summary judgments coincided with the period when newsstand-borne science fiction and fantasy were evolving from pulp toward literature. Budrys’ Galaxy reviews trace an incisive, sometimes wickedly acerbic path through that sparsely charted literary territory.

Contains twelve fictional stories about humans and machines.