This collection of tightly crafted, highly imaginative short stories employs surrealist, satirical, and fantastical devices to explore politics, class, and gender. From creatively homicidal bioengineering to counter the stresses of climbing the corporate ladder, to a woman who loses a sock at the laundromat and finds she's missing a bit of her soul, these science-fiction gems showcase an award-winning writer's compelling vision of the universe. Computer pioneers, cross-country skiers, and aliens figure into these literary stories that challenge the boundaries of imagination with quirky, anti-establishment characters and visionary technological extrapolation.