These nine low-key but very much out-there speculative fictions mostly begin with something truly bizarre happening followed by people's reactions to it. "The Lottery" has a time traveler sent back to alter the very beginnings of evolution, only to meet with competition. "Face to Stony Face" offers a twist on the hard-boiled detective story wherein a new building and old gargoyles seem to spell death for certain occupants. "The Battle of Leila the Dog" is a SF ghost story that delivers an unexpected sadness to the early space program. "Long Live the Giant!" is a modern myth variation on the Promethean-style creation of the human race. "The Blondfire Genome" is intriguing—a teen uses science to indulge in petty retribution and when it backfires, it proves successful in ways she hadn't counted on. "White Christmas" belies the title with a doomsday tale both creepy and inexorable. "Malcolm and the Intergalactic Slug-Suckers" concerns a player caught in a subspace game; "Everything" portrays a bleak society where stealing someone's extraordinary vision is more than a metaphor; and "Circles of Fire" offers an Old Testament explanation for crop circles. The stories have a visual flavor, steeped in symbols. Of particular note is that all the stories are by established writers from in and around Australia, and publication was assisted by the Commonwealth Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body. KLIATT Codes: SA—Recommended for senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 1994, Scholastic, 162p, 18cm, $4.99. Ages 16 to adult. Reviewer: Liz LaValley; Mattapoisett, MA, May 2000 (Vol. 34 No. 3)