The far future is a subgenre of science fiction concerned with a time so distant that there is no attempt to trace the course of history between the reader and the story, often with the end of the earth or of the universe. The anthology combines 14 short stories written from the 1930s to the 1990s by some of science fiction's best known writers, with 16 critical essays often considering particular novels and series but sometimes more general aspects. References abound, but there is no index. Distributed in the US by ISBS. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)