READY WHEN YOU ARE This remarkable collection highlights the quality, range, and idiosyncratic creativity of Barry N. Malzberg's work both inside and outside of the science fiction genre. Some of these stories could have been published anywhere (and, in fact, two of them appeared in BEST MYSTERIES OF THE YEAR anthologies). Many of them read as if Samuel Beckett woke up one day and decided to write absurdist science fiction exploring the existential comedy and sorrow of modern life. Other stories can break a reader's heart. And often the comic and tragic live side by side in the same story. It's amazing to see what Malzberg was able to pull off while working within - and expanding - the confines of salable genre fiction. The fascinating introduction and afterwords explain what he was up to and why. But don't take our word for it. Read this splendid collection and find out for yourself.