An insightful, quicksilver romp through Brin's own mind. In the 20 essays, short stories, and little wonders in this book, David will take you from the worlds of Galileo Galilei and Jules Verne, through thoughtful explorations of Orwell and Tolkien, and on into tomorrows that just may happen.

What may we become? How will we endure? The future is a daunting realm, filled with real and imagined perils. So enter it prepared! Here are vivid tales about possible tomorrows, from the keen eye and colorful pen of David Brin, a modern master of speculative fiction. Visit a chillingly plausible tomorrow, when prisoners may be sent to asteroidal gulags. Or might prisons vanish and felons roam, seeing only what society allows? Suppose, amid lavish success, we gain the superpower to fly! Will we even appreciate it… or will we find new reasons to complain? In "Mars Opposition," you'll experience an alien invasion like no other, confronting humanity with a stark and terrible choice… followed by several more tales of conquest from beyond, each of them wildly different. On the other hand, might fantastically potent new beings emerge out of ourselves, as revealed in "Chrysalis”? Featuring guest appearances by Gregory Benford, Jules Verne, and Galileo, this adventure takes you beyond the very singularity in “Stones of Significance,” pondering what could happen after humans are like gods. And “Reality Check” asks one of you readers – just one of you – to wake up! Tomorrow awaits. We can face it and prevail. So long as our stance is brave INSISTENCE OF VISION.

"Some Math Club nerds have got a real live alien! They're hiding it in a basement rec room!" High School junior Mark Bamford doesn't believe the silly rumor. For one thing, here in the town of Twenty-Nine Palms? California homes don't have basements! Besides....A stranded alien? Seriously? Can we say c-l-i-c-h-e? Movie rip-off? Can't the math geeks think up a better hoax?But then... Why are black vans from the super-secret Cirocco Corp cruising all over town, searching for something? Mark and his pal Alexandra decide to do some investigating of their own. Only, where can they turn for help? The skateboarding "X" crowd? The varsity climbing team? It's not like their social circle is an elite spy force!Perhaps though... with home grown ingenuity... a little sleight of hand-okay, call it double-dealing, whatever.... The truth isn't just 'out there.' It may be right next door.Now available in full length for the first time - winner of the Hal Clement Award for YA fiction - comes the first book in a series about young humans confronting an age-old theme-that of strangers from beyond-giving it new shape, guided by the deft hand of one of science fiction's modern masters.