The Infinity Box: A Collection of Speculative Fiction

Kate Wilhelm’s science fiction is impressive in every sense, and the feeling and texture of her writing leave a lasting impression. This collection includes nine stories, and they are all stunning.

Highlights include: “The Infinity Box,” a long and chilling story of a man who becomes obsessed with his sudden shocking ability to penetrate and control the mind of a vulnerable, frightened woman; “The Time Piece,” a witty and frustrating tale of a man whore retirement present—a watch— enables him to relive moments of his past but leaves him helpless to change any of it, or what follows; and “Man of Letters,” about a hack writer with fading skills whose soap-opera plots seem to be coming true. Other stories are “The Fusion Bomb,” “The Red Canary,” “April Fools’ Day Forever,” “Where Have You Been, Billy Boy Billy Boy?,” “The Village,” and “The Funeral.”