Variations Three

Description

Maine novelist and journalist Sharon Lee brings a new dimension to the old saying, "Be careful what you wish for" when she explores what happens to people who follow their dreams a step beyond the here-and-now in these unique short fictions. In the short-short "Coffeecat," Lee teases us with a fun story about the reality of morning coffee. If you think you really know the right way to go about getting your java, read this! In "The AfterImage" we get an incisive look at beauty contests of the future, when today's often hit-or-miss use of cosmetic surgery has given way to the body-sculpting perfection of microscopic nanotech reconstruction. How much are YOU willing to give to be beautiful? "Passionato" offers readers a chance to see a collector at work. This collector has sought out artists of all types: sculptors and painters, poets and authors, and in his own fey way shares their inmost dreams and passions. In a world of cookie-cutter worldbuilding and PC fantasy, Sharon Lee may be the last original voice of the old Sense of Wonder tradition. -- Rosemary Edghill