Other stories in this anthology are “Old Man Henderson,” “The Hunter,” “Underground Movement,” “The Forest of Zil,” and “From the Government Printing Office.”

In most of the stories Neville writes of loneliness, isolation, alienation, intol­erance of anything or anyone different, and of insanity created by the pressures of living. Along with madness of various kinds, his stories explore the essence of human nature and individuals interact­ing with one another as well as with so­ciety. As Malzberg notes, Neville, unlike many science fiction writers, was a se­rious author interested in “Big ideas.”

Barry N. Malzberg is a science fiction writer with more than 75 novels to his credit.

Martin H. Greenberg has been the edi­tor or author of over 40books.

“‘Bettyann,’ ‘Overture,’ ‘The Price of Simeryl,’ ‘Ballenger’s People,’ ‘New Apples in the Garden,’ and ‘Cold War,’ at least, are masterpieces. They center this field. Given half a chance Neville would have made everyone know what a few of us already know: he was the best of us.”—Barry N. Malzberg from the Preface