Library Journal
Carrying on the tradition established by Terry Carr's original Universe anthologies (1971-87), this second volume in the new series contains 22 original stories that, while eclectic in content, share an uncommonly high standard of style. From Sean McMullen's dark future where humans are literally small cogs in a great machine (``Souls in the Great Machine'') to Lisa Mason's truly alien love story (``Triad''), this collection of tales by old and new authors showcases the ongoing vitality of imaginative fiction.