Stories of fantasy, short stories which cannot be ranged under the heading of science fiction for their contemporary and 'historical' nature, as well as stories that are projected into the near and distant future, with all that that implies. But like all good stories in any field, The Halfwit of Xeenemunde, The Einstein Brain, Pirate's Island (all originally published in English in the American 'Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction') and the other stories in this book ring true in the contemporary world. Based on human weaknessess, foibles and strengths, the plots leave a person thinking and wondering: strange animal, man...how is it with happiness, satisfaction, plenty?