I found this had some good stories, but not enough to carry the book. I read some, enjoyed them, and skipped others with a frown. Based on this I will not wish to read others in the series, however I'm going to look out for books by some of the individual authors. I quite liked Minor Key by John Harvey. I found the choice of plotline unusual enough to be interesting. It's always nice to get a glimpse into other lives and the other side of things. I found Marc Villard's storyline to complex and bitty for a short story. I really enjoyed the John Williams story. I found Cara Black's writing a very interesting take on wartime experiences - very human and real. I found Jean Hughes Oppel and Michael Moorcock's works very boring and was untouched by them which was rather a shame as Michael Moorcock's takes up a large amount of the book. I liked the Barry Gifford story, it shows another aspect of humanity. I could not interest myself in stories by Dominique Manotti, Dominique Sylvain, Jim Nisbet, Jerome Charyn, Romain Slocombe or Stella Duffy. Loved Maxim Jakubowski's own work and will be looking out for more of it. Very polished and sophisticated. I could take or leave Scott Phillips. I liked Sparkle Hayter's story. Her character was very believable. I really enjoyed Jake Lamar's story, very interesting characters there. ( )