A collection of SF short stories by an author who takes the "speculative fiction" approach to the genre seriously. I liked "The Young Person's Guide to the Organism" -- a first-contact story borrowing Benjamin Britten's structure, which reminded me somewhat of "River of Gods" -- best, but they're all excellent. I was struck particularly by his ability to convey a distinct voice for each of his narrators; there are a variety of styles here, and (the consistently high quality of the writing aside) I wouldn't have suspected they were all by the same author had I encountered them individually.
Highly recommended; I want to read more.
ISBN 0060087706.