It’s been a while since I read any and I’m glad to say that it’s as good as I remember. Sheckley’s promised presence at WorldCon 2005 was a major draw for me, and I’m sorry that ill health meant that he had to withdraw, just months before his death, meaning that I never got to meet him.
This volume is effectively two books in one, containing one novel, Immortality Inc. and enough short stories to form a book in their own right. I’ve always thought that Sheckley is at his strongest in short stories, so I skipped the novel and went straight there.
I don’t think I found anything that I hadn’t read before, but familiar stories like Specialist (Humanity finds its place in the co-operative community of the galaxy), Ask A Foolish Question (a device is built that can answer any question, but only if framed correctly), Pilgrimage to Earth (a colonist travels to Earth in search of true love) and many more are a joy to read and re-read.
