There is surprise, humor and often suspense in these six stories featuring the novelette "If I Should Die Before It Wakes," where a marine biologist discovers a nightmare poised to awaken in the world's oceans.

Other stories include "Concerning the Death of Robert Logan on CV-IV" where a team of nerdy zenolinguists try to solve the mystery of an abandoned planet. The misinterpretation of a common word could a fatal consequence. Just after a malfunction causes a robot designed for teen amusement to attain self-consciousness, he's assigned to an elder-care facility in "Assisted Living." In...