The forty stories in this collection are quite varied in genre and tone, but with similar themes and motifs throughout that make it an engaging, unified read. Story titles like "Letters from the Laboratory," and "Poppy the Girl of my Dreams, and the Alien Invasion I can detect like radar through my braces" are immediately intriguing, as are the beautiful black and white illustrations introducing each story. Some of the stories ("Lost in the Penguin Tunnel"; "Another Light Called 1-47") are simple and sweet, almost idyllic; others ("Black Flies Inside"; "The Animals have seized the diamond sea kingdom") are quite graphic and dark. However, the overall writing is haunting and evocative, defying easy categorization - which I think makes the writing all the more interesting. A great collection for lovers of thought-provoking, genre-bending fiction.