Analog Science Fiction & Fact Magazine has provided four edgy stories about heroism, each exploring emotional dimensions uncommon in this or any other genre. The collection is edited by Stanley Schmidt. "Slow Life" by 2002 Hugo winner Michael Swanwick is a colorful tale of exotic adventure and alien life on Titan.
Nebula Award finalist "The Astronaut from Wyoming" by Adam-Troy Castro and Jerry Oltion is about a boy with a birth defect that makes him look like a tabloid alien, but who nevertheless wants to be an astronaut.
Stephen Baxter's "The Hunters of Pangaea" takes us back to the Jurassic era and into the minds of a species of intelligent dinosaur.
Pat Forde's "In Spirit" is the ultimate 9/11 story, drawing lessons about our humanity from the stuff of tragedy. The story has elicited much commentary in Analog's Web site forum, with many readers concluding that it is one of the most powerful stories of any type they have ever read.
