A lot of these stories, to my mind, aren't really science fiction, for all they are fictions about science. I'm not entirely sure it matters, because they are fantastic stories. There's a very strong reflective effect here, both within and between narratives, and that mirrored technique is excellent. It's one I often use myself, because underlining science with human life makes it more approachable. It also makes the presentation of that science flexible, which is how you can get excellent stories about Antarctica and amorous mice and x-rays.

Anyway, I've just written a 2300 word review of this for Strange Horizons, which will - once the review has wended its way through the editing process - better illustrate just how much I like this collection and why. Subsequently I'm quite bloated with reviewing today... hence the shortness of this one. Suffice to say: You should read it, and if you have a friend named Elise/Lise/Lisa or a similar variant thereof, this might be a suitable Christmas present for them. It's just very well done.