The first collection of Algis Budrys's celebrated review columns for The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, covering the years 1975 to 1982. Budrys won a Locus Award for his similar collection Benchmarks: Galaxy Bookshelf (1985) and a Pilgrim Award for lifetime achievement in science fiction and fantasy criticism. Tim Powers, multiple award-winning sf/fantasy novelist, writes: "As well as one of the best writers in our field, Algis Budrys was the best writer about our field. These essays are much more than reviews -- altogether they're a deeply perceptive history of science fiction literature."