Global Information Technology and Electronic Commerce Issues for the New Millennium Book

This was a dollar store paperback -- a worthwhile find.

Successful both as Young Adult and Science Fiction, NEW SKIES features seventeen short stories by various well-known writers in the genre. I'm fairly widely read, so I had actually read a few of this anthology's stories elsewhere before.

I peg the theme of this collection as "new perspectives" or "exploring what's real/normal". Both themes are sure to resonate with tween/teen readers, as they simultaneously think they know everything and voraciously seek new experiences "out there".

A few stories cleverly use the device of "the alien gaze" to examine humanity. What will aliens think of us if they're a superior species? Are we quaint? Absurd? Primitive? Savage?

What will aliens think of us if we treat them like we treat other minority populations currently in our midst?

What will "aliens" think of us if they're human in fact, but of an utterly different culture/history?

A few of these stories use dystopian futures or alternative histories to toy with the idea of what everyday life and human resourcefulness might look like if circumstances are radically different to what's familiar.

A couple of these stories were really very compelling. "A Walk in the Sun" by Geoffrey A. Landis was a marooned-in-space nail-biter with extensive internal monologue that reminded me a little of "The Martian". Stephen Gould's "Peaches for Mad Molly" featured some of the most unique, thought-provoking world building I've ever read in any story, let alone a short story. I sure wish it was a 1K+-page trilogy instead of a short story.

A couple of the stories were a bit twee or confusing, so I'm removing a single star. All in all this is a great quick read.