Nancy Kress is unrivaled in her treatment of genetic engineering. In 1991 she wrote the ground-breaking classic novella "Beggars in Spain" (Hugo/Nebula) and since then has only enhanced her reputation for telling outstanding stories set in the near future and dealing with genetics.

This collection brings together six of these stories written between 1984 and 2008, including "The Flowers of Aulit Prison," which won the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award for best story.