One of the better collections in a series that, for me, was always well above average. 45 years on, many of these stories are still fresh.

Mistress of the Mind - Lee Harding

A story ostensibly about a brothel of the future in a highly-controlled society. They're still in the dodgy parts of town and still run by people you don't want to be on the wrong side of. But the services they provide are less physical and aren't coming from humans.

Frontier Incident - Robert Wells

A first contact story that is particularly bleak. The potential outcome is well-signalled throughout the story but it is still a surprise when it comes. Unusual both for its bleakness and for the method of contact that is used.

The Big Day - Donald Malcolm

A common-enough theme for the time - highly regulated societies remove almost all risk and individualism. In this story, there is a once-a-year chance for some to experience an element of risk through a semi-real, semi-simulated adventure. The outcome won't surprise, but the treatment of the theme is good.

Major Operation - James White

I'm a great fan of the Sector General stories, of which this is one (ER in space, in case you aren't familiar with them.) But this is not one of my favourites. Major Conway finds himself treating a patient the size of a continent who has never needed to communicate with another lifeform before.

The Cyclops Patrol - William Spencer

This is one that hasn't lasted so well. Insect-sized remote-controlled cameras used for industrial espionage are now pretty much a reality. But the strategy that is used to combat them here at least brings a smile to one's face.

Some Dreams Come In Packages - David Kyle

A story about interstellar travel and human-like AIs with a twist of sorts. The setting is more typical of 1930s-era fiction - brainy scientist builds a starship AND AIs in total secrecy - but there are a few redeeming features.

Django Maverick: 2051 - Grahame Leman

Another story on the theme of the rebel creative in a regulated society, but this one is very well thought through and not entirely typical in its setting. The focus is on a corporation that could clean up as a result of what we would now call disruption in the market - disruption brought on by one talented misfit. ( )