Tales of the City (edition 2012)

The City of the Saved is one of my favourite science-fiction concepts: a secular afterlife at the end of time, in which every human being is resurrected in an immortal body. Previous entries in the series have tended to focus on the meta-scale of the City: the stories of this collection instead those of the City's ordinary residents. The strongest entries – such as Blair Bidmead's standout "Happily Ever After is a High-Risk Strategy" – are those that utilise the series' unique concept most effectively; examining the effect eternity has on life's assumptions and narratives. The weakest (though there are no truly weak stories in Tales of the City) stray furthest from the central conceit, drifting instead into the sort of genre pastiche that could be equally at home in a number of other series. And some will leave you feeling pretty uncomfortable (I dread my next bruise). ( )