Amazon.com (ISBN 1563411105, Paperback)

It goes without saying that this collection is required reading for anyone who read and enjoyed the first installation of these stories in To Be Continued.... Happily, almost all of the sequels live up to their first halves, tying up loose ends, unraveling mysteries, and expanding on possibilities. One of the best stories is Cecilia Tan's skillful and moving "Dragon's Daughter," in which the heroine continues her search through time for the beautiful immortal Jin Jin, the emperor's concubine. In Carla Trujillo's "Huevos Rancheros," an abused child's revenge dream finds real-life fulfillment. And the vampires Gilda and Effie in Jewelle Gomez's "Joe Louis Was a Heck of a Fighter" vanquish their old enemy Samuel and live happily ever after, as vampires are meant to do, sleeping by day and sucking necks by night. These satisfying conclusions are best read with the first volume of stories close at hand. --Regina Marler