An okish collection at 3.31, with 3 strong stories. This and extra non-fiction etc. enough to warrant the 3.5.

Otherness is divided into sections:

Transitions
Contact
Continuity
Cosmos
Otherness

The first of which contain short stories, plus some non-fiction or story notes. The last an essay about writing and making stuff up, sci-fi style.

Altruism virus messiah.

4 out of 5

Elvis Road Dog.

2 out of 5

Designing the kid.

3 out of 5

Los Angeles archaeology.

3 out of 5

Ship blowup Talent giveup.

3 out of 5

UFO talkback.

3 out of 5

Japanese expedition arrival, sexual relations of human and aliens, and the odd problem with gravity and such.

3 out of 5

Project Lightprobe robot explorer crazy.

3.5 out of 5

VR Long Stick hunt.

3.5 out of 5

Dropping your bundle and bundle.

4 out of 5

I thought there was nothing outside Galaxies.

3.5 out of 5

Gaia War done? Right, it's back to the normal every day study of black hole manipulation then.

3.5 out of 5

Black hole and baby making.

4 out of 5

http://notfreesf.blogspot.com/2009/10... ( )

A little scifi, and a little non-fiction. This book mixes some scifi short stories and Brin's reflections on technology and society. Highly recommended! ( )

An interesting collection of short stories on the nature of humanity. It could have been titled "(m)otherness", because many of the stories are extensive meditations on the process and meaning of motherhood. ( )

Otherness is the uniting theme for the short stories and essays collected in this book. Don't let the silly cheap science fiction cover fool you: there's some pretty deep thought inside the covers. The short stories vary from great to ok, but the essays offer the best value in the collection. Brin writes about UFOs, science versus magic and what he calls the dogma of otherness. It's all very interesting and enlightening.

The short stories aren't a waste of space, either - the best of them are captivating and contain marvellous ideas. Brin writes good science fiction, especially if you value interesting ideas. Those looking for fresh thought to chew on will find a nice dose from this collection.

(Original review from my review blog.) ( )

A collection of short stories and essays mostly related to a theme of how we perceive others who are different from ourselves. The essays are interesting and tie in quite a bit with themes Brin explored in The Transparent Society. The stories were only average. Brin is more interesting at novel length than with short stories.
Best Stories: “The Giving Plague”, “Dr. Pak's Preschool”, “What Continues... and What Fails...” ( )

Wonderful collection. What does it mean to be human? ( )

Trenchant stories and essays. I especially liked the explanation for UFO abductions.