Alien Pets

VOYA - Joyce Davidson

Aliens live among and with us now-we cater to their whims, we buy them special treats, toys, and food. We wait on them hand and foot, we open doors for them, pay for their medical care, and tend to their needs before our own. We call these aliens "pets," but what do they think of us? In the future, as we reach into space and genetic technology booms, what will our pets look like and how will they view us? This topic is explored here in fifteen original tales. From Princess the Persian, who defeats an alien invasion, to Vespa, the bioengineered pet that wasn't, the future of human/pet relations is explored. If an alien can disguise itself as something cute and fluffy, we welcome it into our homes making it easier for the formal invasion that follows. Will we become the pets of some more advanced alien species? One of the best offerings here is what I call a scorpion story (it has a sting in its tale)-in Watchcat, by John DeChancie, a husband plans his wife's murder, but their alien cat is watching and he is not what he appears to be. In the bittersweet story Diamonds, by Michelle West, the young boy who felt he never really belonged in his family of jewelers discovers his parents' secret of success-a animal that cries diamonds. This collection is a fun addition wherever science fiction is popular. VOYA Codes: 4Q 4P S A/YA (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses, Broad general YA appeal, Senior High-defined as grades 10 to 12 and adults).