Beyond the rim of the solar system, past the orbit of Pluto, into the uncharted vastness of deep space - here lie stars beyond counting, whole galaxies, a world that is still a mystery to us. Yet, as Robert Silverberg points out, an inexhaustible treasure trove of unbounded possibility awaits those whose imaginations voyage to the stars, and in this book he has collected eight of those possibilities.

Among them are a story about a spaceman in a life hutch on an airless planetoid who is held prisoner by a deranged robot; another about a galactic agent who learns that there is a cosmic reason for his distasteful, dangerous job; and one about a robot guarding a treasure, who plays a trick question-and-answer game with those who come seeking it. Then there is the classic story about the strangest space trip of all, that to Far Centaurus.

The distinguished authors of the stories in this compelling anthology are: A.E. van Vogt, Damon Knight, Chad Oliver, Jack Vance, Harlan Ellison, Gordon R. Dickson, Terry Carr, and, of course, Mr. Silverberg himself. (less)