Maxima Library

'The Cylinder is a massive structure rising miles above the surface of an unknown future Earth. Axxter, the hero of Farewell Horizontal, has forsaken the dull, nine-to-five life of Cylinder's Horizontal levels to go where the action is – the Vertical, where freelancers, warring tribes and other nomadic types live along the slings and cables of Cylinder's outer edge. His dream is to be a successful graffex artist, designing armour and ikons for the various tribes – and, like all citizens, he is linked by a microchip in his brain to the complex computer system that runs the economy. But when Axxter accepts a really big job – creating all-new military imagery for one of Cylinder's most powerful tribes – he begins a dangerous journey that will take him to the far side of Cylinder – and beyond.

Travelt, a corporate flunkey at DynaZauber, is dead, but his prowler is still stalking the Wedge. Harrisch needs the prowler back, before it spews DynaZauber's secrets to the enemy, so he approaches ex-agent McNihil. McNihil's every nerve ending screams no, but Harrisch won't take no for an answer.

This acclaimed series, winner of numerous World Fantasy Awards, continues its tradition of excellence with scores of short stories from such writers as K. W. Jeter, Karl Edward Wagner, Terry Bisson, S. P. Somtow, Charles de Lint, Kobo Abe, Jane Yolen and many others. Supplementing the stories are the editors' invaluable overviews of the year in fantastic fiction, Edward Bryant's witty roundup of the year's fantasy films, and a long list of Honorable Mentions—all of which adds up to an invaluable reference source, and a font of fabulous reading.