Gathered here are sixteen flights of the imagination, beginning with questions such as: 1.How will the Law of Unintended Consequences affect the use of a Mars colony to repopulate a devastated Earth?2.What could possibly go wrong with our search for extra-terrestrial intelligence (SETI)? 3.What do Churchill and Spraken's exploits on Gallius II teach us about who we think we are?4.Who wins if capitalism and technology are practised to the nth degree? Mr Rüppell's tale gives clues.5.When humans seek the easy way, Robot Dreams will have their say! Savour each of the sixteen courses of this "mental degustation", but make sure you leave room for the nuanced messages in the concluding story: The Glorious Enlightenment.Sample it, or read from first to last, but whichever way you go, don't rush this banquet of mind food.Bon appétit. D. Alan Petersen