Thirteen stories of the near future-set in our world and beyond. Optimistic. Unsettling. Imaginative. Dangerous. Follow Valentine as he chooses whether to abandon his broken world or stay and rebuild. Travel Sideways through exotic dimensions. Fight the seductive pull of the Immersion tanks. Spend years travelling between systems to be with the true love you've never met. Fight to the death in VR hell. Play Shakespeare to miners on Pluto. Make first contact in unexpected places. And ponder the wisdom of philosopher cats. These stories outline a future which is sometimes challenging, sometimes hopeful but always changing. Are we alone? Will artificial intelligence be our salvation or our nemesis? Can we avoid blowing ourselves up or poisoning our planet? Can we find our place in the stars? And when we get there, most importantly, will there be fish? Thoughtful science fiction stories of apocalypse, dystopia, climate change, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, space exploration, first contact and life after death.