Speculative fiction master Neal Shusterman must have had a lot of fun pulling together his Mindworks collection of short stories. While he admits in the Introduction that they are all from smaller, previously printed story collections through a different publisher, this is a proud papa’s showcase of 42 different offspring of his creative love affair with the sci-fi dystopia genre in one place, including two stories at the end from his best-selling world of Scythe. All of the stories have been revised to reflect current technology and societal pressures, and many are meant to keep your brain scared of the premise long after you’ve read the last words. A stuffed teddy bear who comes to life because the parents of a young girl are too focused on themselves to love their daughter. A boy who befriends a girl who only wants a friend, only to try to trap her because the same thing once happened to him. A soup so fantastical that it turns people into zombie eaters of it. A story of trust to find the perfect way to live and love in a cozy cabin for two. The path a reader walks to witness where Schusterman’s mind went when writing these stories is just as entertaining as the stories themselves. Not every story will land. Great debate could be had in college lit. classes as to why one is far better than another. But Shusterman fans will cleave onto this collection for all time. It was a smart move for Simon and Schuster to offer Shusterman the opportunity to pull these visions together. It is well worth the purchase to enhance any short story collection, to place on a shelf next to other Shusterman fiction books, and/or to give as a gift for readers who also appreciate how to spice up the possibilities of what may be real- the “things may just be weird” aspect of the dull dreams life brings. Highly recommended!