Animal truth and other stories

With these six thought-provoking stories, Muir (Invisible Beasts) invites readers into worlds both strange and familiar. "Menu: Extinction" follows an artist struggling to create an exhibit that properly evokes the horror of humanity's impact on endangered species--until his personal life takes a dark, unexpected turn. In the title story, the principal investigator of Mayhew Lab deals with the fallout of a Freedom of Information Act request that sends her past crashing into her present. Some stories are more whimsical: "The Weredog" introduces a human narrator whose shadow takes the shape of a dog, while "Bedcrumbs" invents an out-there scientific explanation for midnight munchies and postcoital cravings. Others tackle standard sci-fi tropes: time travel makes an appearance in "The Gifts of Chef Wang," as does a creature from the deep in the oddly touching "The Bath of Venus." Even as they leave the real world behind, Muir's stories are united by their deeply felt concern for Earth and its ecosystems. The balance of reality and unreality in these mind-twisting tales is sure to delight fans of Jeff VanderMeer's eco-fiction. Agent: Valerie Borchardt, Georges Borchardt Inc. (Nov.)