My Pathology

What if the logic of the world reflected the bizarre logic of the unconscious? Each story in My Pathology explores the insanity just below the surface of normal life—especially the madness that unites and divides the sexes. A woman's obsession with her younger sister's nocturnal activities centers uneasily upon the attic of their shared home, where someone or something has built a room-sized nest. A man's desire to connect with aliens threatens his ability to form human relationships. And in the title story, a modern-day alchemist has enlisted sexuality itself into his quest for the philosopher's stone, with uncertain consequences for the women who love him. By turns disturbing and compelling, these sixteen multi-faceted tales reprise the career of one of SF's most emotionally insightful writers.