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I am unabashedly a big fan of short story anthologies. This one starts off oddly with the two stories which are my least favorite of the entire collection. After that, each story is at least good, and some are excellent.

There are definite recurring themes: the futility of war, the dangers of automation and the delegation of ever-growing tasks to robots, and the ethics of terraforming other planets after foolishly ruining our own. Philip Dick tackles the real fears of his own and current generations. In "Paycheck," he explores the consequences of allowing the Police State to split power with the corporations, at the expense of ordinary citizens.

A majority of the stories are dystopian in nature. "Second Variety" is an eerie glimpse into a hellish future landscape. In "Foster, You're Dead," Dick exposes the manipulative effects of empty consumerism and forced patriotism. "Upon The Dull Earth" is more deviously Twilight Zone than Night Gallery, but equally eerie and frightening. "Precious Artifact" exposes the emotional and psychological toll of extinction.

"A Little Something For Us Tempunauts" is a well-crafted treatise on the time-travel paradox. Think of it as an especially grim version of "Groundhog Day." Above all, "Rautavaara's Case" is flat-0ut brilliant.

There are many many good stories, and a lot of overlap, but with little tongue in cheek clever touches. Philip Dick's stories can appear simple on the surface, but there are always layers. And he does not necessarily draw conclusions for the reader. Overall, this is a worthwhile read for the science fiction reader who likes their stories to explore inner, as well as outer space.