The three stars, of course, come with the caveat that this book is exactly what it is: A capable adaptation of a B movie more notable for its title-generated internet frenzy than for any actual inherent quality. You don't read this book because you're actually interested in the story or the quality, you read it to be able to say that you didn't just watch the film, but you _read the book_. You're just _that_ hardcore. And you're tired of those monkey fighting snakes on that Monday-to-Friday plane.

As with any anthology, some stories are better than others -- or perhaps it's more fair to say that some stories will speak to particular people more than others. There are quite a few good stories (for me, "Whatever Skin You Wear" and "The First Dance" stood out), and the rest are okay, nothing I'd particularly call bad. There were a couple unfortunate missteps; the very first story ("Tom") uses "tranny", which I've come to see as a perjorative, and I'm not sure whether it's usage was supposed to be in character or whether it's simply poor word choice by the author, and a later story ("Ticking") has an unfortunate and glaring continuity error share a flashlight is dropped twice without being picked up in between. All in all, not a bad collection, but I didn't find it stellar; rather, the hit-and-miss you'd expect from just about any such collection.

Understated and very enjoyable exploration of a genetically engineered and enhanced person realizing and attempting to transcend their limits. The contrast between the main character's analytical mind and her attempts to introduce a little more chaos to her very organized world are fascinating. Very enjoyable.