The Inspector-General is a satirical masterpiece portraying greed, stupidity, and the endemic corruption of power in tsarist Russia. It caused such uproar when published in 1836 that only the personal intervention of Tsar Nicholas I allowed it to be staged. Although it used the forms, elements, and premises of plays written before, it marks the beginning of a new tradition. Widely adapted. Seemingly the clear inspiration for the hotel inspector episode of the TV series, Fawlty Towers.

Journey forward into time, to 802,701 A.D. into a peaceful land of four feet tall humans who call themselves the Eloi. These happy, simple people know no disease, poverty, war, or wanton destruction. They have no need for technology or any more improvements to their lives. The Time Traveller discovers that these people are in fact descendants of man, the remainder of what was a once-great culture. Are they living the ideal life? Or is their peace and happiness the downside of an unimaginative culture?

Utilitarianism - achieving the greatest good for the greatest number. Well-known Western philosopher John Stuart Mill proposes the concept of utilitarianism as a moral standard by which to judge actions.

"Kessel proves himself again a master not just of science fiction, but also of the modern short story, crafting compelling characters and following them through plots that never fail to please - or to defy prediction." --Metro Magazine

"Kessel's blend of dark humor and reality-stretching scenarios is consistently mesmerizing." --Booklist

"One of the best collections of the year." --Locus

"These well-crafted stories, full of elegantly drawn characters, deliver a powerful emotional punch." --Publishers Weekly

Lewis Shiner is a two-time finalist for the Nebula (Frontera, Deserted Cities of the Heart), a finalist for the Philip K. Dick (Frontera), and won the World Fantasy award for Glimpses.

This collection veers into the weird side of the Old West, with punks, communists, crooked sodbusters, and a touch of slide guitar.