Kreativity for Kats & Other Stories

These three stories showcase Leiber at his most playful and penetrating. "Kreativity for Kats" asks what happens when aliens live among us, and the answer is far stranger and funnier than you'd expect. "The Last Letter from Galaxy" takes a simple premise, a single handwritten letter, and follows its consequences through a near-future society until it brings the entire postal system to its knees. "The Big Engine" poses the ultimate question: what powers the universe? The answer is either profound or ridiculous, depending on how seriously you take the messenger. Leiber's genius lies in his ability to make the absurd feel inevitable and the philosophical feel like a joke someone's just told you. These are short stories that reward re-reading, each one a small machine designed to make you think and grin at the same time.