Perseids and other stories by Robert Charles Wilson

This collection of stories (published in 2000) has a science fiction/horror blend that makes it a discomfiting read. Nevertheless, there is much to enjoy here, and Wilson's grasp on my attention didn't flag. The stories included are:

The Fields of Abraham
The Perseids
The inner inner city
The observer
Protocols of consumption
Ulysses sees the moon in the bedroom window
Plato's mirror
Divided by infinity
Pearl baby

There is some interconnection between the stories. Characters in one story may show up in another. Several characters work or visit a used bookstore called Finders. Most of the stories take place in Toronto.

I particularly enjoyed the Fields of Abraham, the story of a young man who earns his living (just after the turn of the 19th century) teaching English and playing the occasional game of chess. He has a sister who seems to be descending into madness for whom he serves as caretaker. There is an old man in a book store (Finders) who gives him books in exchange for chess games.

The Observer is an alien abduction story with a difference, and a pleasant 12-year-old girl for a heroine.

Divided by Infinity is another story connected to Finders bookstore. This one tells of a man who so terribly misses his dead wife that he seeks to join her in death, only to find his death increasingly unlikely.

Overall, this books is worth finding, and I liked Wilson's comments at the end.

http://www.geocities.com/canadian_SF/wilson/