Each story was original to the anthology and set in one of the principal fictional universes of each author (the exact ones are noted in the Contents section below).

"[3] Kirkus Reviews calls the book "[a]n ideal combination of the reassuringly familiar and the excitingly new: should prove as popular as its fantasy predecessor.

"[4] Jeff Zaleski in Publishers Weekly assesses the book as "an important anthology that should appeal to all serious readers of SF."

"[3] Sally Estes in The Booklist notes that the authors "each explor[e] some aspect of theirs that they did not find a way of dealing with in the books of the series proper.

... And, once again, the stories remain true to their universes and characters, so they deliver good first-contact experiences for series novices as well as happy reading for longtime fans."