From Publishers Weekly
For this unexpectedly rewarding SF/fantasy anthology, editors Lee and Miller (the Liaden Universe Adventures) take an offbeat if not especially compelling premise, focusing on writing that features characters who remain in the background of most fiction-street musicians, customs agents, bar owners, social workers, etc. The 20 contributors, mostly newcomers, all suggest that everyone is worth more than a fast glance and that everyone sometimes has a chance to make serious choices. Some preach sentimentally about these truths. But others offer memorable, thought-provoking stories, with settings ranging from alternate worlds (Laura J. Underwood's "The Gift") to urban homelessness (Ru Emerson's "Find a Pin"), from ancient Japan (Alan Smale's "Sailing to the Temple") to interstellar space (eluki bes shahar's "Riis Run"). There's a surprising amount of humor, and, nestled among usually upbeat tales, one lovely piece of blackhearted cynicism, Joe Murphy's "Zappa for Bardog." If the writers' names are largely unfamiliar, here's a good place to sample their work, to see what they can do when a fresh idea intrigues them. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Warning to fans of Lee and Miller's Liaden: this anthology isn't focused on that universe's Low Ports, much as readers might like to see them at center stage for once. Rather, these stories are about the low ports of many worlds, comprising a sort of universe of scruffy towns like Mos Eisley on Tattoine in Star Wars, particularly the back streets and dreary cantinas of such places. As in almost any anthology, the contents' quality varies. But the idea behind the whole enterprise is to tell the stories of folks who usually play small parts in the background; that is, when authors don't neglect them entirely. Despite the p.c. flavor that such a theme often generates, the 20 authors involved here produce a number of original settings and some high-quality characterizations. Pay particular attention to the contributions of eluki bes shahar (aka Rosemary Edghill), Edward McKeown, Jody Lynn Nye, Laura J. Underwood, and, in one of his relatively rare appearances at shorter-than-novel length, L. E. Modesitt. Frieda Murray
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FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly