Ignoring a cataclysm just because it's boring and quiet doesn't mean it's gone away. What if you were the only human who could see the creatures that actually rule the earth? The robot writing _The Book of Man_ must escort the new Pope to the shrine of St. Sebastian... but why? The 1970's were a period of creative ferment in the field of science fiction, and the three then-young men whose original novellas are included in this book were among the most highly regarded of the newer writers--who subsequently became giants in the field. Their writing is skillful, evocative, thoughtful, and profound. "And Us, Too, I Guess," by Geo. Alec Effinger, "Chains of the Sea," by Gardner R. Dozois, and "The Shrine of Sebastian," by Gordon Eklund, were published in this anthology for the first time anywhere. This book is a showcase for their talents, and the high quality of these three short novels will delight all SF readers.