Is there a satisfactory answer to the question of whether God exists? If the answer surpasses human understanding, could a supercomputer alone be capable of finding it? Two researchers won't take IVAN the supercomputer's stubborn silence on the matter for an answer. IVAN is smart enough to call any phone number it chooses, imitate any voice it likes, and listen to conversations from which it forms independent opinions. Will it ever share those opinions?

Two centuries from now, a spaceship leaves earth to explore a new planet it never reaches. The world it does find is eleven years from here and habitable. All the adults in the expedition soon die of a wasting disease, leaving their immune offspring with only a few pamphlets that explain basic life skills but say nothing about advanced technology. The children create a vibrant, fragile culture that future high-tech inventions could easily destroy.

Two of Freeman's thought-provoking science fiction novellas are included in this volume. Both question whether religion is compatible with science. Each presents a cast of characters single-minded in their embrace of their beliefs and their determination to validate or preserve their absolute truths. The first book questions why humans need proof of God's existence, implying that each person can arrive at one's own conclusion about that. The second suggests that firm faith in its unique beliefs benefits a culture more than the widespread acceptance of modern conveniences or contemporary thought. The narratives are unique in that they neither unequivocally deny nor affirm God's existence or the validity or relevance of organized religion. In contrast, most pieces in this genre refute God's existence and dismiss religious leanings as directly opposed to rationality. Those who find themselves questioning the values or beliefs they were taught or who prefer sci-fi with Luddite overtones may enjoy these books.

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