This is a collection of short stories set in the same universe as Baker's "Company" novel series. Since I'm a fan of the series, I really enjoyed these stories, most of which provided additional background about the major characters in the series (Joseph, Mendoza and Lewis). All but three of the fourteen stories have been published in magazines, but I had not read any of them before so I quite enjoyed them.

Baker's stories unfold in a universe where "the Company" (under various names, such as Zeus Incorporated and Jovian Systems), has discovered how to make people immortal and how to travel in time. The problem is that the immortality process only works on children (few of whom are rich and can pay for the process) and time travel is extremely expensive (and limited to the transportation of living beings, not objects). Furthermore, recorded history cannot be changed. The Company's solution to these problems is to go back in time and create an army of cyborgs (made from children snatched from the jaws of death) who then experience time as it progresses and carry out various tasks for the company, like stealing paintings just before they are lost at sea or taking genetic samples of plants before they become extinct. These treasures are then stored for safe-keeping and sold to the highest bidder in the future. As the series progresses, it becomes increasingly clear that the Company isn't altogether on the up and up.

Several of the stories (notably "Old Flat Top," "The Hotel at Harlan's Landing," and the Alec Checkerfield stories) provide clues about what is really going on with the Company. This was the primary reason I enjoyed them, so I'm not sure how appealing they would be so a reader who isn't familiar with the series.

Readers who are interested in the series really should start with the first book, In the Garden of Iden which is not only the best book in the series, but the best time travel book I've ever read.